Beginner’s Pluck: Canadian writer Paul Carlucci

The shocking brutality in the dramatic tale in 'The Voyageur' is offset by some beautiful writing

Paul Carlucci: 'I was always writing stories, adding pictures and making them into booklets for my parents.'

Paul has always been a keen reader. Early influences were Beverley Cleary and Stephen King.

“I wrote, too,” he says. “I was always writing stories, adding pictures and making them into booklets for my parents.”

He worked as a print journalist for 10 to 12 years.

“I went around Canada working for small community newspapers.”

I went abroad, too — to Ghana and Zambia, freelancing for online media on politics.

Meanwhile, he was writing fiction, sending short stories to various literary journals.

“I had no luck for 13 years, then, finally, one was published.”

More followed, and his first published collection won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award worth $10,000. Two more collections followed.

“The third one was linked short stories. And then, came the novel.”

Who is Paul Carlucci?

Date/place of birth: 1981/Deep River, in Ontario.

Education: Deep River High School. “I was in with the skateboarding, music crowd.” College in Toronto.

Home: Ottawa.

Family: Wife Jessica and dog, Hank.

The day job: A self-employed contract editor, doing copy editing, research proposals and reports, marketing, and workshopping manuscripts.

In another life: “I’d love to be a field biologist, working with animals in the sea and mountains.”

Favourite writers: James Hynes; Judy Gardiner; Zsuzsi Gartner; John Williams; Bret Easton Ellis; Sarah Moss; George Saunders.

Second book: “I’m working on another collection of short stories, and I’m halfway through a follow-up novel. It’s an adventure story with a modern setting.”

Top tip: “Don’t become too attached to the details of your work. Open yourself to becoming a reader of it, without care or knowledge of yourself as the creator. You won’t remember the details a year from now. See it as a reader would.”

Website: www.paul-carlucci.com

The debut

The Voyageur
Swift Press, €20.10

It’s 1830s Montreal and Alex’s father is in France. While the motherless stockboy waits for him, a fur trader takes him on an expedition to the forest — where he is shot. 

He’s rescued by Dr Beaumont but realises that the doctor’s motives are morally suspect. 

This horrifying historical tale has violently graphic scenes, and contains magical realism; it’s loosely based on a true story.

The verdict: The shocking brutality in this dramatic tale is offset by some beautiful writing.