Small town life inspires Paradise author-artist

Carole Warburton stands with her pottery at the Thatcher Mansion at a craft sale near the Eccles Theatre. / Photo by Brooke Nelson

By Brooke Nelson

December 13, 2004 | PARADISE -- With two bachelor's degrees, years of teaching experience, and her own pottery studio, author Carole Warburton has recently added two novels to her list of accomplishments.

Currently working on a third book, the Paradise resident has used the small town of Grass Creek, Utah, as inspiration for her stories.

"It's a unique environment. You really have to love the lifestyle to put up with all the hard work," Warburton said of Grass Creek. "They're such interesting people. Either they're born and raised there and hard as nails, or they go out there because they hate people."

Warburton said the characters in her novels, equal parts of romance, mystery and suspense, are all based on real people.

"I had to tone down the characters a little so people wouldn't get mad at me," she said. Grass Creek citizens have recognized themselves in her characters, she said, and some have actually been very flattered.

Warburton, who uses her maiden name Thayne when publishing her novels, said she loves the small town lifestyle and intends to keep using it as a source of fuel for her writing. Having lived in Grass Creek for six years as a school teacher, Warburton truly understands the 100-resident community she says is "as tight knit as any family.

"It draws weirdos, but it also draws people who love being alone and that love living in such a small community," she said. "Everyone is so involved in each other's lives."

Both books, A Question of Trust and False Pretenses, are published by Covenant Communications

Warburton was one of two full-time school teachers at Grass Creek School, which enrolled about 24 students and taught grades kindergarten through tenth. Her husband, Mick, who grew up in Grass Creek, was the second. Both hold degrees in education from Utah State University.

Warburton said teaching in such a unique environment was often a challenge, but actually provided a better education for the students. In addition to the two full-time teachers, she said there were several aides and a lunch lady that was every bit as much a part of the teaching as the teachers.

"It was a lot of fun. It's probably a lot like home school," she said, adding the personal attention allowed students to progress at their own speed. In her son Trevor's case, it meant being able to read and study English at a higher grade level. Many former students still keep in touch with her family, she said, and many of the Grass Creek students have gone on to be very successful in college.

"They learned at a young age to to talk with adults," she said. "Being in such a small group requires you to learn leadership skills."

However, Warburton said, a small community does have its drawbacks when raising children. About 60 miles from any other sign of civilization, Warburton said Grass Creek couldn't offer her children opportunities like piano or gymnastics lessons. So when the oldest of her children was in sixth grade, the family decided to move back to Cache Valley, which Warburton said both she and her husband had loved. But living in the city after learning to love the quieter life just wasn't an option, Warburton said.

"After being in Grass Creek we knew we wanted to be out of town," she said. "[The realtor] showed us a house in Paradise and we really liked the area."

While Paradise is much bigger than Grass Creek, Warburton said there is still plenty of room for their horses and plenty of small town atmosphere. Warburton even joined a group of senior-aged women group in Paradise just "to listen to the women talk." She has been a member of the planning and zoning commission for the past two years.

Growing up in Orem, Warburton said she always wished for the small town life.

"I always though [Orem] was way too big and crowded. I always wished for a hay stack in my back yard," she said. While there is certainly a stark contrast between Orem and Grass Creek, Warburton said the differences are wonderful.

"I loved it. It was really a lot of fun. I learned to be my own person," she said. "TV doesn't work out there--there's no distractions. I could focus a lot on what I wanted to do out there."

Warburton, whose first degree was in art education, said creating pottery has always been one of those loves. But writing was always another. In 1996, Warburton decided to go back to Utah State for a second bachelor's degree, this time in English

"Physically, going back the second time was harder. But it was so much easier to go back as an older adult," she said. "At first I was scared and intimidated. But I really think my life experience prepared me a lot. It was much easier than I thought."

One advantage she had over her younger classmates was more time to stay prepared with assignments, she said.

"I wasn't out late partying the night before," she said. "I loved being involved with the kids."

With her new degree in hand, Warburton said it took her about two years to finish her first book.

"With the first one I was just tinkering around, I didn't really know what I was doing," she said. Her next novel took only nine months to complete.

Warburton said she now divides her time between her pottery studio in Paradise and writing.

"I thought that I just wanted to be a writer and that I would give this up," she said referring to her pottery. "But I found I needed this side too. It's physically demanding. I love to work with my hands--it's addictive."

Her third novel, like the others, will remain character driven, she said. Warburton said she has never used an outline and "getting to know the characters" is her favorite part about writing.

"They become like real people," she said about her characters. "Sometimes they keep me up at night."

Warburton said she hopes to continue both creating and writing in Paradise, and will continue to use the small towns she loves as inspiration.

NW
MK