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Kate Racculia Interview, plus links to author biography, book summaries, excerpts and reviews

Kate Racculia

Kate Racculia

How to pronounce Kate Racculia: ruh-KYOOL-ee-uh

An interview with Kate Racculia

Quick facts about Kate Racculia whose first novel, This Must Be The Place, received starred reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.

Where are you from?
Syracuse, New York

Who are your favorite writers?
I love Kate Atkinson, Michael Chabon, Margaret Atwood, Jane Smiley, Richard Russo—I could go on.  And there's nothing in the world like a vintage Stephen King and a glass of iced tea on a lazy summer day.

Which book/books have had the biggest influence on your writing?
Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game blew my 10-year-old mind with its multiple characters, multiple plots, multiple red herring, try-to-solve-it-yourself mystery.  And years later, John Irving's The World According to Garp was an object lesson in absolutely stuffing a book to bursting—with characters, with ideas, with absurdity—and yet making it all ring true.

What are your hobbies and outside interests?
I watch movies all the time: the good, the bad, the unspeakably awful (the better to mock; thank you, Mystery Science Theater 3000).    

I'm also a collector of everything from old records to antique post cards.  I've never met an antique mall I didn't like.

What is the single best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?
My father once told me to never forget that TUMS spelled backward is SMUT.  I'm not sure how to quantify the ways in which this advice has changed my life, but I've never forgotten it.

What is your favorite quote?
"Still and all, why bother? Here's my answer. Many people need desperately to receive this message: I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone."—Kurt Vonnegut

What is the question most commonly asked by your readers?  What is the answer?
Where did you get your ideas?  And the answer is: I...kind of don't know.  Does anyone?  I imagine my brain as a melting pot of everything I've absorbed about the world—from my family, my friends, my coworkers and teachers; from movies and music and books—that simmers quietly, just waiting for me to decide to see what's cooking.

What inspired you to write your first book?

This Must Be the Place was inspired by many, many things: the art of Joseph Cornell; the Pixies' "Doolittle;" the true story of John Myatt, an art forger who happened to be a single father (which got me thinking: what would it be like to have a forger in the family?); and a burning desire to justify the student loan payments I owed on my MFA.  

Where do you write?
I like to write in noisy cafes.  Anywhere there's plenty of ambient energy and easy access to a great cup of coffee.

Unless otherwise stated, this interview was conducted at the time the book was first published, and is reproduced with permission of the publisher. This interview may not be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

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Books by this Author

Books by Kate Racculia at BookBrowse
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts jacket Bellweather Rhapsody jacket This Must Be the Place jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Kate Racculia but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose readalikes

  • Peter Bognanni

    Peter Bognanni

    Peter Bognanni is a writer currently based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His first novel, The House of Tomorrow, is out now from Amy Einhorn Books (Putnam). He attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop not long ago, and his short ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    This Must Be the Place

    Try:
    The House of Tomorrow
    by Peter Bognanni

  • Peter Ho Davies

    Peter Ho Davies

    Peter Ho Davie's latest book is A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself. His previous novel, The Fortunes, a New York Times Notable Book, won the Anisfield-Wolf Award and the Chautauqua Prize, and was a finalist for the Dayton ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    This Must Be the Place

    Try:
    The Fortunes
    by Peter Ho Davies

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