Q & A with Author Karen Foxlee

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Her upcoming book due to release Jan 28, Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, has created such a buzz with early readers singing it's praise with such favorable reviews. Highly anticipating, this being the must read to put on your young reader's list, she was kind enough to stop by and chat about being an author and her work.

What inspired you to be a writer?

I wrote my first story when I was in second grade and was hooked. I think I fell in love with the idea of creating something out of nothing. I never stopped writing from that moment on. 

What books/authors have influenced your writing? 

I grew up on a steady diet of Enid Blyton books as a child. I loved her adventure book series "The Secret Seven" and "The Famous Five". The idea that these kids were running around solving mysteries without any parental supervision was so exciting to me! Of course I can also remember my mum reading us fairy tales and later reading them again and again myself. My favourite was The Snow Queen, which of course, features so prominently in OPHELIA. 

What drew you to the genre that you write?

I don't know if I've ever been drawn to a particular genre, rather drawn to the ideas I have for a story. It usually starts with a little idea about a character that gets under my skin and I just have to understand what that character's story is. In OPHELIA it started with a small boy locked away in a museum room for many years. I just had to understand why. 

Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?

Yes, I definitely prefer to see where my ideas take me. I ask lots of questions of my little seed of an idea and start to write. I write and write until I seem to find a path into the story.

Your upcoming book, Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, was such a fantastic book with such favorable reviews. What inspired you to write that story?

I had this simple idea: what if you looked through a keyhole in a long forgotten room in a crumbling museum and saw an eye staring back at you? What if it was someone being kept prisoner there? The story really grew from there. I fell in love with the Marvelous Boy from that very moment and most of my first drafts were about his story, his amazing journey to deliver the sword to our world so that the snow queen could be defeated. 

Give us an insight into your main character. What do you want readers to take away from her story?

It is weird to say but Ophelia turned up quite late after many drafts. I needed someone to discover the boy. But as soon as I wrote the line, "Ophelia did not consider herself brave," I just had a feeling that everything was going to work out for this story. Ophelia doesn't consider herself brave but she is SO brave. She is reeling from the death of her mum, trying to work out how to exist in the world without her. She doesn't want to believe in anything that can't be proven by science yet she suddenly faces all manner of challenges and strange creatures in her quest to save the Marvelous Boy and the world. I love that she never gives up, she keeps picking herself up and trying, when faced with all manner of monsters and impossible creatures. What would I like readers to take away from her story? Always help your friends. Never ever give up. Love is always on your side. 

Would you ever consider writing a series?

The project I'm working on at the moment feels like a series but I can't even get the first part to behave so I'm trying not to get to far ahead of myself. I'm just focussing on that story at the moment. 

Do you have any current projects that you can share with us?

The story I'm writing is about a girl in Victorian London who can see the future in puddles. It features witches and ghosts and some fearsomely wild girls who hunt faeries. I'm completely in love with it and completely mixed-up by it. We'll see what happens. 

Are you currently reading anything? 

At present I am reading The Hunger Games and enjoying it. I went into it to see what all the fuss was about but I'm hooked. 

If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?

Lately I've been reading A.A Milne's WINNIE THE POOH stories to my little girl. We have laughed ourselves silly about the adventures of that bear and his friends. I think I would love to write something like that, which is so beautiful and clever and funny and... classic. Its appeal never fades. 

Do you have any advice for other writers? 

Only write a lot. Fall in love with your stories. Never give up on them if you think they are worthy and that they have a heart.

If you want to get more information on Karen, you can reach her at:
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1390474.Karen_Foxlee
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karen-Foxlee/139995856034130

How Travel and Writing Saved Me by Tony Brasunas

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What would happen if you left everything behind – your culture, your family, your place, your people, and your history – and moved to a faraway and foreign world? 

What would happen if you did this alone, when you were young? 

It would be a terrifying and exhilarating time. Your experience would be something others would probably call "Coming of Age." If this departure were voluntary, others might say you were "Seeking Your Fortune." 

But the experience would be even more profound than these terms suggest. You wouldn't just find maturity or a fortune; you would uncover who you really are and what you can really do. Without the culture, family, and society that had raised you and known you all your life, you would come face to face with you. Who are you – at the core? 

Setting Out

I left the United States for the first time at the age of 22 and moved to China. I taught English in a Chinese high school and journeyed throughout the country with just a backpack. I did come of age; I did not find a fortune, other than perhaps the untold riches inherent in self-discovery. 

That turned out to be quite a lot. 

I discovered who I am, at a level far deeper than I had ever known. I also learned, through repeated experiences teaching and traveling, that this world and this life is an open garden awaiting us, awaiting our hopes, intentions, dreams, and creativity. I learned that if you trust yourself, your instincts, and your intuition, and if you take the risk of letting them truly guide you, the world opens up to you in unexpected ways and you discover the essence of your own inner being. You get to be alive in the fullness and magic of your true self. 

Putting that lesson into practice removed ten tons from my shoulders; it was the thing that saved me. I learned not only who I am, but that who I am (and who all of us truly are) is good. I embraced that, I took risk after risk based on that, and I found the ability in most every moment to do what I most deeply want. I discovered two happinesses. 

I returned home to the United States and found a culture, a family, and a world that expected me to be the person I had been before. I tried to meet their expectations, for some reason. I never told anyone the details of my story, and no one asked. I became depressed and chronically ill, and I had no idea why. 

At the suggestion of an old and distant friend, I began to write about my journey. As I began to explore where and who I had been, the me that I had discovered – the one who trusts himself and guides himself by his inner knowing and intuition – he was still there, just hiding because no one knew him. As I wrote, he could come forth and share his discoveries with me and with others. 

Two Happinesses

Writing was the second thing that saved me. I wrote and wrote, and rediscovered myself through this second journey. Along the way, my writing got longer and better. I learned something of this eternal and elusive art. And I set out to write a full book. 

Today, a decade later, thanks to dozens of helpful angels small and large, my story is now published. With deep joy and a touch of exhaustion, I can announce that it is here, my book, Double Happiness, the story of the two happinesses. 

I offer it – and all my writing – as a gift, first to the people, land, and spirits of China; second, to the many angels who helped me find my path to being a happy person; and third, and most of all, as a gift for people everywhere who might learn or benefit from my discoveries. 

May it be helpful to you, and to all who seek happiness, whether you are able to travel yourself or only to travel from an armchair. 

Trust yourself, have fun, take chances.

Q & A with Author Leah Konen

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Leah Konen is a writer living in San Francisco. She is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied journalism and creative writing. Her work has been published in Elle Decor, Good Housekeeping's Quick & Simple, Parenting, The Fiscal Times, and several regional newspapers and magazines. She has stopped by to chat with me about her debut novel, The After Girls...

Have you always wanted to be a writer? 

In a way, I think so, though maybe I didn’t always know it! I never really thought of it as a profession, per se, but as a kid (I was a definite “inside kid”), I spent hours crafting stories on our old PC. There were fairies. A lot of fairies. And magical lands. And unassuming girls who got to explore said lands.

What inspired you to write your first book?

THE AFTER GIRLS came first as a title. I can’t say where it came from--it just did. From there, I began thinking about what would take a group of friends from before to “after” more than anything else. The answer was suicide, and all the guilt, confusion and heartbreak that come with it. More than anything, that is what I was exploring in THE AFTER GIRLS. 

Now that you have published your first novel, did you have any expectations on the process? If you did, were they met? If not, what have you learned that could help other writers?

It still feels very surreal. When I see my book in a library or bookstore or anything like that, or when I hear from a fan whom I’ve never met and loves it, I almost feel like it’s not really happening. Like I’m somehow fooling everyone around me! I try to take a step back and remind myself that, indeed, it is happening, but it’s difficult.For aspiring authors, I’d suggest that they enjoy the writing process--in many ways, it’s a lot more fun (and less stressful) than the publishing process. You’ve got to be in it for the joy that comes from the writing itself.

What was the hardest part writing your book?

Finishing! Letting your baby out into the world for it to be judged and noticed and hopefully loved. 

Your book has gotten some favorable reviews, was there something or someone that inspired the theme of your story? 

At first, no. But about halfway through writing, a friend of mine passed away at a young age from cancer. Friendship and grief became incredibly real to me, and it definitely affected how I wrote THE AFTER GIRLS. 

What message do you hope people who read your book take away from your book?

That friendship is everything and that life is beautiful and worth living, no matter what you’re going through.

What book would you say you were most inspired by?

Though it doesn’t have much to do with the themes of THE AFTER GIRLS, I learned pretty much everything I know about writing from obsessively reading Jane Austen.

Do you have any upcoming projects that you are working on?

Yes--and a really exciting one at that--I can’t reveal too much, but it’s also set in the South, and it focuses much more on romance than on friendship. 

What are you currently reading?

“The Stranger Beside Me,” a true crime story about the Ted Bundy murders. Don’t ask.

Do you have any advice on aspiring writers?

A great quote by W. Somerset Maugham is this: “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” I’d say my only real advice is just to keep on writing.

For more information on Leah, you can visit her at the following links:
www.leahkonen.com
TWITTER: @leahkonen
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/leahkonenauthor
GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16225093-the-after-girls

Q & A with New York Bestselling Author Susan Mallery

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New York Times Bestselling Author, Susan Mallery is one of the most beloved and anticipated authors out today. Through her insightful and tender narratives of women and their relationships, her engaging stories has rewarded her with over 100 romance & women fiction novels published to date. As her loyal fans eagerly await the release of each book, her success is a testimony to the power of her pen. I chat with Susan about her readers and on being a writer. 

How did you become a writer?

I was actually in college, studying to be an accountant, when I saw a local adult education center offering classes on “how to write a romance novel.” I’d been reading romances since I was about 13 and decided to take the class. I’d never written a book before, but thought I should start one before the class.

It was an 8 week class and by week 6 I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life. But I wrote while I was in college and when I graduated, I had to make a decision. I had a job offer with an accounting firm. But I really wanted to be a writer. My husband and I agreed I would give myself 2 years to sell, so I turned down the accounting job and started writing fulltime. That was May and I sold in August of the same year. I’ve been a fulltime writer ever since.

As an author, finding that inspiration can be hard when you are trying to ignite that spark to write the perfect story. With such amazing characters, where do you get your ideas from?

Ideas come from everywhere. Situations I find myself in, songs, movies, conversa­tions I’ve overheard. (Okay, I admit it—I overhear those conversations because I’m intentionally eavesdropping. When you talk in public, you must realize a writer may be hanging on every deeply personal word.) The idea starts with a spark. The tough part is building that spark into a novel-length story. Some times an idea doesn’t go anywhere, and I have to save it for another day, when it might merge with another spark and become something wonderful.

The spark that led to BAREFOOT SEASON, the first book of the Blackberry Island series, was a thought that flitted into my head from I don’t know where – a gift from the universe. What if you and your best friend fell in love with the same man, and then he proposed to her You’re her best friend, so of course she wants you to be her maid of honor. And then... what if he tells you that he made a mistake, chose the wrong girl? BAREFOOT SEASON deals with the fallout of this scenario, ten years later.

The Fool’s Gold series of romance novels was initially inspired by a news story about the census. I thought of how interesting it would be if the census discovered that a town faced a serious man shortage. How would the women in town react? Would men begin to arrive in town by the busload, thinking there are women ripe for the picking?

You seem to be a very disciplined writer. What is your daily routine?

My writing process is fairly organized. I write every day and my goal is a set number of pages. Before I start a book, I do a detailed outline. I like to know I’ve worked out all the problems before I dive into the book. A typical day with me starts with e-mail, then pages.

My goal is to get my writing done in the morning so I can spend afternoons doing other things like answering fan mail, posting to Facebook or Twitter, or dealing with my website. I am always thinking four or five books ahead, so I might be reading a weird non-fiction book to give me back ground or doing research on the Internet. However, the pages come first. If it takes me until midnight, that’s how long it takes.

With all the success you have had, what has influenced you the most in developing as a writer?

I’ve studied a lot of screenwriting and that’s been a big influence for me. I have no interest in writing a screenplay, but I like the structure and the rules of it. I was living in Los Angeles when I first learned to write and there are all kinds of seminars and classes available there. I try to study with experts. I’ve taken characterization classes taught by psychologists and setting classes taught by poets. I still study. 18 years and over 100 books later, I read about writing craft, buy DVDs on screenwriting and listen to workshops in CD in my car.

Alright, it's just us. Are your characters based on people that you know or are they just pretend?

My characters are strictly fictional. Real people don’t fit well into stories. However, I will include situations I’ve heard about or experienced, which can be fun. 

You are one of the few authors I have seen that seem to be warm and engaging with their fans. How much does their support mean to you?

Fan support is everything to an author. I have published more than 100 books you can’t do that without a lot of very loyal, eager fans who rush out to buy your latest book the day it’s released. I have a very special group of fans called the Fool’s Gold Varsity Cheerleaders. These women are super-fans. They drive around their towns with Fool’s Gold car magnets on their cars, wearing a Fool’s Gold T-shirt, handing out Fool’s Gold bookmarks, and basically telling other readers about the books they love. I am humbled and honored by these very special women

Why do you think your novels resonate so much with women. I mean, when your novel comes out, it's like Black Friday shopping. Is there a particular reader that comes to mind when you are writing?

I believe there are universal themes we all connect with, especially as women. The need to bond, to create a family unit is biological. Romance novels affirm our desire to love, to have a mate, to have children. There is power in the ability to love fearlessly. Power in overcoming adversity, whether it lives inside ourselves or comes from an external force. Most women adore a good love story.

I do write with a specific reader in mind. She’s a mother with three kids and her husband is out of town. All three kids have the stomach flu, her washing machine is broken, and her husband won’t be home until the next day. She finally gets the kids in bed and has an hour or so for herself. She fills the bathtub to relax, grabs my book and sinks into the warm water, prepared to get swept away.

My job is to make her forget her aching back, the pile of laundry and the exhaustion dragging her down. My job is to make her laugh, cry and keep turning the pages, even after the bath water gets cold. My job is to make her believe that happy endings really do happen to everyone, especially women like her.

There are so many writers who get defeated and give up. Based on your success as a writer, what advice can you give them?

Don’t give up. Talent helps, but there are thousands of amazingly talented writers
who will never sell because they won’t start the book or finish the book or submit the book. The ones who sell, the ones who have a career, are the ones who don’t give up. Ever! You never know when the book you’re writing is going to be “the
one.” How horrible would it be to give up on the very project that was finally going to allow you to achieve your dream?

To find out the latest information on Susan, you can go to: 
http://www.susanmallery.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/susanmallery
http://www.facebook.com/SusanMallery
http://twitter.com/susanmallery

Q & A With Author Christine Campbell

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It is such a honor and pleasure to be able to chat with author Christine Campbell. She is an accomplished novelist of contemporary fiction with two published novels currently working on her third. 

What inspired you to be a writer?

Writing was always something I loved to do. From when I was quite young, I adored the feel of a pencil or pen flowing across a smooth expanse of paper, the joy of filling its virgin whiteness with words. Words themselves enthralled me and, once I realized they were the building blocks of stories, I was captivated and played with words the way some children play with Lego. No matter what else I did in life, I knew I would always write.

After having published a couple of novels, do you feel that the process has gotten easier?

I feel I have learned a lot about the craft, so, yes, it has become easier to know the best way to approach a new piece of writing. The part I still find difficult is editing and rewriting in such a way that the reader will derive the same pleasure as I had as the writer. I try not to present my readers with a stream of consciousness, but to refine my original thoughts, to distill them until they express the thoughts or emotions as clearly as possible.


The goal of a writer is to give the readers characters that they can really connect with. The characters in your books have such a engaging depth to them, what advice can you give other authors with finding that authentic voice that speaks to the reader?

Thank you, Michelle. One of the things I do is sit still with my characters for a while before I put pen to paper, finger to keyboard. When I have a story in mind, I decide whose story it is going to be, then I spend some time getting to know that character. Sometimes I write details down, sometimes I just get a feel for them. I see them in the situation and I see the situation as a scene in a movie, so I sit back and watch how they move through it as I have directed.

Is this a character who moves purposefully, or does he or she move more aimlessly? Do they get easily riled or are they laid back? What does she sound like? Does he have an accent? Does she have self-confidence, a certain swagger, even? Or is she timid and reticent to put forward her opinions?

For some of my characters, I have found it fun to choose film stars to play them. Not necessarily as the actors are in real life, but perhaps as they played a certain character in a particular film. For instance, I have a character in some of my short stories who is very much modeled on Hugh Grant in the film Nottingham Hill. He is handsome and kind, but rather vague and a little hapless. To be fair to Hugh and the character he played, I have exaggerated these qualities in my character, but it was fun to imagine Hugh Grant playing the part in my stories.

You have a gift of storytelling, especially in writing your short stories. Have you ever thought about making a compilation book of them?

Thank you again, Michelle, and, yes, I have thought about doing that. In fact, I have gathered a few of my 'hapless Hugh' stories and I may even embed them in a rather lighthearted novel. His wife in the stories I have modeled a little on Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality, so I think there's a bit of fun to be had with the pair of them.

And I may also, at some point, publish a compilation of other short stories, including flash fiction, drabbles, and poetry. A drabble is an extremely short work of fiction, exactly one hundred words in length not including the title. The purpose of the drabble is brevity, testing the author's ability to express interesting and meaningful ideas in an extremely confined space. I have been enjoying writing them recently, using an image as a prompt.

What book or author can you say has had an impact on your career as a writer?

That's a hard question for me to answer because I doubt if there was ever any one author who had such an impact. I think it has always been a conglomeration. As a child, it was the classics: The Bronte sisters, Jane Austin, then Enid Blyton with The Famous Five and a series of books called The Chalet School Mysteries by Elinor Brent-Dyer, initially published between 1925 and 1970. Thirty years ago, it would have been writers such as Maeve Binchy, Rosamund Pilcher. Now, I am inspired by such authors as Anita Shreve, Anne Tyler, Nicholas Sparks and JoJo Moyes. There have been many more authors whose works have inspired me. These are just some names that come to mind.

What really inspires me is good writing, no matter who wrote it.

On a different note, there is one writer who inspired me to publish my novels. That was Barbara Cartland. I'm sorry if any of your readers enjoy her books, but I read one once that my mother handed on to me. Her butcher was giving them away free with every purchase of mince. How very appropriate. The book was total mince. It was drivel. It was so badly written that I thought, 'I can write so much better than that!' And she had hundreds of books published! Hundreds! I was shocked into doing something about getting my novels out there.

What is the hardest part about being a writer?

Having to stop and make the dinner. When in a flow, I find it so difficult to emerge from fiction to deal with reality. But then, I find that as a reader too. I get engrossed. Another thing that is hard, at the other end of the writing spectrum, is getting started on a new piece of work, getting into that flow.

What have you taken away from your experience so far that you can offer someone who is just beginning?

Not to be disappointed when not everyone likes your writing. Anyone can call themselves a writer. Not everyone can call themselves a good writer. So practice, practice, practice. Read, read, read. Learn your craft. Be the best writer you can be. Then, at least some people will enjoy your writing.

Are you currently working on anything that you can share?

Absolutely. I have just finished writing another novel. It is currently with my proofreader and will be published very soon, I hope. It is called Flying Free and it tells the story of how a woman overcomes the disabling memories of her past in order to carve out a future and be able to commit to a relationship with the man she loves. To call it a romance would probably be misleading because, although it traces a romance, it is the difficult emotional journey the character has to make that carries the story.

Do you have any advice to any writers?

Just to write. To quote something I read, 'You can't edit an empty page.' So, get the story out there on the page then go back and refine it until it is something you can be proud of.

To find out more information about Christine:
http://cicampbellblog.wordpress.com/

Q & A with Author Bianca Sloane

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Remember this name, Bianca Sloane. This upcoming novelist truly embodies the genre of suspense thriller. With two published novels that have been well received, she is definitely carving her own path to becoming a household name. After her latest release, Sweet Little Lies, I am pleased to have her come by and chat.

What inspired you to become an author?

I was always that kid who was pecking out something on my ancient little typewriter.  I loved doing fan fiction, short stories—anything and everything.  I was a bit of an introvert with an active imagination.  I don't think I could have been anything but a writer!  

What would you say are pros and cons of self-publishing against being traditionally published?

I would say one of the pros of being in Indie author is the freedom you have.  You can tell the types of stories you want to tell, you can do it on your own timetable and you have complete control over the creative process.  The cons are that you're a one-man band, responsible not only for writing the books, but also finding a cover artist, editors and proofreaders and formatters.  And that's all before you market the books.  Sometimes, it can be tough to find enough hours in the day to fit it all in. 

In your books, you have such addictive and amazing characters. Where do you find the inspiration to create them?

Oh wow – thank you!  One of the best compliments a writer can hear.  

I pull inspiration for my characters from a variety of places.  My characters talk to me (yes, I'm one of those authors) and they tell me who they are.  That's what comes out on the page.  I don't do character bios or anything like that.  It's all free-form and just comes to me as I'm writing and during the revision process, I'll make tweaks as I need to. 

I also strive to make them strong and smart.  They may have moments when they falter, but that makes them human.  I put little bits of myself and people I know into the characters.  When I'm out and about, I observe people and  listen to conversations.  Reality TV is also great for studying human nature.  Yes, that's it...reality TV in the name of research...

It's also important to know who your characters are apart from what's on the page – where they were born, any siblings, past romantic relationships, relationships with their parents, etc.  That helps to make them more real and more relatable.  

Your latest release, Sweet Little Lies, is definitely one of those books that should be on the movie screen. Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead?

Ha ha!  How much fun would that be to see this turned into a movie?  I actually have a Pinterest board for the book where I envisioned who would play the roles.  I like Carmen Ejogo (she played opposite Whitney Houston in Sparkle) as my main character, Kelly. I've also thought Paula Patton would be good. I'd love to see Boris Kodjoe as Kelly's husband, Mark.  Talk about a McHottie.

What are the challenges that an author in your genre has when trying to create “the story”? Is it easier to build up the story with a huge ending that may be predictable or build up to the unexpected?

I think for a suspense writer, the challenge is to come up with a new way to tell the same old story. As the saying goes, there are no new ideas.  You have to ask yourself what can you do that hasn't been done before?  For example, in Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn took the story of the missing wife that we've all come to know so well and completely turned it on its head with explosion after explosion.   

I think it's certainly easier to build up to the predictable ending.  Formulas exist for a reason, which is why we see them over and over again. For me personally, I love twisty, unpredictable endings, because they're more fun and certainly more thought-provoking. Harder to develop, yes, but ultimately much more fun and satisfying. 

Is there an author or book that has inspired your career as a writer?

Mary Higgins Clark was an author who I read in high school and college whose books I couldn't read fast enough. The first book of hers that I read was The Cradle Will Fall and it remains a favorite. One of the most unsettling books I've ever read.

What are you currently working on?

I'm in the throes of my next release, Every Breath You Take, which is about a love affair gone horribly wrong. There is of course murder and some twists along the way. That will be released in 2014. 

What advice can you offer upcoming authors?

Read, read, read. Read the good stuff. Read the bad stuff. Read everything in between. Read different genres. While I love to read suspense books and this is mostly what I read, sometimes, I want to get lost in some chick lit or a good old-fashioned family saga. As Stephen King says, if you don't have time to read, you don't have time to be a writer.