Romance at Heart Magazine Author Interview: Karen Magill

Interview with Karen Magill:

Hi Karen. Thank you for doing this interview. I would like to welcome you to the Romance at Heart Interview and Author Grilling session. *bg* We are interested to find out as much about you as we possibly can, so lets get started...

- Please tell us about your latest book.

‘Let Us Play, A Rock ‘n Roll Love Story’ is set in an uncertain time in the future when rock and roll music has been banned. Kaya More uses second sight to lead a group of rebels to bring it back. Their quest leads them from the streets of New York City to the peaks of the Canadian Rockies to the beaches of California. The pursuit heats up as combatants switch sides and the world joins forces as the rebels find adventure, music and love.

- What can we expect from you in the future?

Lots more books. If you go to my website, www.karenmagill.com, and sign up for my newsletter which is entitled ‘Karen’s Korner’ I will keep you informed there. And you could win prizes. I also have some big promotional plans for the future. Some may work but then again they may not. Here you will know about the ones that do work.

- How do we find out about you and your books?

Once again through my website or www.lulu.com/karenmagill, or www.myspace/the bondbykarenmagill though my website is probably one of the best.

- How may readers contact you?

karenmagill@karenmagill.com

- How many readers/fans contact you?

A few. ‘Let Us Play, A Rock ‘n Roll Love Story’ is my second book and was released on September 19 of this year. ‘The Bond, A Paranormal Love Story’ was published in November of 2004. Those that have contacted me have gone on to become Internet friends.

- Do your fans' comments and letters influence you in any way?

I register everything people say but the ultimate decision on what I write comes from my heart.

- Do you have a favorite comment or question from a reader?

One of my readers works with disadvantaged, disabled children. She has one young lady who never read. She gave her a copy of The Bond and the young woman read it and enjoyed it. Then passed it on to her mother. I was so thrilled when I heard that my book had actually enticed someone to read.

- Why did you decide to write romance novels?

Years ago I decided to give it a shot. I left it for a while then came back. I’m a closet romantic.

- How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

A bit. A lot of the events are imagination, which you would see once you read anything I wrote.

- When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first ms?

I have written since I was a small child so I don’t remember what first prompted me to write. The first MS I submitted was to Harlequin Romances and it was horrid. I shredded it because it was that bad. But even back then I thought I had the stuff to be a great writer.

- Generally, how long does it take you to write a book?

It can take anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years depending on how smoothly it goes and how focused I am.

- Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?

I go with the flow.

- What is your writing routine once you start a book?

Because I live in an apartment building, I find it easier to write late at night. Besides I am a night person. So what I have to during the day and start my serious writing after midnight. Sometimes listening to music on my headphones.

- What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing - or are there constant interruptions?

I am fortunate enough to live alone and I can always turn my phones off and just not answer the door.

- What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?

I listen to music, watch movies and tv.

- What truly motivates you in general? In your writing?

A desire to be more than I am, to get more out of life. That will always drive me to reach for more.

- Where do your ideas come from?

My ideas come from life. From news stories or sometimes just situations and then wondering what would happen if a certain situation were to occur around it.

- Do you feel humour is important in women's fiction and why?

Humor is important in life so it is important in women’s fiction.

- What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?

Right now I am writing sweet romances so there isn’t any steamy love scenes. But I haven’t found them too difficult to do.

- What kind of research do you do?

I learn what I have to in order to make the story believable.

- Would you like to write a different genre than you do now, or sub-genre?

I have written in different genres but when I found the site for Lulu, I dug out one of my older books, which was The Bond and rewrote parts of it and decided to publish it. That was two years ago. It was well accepted so I decided to stay with the paranormal romance genre for now.

- What does your husband/wife think of your writing?

I am not married.

- Please tell us about yourself (family, hobbies, education, etc.)

I am 41 and single. I am a dreamer who likes to try to make my dreams come true. I am eccentric. I am the only daughter of three children and am close my parents. I am a daddy’s girl and a lot like my father.

For education, I took trade courses when I needed them. I went to fashion college and secretarial college as well as taking computer courses. Since I became disabled I have taken correspondence courses in Adult Psychology and Art.

If anyone wants to get views on how I see things, just visit my website and start reading my blog. I can be quite vocal.

- Fill in the blank favorites -

Favorite Dessert: Tiramisu and Crème Caramel
Favorite City: I’m not sure. I love Vancouver but I like Calgary too. I haven’t been to enough cities to pick my favorite yet.
Favorite type of hero: Dark and moody. But that could change next week. LOL
Favorite type of heroine: Easy. Strong. I don’t like drama queens, either in fiction or real life.

- What are some of your favorite things to do?

Walking, I want to explore more of Vancouver and see some of the sights I haven’t seen. I have a fear of suspension bridges so I want to go on the Capilano Bridge, which is a 450 feet suspension bridge that is 230 feet above the Capilano River. I want to be more adventurous, as far as my health will allow.

I love music. And when I walk I listen to my headphones. I dance and sing. I talk with people along the way, no matter who they are. So if you are in my end of town and see a short, plump brunette with a purple backpack and cane dancing, you may have found me.

Watching movies. I don’t go to theatres but I watch DVDs and have the movie channels.

- Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book?

Morgan Llewllyn, Lion of Ireland

- Who are some of your other favorite authors to read?

Stephen King, Danielle Steele, Ann Rule, Dan Brown

- Who, if anyone, has influenced your writing?

My grandmother, my surroundings, life, my heroes.

- Are you a member of any author groups - RWA, critique groups, etc.?

No, I don’t play well with others. LOL

- What do you think of critique groups in general?

I think they can be valuable tools as long as the writer realizes that the other people in the group are just expressing their opinion. As well, some may have ulterior motives and may be not working in your best interests. But a good group is invaluable.

- Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully writing under contract for a big house with at least one of my books made into a movie. Maybe two.

- How long have you been writing - have you always wanted to be a writer?

I come from a family of writers – my grandmother was a published writer – and I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I have wanted to do other things but somehow I always came back to writing.

- How many books have you written, how many have been published?

I have completed four and two partial. Two are self-published – The Bond and Let Us Play. One of them is a sexually explicit murder mystery – very dark and it will probably never be published. The other completed is a weird murder mystery on a woman that comes down with MS and people around her in the apartment building start dying. It isn’t that good but it was written just after I was diagnosed with the disease and it was cathartic. Those two show my darker side and are steps away from the innocent paranormal romances my two published books are. One day they may get published but not right now.

- After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?

I do buy lots copies for promotion and resale but as for reading them, I am usually so tired of them after doing the editing, I don’t. But give me a few months and then I may read my favorite parts again.

- Among your own books, have you a favorite book? Favorite hero or heroine?

Let Us Play is my favorite and I love Kaya More. She is so exciting and adventurous. She has her faults but she is a lot of what I wish I could be.

- What book for you has been the easiest to write? The hardest? The most fun?

Let Us Play was so easy for me to write because I felt so strongly about the theme. The right to freedom of choice. It has also been the most fun because so many paranormal elements were thrown in. The Bond was fun too. The hardest for me to right has been one I have been working on for years and haven’t been able to complete. I think that is because it is a thriller and I am not ready for it.

- Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?

Usually the story. I get an idea; a what if this were to happen? And it forms from there.

- What are the elements of a great romance for you?

A situation throws two people together and out of that love forms.

- What is the hardest part of writing/the easiest for you?

The hardest part is getting the story started but the easiest is when it is flowing.

- Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?

I would have to say that the characters control me usually. In this book there was a character that was supposed to die. All the way through the book I intended for him to die but when it came right down to it, I was just not able to go through with it. So he lived.

- Have you experienced writer's block---> If so, how did you work through it?

If I am blocked, I tried to do something else. Go for a walk, listen to music – music is a big part of my life – exercise. Anything to get my mind off the problem. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

- What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

The most rewarding thing is getting the fantasy world that I would sometimes love to live in down on paper.

- If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?

I would love to be doing something exciting, rescuing people or jetting off to exciting places but realistically I probably wouldn’t be. I’m disabled by MS.

- Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?

Remember that not everyone who is telling you how the correct way to do things in this business knows what they are talking about. Follow your own instincts and check the credentials of those who are giving advice.

- What question would you love to answer that I didn't ask?

What is the most important thing I’ve learned about this business since self-publishing The Bond? Answer: It doesn’t matter what anyone says about self-publishing or publishing with a POD publisher. What matters is what I do with the opportunity and the quality of my work. So far, readers have seemed to like my work so I’m happy about that.

Thank you very much for taking the time with us and answering our questions. I really appreciate this interruption to your busy schedule. Good Luck, and we will be looking forward to the next delightful creation from your talented imagination!

Yours in good reading,
Rose!

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