Chit Chatting with Local Author Angie Cavallari

Of all the authors I have had the pleasure of getting to know, Angie Cavallari is one my favorites and has become quite a good friend. She’s hilarious, smart, sassy, and sexy AF (too bad for an old queen like me). We got together for too much wine and dished about life, writing, and books.

For those who don’t know, Cavallari grew up in a trailer park and penned a memoir called Trailer Trash: an ‘80s Memoir that documents her early days and recollections of that period of her life.

“Living in a seedy trailer park in Florida in the 1980s was no picnic,” she begins.

“In spite of meager beginnings, I really do have zero regrets about my childhood, as it shaped who I am and allowed me to respect and better understand the struggles of addiction and income equality. Lost on the cutting-room floor of my book was when my parents finally broke down and paved our driveway.

“The cement truck showed up early in the morning, and both my parents actually smoothed out the cement themselves after it was poured. Seriously, my parents were DIY before DIY was cool. Now, some kids would have put their handprints, name, or even a date in the cement. Me? I was a bit more rebellious and, using a stick, wrote the word, ‘sh*t.’ To my knowledge, my handiwork is still memorialized in that driveway.”

There are many things I enjoy about Cavallari’s company. She allows my sailor mouth to run afoul without shaming me. She also allows me to share my romps in the hay with the men-folk (more like lack thereof). She’s a friend of the community and embraces every color out there with open arms.

“Simply put, being an LGBTQIA-ally is really just being human to a fellow human being,” she says. Cavallari not only says this, but acts on it constantly.

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“The LGBTQIA community became near and dear to my heart after I was reunited with my aunt at the age of 21 after she disappeared from my life when I was just 5 years old with no explanation. She decided to come out in the 1980s and was promptly ostracized from my Reagen-obsessed, conservative family. My aunt is one of the strongest people I have ever known and has been the mother that I never had—I adore her, and I will not hesitate to stand up for her and her rights as an individual to live and love whomever she wants.”

As we steered back to book talk, I asked about what she is working on currently. Her writing portfolio is extensive; she is a talented wordsmith.

“I just accepted a staff writing position with an online travel publication called Go World Travel. Early on in my writing career, I got my feet wet writing travel and entertainment pieces, and returning to this topic is like coming home. As for the second book? Well, I’ve decided to write a pilot instead of a book, but it will pick up where the first book left off. For now, I’ve had to table that writing until I get the rest of my life together, but does anyone really have a handle on that?

“I have a love/hate relationship with writing. I HAVE to do it, and nothing makes me feel more alive than storytelling, but when my writing is bad, it’s like a light bruising to my soul. Perhaps that is the curse of writing memoirs.”

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Those were some of the highlights. Of course there was much laughter, memories shared, tears, and some doughnuts tossed in. I always enjoy catching up with her. Stop by her website, angiecavallari.com, to snag a copy of her book, and follow her blog—you won’t regret it.

Angie Cavallari is a Lifestyle & Pop Culture Expert and author of Trailer Trash: an ‘80s Memoir. She has authored thousands of blogs and articles with some of her work featured in Huffington Post, The Reset, Go World Travel, among others. When she is not picking onions out of her food, she enjoys spending time with her kids and her precocious pug, JJ.

Adam Ross is a local writer, entrepreneur and owner of RosscoLorenzo. He works with local authors to share their books and hosts events for them. He currently resides in Parker and will be transforming his online store and presence to a brick-and-mortar establishment in the near future. Find him at rosscolorenzo.com