We chat with debut author Carlie Walker about her sexy romantic comedy The Takedown, which follows an undercover CIA agent who is sent home to investigate her sister’s criminal fiancé but the last thing she expects is to fall in love with his bodyguard along the way.
Hi, Carlie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m the author of The Takedown, a rom-com caper about a female CIA officer who’s sent home to investigate her sister’s crime-lord fiancé over the holidays—and finds love with his bodyguard along the way. I’m a huge animal person, and I spend a lot of my time volunteering at a free-roaming cat shelter (just don’t tell my dog, who’d be horrified!).
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I went to a Montessori elementary school, where we got to pick our own educational activities; I used to spend hours and hours of the schoolday in a beanbag chair, reading Nancy Drew and scribbling my own stories in a composition notebook. As soon as I realized that books didn’t just drop from the sky—people had to write them—I wanted to be an author.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Moe the Dog in Tropical Paradise by Diane Stanley
- The one that made you want to become an author: So many! But I’ve just mentioned Nancy Drew, so I’ll go with The Hidden Staircase by Caroline Keene
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Your debut novel, The Takedown, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Sexy romantic comedy at Christmas!
What can readers expect?
Festive fun, crime shenanigans, a hot bodyguard, twists and turns, a takedown in a donkey costume, and a kick-ass grandmother. Plus, all the love you’d expect in a rom-com!
Where did the inspiration for The Takedown come from?
I’d been reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, where she talks about ideas coming from the universe. I was really struggling to find an idea to write about—so, in the weeks before Christmas, I got in my car and told the universe, “I promise you that I will write the very next idea you send me, no matter what it is.” Three minutes later, as I was driving down the road, the whole concept for The Takedown—including the entire first scene, with all the main characters gathered around the table for Christmas dinner—dropped right into my brain. A holiday miracle.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Honestly, all of them. Writing The Takedown was pure joy. If I had to pick just one moment, though, I’d say crafting the spicy sparring scene that takes place in the hotel gym. I also adored writing Grandma Ruby, who’s based on my own Great-Grandma Ruby, a true pioneer woman.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Although The Takedown is my adult debut, I’ve actually published picture books, middle grade novels, and YA novels under the name Carlie Sorosiak. I’ve been very lucky to write in so many different genres, and I’ve tried to bring all my years of storytelling experience to The Takedown. The road begun in graduate school, where I wrote my first novel, and I worked as an editorial assistant in London before I found my UK literary agent, Claire Wilson, who’s been with me every step of the way since!
What’s next for you?
Another rom-com! I can’t give too many details, but it’s a second-chance romance set in Italy . . . with a sprinkling of assassins.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Possibly too many! Books I’ve read and adored lately include With Love, from Cold World and The Fastest Way to Fall. I’m currently reading Finding the Mother Tree, a memoir by the ecologist who discovered how trees communicate through fungal networks, and it is fascinating.
