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Author Revealed

Peter Ames Carlin
Elizabeth S. Ames

Peter Ames Carlin

Peter Ames Carlin was born in Syracuse, NY, in 1963. The son of a psychologist and an arts administrator, he was a freelance writer in Portland for many years, then worked as a senior writer at People magazine in New York City. He has been the TV... Read full bio

Author Revealed:
Q. What is your motto or maxim?
A. Always walk away and take a breath before hitting 'send.'
Learn more about Peter Ames Carlin
Peter Ames Carlin Revealed
About Peter Ames Carlin
  • What is your birthdate?:
    3/13
  • Previous occupations:
    Student; free-lance journo; magazine staffer; tv critic
  • Favorite job:
    What I'm doing now, I think.
  • High school and/or college:
    Garfield High School in Seattle; then Macalester College (St. Paul), then Lewis & Clark College (Portland)
  • Name of your favorite composer or music artist?:
    Again, a listy thing. Obviously I have a thing for the Beatles and Paul McCartney; see also my book about Brian Wilson. Also fond of: the Clash; Loudon Wainwright; Bruce Springsteen; Todd Snider; and many more.
  • Favorite television show:
    "The Sopranos," "The Wire," "Mad Men," etc. I used to be a TV critic, so I've seen a lot of TV.
Revealing Questions
Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
A. Hectic, fun and confusing. And yet well-intentioned. Mostly.
Q. What is your motto or maxim?
A. Always walk away and take a breath before hitting 'send.'
On Books and Writing
Q. Who are your favorite authors?
A. Hemingway; DF Wallace; Tom Wolfe; Tom Perrotta; Thom Jones; Michael Chabon; Ken Kesey; Phillip Roth; and on and on and on.
Q. What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
A. These listy things give me the vapors. But here are some faves that cross my mind just now: "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" (DF Wallace) "Collected Short Stories" (Hemingway) "Goodbye Columbus" (Roth) "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (M. Twain) "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" (Wolfe)
Q. Is there a book you love to reread?
A. "A Supposedly Fun Thing...."
Q. Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
A. Revise a lot and get used to criticism
Q. What comment do you hear most often from your readers?
A. "What was THAT supposed to mean?"
Q. How did you come to write Paul McCartney?
A. Paul: My childhood hero; ongoing object of my admiration, my ire and perpectual fascination. How do you wake up, having been a Beatle, and figure out how to be something else? How does that legacy define you? How does it haunt you? I had no idea. So I wanted to find out.