A Resort Chat with Don Calame

The hilariously entertaining Don Calame stopped over to The Book Resort for some laughs. I am thrilled he has taken the time to stop by.

Here goes...


Me: What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)

DC: I’m working on a quasi-sequel to Swim the Fly (the story is told from Coop’s point of view). After that I’ll begin working on the screenplay for Swim the Fly (which was just recently optioned by Paramount Pictures).


Me: Spiderman or Superman:

DC: Spiderman (I like that he’s a normal guy who gets super powers but is still vulnerable)

Me: Wonder Woman or Batgirl:

DC: Batgirl (she’s more down to Earth)

Me: Chunky or Smooth:

DC: Are we talking peanut butter? Then, chunky. If we’re talking music, I can go for either, depending on the mood. Soup? I’ll go chunky. I could go on, but I’ll stop.

Me: Favorite flavor ice cream:

DC: Howard Johnson’s Peppermint Stick

Me: Favorite ice cream topping:

DC: Hot fudge. No, hot caramel. No, hot fudge. Caramel. I can’t choose.

Me: Subway or Taxi:

DC: Walking, usually. Especially when I’m in NYC. Unless I can’t figure out the connections. Then a taxi. Most everywhere else I’ll walk or drive my car.

Me: Broadway Show or Movie Theater:

DC: Don’t make me choose. I don’t get to enough theater, though when I do I love it. They’re such different experiences. Some things work much better on stage. But Spiderman on Broadway just isn’t going to cut it.

Me: TiVo or DVR:

DC: Is there a difference? I do love the technology. Especially for hockey games!

Me: Favorite vacation place:

DC: I don’t know if I have a favorite vacation place. I like Hawaii for a peaceful, book-on-the-beach kind of vacation. I just visited Paris with my wife for the first time last year and fell in love with the city. We’ll go back there for sure. We saw a Mediterranean food tasting cruise online that looked fun. Gotta love the food tasting vacations. I’ve never been on one but they sound great.

Me: Next vacation destination:

DC: We’re still trying to figure that one out.

Me: Favorite NYC hotspot:

DC: I don’t really “hotspot” anymore. But my brother used to take me to this restaurant called Chumleys which I don’t think exists anymore. It used to be a speakeasy during prohibition times. The food was delish! And the atmosphere was even better!

Me: Guilty Pleasure:

DC: 1980’s pop music.

Me: Good luck charm:

DC: My worn and tattered Winnie the Pooh doll I’ve had since I was a baby. And in the last eight years – my wife, for sure!

Me: When you were a young boy, you thought you would grow up to be a….

DC: Boxer, like Rocky (I was a highly suggestible child; books and movies formed me. At various times I also wanted to be a Jedi Knight, an adventuring archaeologist, a pipe-smoking detective, a rock guitarist, and, believe it or not, a writer).

Me: Last thing bought at the mall:

DC: A microfiber fall jacket for 50% off.

Me: Item on your grocery list:

DC: Parmesan cheese (always)

Me: French fries or Onion Rings:

DC: French fries, usually, but I do love very skinny onion rings on occasion.

Me: Pizza: New York or Chicago?

DC: New York, no question. Is there any other kind?

Me: Midnight snack:

DC: I’m rarely up at midnight anymore. We get up at 6:30 to get our boy off to school and walk the dogs. But if you press me, I’d say ripple potato chips and homemade onion dip.

Me: Bookmark or dog ear?

DC: Gasp! Bookmark, of course. I’m crazed over keeping my books in good shape. I don’t even break the spines on my paperbacks.

Me: Read with dustjacket or remove it?

DC: Dustjacket on.

Me: Ocean, Lake, Desert, Mountain:

DC: Ocean.

Me: Favorite book:

DC: The Risk Pool, by Richard Russo (I’m hoping to get to see him at Book Expo this year!)

Me: Item you can't live without:

DC: My computer.

Me: Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

DC: If you’d asked me before he won the Pulitzer Prize a few years ago, I would have said Richard Russo. Because most people I mentioned him to would say “Who?” I can’t think of anyone else right now. Let me think on it.

Me: What kid or teen books made a difference in your world growing up?

DC: I absolutely loved The Cricket In Times Square growing up. Also, the Narnia books were huge for me. Wore through my copy of Where the Wild Things Are. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Black Cauldron, The Wizard of Oz, To Kill A Mockingbird, almost anything Dr. Seuss, and Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day. How’s that for a nice eclectic mix?

Me: Where do you like to write your books (bed ~ coffee shop ~ an office)?

DC: At my computer in my home office. Usually listening to music on headphones. I’m not a good “out on the town” writer. I have managed to work on the ferry and on a plane a few times, though. There’s too much going on in coffee shops. I’m so easily distracted.

Me: Describe your ideal place to write:

DC: See above.

Me: What are you reading @ the moment?

DC: I’m reading Cheever: A Life, by Blake Bailey (a biography of John Cheever). I loved his bio of Richard Yates so I picked this one up. Though, truth be told, I am not plowing through it because I’m pretty busy working on the new book.

Me: Where do you usually read?

DC: On the couch. Or in bed.

Me: Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?

DC: Sometimes. I might have a short story collection and a novel and a non-fiction book going. But more recently I’ve been trying to do one book at a time.

Me: Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?

DC: To me, a book is a book. As long as there’s light nearby, I’ll read it on the couch or in bed or waiting in the dentist’s office.


Thank you, Don, for the outrageous time I had. I laughed... a lot!

Check out the always good-humored Don @ www.doncalame.com.