Charlie Lovett is a writer, teacher, and playwright, whose plays for children have been seen in more than three thousand productions. He is a former antiquarian bookseller and a keen book collector. He and his wife divide their time between Carolina, and Kingham, Oxfordshire, in England. Upon the release of his new book, he has kindly shared some more facts about himself.
Charlie Lovett by Superieur Photographics
I can’t do what I do without a lot of help. It may look like a new novel springs out of the mind of the writer and appears in the world, but there is a lot more to it than that. I want my readers to read the acknowledgements at the end of my book, because without all those people, my book would never happen. From my wife who guards my writing time as fiercely as I do, to my agent who guides me through rewrites, to my editor who offers sage advice—my novel is due to all their work. Just because my name is on the title page doesn’t mean I did it all by myself.
I spend several weeks a year with my wife at our cottage in Oxfordshire. We feel deeply connected to our life in England and our little community of Kingham.
I grew up in a house where physical books and text were both valued. My father was a literature professor and a book collector, so I learned from an early age that a book was more than just a story and more than just paper and ink.
I’m a long distance runner. Training for a marathon or half-marathon is just like writing a novel. You can only do it one step at a time.
I’ve been hanging out in English cathedrals since I was seventeen. A lot of people have asked me about research I did into life in the community of an English cathedral. The truth is I didn’t do much research, because I’ve spent so much time visiting cathedrals in the past thirty-seven years. From a high school class on church architecture to a six-week pilgrimage in 2000, to regular attendance at Evensong whenever we are in England—it sinks in after a while.
I have a book collection that is slowly eating my house.
I sing in my church choir. I love the challenge of learning a difficult piece of music. To me it is much like writing a book in that it is a process of making order out of chaos. Whether I am faced with a desk covered with notes or a page of music covered with notes, my first reaction can be—how do a make sense of all this? But that makes the final product all the more satisfying, whether it’s learning a Mozart Mass or writing a novel.
I think afternoon tea may be the most civilized thing ever invented by mankind.
I like to give book talks. I’ve been an actor, playwright, and passionate theatregoer, so I’m comfortable in front of a crowd. Or, as my wife would astutely observe, I’m a ham.
I believe in storytelling. I think telling stories is part of what makes us human and I think that ultimately our civilization will be judged by what it leaves hanging on the walls of art museums and sitting on the shelves of libraries. The real reason I want you to buy my books is not to make my publicist or editor or accountant happy. It’s because I want to grab you by the shoulders and look into your eyes and say, “Let me tell you a story.”
