Karoline Barrett's Blog
January 26, 2016
Welcome author Linda Legters!
Today I’m talking to author Linda Legters whose novel, Connected Underneath (isn’t that a great title?), comes out April 2016 by Lethe Press. Welcome, Linda, thank you for stopping by!
How long have you been writing?
Years and years. I started to write daily around the age of nine, but didn’t think being a writer was something I could do, something I had a right to aspire to, until I was nearly forty.
What is a typical day of writing like for you?
I’m often at it by five or six a.m. First thoughts are the most interesting. A favorite day is one I get in the zone and find myself pouring out pages that seem to have minds of their own, with characters writing their own dialogue. I quit just before I’m no longer productive so that I have something to start with the next day. During the afternoon I might review and revise. The early morning habit came about when I had young children. Those early mornings were – and still are – precious.
How was writing Connected Underneath different from writing short stories?
It was my second novel draft, so I’d already seen into the different rhythm of a novel versus a short story. But Connected Underneath became very different in other ways. James Wood’s exploration of narrator in his How Fiction Works gave me permission and courage to push the narrator Celeste’s point- of-view boundaries. Nothing was the same after that.
Where did you get the idea for Connected Underneath?
When I was little, I lived on a little dead end street. Down on the cul de sac was a woman who always seemed to know what was going on with everyone in the neighborhood. How did she know? By watching us all of us from her kitchen fan vent. That image stayed lodged in my head.
What do you find is the hardest part of writing?
Keeping faith in the work. In the middle of a tough writing day, it’s hard to believe there will ever be another good one.
What do you hope readers take away from Connected Underneath?
That there is hope.
Do you have plans for another novel?
My first novel was picked up by an agent, but didn’t sell. Now that I’m better acquainted with how novels work now, I’m working on a revision because it’s still a story I want to tell. I also have notes for a brand new one, but it’s too early to talk about that!
What authors, if any, have influenced your writing?
Edith Wharton, Rachel Cusk, Lorrie Moore, Julian Barnes, John Banville, Alice Munroe, Billie Collins , George Saunders, Harold Bloom . . the list is quite long, but I am also influenced by music – the structure of Braham’s Intermezzos, for example, or Keith Jarrett’s improvisations.
You also paint. Do you find a correlation between painting and writing?
Very much so. The act of writing and the act of painting tap into different parts of the mind that complement and encourage each other. Whenever I can’t write, or aren’t writing well, I paint, and this is freeing.
This one’s for me. Is there a secret to being published in Glimmer Train? It’s on my to-do list, but so far, I haven’t made it!
If there’s a secret, it wasn’t revealed! Naturally, we should read several issues of any publication in which we hope to appear, in order to get a sense of tastes and preferences. And, persistence pays. I submitted six or seven stories before “When We’re Lying” was accepted.
To learn more about Linda, please visit her website at http://www.lindalegters.com/
Find her at Amazon http://amzn.to/1OJlJoW
January 16, 2016
My Favorite Facebook Things this Week!
No matter how many times I tell myself I’m going to step away from Facebook and do something productive, like writing maybe, I always come back because God knows what I could miss if I was gone a day or four!
Here are this week’s most interesting posts for me :
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/my-last-day-as-a-surgeon
http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexalvarez/tbh-fuchsia-is-an-infuriating-word#.xr47X7omgx
How was your Facebook week?
December 22, 2015
Please welcome writer Lucas Czechowski!
Today, I’ve got a very special guest. Lucas Czechowski! He’s 8 years old and in third grade. But what’s really special is that Lucas is writing a book called The Haunted House. He’s agreed to answer a few questions for us, and share a snippet of his book. Thanks for joining us, Lucas! By the way, I love this picture, he looks very authorish~
Where did you come up with the idea for The Haunted House?
I came up with the idea for The Haunted House after I read a scary book.
What do you like best about writing?
I like to do cliffhangers at the end of each chapter.
How do you find time to write and go to school?
I am on Winter Break now. I write when I get home from school a little bit.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you aren’t writing?
Reading to get information and for fun.
What’s your favorite subject at school?
Lunch. Recess. Math. Reading.
Can you share a few sentences of your book, so people who read my blog can enjoy it?
Sure. Take what chapter or sentences you want.
As I was staring up at the new house, I noticed that it was not how I imagined it. It had broken-down windows and the door creaked when you opened it. But my mom said it was perfect.
As I was walking up to my room, I slumped down on my bed and thought about our old house. Would I ever see my old friends again? I lay there for a few hours until my mom called me for dinner. Our dinner was cooked steak. I love cooked steak! After dinner I looked out the back window and saw the backyard was also a mess. As I stared, I saw something unusual in the back yard. The ground was kind of slanted.
As I wondered what was wrong with it, my mom said, “Jenny, time for bed.” So, I went up to my room, plopped down on my bed and closed my eyes. A few hours later, I woke up hearing thumpty, thumpty, thumpty.
I opened my eyes and looked out in the hall. Nothing there. “Must have been my imagination,” I said.
But then something even weirder happened. An eerie fog crept into my room. I saw a figure moving toward me.
December 14, 2015
Cover reveal!
Excited to reveal the cover to the next book in my Bread & Batter cozy mystery series, Raisin the Dead! It’s coming out 04.19.2016, but available now for pre-orders!
While the rest of Destiny is focused on the arrival of an upper crust perfume mogul, Molly is more concerned about what’s on the front page of the newspaper: her mother. Library director Anne Tyler was photographed at the most romantic restaurant in town having a cozy dinner with library advisory board member Philip Baldelli. But there’s more for Molly to worry about after Philip is found dead a few days later.
When Detective Sean Corsino zeroes in on Anne as a person of interest in the case, it turns down the heat on his budding romance with Molly. But after he’s injured during the course of his investigation, Molly and Olivia must step in to sift through the clues and clear Anne’s name.
December 5, 2015
Catching up!
It’s been a while since a blog post, but life has been very busy! I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. Just got back from a trip to the beautiful state of Indiana with my husband to visit son #1 a few days ago. Had a wonderful time. Did lots of book and chocolate shopping.
Also splurged on make-up. I love make-up the way some women love shoes. I even bought this lovely Estée Lauder eye shadow and lip gloss kit (it was a great value, who could pass it up?). Never mind that only 3 of the shadows actually look good on me … And why do they give your 30 shadows and only 2 brushes?? Still, it was a good deal. I bought more brushes…
I also bought 3 bottles of Estée perfume (my fave) and a bottle of Chanel #5. All this shopping prompted me to start my 2016 resolution list: #1. Use all make-up, lotions, perfumes, and hair products before buying more!!!! So basically, I’m all set for 2016, except for food.
In addition to the above, I’ve been busy promoting Bun for Your Life, which came out on 11.17.2015. Very exhausting, but lots of fun!
I just received my edits for Raisin the Dead, the 2nd book in my Bread & Batter mystery series, so I’ve started working on those. Cover reveal coming soon. I love, love, love the cover and think you will, too! The book will be out 04.19.2016.
I also finished up Christmas/Hanukkah shopping, except for my husband, who is the hardest human on earth to buy anything for.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
November 16, 2015
Welcome, J.B. Hawker!
Today I’m talking to author J.B. Hawker. I’m right in the middle of reading A Body in the Belfry, the second book in her “First Ladies Club” series, coming December 1, 2015, and I’m loving it! Welcome, J.B.!
How long have you been writing? – I’ve been writing since I learned to hold a crayon, and I glued together my first “book” in first grade. It was about a clock. I’ve written programming materials, Sunday school curriculum and inspirational magazine articles for the past thirty years, but began my first fiction novel, Hollow, in the fall of 2005. I worked on it for six years before publishing in 2012. The feedback was encouraging, so what I thought was a one-time fling has become something of an addiction.
Do you outline? – If I didn’t, I wouldn’t know where the story was going or when I’d gotten to the end. I’m easily distracted, so I plot out a loose outline/structure plus bios for the main characters.
What is a typical day of writing like for you? – There isn’t one. I’m currently employed full-time, so I write whenever I can steal a moment during the week. On weekends, I write in the morning, take a break for a few hours and dive back in again in the evening. I keep a pad and pencil on my bedside table for jotting down midnight inspirations.
What was the hardest part about writing A BODY IN THE BELFRY? – Not rushing to the end is always the hardest part for me. Also, since this is a series about a group of pastors’ wives, I needed to keep bringing the other members of the group into the action, rather than focusing on the main character alone.
What kind of research, if any, did you do for your books? – I was a pastor’s wife for twenty-five years. That’s a lot of research, believe me! Also, I lived in or traveled to most of the featured locations. I have friends, either married to pastors or who are ordained pastors themselves, who also provide input for the series.
What do you hope your readers take away from A BODY IN THE BELFRY? – I hope they have an entertaining reading experience, of course. I also hope they come to appreciate the unique joys and challenges in the life of a pastor’s family.
What do you love about writing? – I’m a teensy-weensy bit of a control freak (according to my children), so I love being able to decide what my characters will think and do. Writing also lets me live many different lives, vicariously, through my characters. I can be young and old, sweet and crotchety, good and bad; I can have all sorts of fabulous abilities the real me could never achieve. I can even be tall, which is a real stretch for someone my size. I’m 5’2” (with eyes of blue, of course!)
What do you hate about writing? – That’s an easy one: promoting my books. I’m the worst saleslady, ever. I tried to sell Avon when I was in my twenties…it was not pretty! However, I’m getting lots of support from my fellow authors and gradually learning to compensate for my lack of natural talent in marketing.
Favorite authors? I dearly love the recently discovered Chef Maurice series by J.A. Lang. Chef Maurice is a quirkier Poirot. When I want a stress-break I like to re-read the Cotswold stories of Doris Saint’s Miss Read. I’m a huge fan of British mysteries, everything from Wilkie Collins and Dorothy Sayers to some of the modern British authors such as J.A.Lang.
What’s next on your plate? I’m retiring from my work in education to devote more time to writing. I’m hoping this will allow me to develop both my craft and my marketing strategies as I continue with the “First Ladies Club” series. I’m also planning to bring Bunny back in another book of her own. I have two children’s books, currently with an illustrator, which I’m hoping to publish next year, and a daily devotional book to complete in my non-fiction life.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publication? Well, it’s sometimes a bumpy one. I outline, write, re-write, write, ad infinitum, and then send my completed manuscript to my proof-readers, editors and beta readers. While they nitpick my precious words, I work on the all-important cover. I send the final product as Advance Review Copies to my launch team for their help with promotion and early reviews. I publish though KDP and CreateSpace for Amazon and use Draft2Digital or Smashwords for the other sales sites. With the most recent books I’ve set them for pre-order months before they are finished, to see if that helps the sales. It adds a certain urgency to have that deadline out there. I have some of the books in the KDP Select program and some with other sites. So far, most of my sales are through Amazon, but I’ve seen steady increases for the other sites. With A Body in the Belfry, the second “First Ladies Club” book, coming out this December, I’m also trying to schedule some promotions to hit just before the release.
Three things you wish someone would ask you about your books. Where can I buy them? Can I buy them by the truckload for gifts? Where can I meet your fascinating characters? (A bonus dream question: Can I make it into a blockbuster movie?) Seriously, my favorite question readers do ask me is, “When is the next book coming out?” That just makes my day, every time.
Where can your fans find you? Oh my goodness, I’m all over the place.
You can follow my weekly author blog at wordpress.com
My website is com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JBHawker.author
Twitter: @HawkerJB
You can check out my book pages at https://booklaunch.io/jbhawker/
My Amazon author page: http://tinyurl.com/nar44wd
Email: jbhawker@jbhawker.com
Or sign up on the website for my periodic newsletter about my work in progress, special offers and new releases.
November 13, 2015
My Mother and Prince George
I love, love, love England’s royal family. I get that from my mother, who loves all things British. I am part English, although as far as I know, not related to Queen Elizabeth and family. If I was, I’d be looking for a tiara to wear, that’s for sure! My mother and I flew to England when I was three to visit my godparents, who lived there at the time because my godfather was with the CIA, but that’s a story for another time. I don’t remember visiting England, but I do have pictures of myself with various kilts on, and I have stories from my mother about castles, princesses, and making one of the Buckingham Palace guards smile at me.
I noticed when the media shows pictures of Prince George, some people make fun of and criticize Kate’s clothing choices for the little prince. I find her choices adorable; very English and proper, and reminiscent of how my mother dressed my brother and me when we were little. Wool short suits for my brother, pinafores and smocked dresses for me. And always, Stride Rite shoes! (Hopefully my brother will forgive me for posting our picture here, but he does look adorable in his shorts and socks, doesn’t he?)
October 24, 2015
Favorite books!
Got the idea for this blog from book reviewer and blogger, Shelley Giusti after she asked her Facebook followers what they were reading. I told her about The Little House by Philippa Gregory, which got me to thinking about my favorite books. Here, in no particular order, are 10 of them (there are TONS more, but I’ll leave them for another day!):
The Little House – Philippa Gregory
Rebeccah – Daphne du Maurier
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
The Atlas of Love – Laurie Frankel
The Sister – Poppy Adams
The Sacrifice of Tamar – Naomi Ragen
The Virgin of Small Plains – Nancy Pickard
This Is Where I Leave You – Jonathan Tropper
The Husband’s Secret – Lynne Moriarty
The Girl On The Train – Paula Hawkins
So what about all of you? What books do you absolutely love?
October 18, 2015
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
I must be the only person in the USA who is not a fan of all things pumpkin during autumn. Until I came across this in Sally’s Baking Addiction Cookbook! Not only do I have a book and reading addiction, now I’m developing a baking addiction. And anything with chocolate has to be good, right??
Ingredients:
1 and 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 and 1/2 cups (340g) pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil
1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice
2/3 cup (120g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much too soon. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin, oil, and orange juice. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix together using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. There will be a few lumps. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. This may be before or after 60-65 minutes depending on your oven, so begin checking every 5 minutes at the 55 minute mark or so.
Allow the bread to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing and slicing. The bread will stay fresh in an airtight container (it tastes better on day 2!) at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. But it won’t last that long.
September 29, 2015
Giving Secondary Characters Some Love
Recently, I saw the following quote by Jocelyn Hughes on Facebook, Treat all your secondary characters like they think the book’s about them. It made me think about the roles that secondary characters play, and why they’re important:
Everyone needs a best friend/sidekick to laugh and cry with!
Secondary characters provide a barrier to what the main character wants, or helps them achieve what they want.
Secondary characters show up in so many roles; best friend, love interest, killer, detective, suspect, business partner, parents, siblings. A fascinating fictional world can’t exist without them.
They provide fresh points of view, and reveal personality traits about the main character in a fresh way.
Sometimes, a secondary character is an animal. Personally, I love dogs and cats in mysteries; they add a whole new dimension to the book.
Secondary characters shouldn’t all be likeable. Readers need someone to root against!
They provide sub-plots. If my book is a mystery, then my sub-plots tend to be about romance, or a crisis with one of my secondary characters, which affects my protagonist. I tend to think of my subplots as the underbellies of my books.
Secondary characters can take responsibility of carrying the whole novel off the protagonist.
Finally, these characters should have something to do, other than popping in sporadically, that moves the story along, enhances the plot, or makes the main character grow and change.
