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Allison Larkin

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  • Home
  • Books
    • Home of the American Circus
    • The People We Keep
    • Allie Larkin
  • TrueHearts Collective
  • Events
  • Writer Resources
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    • Contact
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Clark Griswold has nothing on me.

November 30, 2010 Filed Under: life

Western New York is a windy, windy place, especially in November.  The grocery stores have high wind warning signs in the parking lot asking customers to corral their shopping carts, it's not unusual to find your garbage can in your neighbors yard, and some days, it feels like the whole house might pick up and blow away. After a morning of finishing up a bunch of odds and ends, I'd finally settled into writing.  I had my coffee, water, and snacks lined up.  The ringer was off on my phone, and the perfect writing music was playing on iTunes.  Then I heard glass breaking in the garage. I'd … [Read more...]

7 Comments

Don’t Look Back . . .

February 25, 2010 Filed Under: life

I don't know if it's a personality quirk, a survival mechanism, or a symptom of the fact that I spend so much time living in my head, but wherever I go, there I am and I just accept the parameters of it. I'm insensitive to being uncomfortable. Sometimes, J comes home from work and complains that the house is freezing, and I suddenly realize I can barely feel my fingers and my teeth are actually chattering, but it hasn't occurred to me to turn up the heat or put on an extra sweater. When I'm sick, I have a hard time recognizing that I'm sick - I'll carry on like everything is fine until I … [Read more...]

11 Comments

Did I forget to mention we live in the Arctic?

January 15, 2010 Filed Under: Argo the wonder dog, life, lists, rochester, weather

IMG_0445 Originally uploaded by AlliesAnswers Oh, another week of meaning to blog and not quite getting to it, so here's a pretty picture, and now I'm going to do one of my rundown lists on the events of the past week. :) Last Sunday, J and I grabbed our very underused crampons, and went out to Chimney Bluffs on Lake Ontario to climb around on the ice and pretend to be Arctic explorers. We took tons of pictures on our phones, and if you click on the link above, it should take you to them -- if, you know, you're interested in seeing 60+ pictures of ice. I'll have to steal J's camera … [Read more...]

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We don’t have any unicorns either.

November 30, 2009 Filed Under: life

Nothing says Thanksgiving like major bathroom renovations, right? The in-laws were ever so brave and kind and came all the way out from Michigan to help us. The Larkin men finished demolishing the bathroom and even got the new tub/shower combo in (and it's beautiful!), and I served up a dinner made by Wegmans (because finishing book edits, coming up with new book ideas, and demo-ing a bathroom really don't lend well to cooking a beautiful Thanksgiving feast and no one makes better mashed potatoes than Wegs does anyway). But the holiday weekend was not without its hiccups. On Wednesday, … [Read more...]

8 Comments

My Whirlwind Week

October 6, 2009 Filed Under: Ladies, life, my oldest friends, Neil is awesome, STAY

Last Tuesday, I turned in my copyedits. On Wednesday, I got on a plane and flew to NY. So, you know, it wasn't hectic or anything. :) I got in Wednesday evening, made my way from JFK to Hell's Kitchen and had dinner with Neil. Sadly, no fingers were put in noses, but we did have really good Thai food. On Thursday, I met Wendy for coffee, which was delightful. It is always nice to have a chance to talk shop with other writers, and Wendy is so kind and absolutely hysterical! Then I went to Dutton (Oh! The books! Everywhere!), got to meet a whole bunch of wonderful people, and had lunch … [Read more...]

5 Comments

I am not good at relaxing and it stresses me out.

July 31, 2009 Filed Under: Declutterthon 2009, life

I turned in the manuscript for STAY on Wednesday. It was the second round of revisions. There may be more changes, but this is probably the last round of major changes. Everyone I've talked with since has encouraged me to relax, take some time off, and/or chill out. The problem is that I can't. Firstly, while working on my manuscript, I left a lot of things undone. There's a small forest growing in gutters. The weed situation in my garden is completely and totally out of control. Bills must be paid. Laundry done. Dog hair vacuumed. That kind of stuff. And then there's the exciting stuff. … [Read more...]

6 Comments

“I went to bed with gum in my mouth…”

July 22, 2009 Filed Under: life

Do you remember that book? I didn't wake up with gum in my hair yesterday, but I wasn't having the greatest of days. I woke up feeling kind of eh all over, and then a bunch of stupid little things went wrong. Everything was getting to me and I was feeling like I was on the verge of tears even though I couldn't pinpoint any one single thing that was really worth crying about. When I was out running errands in the morning, I decided, as an attempt to cheer myself up, I'd buy a six pack of fancy root beer, even though it was way more expensive than what I would usually pay for junk food. It … [Read more...]

5 Comments

Um. . .

July 7, 2009 Filed Under: life

So, you know how yesterday I said that CALIFORNICATION was excellent? Well, the first six episodes were. There were subtle complextities in the characters and their relationships. The story lines were interesting, moving, and funny. The second six? Total nosedive. It all just became gratuitous. And I'm not even talking about the nudity or the obscenities. I'm talking about the stiff scenes, overly "clever" and smarmy lines, and the forced storyline. When we got to the end, we thought maybe the show had gotten canceled and they were trying way too hard to tie up all the story lines. But there … [Read more...]

3 Comments

I just like being blonde

June 25, 2009 Filed Under: life

I'm not a very girly girl. I don't tend to leave the house without a little eyeliner and mascara, but that's pretty much where it stops. I loathe shopping. I never get my nails done. And for several years getting a haircut meant holding my hair behind my back and lopping the ends off with a pair of kitchen scissors (it was really long and curly and didn't much matter if it was a little uneven). I'm kind of low-maintenance, (although, if I'm being brutally honest, I'm probably "the worst kind." ) I've celebrated this level of not doing things for me like it's something honorable. Like not … [Read more...]

6 Comments

Back to Work

February 17, 2009 Filed Under: life

I didn't mean to drop my big news and then disappear from this blog for a week. Honestly, I've just been overwhelmed (in a very very very good way) with all of this and haven't been able to think of anything to say (aside from thank you - your kind comments mean so much to me!). So, all of a sudden, my entire life has changed, except it hasn't. When it all boils down, it's still about the work. It's still about crafting the best story I can, staying true to my characters, and putting the time in. I'm putting aside my folk singer project for a few weeks while I take a stab at my editor's … [Read more...]

5 Comments

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Allison Larkin

allielarkinwrites

Internationally bestselling author of three novels as Allie Larkin and THE PEOPLE WE KEEP. Look for HOME OF THE AMERICAN CIRCUS @gallerybooks May 2025

“Larkin abandons the typical story arc in favor “Larkin abandons the typical story arc in favor of a more naturally flowing up-and-down journey that basks in beautiful moments like a slice-of-life story. Whether it’s banter at the bar Freya’s working or a leaking roof that is simply one more thing than she can possibly handle right now, the characters and their experiences are so real and pure that their joys and sorrows are amplified tenfold.” 

So honored by this AP review of Home of the American Circus! 

https://apnews.com/article/home-american-circus-allison-larkin-book-review-79ea3d1fdb69ef16232a8dfb7d148ad6

#homeoftheamericancircus #booksbooksbooks
I’ve seen a bunch of references to Home of the A I’ve seen a bunch of references to Home of the American Circus as my second novel. It’s actually my 5th! Before The People We Keep, under the name Allie Larkin, I wrote three books: Stay, Why Can’t I Be You, and Swimming for Sunlight. Here they are in their various editions with some of their translations! (And @justjuliawhelan also narrated Stay and Why Can’t I Be You, if you’d like to listen!)

Fun fact: That gorgeous dog on the hardcover of Stay was actually our dog Argo, and I took that photo of him when @duttonbooks couldn’t find the perfect photo of a black German Shepherd. #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram
Pub Day Part One. The thing is, it’s really hard Pub Day Part One. The thing is, it’s really hard to be a creative person in the world, and the blessing, the salvation, the joy of it is the community around art: the writers who will call an emergency novel Zoom meeting when you’re stuck on a draft, the ones who roll up their sleeves and make sure your words are saying what you intend to say, the one who writes an interview to promote your book in the local paper, the reader who captures pictures of the event and makes a reel, the bookstore saints who plan a meal based on the story and serve blue and yellow cupcakes and sing happy birthday to your book on launch day, the readers who show up and get books signed and ask great questions and tell stories about their lives. That’s book magic. And thanks to @townecenterbks (especially Judy and Stacey although I know there are bookstore saints behind the scenes too) and @reneewritesnovels and @woolfmania and @cassandra.a.dunn and @lindalattelessons @aneedleinmybookstack and everyone who showed up to Read it and Eat, I will never ever forget the pub day for Home of the American Circus. You all made it so special. Thank you! I love you. I’m so grateful to be part of the community of writers and readers. ❤️🐘
@deborahblakeauthor RIGHT BACK AT YOU! ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I will be back on Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I will be back on the grid tomorrow! I love you all so much and I’m so grateful for your support! 😘😘😘 #homeoftheamericancircus
Well, here we are on the eve of Pub Day for Home o Well, here we are on the eve of Pub Day for Home of the American Circus! 

You know that classic bit of writing advice about how you’re supposed to write the book that scares you? Well, for a long time the thought of actually writing and sharing Home of the American Circus scared the heck out of me. I spent many many years collecting ideas for this book, terrified by the thought of how deep I’d have to dig to tell this story the right way. The book is firmly fiction, and the characters are all my imaginary friends, but the setting and themes are literally and figuratively close to home for me. Freya’s story isn’t mine, we have different life events and demographics, but I understand her sense of grief and loss and floundering and hope on a cellular level. And of all the characters I’ve ever written, the way her mind works is the closest to how I think and feel. It takes place in the town where I grew up. And I think when you read this book, you won’t know my life story, but you will know the tenor of my heart. I grew up as a kid with undiagnosed ADHD in a place where I didn’t fit, frantically trying to look normal, believing it was the only way anyone would love me. Always falling short, terrified of failure. And then in my early twenties, I dropped out of college and worked at a biker bar and made such a huge mess of my life that I was forced to build myself up again brick by brick—this time knowing that failure isn’t the worst thing that can happen to a person. That as long as you can find the strength to try again in one way or another, falling flat on your face is not the end of the world. And I learned that the only way to truly feel loved is to be yourself and see who’s up for loving you in your natural form. The people I keep taught me that. And even though it scared me, this was a book I needed to write, it’s the work I’m most proud of, with characters I love the most. So sharing it doesn’t feel like the end of the world at all. Just the end of the world where I have not shared this novel set in ny hometown with a character who has a heart like mine. #misheardlyrics #rem #homeoftheamericancircus #awkwardguitar #itstheendoftheworldasweknowitandifeelfine
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