Carrie Karasyov

The Infidelity Pact

The Infidelity Pact – interview with author Carrie Karasyov

Scandals. Social climbers. Infidelity. Murder. As for the hottest summer beach read, it has to be none other than The Infidelity Pact by Carrie Karasyov. We caught up with the author of this scintillating book who dished on The right address in Chicago, Upper East Side style, her editorial roots, and the rut-defying game better known as the infidelity pact which puts four socialites in a pact to all have affairs during the course of one year and will confide in only each other (and yes, the husbands of the four are off-limits).

Factio Magazine: What was your inspiration for the book - where did you get the ideas and were the characters "loosely" based on anyone you know?
Carrie Karasyov: After Desperate Housewives aired, people started becoming interested about racier topics. It became a trend and not just because of the show, but people became interested in hearing about infidelity. The characters are overeducated, they’re a little bored, they’re thinking ‘alright we have the kids, we look good still, what’s next’. So I thought let’s go for cheating – for some of them it’s the right thing to do and for most of them it’s the wrong answer.

FM: Were any of the characters loosely based on anyone you know?
CK: I made up the characters but having lived in LA for more than five years more of the peripherals characters are there – the agents, the actors – they are based on peripheral people I met. I tried to put in a lot of the grievances. I talked to a lot of people about infidelity to find out answers to questions such as “What made you do it?” That’s why I have the four different characters to show four different reasons why they cheated on a spouse.

FM: Since the book focuses on freedom, revenge, social climbing, sex, drugs, and murder - in society how do people succumb to this and how can they overcome?
CK: That’s the reason why I had them make a pact and not tell anyone. A lot of people have affairs because they want other people to know about it, they want other people to find them attractive. Once everyone knows your business, there’s no going back. I tried to make my characters good people and yet some feel neglected, some feel like their husbands don’t appreciate them, for some their relationships have run their course so they all had decisions to make. Once they made their decision, there’s no going back.

FM: Given your background as an author, the founding editor-in-chief of the Russian edition of Marie Claire Magazine, and education at Barnard, what has been your great accomplishment to date and why?
CK: It’s really hard to have perspective when it’s all going on. In retrospect, I look back at becoming an editor at Marie Claire at 24, the youngest at an international magazine at the time, so when I was going through it I didn’t realize what an achievement it was, but in retrospect I’m most proud of it.

FM: How do you manage it all – balancing your family, multiple projects, etc.
CK: It’s harder as my boys get older. It was easier in LA since it was sunny all year round. While my son’s are in school in the morning, I try to work. I try to do the best I can.

FM: What's your guilty pleasure? 
CK: Carbs! Bread is my favorite food, US Weekly Magazine, Top Chef…I have so many…

FM: What's your definition of freedom?
CK: If I could do anything I really wanted, I’d like to really sit and read a magazine. When I’m on vacation, my husband and I like to play golf.

FM: What is your right address in Chicago? Where do you shop, stay, dine, etc.?
CK: It’s on Lake Shore Drive. My first book The Right Address was a building on Park Avenue which was “the right building”…in Chicago it’s on Lake Shore Drive – it’s the fancy address (1500 Lakeshore is the right address). There’s one building where apparently the maintenance is insanely high…my best friend lives in Chicago so I stay with her and we went to a new restaurant called the Green Zebra. I’m a vegetarian and it has a lot of vegetables; it’s very fashionable and chic and has small plates. It’s really good.

FM: Do you think money and style go hand in hand?
CK: I think it’s easier to be stylish if you have money, but I think you can be stylish without money. Some of the most stylish people are able to dress or decorate their house extremely well without a large budget.

FM: What are your top tips for successful entertaining Upper East Side style?
CK: Growing up I was in a tea party club where my friends and I had a tea parties. We went to a different person’s house every two to three months and we’d alternate throughout the year. We ate with formal silver, china, and ate scones, it was so much fun and I just had a tea party in February. I was determined to have one once I moved back from LA and everything was unpacked. It was an open house where forty women could come and go, mingle, and eat tea sandwiches. It was fun and easy way to entertain. I think the most important thing is food and a lot of it with a lot of options where there’s something for everyone.

FM: Where is your favorite place to travel and what are the top items you pick up for your wardrobe?
CK: I love going to Mexico and Greece. Now my husband will only go on vacation if there’s a golf course there, so we tend to go to the Caribbean. When we lived in LA, I loved going to Mexico a lot. I usually overpack heavily and I always pack a shawl. My favorite designer is Prada because they make all the clothes you can roll into a ball and when you take them out, they still look good.

FM: Who inspires your style?
CK: I still think that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is the style icon. On a day-to- day basis I’d say the women who dress on the Upper East Side and go out to lunch - when I always see them I’m always amazed. When I was in LA it was very casual – jeans, Nike slides and a polo top but when I moved back to New York, I had to relearn everything.

FM: What’s next for you?
CK: My writing partner and I just finished a teen book which will come out next year. I am working on my next book’s outline and then I have a screenplay that I’m hopefully going to sell this July. It’s a romantic comedy from the male point of view. 

Chicagoans can catch up with author Carrie Karasyov on July 12th for a sneak peak of her book, shopping and cocktails at Active Endeavors (853 W. Armitage Ave.) from 6-8 p.m.
To rsvp, e-mail rsvp@activeendeavors.com.
--Vicki Salemi, NYC Correspondent