Local Limelight: Carrboro author Elisa Faison
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Photo collage: Mary Helen Moore/Axios. Photos: Courtesy of the author and Tammy Jean Lamoureux
Carrboro-based author Elisa Faison's recently published novel "Skin Contact" is drawing national attention a month after its release.
Why it matters: Literary buzz from major publications, including The New York Times, BBC, Financial Times and Marie Claire, is shining a national spotlight on the debut novelist.
Zoom in: "Skin Contact" follows a married couple who decide to open their marriage after a loved one's death. It began as a short story that ends on a cliffhanger, Faison tells Axios.
- "I became curious about what would happen," she says. "I wrote what I thought would be another short story that had these characters in it, and then by that point, I just sort of couldn't stop thinking about them."
- A couple of years later, the full book was finished. The original short story is the novel's first chapter.
What they're saying: Faison, who grew up in Alabama, first moved to the Triangle for graduate school. After earning a Ph.D. in English from UNC-Chapel Hill, she decided to stick around.
- "I just loved the area so much … and I just couldn't imagine living anywhere else."
What's next: Faison says her second novel — which features "a whole new set of characters that I'm obsessed with" — is nearing completion.
We spoke with Faison for our latest Local Limelight conversation. This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
📚 What has the past month been like for you? Crazy. Really a surprise. I had a big launch event at Flyleaf Books — which, I used to work there as a bookseller.
- And then I pretty immediately went on a tour of some bookstores in the Southeast. … I got to see friends and family, and also meet a lot of readers, and hear what the book was meaning to people firsthand, and it was so wonderful and great.
📱 What's your first read in the morning? Horrible. It's my email.
- And then the second thing is always I go into my audiobook, like pretty immediately. I'm a real audiobook person. So I'm always reading contemporary literary fiction.
📖 Is your book available as an audiobook? It is, and if I could just plug it — they did a full cast for it, and it is awesome. It's really, very good.
🎧 Do you have a go-to podcast? I'm really into the what I call the Michael Hobbes extended universe — "If Books Could Kill" is probably my favorite.
👩🍳 How do you unplug at the end of the day? I love to cook. We have toddler twins, so we put them to bed at like 7:30, and that's always incredibly involved. And then I come downstairs and put in my audiobook and cook dinner for like a half-hour, and I just like feel incredibly relaxed.
☕️ What is your favorite coffee shop in the Triangle? Open Eye in Carrboro. I wrote like my entire dissertation there, and I wrote a little bit of "Skin Contact" there, too. It's my living room.
🍣 Favorite restaurant? If I'm really wanting something nice, it's M Sushi. I'm also really loyal to Pizzeria Mercado in Carrboro. I think it's the best pizza in the Triangle.
🌮 What about your kids? Do they have a favorite place to eat? They're very loyal to the tacos and quesadillas at Bartaco.
📚 Last great book you read? "Heart the Lover," by Lily King. I'm a huge Lily King fan. I've read all of her books, and I thought this one was amazing.
🎬 Last great movie you watched? "The Invite." It was so funny. It was so sad. I thought it was just totally perfect.
🏖️ Favorite long weekend spot? I love the beach, so I like going to Surf City.
⏳ What's something you're looking forward to, unrelated to politics or work? When I finally get to read "The Winds of Winter." That's really how I feel. I'm a big "Game of Thrones" person, and I'm patiently awaiting the next installment.