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TC3's Hoffman Signs Contract with Random House Division for Latest Novel

11/16/2009

TC3's Hoffman Signs Contract with Random House Division for Latest Novel

DRYDEN, N.Y. – Tompkins Cortland Community College English Instructor Cara Hoffman has signed a six-figure deal for publication of her novel, So Much Pretty, with Shaye Areheart Books at Random House.

The novel is a work of literary noir about a young woman's disappearance from a rural New York town, an event that exposes the community's failure to acknowledge a murderer in their midst. Publication date is Spring 2011.

Hoffman, a former newspaper journalist, based her novel on experiences she had living in Central New York and working as a reporter.

"My inspiration for this novel," she said, "comes from a desire to expose the prevalence of violence against women, to show all the intimate details that comprise a culture of misogyny and silence we often take for granted."

Hoffman had a non-traditional education. She dropped out of high school and spent her adolescence traveling and working in Greece and the Middle East. She returned home in the 90s and, while raising her son, took various jobs at community newspapers before being hired as county reporter for The Cortland Standard. During this time she also published two books on a small press and won several grants and awards for her fiction.

"I had no desire to ever go to school." Hoffman said. "I knew I wanted to be a writer and I figured the best education would be reading and working in that field."

Hoffman began what has grown to be a strong connection to TC3 when she met English professor Phil Tate in 2004. He connected her with Professor Lisa Ford, chair of the creative writing program. Ford invited Hoffman, who had just published her first novel NIKE, to come to the College as part of the new "visiting writer" program. Later she interned in Bruce Need's academic writing class.

The experience helped change the path of her life.

"I was amazed by the dedication of Lisa's writing students, and by the work she was doing with them," said Hoffman. "And I could relate to their experiences. My resistance to the idea of getting a degree began to change. I wanted to be a professor and I couldn't do it without the diploma." She applied to Goddard College's Master of Fine Arts Program, graduated in June 2009, and was hired to teach English at TC3.

"One of the reasons I love teaching here is because my students bring so much to the table. They refuse to be limited by background or life's circumstances, and they're incredibly self-reliant, down-to-earth, and funny. TC3 students are some of the hardest working, most (real-world) worldly college kids in the region. All of us who teach here are lucky."

People: Faculty

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	Alumni Appointments Faculty Staff Students Trustees	People: Faculty Contact: Peter Voorhees, news@TC3.edu External Relations 607.844.8222, Ext. 4351 TC3's Hoffman Signs Contract with Random House Division for Latest Novel 11/16/2009 TC3's Hoffman Signs Contract with Random House Division for Latest Novel DRYDEN, N.Y. – Tompkins Cortland Community College English Instructor Cara Hoffman has signed a six-figure deal for publication of her novel, So Much Pretty, with Shaye Areheart Books at Random House. The novel is a work of literary noir about a young woman's disappearance from a rural New York town, an event that exposes the community's failure to acknowledge a murderer in their midst. Publication date is Spring 2011. Hoffman, a former newspaper journalist, based her novel on experiences she had living in Central New York and working as a reporter. "My inspiration for this novel," she said, "comes from a desire to expose the prevalence of violence against women, to show all the intimate details that comprise a culture of misogyny and silence we often take for granted." Hoffman had a non-traditional education. She dropped out of high school and spent her adolescence traveling and working in Greece and the Middle East. She returned home in the 90s and, while raising her son, took various jobs at community newspapers before being hired as county reporter for The Cortland Standard. During this time she also published two books on a small press and won several grants and awards for her fiction. "I had no desire to ever go to school." Hoffman said. "I knew I wanted to be a writer and I figured the best education would be reading and working in that field." Hoffman began what has grown to be a strong connection to TC3 when she met English professor Phil Tate in 2004. He connected her with Professor Lisa Ford, chair of the creative writing program. Ford invited Hoffman, who had just published her first novel NIKE, to come to the College as part of the new "visiting writer" program. Later she interned in Bruce Need's academic writing class. The experience helped change the path of her life. "I was amazed by the dedication of Lisa's writing students, and by the work she was doing with them," said Hoffman. "And I could relate to their experiences. My resistance to the idea of getting a degree began to change. I wanted to be a professor and I couldn't do it without the diploma." She applied to Goddard College's Master of Fine Arts Program, graduated in June 2009, and was hired to teach English at TC3. "One of the reasons I love teaching here is because my students bring so much to the table. They refuse to be limited by background or life's circumstances, and they're incredibly self-reliant, down-to-earth, and funny. TC3 students are some of the hardest working, most (real-world) worldly college kids in the region. All of us who teach here are lucky." People: Faculty back to top
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