Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Cale.
Andrea, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My interest in writing began in my childhood days, when shyness seemed to facilitate a lot of observing, listening and putting words on paper in lieu of talking all that much.
I remember quietly trying to figure people out by attempting to understand the diverse views and styles of those around me. These growing curiosities led to studying newspaper journalism at S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, a place where I’m thankful to have witnessed some spectacular sports games and met great friends while trudging through Onondaga County’s brutal lake-effect weather and intense Newhouse coursework.
Graduation took my journalism journey about one hour’s drive even farther north to beautiful farm country, New York’s North Country, at a daily newspaper that was small enough to believe in a rookie reporter and large enough to provide awesome experience — from covering visits from U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (on the first day on the job) and Hilary Clinton to school district meetings and a tragic apartment fire that led to press coverage that would become recognized by the New York State Associated Press Association.
An interest in the more allusive, uplifting feature stories turned my attention — and my journey — toward Boston University, where I studied Public Relations, the art of working with the press to disseminate positive stories on good days and crisis communication on more challenging ones. I got lucky in landing a job as a PR officer at a fast-paced, top 10 U.S. commercial bank holding company, where I soaked up as much wisdom as possible from two extraordinary female directors who quickly became my mentors. I felt proud to work for a good company that had an exceptional commitment to its customers, employees and communities, all while getting the adrenaline rushes and fast press deadlines that had me hooked.
I was newly married, content and taking on more responsibilities with a position I had valued so much that I had often left my Arlington, Mass. condo for work in the dark of morning and returned long after dinnertime in the dark of night. But then at 31 years old, with life seeming to hum along with good momentum, I found myself having to make a huge choice.
My husband, a guy who has consistently given encouragement with any of my harebrained work-life choices and dreams, was traveling constantly in his own position. We learned we were expecting our first child — a boy. We were so grateful and thrilled for the news. As we all tend to do with our most life-altering moments, I can picture exactly where we were the moment we found out. But I also found myself having to make a decision that is familiar for so many women who go on to become working mothers, stay-at-home mothers or some kind of mix of the two. I believe all are impressive options, with big rewards and big challenges no matter how you slice it. In the same breath, I think it’s also essential to give a nod to women who would give just about anything to have this dilemma by overcoming the hurdle of becoming pregnant, as well as a nod to women who are rocking out with their careers and passions and fulfilled by life without choosing to become a parent. I feel fortunate to know so many inspirational women, and when I stop and think about their paths, no two are exactly alike.
And so for me, at that memorable point in my life approximately 11 years ago, I decided to step away from the career I loved to enter two unchartered territories. I became a mom — a stay-at-home mom — and a drafter of a novel of which I wasn’t sure would ever see the light of day.
Today, nearly 11 years and tons of hilarious and embarrassing mistakes and joys later, I’m humbled and honored to do this interview with you as the mom of two boys — ages 10 and seven years old — and author of The Corn Husk Experiment, a novel that was released this month by New York, New York’s Morgan James Publishing, a company that recently made Publisher’s Weekly list for being one of the fastest growing independent publishers in the country.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road to get here hasn’t been smooth, so the last picture I want to paint is one that appears that way. (Speaking of pictures and paint… During the photo shoot for this interview, I tried to hide chipped toenails that have had little time for attention in our grass, which was overdue to be mowed. These are just two of my most inconsequential and least embarrassing examples of things that you don’t always see in a picture.) In addition to the rejection and doubts that often go hand-in-hand with finding a literary agent and a publisher for a novel, I had severely struggled with finding time to create it in the first place.
I look at my kind, funny 10-year-old, a big brother to another funny and kind boy in our house. Our 10-year-old seems to be growing by the minute these days, and I sometimes think about how The Corn Husk Experiment is the same age as him. I’ve realized that the novel required a much longer gestation because I had often chosen sleep while one of the two babies slept themselves. I also put a lot of pressure — and still do by the way — to have the house clean enough for the kids to have friends over, all while providing them with healthy, home-cooked meals, luring them outside to touch nature instead of their electronic devices once in a while and signing them up for sports and activities in which they show even the slightest interest and passion. The laundry is perpetually out of control even though it always feels as though it had been done just a day or two before. I’m more often overwhelmed than not. For example, the week when my book miraculously came out earlier this month had also featured in our home — without exaggeration — one trip to the emergency room, two cases of the stomach bug and seven stitches from beach soccer gone awry. I love my family so much. I’d choose the same bumpy path over and over again.
I know my story is not unique in regard to this balancing act and that there are so many readers who can relate to the struggle to carve out time to create — no matter whether they’re a parent, a person looking to shift career paths or someone maintaining a job to pay the bills while yearning to create something they’re even more passionate about. I’m not a big giver of advice, but I hope my imperfect story can help people rest assured that even for this writer who has made her fair share of mistakes along the way, the minutes you manage to scrape together to create something — whether it’s waking up just 15 minutes earlier than usual or letting the dishes pile up for a day — will eventually add up, just like that inevitable laundry mound.
The other piece of advice that helped me — especially as a shy person who is often lacking in the confidence department and worrying about what others think so much that I often drive my poor husband crazy — came from a friend, Sue, who sent me Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear book. Sue knew I was struggling with the thought of putting the book — or, in my mind, my heart — out there for the world to see. Gilbert offers a lot of great advice, but my biggest takeaway is not waiting for perfection to put something out there. During journalism and PR days, the articles I would submit, even on deadline, would feel polished to perfection, but days are different now. If I waited for perfection for this novel, I would probably be working and hesitating and tweaking for the rest of my life. I would have regretted that hesitation in the end. Putting yourself out there is hard, yet I’ve been really touched by how people are relating to and enjoying The Corn Husk Experiment and its characters.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Author of The Corn Husk Experiment: A Novel and Co-creator of The Good News Experiment – what should we know?
The concept for The Corn Husk Experiment, a novel, came together more than a decade ago when my husband and I were attending an NFL game. Out of the corner of my eye, the former reporter in me spotted a group of young men who had taken a boy to the game, and they appeared to be giving him one of the best days of his life. As I continued to look around, I noticed endless stories. I became intrigued with how we’re all so different and yet we were all sitting together for a moment in time.
Similarly, the novel is about five strangers who have seemingly nothing in common. Before the writing process began, I crafted their storylines very carefully so most any reader would be able to relate to at least one of the lovable characters. They’re all on a bit of a gritty rollercoaster through life’s pains and joys. You get to really see, feel and understand their struggles because from chapter to chapter, viewpoints shift from character to character. Their lives ultimately collide in a stadium at a football game where unexpected twists happen. They also realize that they’re not so different than many others within the stadium. In the end, the reader is left with uplifting, relevant themes of empathy and the unexpected human connections, but you’ve also gone through a page-turning, entertaining journey that can get dark at times. I’ve been really excited, humbled and appreciative of the early reviews. Common feedback involves people saying they laughed, they cried and they couldn’t put it down. I especially love how readers’ favorite character seems to vary from person to person. This was a goal of the book.
Something that I’m even more proud of is how the novel has facilitated a platform to create The Good News Experiment, an initiative that highlights stories of real people doing amazing things through feature stories that run on my blog, shared through social media and featured in press releases that go out to the honoree’s local newspaper. To date, we’ve featured four honorees and all four have had their awesome stories run in a newspaper.
The ripple effects have been encouraging and even better than I had dreamed. Lola Alexander, a Dorchester woman who serves others in a variety of roles, had her story appear in The Dorchester Reporter newspaper. A local professor saw the piece and invited her to speak at Northeastern University for a bioethics forum. Our second honorees, brother-and-sister duo Eric and Anna Leslie of Union Capital Boston, had their story appear in The Cambridge Chronicle for their work at their nonprofit organization that offers an app that rewards people in underserved communities for civic engagement. A staffer at The Edward M. Kennedy Institute saw the story and tweeted about the siblings’ work. In Illinois, Lisa Daniels was recognized for her work with The Darren B. Easterling Center for Restorative Practice in The Chicago Citizen. Honorees Tyler and Karla Young of the dreamy oceanside town of Little Compton, RI have donated the equivalent of 1.1 million meals to the Rhode Island Food Bank. The received trade magazine coverage in Country Folks New England with additional coverage expected in local papers.
We all need these stories today. I was attending our small town Memorial Day parade a few days ago and a good friend’s mother slipped me a folded piece of paper to share news of a 14-year-old girl named Jayera Griffin who raised $1,000 for a free wash day in her neighborhood in Illinois, where people who could use a helping hand were able to wash their clothes at no cost. This special interaction at the parade was all because of The Good News Experiment. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy meeting these inspirational people, writing their stories, spreading their news and then meeting readers who want to share more stories. I tip my hat to BostonVoyager for its commitment to doing just that.
So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well positioned for?
As part of The Good News Experiment, I partner with a former public affairs colleague, Monalisa Smith, who is now President of Boston’s Mothers for Justice and Equality (MJE). MJE empowers women and gives them the tools to be agents of change in their neighborhoods, especially ones that have had a history of street violence.
As part of our partnership, Monalisa helps identify honorees in our communities. In turn, I interview them, write their stories and share them. Half of our honorees come from a variety of service areas while half are dedicated to supporting families impacted by street violence. When this program was still in the planning stages, I met with Monalisa at her Roxbury office in Boston and she opened my eyes to the fact that what comes out of the women she serves after losing loved ones so precious is an untold story. In her particular service area, the headline of the story is often “Another son lost,” she said when an international, untold story is about this extraordinary strength of women who emerge out of deep mourning and begin transforming their communities. This is incredibly powerful.
I’m working with Monalisa right now, in the spirit of The Good News Experiment, for her upcoming Courage and Conviction Awards, an honor that recognizes people who have stood firm in the face of adversity to become change agents. These honorees are also receiving recognition from City of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and celebration aboard The Spirit of Boston in June. As I interviewed one of the honorees, a woman named Ebony who lost her husband and father of her two children, she said, “Wow, this part of my story has never been told this way before. It’s never been told in such a positive way.”
Women are built with physical and emotional strengths that are hard to even capture in words. In the media, I hope for continued momentum in showing the strength of women like Ebony and across a variety of industries.
Pricing:
- The Corn Husk Experiment is available on Amazon, at other online retailers or at your favorite bookstore. The book is $16.95, with 5% of author proceeds benefiting Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry in Devens, MA.
Contact Info:
- Website: andreacalebooks.com
- Email: andreacalebooks@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreacalebooks/
- Facebook: On Facebook: Author Andrea Cale
Image Credit:
Kelly Fitzsimmons Photography
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