Numerous Adventures & Experiences

You hear about professors publishing books or writing journal articles, but what about a librarian? At first glance the Physical Science Librarian, Kathleen Clauson seems like a typical librarian, in her office on the computer busy typing away replying to emails and daily rports and memos, surrounded by piles of chemistry and physics books with papers everywhere, displaying her busy schedule. But Kathleen finds time to write books, publishing her first one last year. Surprisingly her first novella, Eva Galuska and the Christmas Carp had nothing to do with science. It’s about a young successful Polish man with a wife and children who unlocks a forgotten door in his childhood memories and is seduced by an enigmatic woman.

What was your first book you’ve written?
Kathleen Clauson (KC): Eva Galuska and the Christmas Carp, it’s based in an old Polish neighborhood in Chicago near St. mary's of the Angels Church, which in itself is something of a mystery.  from the kennedy Expressway you can see a blue light shining from the top of the church at night..

What was your inspiration to write the book?
KC: To be honest I was a freshman in college and my Professor had the class write a short story, my 1st semester.  One day after class the professor said he needed to talk to me, I thought oh no what did I do, but he said “This is good, with a little work you could publish this.” After that all these years I’ve liked to write. Then I met my favorite writer Stuart Dybek from Chicago and talked about my story and he thought the ideas was good. I decided Isomehow I was going to revise it and publish it.

How did you feel when your novella came out last year?
KC: I was excited, really excited, wish it had come out in October instead of December because it is a Christmas book. The book coming out was very exciting, one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.

What is your next book about?
KC: My next book is a novella; I still haven’t decided what the title will be. The novella is a series of short stories that are a part of one big story. It’s about girls and women and the effects of love, some aspect of their lives that intertwines with another character.  It's a thread that runs through all the stories. It’s something like the movie 9 Lives where they have profiles of the characters lives and in some way all of them are connected to one another.

What was your inspiration for this book?
KC: First of all I like to write stories about women and personally I’ve been through a lot and I know many women who went through their own problems.  I like to include something that reflects real life and real problems.

Where do you find the time to write?
KC: Oh this is very difficult; normally I get up really early and write the stories before work. I’ll work from 6 in the morning, until 7 at night on Saturdays and Sundays ,which works the best.  On the weekends that’s all I do is write. At night after dinner I’ll write or take a nap and write while everyone is asleep which works well, no interruptions, no phone calls, no dog barking.
What types of books do you like to read?
KC: Fiction, witty essays like David Sedaris-- his are funny. I don’t like anything too weird but I like elements of magical realism.