Skip to main content

An interview with Karenna

Please welcome Kareena to the fold so to speak. She's been very generous enough to join us today to share a bit about herself and her writing.


What inspired you to begin writing?


Truly, I don’t remember. I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember (which is back to age 2, at least), and I started writing them down as soon as someone showed me how to make those squiggly little letters.



For each writer their genre is the one they’re comfortable with. Why did you begin writing within yours?

I actually write in a number of genres. In addition to erotic romance, I write YA urban fantasy, and I’ve written a couple of mainstream fiction manuscripts that will probably never see daylight. I’m also working on a paranormal novel. But… since this interview is about my erotic romance, I’ll answer that, I guess. I started writing it because a friend challenged me to write something that showed sex as a positive thing.



What was your initial reaction when you got that first contract?

I literally jumped up and down. My kids thought I’d gone nuts.





Do you have to do a lot of research to write the books you do or do you write within the fields you know?

I really don’t like doing research, so I try to write what I know. Some research is necessary, though. For example, Deep Down, which is available from Siren Publishing as of January 7, takes place in Boston. I live just outside Boston now, but when I started writing the novella, I still lived in Maine. Once I moved here, I realized I’d gotten a lot wrong, so I visited some of the places mentioned in the story and rode the subway line that the characters ride. That’s the kind of research I enjoy. If it’s something I can’t quickly find online or learn about in person, I probably won’t write it.



What would be your one piece of advice for anyone interested in getting a book published?

Learn. Learn to let the words flow without getting hung up on mechanics to start with. Once the first draft is finished, learn the mechanics. Proper grammar, punctuation, etc. Learn to self-edit; don’t expect your publisher to do it all for you. Learn to ask for help, for beta readers or crit partners, for anything that will help you reach your goal of signing that first contract.

And after you sign that contract, keep learning more with every book you publish.



How did you family/friends react to your decision to become a writer?

I’ve been writing since I was five, so… I don’t think it was ever a conscious decision. My parents claim to be proud of me for my writing. My daughters think it’s cool. And my fiance is so supportive of it that he recently threatened to break my car so I’d have to stay home and write when I mentioned that I thought I might have to quit writing and get a second “real” job. (I was in a bad mood at the time. I couldn’t quit writing any more than I could quit breathing!)



What sort of goals do you set for yourself with each project?

To finish the story. Other than that, I don’t set any goals, I just see what happens.



What sort of music do you listen to while you’re writing?

I generally don’t.



Do you use any sort of ‘forms’ with your writing? Character outlines, plot sheets, etc? Do you find them of any value to you at all or do they distract you from the actual meat of your book?

I don’t use any of that. I’m a total what some call “pantster” when it comes to writing. I might jot down a few quick notes about the characters’ names and what I think is going to happen in the story, but that’s it. Once I start typing that first draft, I often have no real idea what’s going to happen until it does.

I do have one minor weirdness, though: I absolutely cannot start writing a story until I have at least a preliminary title. The absence of a title makes my brain freeze up.

Comments

Faith Bicknell said…
LOL, finally got here!

Good luck on more sales and finished manuscripts!

Popular posts from this blog

Beachwalk Blog Hop

(IN ORDER TO BE IN THE DRAWING FOR PRIZES YOU MUST LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. THERE ARE MANY PRIZES BEING OFFERED IN THIS BLOG HOP. SO DON'T BE SHY, LEAVE A COMMENT AND MESSAGE TO POSSIBLY BE A WINNER.) BEACHWALK PRESS is a great place to be. When I was looking for another home for my short erotic holiday romance, The Cowgirl's Christmas, Pam Tyner was very enthusiastic. She's always shown herself to be someone who is passionate about this business, about the books she has. She's been my editor from the first day and has shown a great amount of skill and passion for it. Not only does she do an amazing job as the editor but she's also a great marketing and promotional support person. Never too busy to answer a question or talk about a new idea for promo. She's one of the best I've ever seen when it comes to communication with both staff and authors. We're a team - a fellowship of writers if you will who can share our trials and trib...

Ray Rhamey has arrived!

Thank you Mr. Rhamey for coming by. Its a great pleasure to have you here today. I hope our readers will stop in and ask a lot of questions, maybe post a paragraph or two of their current project to get some fresh insight. "Thank you for having me." 1. How long have you been part of the industry? In the sense that I’ve devoured novels since I was a boy, virtually a lifetime. My first interest in publishing sparked when I graduated from college. But I had a degree in psychology, was in Texas, and had a family that I needed to support--I couldn’t figure out how to get into publishing. So I left that ambition behind. Dissolve to decades later when my advertising career had pretty much run its course due to ageism and economic downturn. I had been writing novels and was a member of a critique group. Based on what I did in our weekly sessions, two members separately asked me to edit their novels. They found what I did to be very helpful. You should understand that I h...

Book Signings the frustrations and the joys

With several books now available, I was honored when a local bookstore asked me in for a booksigning. Like any author, I ordered a few of each of my books in both print and ebook (CD's) and prepared to wow the crowds. I got there an hour early - set up, got organized, made sure my pens worked and waited. Waited for friends, co-workers, family - who'd said they'd be there but didn't show up. By the time my signing was over, I'd become almost resigned to its failure. After all how can it be a success when I sold one book and talked to a few people - who asked questions but didn't make a purchase? Yet it wasn't a complete frustrating failure. Oh no, by making one sale I have my book(s) in another persons hands. There was another lady there as well who gave me her card and said "call me". Is she a buyer? Yes, she is. She owns a book store several hours away from my hometown. And i will definitely be calling her. As well, I learned a few other tidbits a...