Ask the Author: Karen Docter
Answered Questions (11)
Karen Docter
I don't write horror, although I do read the genre occasionally. I'm afraid I can't do justice to an attempt. :)
Karen Docter
This is a hard question because I read across the genres and would love to jump into any number of fictional worlds just to experience it, not necessarily to change anything. I would love to be the fly-on-the-wall on the Enterprise or a Regency ballroom (definitely more air to breathe above the crowd from what I know about these affairs :) ). I'd definitely want to be a fly on the wall in the Game of Thrones world because, if I were a character, the likelihood is that I'd be killed off in a spectacular fashion. I want to be a pirate on a ship, a doctor in a hospital, a...well, you get the picture. I'm an observer of life and there are so many lives to explore in the books I read. :)
Karen Docter
I'm currently reading Goodbye, My Love, a paranormal suspense by Maggie Tideswell, releasing soon. I also want to read J.A. Scorch's scifi, Reclaim, Richard Castle's High Heat, Daniel Arenson's Dawn of Dragons, Cynthia Eden's Scream for Me and as many more as I can read around finishing my next two books, Dead Ringer (K.L Docter) and Cop Crashes The Wedding (Karen Docter.
Karen Docter
I'm such a boring person! I don't have any real mysteries in my life that would be of interest to anyone. :) I do draw on my experiences growing up and observing the world around me to create all of my stories though. I developed a strong affinity for police officers when I was only 10 years old. There was a domestic call in my neighborhood and one of the police officers who shows up was shot and killed. The shooter wasn't even involved in the domestic call, just a high neighbor who took exception to the police presence. The policeman who was killed had a wife and unborn child at home. He was just doing his job. Anyway, I now my True Love in Uniform contemporary series is about the cops that do it right to keep me and mine safe, their lives and loves.
The only real mystery in my life is trying to figure out how I can write more quickly. With two pseudonyms, two genres and two different series going it's a mystery when I'll find time to finish all of the books in my lifetime. :)
The only real mystery in my life is trying to figure out how I can write more quickly. With two pseudonyms, two genres and two different series going it's a mystery when I'll find time to finish all of the books in my lifetime. :)
Karen Docter
Writer's block comes in so many forms. If I'm struggling to write a scene in a book, I have been known to skip to another scene. I'm not necessarily a linear writer. After I've plotted my story, I have a general idea of where everything goes so I'll jump to a scene that IS working for me. If I'm struggling with a story, I might jump to another book. I write in two genres, contemporary romantic comedy and romantic suspense, so I seldom run into writer's block because a story isn't working. I just skip elsewhere. If I'm having a hard time writing generally, I can usually trace it back to what's going on in my life. Life can overwhelm me completely and, in that case, I simply set things aside and deal with the problem so I can free myself up to write again.
Karen Docter
I can't just pick one favorite fictional couple from the books I read. There are so many wonderful options. It's like picking your favorite child! :) I guess the couples that stand out though are those who linger in my mind days, weeks and months in my head after I've closed the book. Honestly, these couples and their stories are what earns a book a special place on my Keeper Shelf because I intend to reread them again. My Keeper Shelf is a bit large, needless to say. :)
Karen Docter
I'm always inspired to write. Shaking the time free and descending into the zone? That's a horse of a different color! :)
When I want to sit down to write, though, I do have some routines that get me started. I get a fresh cup (or Kerr jar full of iced) coffee. Love my flavored coffee. Have a Keurig in my office so I don't have to get pulled too far from what I'm doing so that I get distracted by the dishes, vacuuming, dusting...well, you get the picture.
The next thing I do is pull up my Pandora stations. I have 11 different genre stations. Depending on my mood or what I need to inspire me to write a specific type of scene -- love scene, fight scene, etc. -- I fill my office with melody. No lyrics, please! Pulls me right out of what I'm doing...unless it's in Spanish or Italian. They don't bother me.
Once this is done, I'm able to slip into the writing "zone" a lot more quickly and remain there.
When I want to sit down to write, though, I do have some routines that get me started. I get a fresh cup (or Kerr jar full of iced) coffee. Love my flavored coffee. Have a Keurig in my office so I don't have to get pulled too far from what I'm doing so that I get distracted by the dishes, vacuuming, dusting...well, you get the picture.
The next thing I do is pull up my Pandora stations. I have 11 different genre stations. Depending on my mood or what I need to inspire me to write a specific type of scene -- love scene, fight scene, etc. -- I fill my office with melody. No lyrics, please! Pulls me right out of what I'm doing...unless it's in Spanish or Italian. They don't bother me.
Once this is done, I'm able to slip into the writing "zone" a lot more quickly and remain there.
Karen Docter
Learn your craft and don't scrimp on quality. You may be writing fiction but your readers are smart and educated. They deserve your best writing, research and story. Don't shortchange your own story by not getting the quality presentation of your book.You can write the best story but, if the cover isn't good or there are formatting errors galore, you'll lose your reader. It's not their job to edit your work. You only lose that reader once. They won't be back. Give your work and your reader the respect they deserve and you can succeed in this ever-changing market.
Karen Docter
I'm currently working on the next book in the Thorne's Thorns series, Killing Proof, which is Ben Zancanelli's story. He's introduced at the end of Killing Secrets which just released April 2014. He's a police officer on the San Francisco peninsula credited with catching the San Fran Slasher...or did he?
All six books in this series are stand-alone romantic suspense, psychological thrillers. Killing Secrets is a psychological romantic thriller, the first book in the Thorne's Thorns series. Patrick Thorne is the only biological son of retired police officer, Ross Thorne, and mother, Evelyn. Over the years as Patrick grew up, his father brought home five troubled, young boys who became his brothers. They all became known as Thorne's thorns because of the trouble that often came with them. They've all grown into men with strong ties to their foster family and equally strong, protective instincts when the people they love are threatened.
All six books in this series are stand-alone romantic suspense, psychological thrillers. Killing Secrets is a psychological romantic thriller, the first book in the Thorne's Thorns series. Patrick Thorne is the only biological son of retired police officer, Ross Thorne, and mother, Evelyn. Over the years as Patrick grew up, his father brought home five troubled, young boys who became his brothers. They all became known as Thorne's thorns because of the trouble that often came with them. They've all grown into men with strong ties to their foster family and equally strong, protective instincts when the people they love are threatened.
Karen Docter
Writing! It may sound facetious but I truly love the writing process. I can't NOT write. When I turn on my music and start creating characters that are real to me, and help them to work through their problems, to fall in love, to resolve the dangers to their lives and hearts, I'm right where I want to be...and that's immensely satisfying.
Karen Docter
The two antagonists for my April 2014 romantic suspense thriller release, Killing Secrets (K.L. Docter) were prompted by a couple of articles. I read one about a con artist who'd been duping women successfully for years and, almost on the heels of that article, read another one about an obsessive stalker. I didn't use the specifics of either case, but the articles did help me to create the heroine's con artist, ex-husband, and the serial killer in Killing Secrets was obsessive.
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