Elizabeth Chats With…Stephanie Caruso
For a change this month, my guest is not an author in the sense that she has not published any books of her own. But nevertheless, books and authors are a huge part of her life. Based in Toronto, a part of Canada that I had the pleasure to visit a few years back, she describes herself as a book lover who’s currently renovating a house from top to bottom, running her own business as an Author Assistant/Online Content Creator and, because she apparently don’t have enough to do, trying to keep up with a book blog as well! I am delighted to welcome Stephanie Caruso to my blog.
Hello Stephanie and welcome. Let’s start by taking you back to your childhood. What was your favourite subject at school—and which was the lesson you always wanted to avoid?
I always looked forward to English, Art, and Biology classes (a varied mix, I know), which I took all through high school up until university. The one I always wanted to avoid was Physical Education.
Talking about yourself, how would you finish the sentence “not a lot of people know…”?
Not a lot of people know…what I do for a living! LOL. My parents only have a vague idea I “do marketing” and that I work from home. In reality, I’ve spent most of my professional career in marketing and communications, in a variety of industries. For the past several years I’ve run my own business as a freelancer, doing marketing, content creation, and other various tasks for authors. I absolutely love my work and am so grateful I get to work with books all day long! I also run a book blog as a hobby, but I see it as an extension of my business since it helps me network with authors, readers, and other book lovers.
Where is your favourite place on earth — and why?
Hawaii. I went there as a child but didn’t visit again until my honeymoon, as it was my husband’s bucket list trip. We loved it so much we go back every few years. It’s a beautiful, laid-back place filled with friendly people, amazing food and all the wonderful beaches you could ask for. When I’m there I feel a personality shift—I’m more relaxed, less rushed, and more comfortable in my own skin.
How do you relax?
I relax by reading, baking, and watching murder mystery TV shows.
Describe your ideal menu — and where would you like to eat it?
Oh, this is a tough one. I used to write a food blog so food is a huge deal for me! I’m not really into fancy, expensive restaurants—some of the best meals I’ve ever had are in the oddest places. I don’t know if I have an ideal menu since I love all kinds of food, but two of the best meals I’ve ever had come to mind:
- Sushi from a small restaurant that sat right on the edge of the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. The fish was SO FRESH and the chef was really fun and personalised the meal to our palates.
- Sitting on a street curb, eating pizza from a world-renowned pizza shop in Rome.
Watch a film, go to the theatre, read a book or talk to friends — which would you prefer?
Read a book, of course!
Would you describe yourself as left-brain (analytical), right-brain (intuitive) or a mix of both?
I’m definitely a mix of both. I absolutely love being creative and intuitive but I also can’t live without my spreadsheets and stats!
Travel is obviously important to you. Where do you want to travel to next?
My parents instilled a love of travel in me from a young age and I love visiting new places and trying the local cuisine. I’ve already crossed off a lot of places on my bucket list, like Hong Kong, Tokyo, Hawaii, Rome, and London. The top spot on my travel bucket list right now is Scotland—I’ve been dreaming of going there for a few years now (we had a trip planned in 2020 that was cancelled because the pandemic hit) so fingers crossed that I’ll be there next summer!
Thanks for taking the time to drop by today, Stephanie. And if you make it to this side of the Atlantic any time soon, do let us know. The UK is quite small and Scotland is not that far away. Readers, if you would like to learn more about Stephanie’s world of books and authors, check out her book blog, BOOK frolic, or her marketing website, Paste Creative. You can also find her hanging out on Twitter, on Facebook or on Instagram.
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