Interview with the Author-Novelist Cal Orey

By Cal Orey

Today we're talking to Cal Orey, the author of the popular Healing Powers series and her other creative works in progress...

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I prefer to write in fall/winter when it's quiet.

I was born and raised in San Jose, California. It's changed due to gentrification aka (King Kong stomped on Mother Nature and now it's a metropolis). I moved to Lake Tahoe to get back to nature. Ironically, history repeats itself. More changes, including killing healthy trees (I'm a granola girl/tree hugger) and vacation homeowner invasion like Stephen King's Langoliers, especially in the summertime. I am a journalist-author. That's what they (my editors) call me. 

How and when did you become a writer?

I got my first poem "School Days" published when I was in third grade. My teachers told me I had a "gift" when I wrote papers. I liked to write colorful stuff. So, I ended up majoring in English (Creative Writing) in college. I hold a bachelor's and master's in these topics. But I flunked math. 

What genre do you write?

I'm known as a health author. I have had thousands of articles published on different subjects, including relationships (I flunked this topic, too, in real life), pets, Earth changes, and just about anything (even sex). However, in 2021 I fell into novels and novelettes. After all, my thesis was collection of fiction stories. And many of my tales were published in national publications throughout the years. I came full circle. 

How would you describe your writing style?

I'm candid. I like to inject heart and soul into my work. Third person narrative is boring, I prefer talking to readers like I chat it up in real life. I do this on a regular basis. Lately, I like to write in the morning (thanks to my cup of Joe), research after swimming in the afternoon. Late at night I brainstorm. When working on a book like now it's similar to having renters in your brain. I'm trying to go with them, this time. Overall, it's cool. Think visitors that can be amusing, thought-provoking, and inspiring but pesky at times. They don't sleep!

What makes you different from other writers?

I like to put my personal paw print on each piece of work. In other words, I prefer to write in a chatty, down-to-earth narrative. Love to say things people are afraid to say, kind of like baring your soul or disrobing in front of the world. I lose the inhibitions for my best stuff.  Love to write from the heart and tell stories--all kinds that'll make the reader laugh, cry, and nourish the soul.

Who inspires you?

My dog is my mentor. He gets me. I adore his energy--an Aussie at 4 1/2.  In grad school for my oral exams I chose my three authors: George Eliot, John Steinbeck, and Edward Albee; my professors weren't pleased with the last two--but I didn't care.  Steinbeck knew the Golden State, Tahoe, the ocean, and dogs. And, people in real life, past and present or future (in my imagination) make my works come alive.

How did you come up with the title of your series?

I fell into the Healing Powers series. It was the title of the first book back in 1999. The Healing Powers of Vinegar paved the way for books that followed into two, a trilogy but my editor corrected me and called it a "series." The rest is history. Nine books later... Psst. Essential Oils, #8, was chosen to be featured in FIRST FOR WOMEN (Mar. 2022 issue). These books seem to be timeless.

Who is your favorite character in (your book you want to talk about) and why?

July 4th I was in Victoria, B.C. to flee Tahoe tourist chaos

A returning character is an elderly woman who is someone who helped me a lot when I was a struggling magazine journalist. Read: I scrubbed toilets for the well-to-do to make ends meet. She traveled abroad many times and loved Europeans. Now I travel to Canada. A lot. It gives me my fix of culture, diversity, England and France. I have a sense of belonging in Quebec to British Columbia. Psst! I am wearing a maple leaf necklace I got back in July when I paid a visit to Victoria. So calming that trip was for me. 

Bonding with a Victoria seal. 

We live in divisive times. Should your religion/politics influence your writing?

As a Catholic I admit in my books this fact does come out a bit...but I shy away from politics. Too heated these days--I don't want to lean to the left or right. But between you and me? I am an Independent, former Democrat, and closet Republican. This is probably because I'm a middle child; dad a Republican, mom a Democrat. And I was the rebellious hippie chick growing up in the seventies.

What are you working on now? 

I helped co-author a 2-in-1 contemporary romance novel.  Now, ah. I am marketing a Carl Sagan-ish science book I co-wrote. It is so artsy and amazing! And I'm creating an outline for a political gem with notes of racism in the Deep South.  I'm time traveling back in time to many regions I've been...  I love sharing my stories from on the road with a dog or dog-less (that's tough) and linking it to the topic to make it a fun, lively read from the heart. 

Anything else you'd like to share with our readers?

Good news! I'm always crushing on the Pacific Northwest. Cabin fever has hit since the pandemic grounded me. It is almost time to flee, perhaps to somewhere warm or back to Alaska or Hawaii (again).

Gentrification is ruining Tahoe, my home for
almost two decades.

Advice for young writers? 

Live life! Your experiences will take you where you are supposed to be in the writing world.

For more information about this author check out the following links: www.calorey.com, https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8065-3826-6