Today we’d like to introduce you to Carol Jameson

Hi Carol, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

As a child I always loved to read and, perhaps, secretly harbored a wish to be a writer. However, I didn’t pursue this seriously until I was in my mid 20s when I took an Adult Ed creative writing class in Santa Cruz. It was here that the instructor, Toby Kaplan, inspired me to write fast fiction. These short vignettes were based on of my everyday experiences of swimming at the local pool, Harvey West Park, and scooping ice cream at Polar Bear Ice Cream.

As perhaps many of you know, it’s difficult to make a living as a writer. So, I had the idea to get my MFA and teach to support my writing. I did my graduate work at Mills College in Oakland and found my time there nurturing and productive, especially because of my professors and mentors, Josephine Carson and Ruth Saxton. When I graduated, I did land part-time teaching jobs in the community colleges, but this wasn’t enough to make a living and so I worked various ‘creatives’ jobs: clerking at Avenue Books in Berkeley; pouring coffee at Royal Coffee in Oakland, to supplement my income. I continued writing while I was teaching and working these odd jobs but never had much success in publication. I did have some stories published in rare and odd zines such as Blind Date edited by myself and Owen Hill and Jejune edited by Vincent Farnsworth and Gwen Albert as well as small collections of my stories: It Builds in the Brain and The Kaiser Stories.

Over the years, I’ve written several novels but it wasn’t until I found She Writes Press, a hybrid press here in the Bay Area, that I took the plunge and submitted Adam and Leonora. Publisher Brooke Warner accepted this draft and the journey began! The work to get this out into the world and the publication of it this summer has given me much motivation to continue writing and publishing. I currently am working on a compilation of short stories, The Red Dress, that may have a publisher, and, I’m drafting a fun novel, Bad Attitude, about my time working as a soda jerk in 1980s Santa Cruz at Polar Bear Ice Cream.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?

Hah! Indeed, the road has often been bumpy, but I think in the long run the challenges have been worth it. When I first began teaching, I was encouraged to apply for full time jobs in San Mateo and in Oakland. Because I had the support of senior instructors and mentors at these jobs, I most probably would have been hired. Yet, I declined these opportunities because being a full-time composition teacher at the Community Colleges would not have given me any time to write. This was a priority for me. While I didn’t have the income, the benefits or the prestige and status of a full timer, I did manage to continue writing while teaching part- time. Often, being a part-timer ended up being the equivalent number of hours and energy as a full-timer. Little did I know!
I think my biggest struggle has always been making ends meet on my limited income. I don’t like the cliché of the ‘starving artist’ and never did starve myself nor not have a roof over my head, but it was a challenge as a single woman without a partner’s support to make ends meet. Also on a writerly level, I had the challenge of having enough time to write since as I mentioned above, part-time teaching is anything but part time! My energy was taken up with grading essays, prepping for classes, and interacting with students. While I feel like this work has been fulfilling on many levels it was never really my true passion—this has always been writing!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I write fiction, specializing in short stories and novels. I may be most known for my swimming stories on my blog, Pool Purrs: https://poolpurrs.blogspot.com. I’ve been writing these stories for many many years and, at this point, there are hundreds of them on the blog. These stories are based on my experiences swimming in pools, in lakes, and in the San Francisco Bay. Many of them are humorous but many of them have a touch of poignancy, too. I’m definitely proud of all these stories and hope to one day compile a Best of Pool Purrs for publication.

I’m also a pianist, and while I’ve never performed, I have enjoyed teaching piano to students all of my life. I specialize in adult beginners but have had a few exceptional young people that I’ve nurtured over the years who have given me great joy in their achievements with music.

Today, I’m most proud of my novel Adam and Leonora since it’s my first book that’s seen the light of day. The reception so far has been positive. I had a wonderful reading at Books, Inc. in Berkeley where family and friends gathered to hear me read. I think, perhaps, what sets me apart is that I’m a single woman in my 60s who’s just published her first novel despite all the rejection and challenges of juggling a teaching career with a writing one. This is a very exciting accomplishment for me and one that I’d love to share with your readers.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.

Can you talk to us about your view on risk taking. Have you taken any major risks (and if so, can you tell us about those risks)? Regardless of whether you view yourself as a risk-taker or not, we’d love to hear your perspective on how you think about risk.

I wouldn’t normally view myself as a risk taker, although when I look back on my life, I have taken risks. Obviously, the choice to not pursue a full-time teaching job and instead keep at my writing has been a lifelong risk. I also took a risk when I went on an adventure to teach English in China in 2001. Now that I look back on it, I can’t believe I went to someplace as foreign as China– not knowing the language, not knowing the university, not having any friends or family there. I admit I was lonely and scared at times, but most of the time I found myself thriving in this new environment, eager for a new adventure every day, either taking the bus downtown to the pool or trying to communicate to a group of students with no English what a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was! While there, I wrote a book about my experiences: What I Learned in China. And, believe me, it was a lot!

I think that risk taking is vital to growth and accomplishment, but for me it’s also something that doesn’t come naturally. I think I’m basically a cautious person who likes to plan things out and know what’s ahead of me. The trip to China was a once in a lifetime risk, but, who knows, I may take another such risk in the future!

Pricing:

• 17.95

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.caroljameson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carol.jameson.1485/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.jameson.1485/
• Twitter: https://x.com/seajaypurr