Critique_This_WIP

Courtney: Hello all and welcome back to CritiqueThisWIP! Today’s author interview is with the beautiful and talented Roh Morgon. Before we start, I’d like to thank Roh for being so patient as this interview as it has been pushed back not once, not twice, but three times! Roh—you’re a saint and I’m so glad this day has finally come! Now, want to know a little bit about her?

Roh Morgon tends to keep her head in the clouds, whether they're clouds of her own making or those of others. When she does touch ground, she does her best to bring a little fantasy with her. Exploring Middle Earth at an early age spawned an interest in costuming and renfaires, where she learned how to handle a sword and a bow. She's hitchhiked across the country, ridden on the backs of Harleys, and driven a train. These days she writes urban fantasy. Roh shares a home in the Sierra Nevada foothills with three mustang horses, two herding dogs, and a patient husband who wonders if she'll ever find time to sleep again.

Courtney: Thanks for stopping by today Roh, we are so excited to have you! Can you tell us a bit about your writing life and your daily life?

Roh: I’ve been an escapist my entire life. Whether through reading, or costuming, or renfairing, I’ve found that periodic immersion into other worlds is the key to my coping with this one. That being said, it should come as no surprise that the genre in which I’ve chosen to write is fantasy. The only limits in fantasy are those of one’s own imagination, the only rules one needs to abide by are those one creates oneself. Unless, of course, one needs their work to be published. Then it’s back to reality.

Speaking of reality, my real life is actually pretty fantastic. As a child growing up in a remote Southern California canyon, I explored the wild hills barefoot with my brothers and rode my horse bareback at top speed whenever I wasn’t reading. A wicked youth spent hitchhiking across the West and perching on the backs of Harleys eventually gave way to soccer mom duties and full-time college studies—at the same time. In my spare moments, I learned how to herd cattle, sew costumes, swordfight, and plant an arrow or a knife in a target—not necessarily at the same time.

The art of writing is a joy I’ve only recently discovered. The elation I feel as a scene unfolds behind my eyes and magically transforms into words is indescribable. The phrase “witching hour” comes to mind as I think of my favorite writing time, between 11:00pm and 4:00am, when I fall under the spell of the characters in my head. The conscious brain turns off and I succumb to the unending flow of imagery and conversation as they live out their lives. I feel more like a translator than a writer, a liaison between their world and ours. And I feel honored that they’ve chosen me as the conduit through which to tell their stories.

The settings of those stories are a combination of the fantastical and the real. My years spent in the lofty mountains of Colorado and the stark plains of Wyoming, the red canyons of central Arizona and the rolling hills of California, provide some of the diverse stages upon which my characters re-enact their lives.

My life is currently set in the Sierra Nevada foothills and is shared with three mustang horses, two crazy herding dogs, and a very patient husband who wonders if I’m ever going find the time to sleep again.

I have Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter accounts, but the only site I manage to update regularly is my blog, musings of a moonlight writer. It can be found at http://www.rohmorgon.com/blog

I also have a website that is currently being revamped (I'm so excited!) and will be hitting the e-waves with a brand new look very soon.

Courtney: First off—to pen name, or not to pen name? Which side are you on?

Roh: Pen name. In fact, Roh Morgon IS my pen name J. I'm kinda old-school and prefer to keep personal things personal - unless, of course, I decide otherwise! And Roh is a nickname I've gone by for a number of years. It seemed natural to use it as my pen name.

Courtney: Oh I know exactly what you mean. I’m still trying to make “the switch” from real to pen. It isn’t working out so well for me…When did you start writing?

Roh: I started writing Watcher in January 2009, and finished it a few months later in May. Not only was it my first novel, it was the first fiction I'd ever written. Since then I've started learning HOW to write, and have spent the last year revising and editing it. I've also completed a number of short stories and am working on a young adult novel now.

Courtney: The HOW is the hardest part of it all! Good luck with the edits J What’s your favorite genre to write?

Roh: Paranormal. Love the shifters, the vampires, the not-so-human, and the outcasts -- beings whose problems have elements that surpass normal human ones. I write both adult and MG/YA.

Courtney: Yay! Another paranormal author! It’s only the best genre ever! What’s your favorite genre to read?

Roh: Fantasy - all types. Swords and sorcerers, dragons, magical, paranormal - anything that doesn't have to do with reality! Oh, and I like a bit of sci-fi and historical fiction here and there.

Courtney: Excellent choices =) How do you come up with your characters?

Roh: They come to me. Several of my main characters (Sunny from Watcher, and Jade & Sanders from Breaking Through) were in my head when I woke up one morning. As I sat down to write about them, they showed me their stories, kinda like watching a movie in my head. Other characters have slowly surfaced, a little bit at a time, during random moments.

Courtney: I know just what you mean. Some of them are stubaborn, others won’t leave you alone! Where have some of you best ideas come from?

Roh: Showers! I have a writer friend who refers to 'shower inspirations.' But seriously, I don't truly know. My characters show me their stories, and I have no idea where they come from. I'm just transcribing their lives as they reveal them to me.

Courtney: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Roh: Complete pantser, all the way. I'll know the beginning, and soon after I begin actually writing the story, I'll know the end. Middle scenes will float around in my head and I'm never sure which one is coming next. I'm at the mercy of my characters - once they start pouring their story out, my fingers can hardly keep up. And they amaze me all the time. In Watcher, Sunny discovers a new sculpture (a very heartbreaking one) in the garden, and I was every bit as surprised by it as she was. I recall looking up from the screen in shock and asking the air, "Where did THAT come from?"

Courtney: Haha! That must be entertaining to say the least J What project or projects are you working on now?

Roh: Watcher is a completed dark fantasy, the first in a trilogy. Here's the latest tagline for it:

No longer human and forced to live in isolation to protect her secret, Sunny Martin's lonely existence changes when she meets Nicolas, the enigmatic leader of a hidden society--but as they're swept into a whirlwind of passion, betrayal, and murder, she faces an agonizing choice: give up her soul for the one she loves, or spend eternity alone.

It's just about ready to start submitting to agents. I've worked with a couple of professional editors and feel pretty good about the latest revisions. Its sequel, Runner, is half-done and is on hold for the moment while I focus on Watcher.

I'm also working on a YA paranormal series called The Forbidden Doorways. The first novel, Breaking Through, is about two-thirds complete. A novelette from the series, Fur Before Feathers, is appearing in I Dreamed a Crooked Dream, a collection of short stories by the Fresno Sci-Fi & Fantasy Writers. The anthology is scheduled for release after Thanksgiving. In addition, due to interest from several school districts, I'm self-publishing the novelette as a standalone, with really cool cover art by my friend, Paula Zima.

Courtney: That is so cool! Congrats to the Anthology and to the novelette! And your tagline sounds amazing! Can I hire you to write mine?!
What’s in a name? How important is it for a character to have the right name, or will any name do?

Roh: Names are incredibly important. They help define a character's personality and appearance in subtle ways. Nicolas sounds far more suave and debonair (and he is) than George or Bob. I did do a little research on his name - it's an Anglicized version of his Hungarian name, Miklos. And Sunny...I argued for months with her about changing her name. But a strange incident convinced me to keep it. I have a whole blog post on that.

Courtney: Now I’m tempted to go read about her name instead of finishing our interview! Curiosity is not good for me!
How do you “get in the zone” when writing? Do you listen to music? Look through art? Something else?

Roh: Music definitely helps set the mood. I have a whole soundtrack I've assembled for Watcher and Runner. Hearing one of those songs (including while driving) can throw me straight into the story. My favorite time to write is late at night, between 11pm and 4am. That's when my logical brain shuts off from exhaustion, and the creative brain opens the doors to wherever my stories come from. I usually sit in a rocking chair with my laptop, but sometimes I'll sit up in bed propped against pillows.

Courtney: Do you have a writing playlist? Admit it—what’s on yours?

Roh: Oh yeah. I have a lot of Nine Inch Nails (the quieter, deeper stuff) and NIN remixes, and quite a bit of Incubus. I also have Blue October, Kings of Leon, Chevelle, Loreena McKennitt, Brigitte Handley & The Dark Shadows...I could go on and on.

I recently started a feature on my blog called ~this week's musical treat. The songs I post tend to be from musicians who are aren't widely known or are unpublished (like me!) One of my favorites is a young man named Justin St. Charles who I discovered through a Nine Inch Nails remix website. His songs (both remixes and originals) are quiet introspections with an element of heartwrenching sadness and longing - perfect for the world of Watcher and Runner.

Courtney: He sounds amazing. I have a similar blog, To Keep It Going where I post pictures, poems, lyrics—inspirations tidbits—for writers. It so funny how we writers think alike!
Do you use critique partners, groups, or beta readers to help you with your story? Why or why not?

Roh: Yes. I belong to the Fresno Sci-Fi & Fantasy Writers (FSFW). We meet three times a month to review each other's stuff. And a few of us exchange works on the side. I've learned so much about writing from the members of our group. I recommend every serious writer join a critique group.

Courtney: I agree 100%. Critique groups are invaluable. Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to see things you would otherwise miss.
Speaking of crit groups, how do you respond to criticism? Love it? Hate it? Learn from it?

Roh: Depends upon how it's delivered! J Seriously, though, I appreciate all feedback. It allows me to try to see my work from another perspective.

Courtney: Blogfests: Do you participate? If so, do you write a new scene for the fests or do you use scenes from your WIPs?

Blogfests! Yes, I like those (too much, I think). But they make great writing exercises. I generally write a new scene, but will use a minor character from a WIP. I did use a scene from Watcher in one blogfest.

Courtney: What’s your favorite part of being a writer?

Roh: Writing! It's a bit like an addictive drug. I love the creative high that happens when the story is streaming through my head and out my fingers. It's magical. And I love editing, too. Arranging and re-arranging the words to craft sentences and paragraphs with rhythm and flow, to find the cadence that carries the reader along, is a very satisfying part of the writing process for me.

Courtney: What’s your least favorite part?

Roh: Writing queries, which are accompanied by the fear that my words or my voice aren't strong enough to stand out from the hordes of others that inundate agents every day.

Courtney: That’s pretty much everyone’s least favorite part. Haha!
Most of us write part time. How do you spend your time when you aren’t writing?

Roh: I work full-time. Whatever time is left over goes to blogging and writing. I hit the gym twice a week and the movies once in awhile. Oh, and Thursday nights are date night with Damon (you know, The Vampire Diaries). He's one of the coolest vamps on the screen. At least until Johnny Depp hits the theaters as Barnabas Collins in his upcoming film Dark Shadows. I also play around with photography, and do a little jet-skiing, riding (I have 3 mustang horses), and occasionally hit the goth-clubs on weekends.

Courtney: Favorites? Books? Authors? Movies? Songs?

Hmm. The Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy by Patricia McKillip is one of my all-time favorites. I loved The Hunger Games series (Suzanne Collins), and Shiver and Linger (Maggie Stiefvater). And yes, I enjoyed Twilight and all its sequels. A couple of my favorite authors are Morgan Llywelyn (Celtic historical fantasy), and George R. R. Martin (gritty medieval fantasy) and of course, the writer that begat my love of fantasy, J. R. R. Tolkien.

Fav movies? The Black Stallion (I grew up reading the books), The Mask of Zorro (great sword fighting and a hot cast, including the horse!), The Three Musketeers (more great sword fighting), and all the Pirates movies (Johnny Depp, along with even more great sword fighting!) I love swords and actually know how to use one!

Songs? Too many to list, but my favorite bands are Tool and Nine Inch Nails (especially their later stuff).

Courtney: Want to share a favorite line from one of your books?

Roh: Only one? You're kidding, right? Probably one of my favorites is the opening line from Watcher:

I watch my daughter, sunlight dancing across her dark hair, kneel down to place the flowers on my empty grave.

But this snippet of dialog between Sunny and Nicolas later on in the story is also a favorite:

"You waited here," I whisper. "All that time. For me."

"Yes. I could do...nothing else."

Courtney: Oh wow! Intense! I love them both! Would you like to share anything else with the readers?

Roh: I recently met Nathan Bransford at the Central Coast Writers Workshop in San Luis Obispo. He is just as encouraging and supportive in person as he is on his blog (and funny, too!) His workshop, Getting Published: Let’s Play Query Mad Lib, was both entertaining and quite educational. For more about my experiences at the conference, you can check out these posts (Part I & Part II) on my blog.

The day after the conference I shared a booth with my artist friend, Paula Zima, at the Central Coast Book & Author Fair. Paula did the fantastic cover art for my novelette, Fur Before Feathers. Our booth featured Paula's artwork and copies of Fur Before Feathers that I sold (or sometimes gave away) to both kids and adults (I almost felt like a real author!). I also participated in the Reading in Public program and read excerpts from several of my works.

I learned quite a bit about promoting my writing at both the conference and the book festival, and encourage all writers to attend at least one per year. The education you can gain and the contacts you can make are well worth the expenses of time and money.

Courtney: Nathan Bransdord?! Really?? He’s a phenomenal agent! I’m so jealous! I need to take his workshop now—I could definitely use the help. And that cover art is awesome! Makes me want to pick up that book and read!

Readers: How do you compare to Roh and her writing ways? Do your story take over your witching hour? Do you believe in playlists? Pen names? Post a comment and let us know!

Courtney: Hello everyone and welcome back to CritiqueThisWIP. Today’s Author Interview is with the 1^st place winner of our 100 Followers Contest, Christopher S. Ledbetter. Christopher, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Christopher: I grew up in Durham, NC before moving to Charlottesville, VA in 11th grade. After high school, I attended Hampton University where I promptly joined the marching band. I carried the bass drum for four years, something my back is not happy about now. After a change of heart and major, I enrolled in Old Dominion University and earned my degree in Business Administration.
I've worked in various managerial and marketing capacities throughout my life. While teaching high school for six years in Culpeper, Virginia, I taught business management, business law, marketing, and sports marketing. I also coached football. Currently, I am an author moonlighting as a Volkswagen sales and finance consultant. I can help you find the perfect car while describing the perfect sunset. I am an ancient world enthusiast and an incurable dreamer of things just beyond my grasp. I love mythology and fantasy, two great influences on my writing.
I had always wanted to write, but never found my creative muse until late in 2006 when I moved back to North Carolina. That is when I began work on Caenus and The Quiver of Artemis, a young adult historical novella.
I now live in Wilmington, NC with my wife and daughter. I have several writing projects going, including turning my Caenus novella into a trilogy of full length novels. My blog, The Oracle and The Muse, at http://www.caenus.blogspot.com is where you can get the most up to date information. Also, please follow me on Twitter: @Chris_Ledbetter

Courtney: I’m officially impressed—a drummer, writer, and business major?! I won’t ask how you found the time, just know, I envy you your success. Alright, now let’s get to the really good stuff—the interview! First off—to pen name, or not to pen name? Which side are you on?

Christopher: I think using a pen name can be useful for branding purposes with different audiences. It could also be useful with someone who’d rather his or her real name not be associated with a certain type of writing (eg. Erotica). I do have a pen name for romance and erotica I write: “Scott Noir”

Courtney: When did you start writing?

Christopher: Well, I wrote a short story in grade school that won 1^st place in my class (circa 1985) But, 2006 is when I really began what I call my writing career.

Courtney: What’s your favorite genre to write?

Christopher: Fantasy.

Courtney: One of my favorite genres! What’s your favorite genre to read?

Christopher: Fantasy (sword and sandal).

Courtney: Go figure, you write what you love to read =) I’m the same way—except switch Fantasy with Paranormal Romance. How do you come up with your characters?

Christopher: They kind of come to me as I need them for my stories… I haven’t done full character sketches or anything yet. But for my books to come I will create full dossiers for each.

Courtney: A man after my own heart *swoons*. I could spend days working on my own character sketches… In fact, there are a few people in the writing community that know me –and by know me, I mean make fun of me—for my numerous character files and spreadsheets.
Now where have some of you best ideas come from?

Christopher: Laughs, my best ideas come out of my waaay over active imagination.

Courtney: I know exactly what you mean! If we weren’t writers, we’d probably be arrested and thrown in the looney-bin. As it is, we just get the “crazy-writer” stereotype ;-P
Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Christopher: I’m a total plotter!!! I have just gotten involved with a collaborative project that has been a “pantser” type of story and it’s a bit unnerving. In my own stories I HAVE to plot it out. That doesn’t mean it can’t change, but I need a roadmap.

Courtney: Finally! Another crazy plotter! I swear, we are a dying breed. It seems like everyone I interview is a hippie-pantser. It’s just crazy if you ask me…
What project or projects are you working on now?

Christopher: I have a finished full novel out with critiquers and a finished short story recently submitted. Beyond that, I’m working on 3 short stories (two romantic and one fairy tale re-write) and one novel (2nd book to finished novel) at various stages of completion.

Courtney: Are you published? If so, what is the name of the novel?

Christopher: I self published 1 novella- “Caenus and The Quiver of Artemis.” I am currently revising it into a book and trying to get it published as a novel.

Courtney: Congratulations and good luck with the revisions! Which of your characters do you most relate with?

Christopher: What’s funny is I don’t know if I truly relate to any of them. I love them all for differing reasons even the evil ones are sympathetic. it’s funny… someone asked me if my title character for Caenus was representative of “me” or if his story was biographical in some way… and it’s not.

Courtney: What’s in a name? How important is it for a character to have the right name, or will any name do? Do you spend much time finding your character’s names?

Christopher: I do agonize over names. They must fit the person. I spent a great deal of time researching every name in my “Caenus” story (every name except Caenus).

Courtney: I do the same thing. It can be such a struggle to find the perfect one, but once you do—BAM! It’s magical!
How do you “get in the zone” when writing? Do you listen to music? Look through art? Something else? What is your writing environment like?

Christopher: God, I wish I could find a perfect writing environment. I work full time at a car dealership and I have a 3 yr old and wife at home so my writing usually comes in short bursts. One thing I am good at is if I get about a minute and a half of no one talking to me, I can fall into the world I need to be in no matter what is going on around me. In a perfect world, I would try to leaf through pictures of my setting and then maybe go to the beach and just dissolve into my writing world.

Courtney: How great would it be to write at the beach?! Of course, I’d probably be way to distracted by everything going on to actually write, but still…
Do you have a writing playlist?

Christopher: I don’t listen to music when I write. I actually find that I shut out everything so completely when I write. Yeah, my wife is really happy about that.

Courtney: I’m the same way—need my own thoughts to hear the story I’m writing. Do you use critique partners, groups, or beta readers to help you with your story? Why or why not?

Christopher: I do have a few that I use. There’s no way to see all the nuances of a story you’ve written.

Courtney: As a member of a critique group, I agree 100%. How do you respond to criticism? Love it? Hate it? Learn from it?

Christopher: I love criticism. Sometimes it stings a bit… but if the person delivering it is well heeled then it will make your writing better.

Courtney: I couldn’t have said it better myself. Criticism is one of those things that helps even if it hurts a bit. How many projects do you work on at once? Do you write one book at a time, or do you have a few going at once?

Christopher: I have a few things going at once. Mostly it’s that I have big novel projects that take longer. Then I’ll find open calls for short stories that have hard and fast deadlines, so I’ll attack them too. Two of my short stories are projects that were novels that I’m simply going to trim to SS length.

Courtney: Blogfests—do you participate in them? If so, do you write a new scene for the fests or do you use scenes from your WIPs?

Christopher: I just got turned onto blogfests! I’ve been participating since June 2010. And yeah all my scenes are from various WIP’s.

Courtney: I love blogfests too. They’re fun and can even be a nice writing exercise. What’s your favorite part of being a writer?

Christopher: Disappearing into my mind to see what comes out!

Courtney: What’s your least favorite part?

Christopher: The query and submission process. Ugh!

Courtney: Yeah, that part is not nearly as fun as the writing process. Do you ever have trouble with writers-block?

Christopher: No, because I plot everything. My outlines have outlines!

Courtney: And once more, my heart skips a beat! We need to talk plots after the interview.. I can’t figure out how to keep track of all of my spreadsheets!
Most of us write part time. How do you spend your time when you aren’t writing?

Christopher: Spending time with family, reading, working, playing Wii, watching movies

Courtney: Favorite books? Authors? Movies? Songs?

Christopher: Books: The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Lord Of The Rings, Dante's Inferno, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Da Vinci Code, Gods, The Richest Man in Babylon, The Book of Five Rings,

Movies: Gladiator, Heat, The Italian Job, Casino Royale, Under the Tuscan Sun, Drumline, The Hunt for Red October, Crimson Tide, Point Break, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, The Count of Monte Cristo, King Arthur, 300, Troy

Music: anything from Jay-Z to Dave Mathews Band to Franco Corelli

Courtney: Excellent choices. I’m a huge fan of several of those. Have you read Gladiatrix by Russell Whitfield? I’m reading it now and it seems like it’s right up your ally. Think Gladiator meets Spartacus—with women.
Would you like to share anything else with the readers?

Christopher: Writing brings me an immeasurable joy and I hope that it passes through to the reader.

Courtney: Thank you for stopping by today, Christopher. It’s been a pleasure talking to you. Good luck on your writing endeavors.

Readers: Alright guys—time to pitch in your two cents! How do you’re writing habits compare to Christopher’s? How much time do you spend researching your character’s names? What’s your least favorite part of writing? Your favorite? Do you use a writing playlist or enjoy the voices in your own head? Post a comment and let us know!

It’s October 4th and we are officially back to CritiqueThisWIP. Kinda. Over the next week, you’ll be seeing some changes around here—no, not bad changes; good changes! So keep your eyes peeled and your browsers open, because we’ll be posting new group info on the blog by the end of the week!

Now, since it’s Monday, we’re going to cut right to the good stuff.

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS ARE BACK— EVERY MONDAY!

This is Karen Bell. Karen has been on my radar for a few months now and today she’s agreed to do a sit down with CTW for an interview-turned-conversation with none other than ME! Okay, I realize I get the honor of doing many an author interview, but still—this is exciting stuff!

Courtney: Hi Karen and welcome to Author Interviews on CritiqueThisWIP. Can you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

Karen: WALKING WITH ELEPHANTS is my first novel, although I am not new to writing. I was a theater critic and celebrity interviewer for a weekly tabloid in Jacksonville, Fl and I earned a Master’s in Mass Communication from Oklahoma State University. For 15 years I was an editor/writer at a major accounting firm. I also was a technical editor for an accounting magazine that published monthly. I am married with four children, three of whom are married with children. My youngest daughter is a trained opera singer and beginning her career. My husband is a professor and we live in Ponte Vedra, Fl.

I am in the rewrite stage of my second novel, SUNSPOTS. It has been a slow process because life has a way of getting in the way of my writing projects. When I stay away too long, I forget the names of my characters, so rewriting is also a way to refresh my memory. I’m hoping to finish this fall. If my debut novel gets any play it might make publishing this one easier.

I like to write about women, ordinary women and how they cope with all the complexities of life. I always seem to throw in some humor because one must always have a sense of humor even in the darkest of times. What also appeals to me are the unknown elements, the vibrations of different dimensions that lurk about us. I think we all have unexplained experiences, windows to a realm that we cannot interpret with our five senses. In the worlds I create, I can make anything happen, and so I do. Extraordinary events of the paranormal happening to ordinary people—but not scary stuff—enlightening stuff.

For my third and probably last novel, I will use aspects of Greek and Roman mythology either in the plot or characters. I have to study up on that before I can start.

I am on Twitter and Facebook and my website is www.karensbell.com. I don’t have a blog because I don’t think that anyone would read it—don’t really know how to bring people to it. But maybe that will change.

Courtney: When did you start writing?

Karen: [I] Had bouts with writing my entire life—worked as a theater critic and celebrity interviewer, took a writing class and wrote a short story, got a MS in mass communication, and became a business writer and editor—it comes easily to me.

Courtney: Sounds like a classic case of ‘love at first write’. What’s your favorite genre?

Karen: I dislike the genre thing—I really don’t fit into any genre per se but if you call women’s fiction a genre than I’m in that one. I write how I feel about life from a woman’s perspective because guess what—I’m a woman, my own personal laboratory. I also am extremely interested in the paranormal, unusual experiences and the miracle of humanity. That aspect seems to pop into most of my fiction work, kind of magical realism.

Courtney: Now that sounds like my kind of fiction. Paranormal is my cup’a tea! So when you start of a new WIP, how do you come up with your characters?

Karen: My characters have been caged, trapped, in my subconscious for years waiting to break free. They emerge of their own accord as the story progresses; push their way into existence and I am powerless to stop them.

Courtney: Your characters sound just as stubborn as mine! I swear, they have a mind of their own…
What’s in a name? How important is it for a character to have the right name, or will any name do? Do you spend much time finding your character’s names?

Karen: In SUNSPOTS the name, Aurora, was pivotal because she was conceived during a solar maximum when her parents traveled to see a fabulous display of the aurora borealis in the Canadian Yukon. I think that my character’s names are very important just like in real life. Your name sort of sets your destiny. I ruminate over different names and sometimes they just come to me as if the character has told me that. In SUNSPOTS, Viola Parker totally gave me her name.

Courtney: Where have some of you best story-ideas come from?

Karen: I try to be present in observing the world around me and that gives me ideas. Sometimes when I am in the zone at the gym a thought will pop into my head. I became inspired to write WALKING WITH ELEPHANTS, my first novel, by my work experiences. I had a “aha” moment when I saw a woman pumping her breast in the ladies room at work and thought, “There’s a baby somewhere crying for her right now.” Somehow our society has screwed things up for families. We don’t give nearly enough maternity leave. We are not enlightened on this dimension. There are countries that give women two years maternity leave. Somehow the feminist movement got side tracked. I think so anyway. I personally was quite lucky and didn’t have to work when my kids were little. But I paid for it afterwards in the workplace—a late starter is a nonstarter in this world. In my second novel, a character came to me while I was trying to take a nap—and she even told me her name—weird...huh?

Courtney: Wow, two years?! Now why haven’t we gotten around to that? Oh— and don’t worry, I’ve heard of stranger things; characters naming themselves is a relatively normal occurrence (of course, that may put you in the category of “crazy writer”, but you have plenty of company). Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Karen: If pantser means seat of your pants then that’s me. I have a general idea of a story but creating a beginning, middle, and end just evolves and sometimes changes during my rewrites. I am constantly combing back through, rereading, massaging, working on consistency. It’s amazing how many plot holes you can create without realizing it when you write this way.

Courtney: Ah! I love that you said “massaging”. It really does take some massaging, whether you’re a pantser or a plotter.
Are you published? If so, what is the name of your novel?

Karen: Yes, literaryroad.com just released my debut novel, WALKING WITH ELEPHANTS. It is available in trade paperback, for Kindle, and iPad.

Courtney: Congratulations! Readers—go ahead and click on the link to see what WALKING WITH ELEPHANTS is all about.
Now Karen, what project are you working on now that WALKING WITH ELEPHANTS has been released?

Karen: My second novel, SUNSPOTS. It’s a study of woman who loses her husband after just two years, the mystery around it, the ghosts of his past—literally and figuratively and how she gets herself and her life back.

Courtney: Do you use critique partners, groups, or beta readers to help you with your story? Why or why not?

Karen: No need for that. The publishing process is brutal as well as informative. I had several editors at big New York houses and smaller houses that gave me good feedback, rewrite suggestions, and seemed interested in extending an offer. I responded to the suggestions that felt right. Tried to rekindle interest, but just like sharks, they kept on swimming ahead. But that process was quite helpful. Renee Fitzgerald, my publisher, worked with me on the final version of WWE. Helped the pace. A writer is always in love with her own words. So, you definitely need another perspective. Deleting paragraphs is like a death. In fact, I still am in mourning for those deletions in the book. But they are saved on my computer.

Courtney: Once an agent looks over something, it’s nearly impossible to get them to see it again. This is where a critique group or beta reader comes in handy. They catch those extra little things that we writers don’t see. Now, I agree, the publishing industry can be brutal, but when you have every Tom, Dick, and Harry (plus their mothers) trying to write a book, you have to be. And then there’s always “the fit” with editors… How it all gets done, I have no idea.
How about Blogfests? Do you participate? If so, do you write a new scene for the fests or do you use scenes from your WIPs?

Karen: This will give away my age. Have no idea what is a Blogfest. Took me a while to figure out that a blog is just a more detailed self-centered posting than Facebook or Twitter. We are all writers of editorials now, and all our diaries are for public consumption. We can trash celebrities and get a following based on the meanness of our thoughts. Ain’t the Internet grand? I have a rule for myself. I don’t like to put my cherished work out there unprotected. There is too much piracy. I even copyrighted my MS before I sent it to agents and publishers.

Courtney: Amen to that—piracy abounds. Lucky for me, I have a copyright on everything that goes up on my beloved blog. Most of what I post online is not intended for my novel. It’s all writing exercises or bits of writerly advice, but you never know.
What’s your favorite part of being a writer?

Karen: Playing God. Being in control of a world I create and then losing that control when my characters decide for themselves what happens next and they let me know. Take over their world. Like the Old Testament. LOL.

Courtney: What’s your least favorite part?

Karen: The solitude. I can’t be having dinner with friends, shopping at the mall and be writing at the same time—unless I get an iPhone or iPad—haha.

Courtney: Most of us write part time. How do you spend your time when you aren’t writing?

Karen: I have four grown children and grandbabies. The grandbabies don’t live close, so there is lots of flying to and from. Wherever my daughter performs, I try and go. I just moved after 21 years of living in the same place and there was much settling in. My husband gets invited to speak all over the world and I go. Side benefit—my characters really enjoy the places I have sent them. I love to swim, walk, watch movies and right now I can’t believe I am hooked on the Real Housewives of New Jersey. My youngest daughter is horrified.

Courtney: Oh! A nice big family with splashes of traveling thrown in. What more could a woman want?!
Care to share a favorite line from one of your books?

Karen: This is the opening line from WALKING WITH ELEPHANTS:

“I have always believed life is a mysterious journey through chaos. And so far, for me, chaos has brought forth nothing extraordinary.”

Courtney: Would you like to share anything else with the readers?

Karen: Current wisdom tells us that it is the journey that is more important than the end result—win or lose. That we learn from the trials and the successes along our way. What I have learned from becoming a writer is that the act of writing is fulfilling in itself. That I take great pride in choosing just the right word, creating the right timing and cadence in my sentences. Making my dialogue sound real. So that when I reread my work it hits me as, “this is really good” and that brings me pleasure.

Now I’m on to a new phase. My book will be available to lots of people and so my baby is born to the world. It has a life of its own and I can only marvel that hanging tough for all these years brought me to this day. But to me…really… knowing that I could actually do it, that I could complete a novel, write a cohesive story, well it just knocks my socks off.

Life is good!

Courtney: Excellent advice. Thank you for dropping by today, Karen. We enjoyed having you!

Readers: What did you think of Karen’s interview? Most of you are writers. How did Karen’s responses jive with your own? Do you pants your way through a novel? Use critique groups or beta readers? Do you do the blog thing? How do you come up with your characters and story ideas?

Post a comment and let us know!