Today we’re delighted to welcome the lovely Caroline Kirkpatrick, from Piatkus Entice.
Hi Caroline – great to see you here on the Romaniac sofa. Coffee? Tea? And the chocolate cake is just out of the oven…
Ooh lovely! A cuppa sounds great, and I won’t say no to the chocolate cake too!
Was a career in publishing ever on your list of dream jobs when you were at school?
I always absolutely loved English language and literature at school, and studied English at A Level. But then my life took a different path and I’ve trained and worked as an actress, as well as living in Dubai and working as a flight attendant for the Royal Family of Dubai. I then got into publishing when I began working as a personal assistant at the Darley Anderson agency.
Who has been the most help to you in your career so far?
So many people. Friends and colleagues in the industry have always offered me great advice. My mum has been a brilliant support too.
What books do you read for pleasure?
My favourite authors are Catherine Alliott and Marian Keyes. Rachel’s Holiday is one of my favourite books ever. And I love the gritty realistic crime of Martina Cole.
Do you write yourself, and if not, do you think you will?
I haven’t tried yet, but I have thought about it. Perhaps one day I will. For now though, I’m very happy editing other people’s work.
What is the most exciting part of your job?
Buying a new author and making their dreams of publication possible.
And the reverse of the coin – what do you find stressful/tedious at work?
Nothing tedious, but it’s a busy department and there are often not enough hours in the day!
Which famous authors would you most like to have dinner with?
Can I go back in time? Would love to have Charles Dickens over for dinner. And from the present day, Hilary Mantel.
What is your most unusual ambition?
To work with endangered orangutans
Thanks so much for dropping in, Caroline – please have some more cake or I’ll be forced to eat all the leftovers. Good luck with the latest Piatkus Entice publishing competition. Looking forward to the results at the Festival of Romance next week. See you soon…
The Romaniacs 
That’s a lady who’s lead an interesting life with masses of variety in it, I totally approve! Can relate to the love of Keyes and I used to love Cole, too. I got offered a working contract in Dubai about ten years ago, but got cold feet, 6 days of rain a year is a bit tough to countenance when you’re from the ‘green and pleasant land’!
That’s true, Yasmin – all that heat sounds good to begin with but I do like a rainy walk. Yes, Caroline’s certainly earned her cake today with all this interesting background 🙂
Celia x
Very interesting, thanks for sharing. Rachel’s Holiday is one of my favourite books too. I even managed to persuade my BF, who only reads history or politics non-fiction, to read it. And he loved it too.
Liamlivings.com
Very nice to meet you, Caroline, and even more excited to meet a fellow Catherine Alliott fan! The Old-Girl Network was probably the first chick lit novel of its type I ever read, and I still own a copy that’s been read so many times, it’s now falling apart. And I STILL laugh out loud when Polly is at South Ken Tube station… LOL. Huge thanks to The Romaniacs for introducing you and for a great interview. Rock on!