Part Two: Interview with Author Karen Wiesner

Welcome back to the interview with Karen Wiesner
Part Two:
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WOUNDED WARRIORS SERIES

M: I have really enjoyed reading all six books in this series over the past seven months. Can you summarize the Wounded Warrior Series in one (or two) sentence(s)?

Karen: The series blurb says it all:

Women who have faced pain, loss and heartache.

They know the score and never back down.

Women who aren't afraid to love

with all their passion and all their strength,

who risk everything for their own little piece of heaven...

Men who live their lives on the blade's edge.

Knights in black armor.

The only thing more dangerous than crossing these men

is loving them...

M: Yes that does sum up all six books!
Tell us a bit about the series and do you have a favorite of the six books?

Karen: A bit of background on the series: Some of your readers might not be aware that the first edition of Reluctant Hearts, Book 1 of the series, was actually published way back in July 2002. Waiting for an Eclipse came next in November 2003, followed by Mirror Mirror in September 2004, and Wayward Angels in September 2005. Things were going along fine until that point. My publisher and editor at that time were going through several personal crises, and the series lagged for the next three years. I’d written Until It’s Gone, Book 5, in the lag and submitted it, but nothing was happening. I began to believe the final two books would never be published. I finally decided to pull the whole series, although the thought of starting all over again for me is akin to ripping something apart just to put it back together again. I can’t imagine much worse for a writer than starting all over again. In any case, I didn’t feel I had any choice in this case. Uncial Press contracted all six books in the series at the end of  2008 (though I hadn’t yet started Book 6 and I’d been away from it for six long years! I barely remembered what it was I wanted to do with the final story).

Mirror Mirror, Book 3 of the Wounded Warriors Series
After revisions were done on Until It’s Gone, I got to work on White Rainbow and completed it fairly quickly before my new editor and I turned to the arduous job of revising Books 1-4. I have to admit, it was very strange, even a little embarrassed, “going back in time” to read these books that suddenly seemed as though they’d been written by another person. I began writing these books when I was a teenager and they still had that angst-ridden flavor to me. I was actually really glad to have a second opportunity to do some serious revision on them—but it was no easy process for any of them. I’m glad I came out of the editing loving Books 1-4 more than I ever had before. They’re tighter, cleaner, and even more emotional to me.

I also admit that I came to love Waiting for an Eclipse the most out of all of them. Though Steve and Kristina’s is a situation I can never imagining myself being in, I cried myself silly re-reading and editing it again. I love the characters in that book. They’re in such a complex situation where there are no easy answers.

That said, the fact is, Books 1-5 are heavy, heavy on the emotion. It was such a relief to write White Rainbow, which is about half the size of the previous ones, light (though still emotional), and captures joy for all the characters of the series. I really wanted to end this series on an optimistic note, and this book did that just as I’d hoped.

M: I agree that the books are emotionally intense. The characters are very real in all of their pain and angst. I think my favorite was White Rainbow.
Did you do any special research for any of the books in this series?

Karen:  Oh my goodness, did I! Every single story had endless things I needed to research. Just scratching the surface here...

Reluctant Hearts: endometriosis and how it affects pregnancy

Waiting for an Eclipse: tenure (the life of a college professor in general), divorce, drug addictions and counseling...

Mirror Mirror: racecar driving

Wayward Angels: bipolar

Until It’s Gone: the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, undercover work, the real estate career

White Rainbow: perfume making, corporate takeovers

I do seemingly endless research for pretty much every book I write. It’s just part of the process.

M:  You do that work well.  I thought as I read several of the books that you might have first hand experience in the issues as they were so well presented.
Did you need any help staying motivated or getting any element of your stories to cooperate?

Wayward Angels, Book 4 of the Wounded Warriors Series

Karen:  Motivating is something I have in spades most of the time. It explains how I’m able to accomplish so much. As for getting elements of my stories to cooperate... I would have to say Mirror Mirror was one of the hardest books I’ve ever written. This story continued to elude my best efforts to create something wonderful, suspenseful, and cohesive. My first draft of the book was so bad, I refused to send it to my publisher at that time, even if it meant keeping my fans waiting endlessly for the next in the series. I made a long list of notes on all that I thought was wrong with the book (believe me, it was a huge document!), then I put the book in my story cupboard for three months in order to get the story brewing on a low flame again. At that time, I came up with another unworkable outline.

Feeling increasingly desperate, I put the story aside once more, terrified I’d never finish a book that had already been promoted as coming soon. More months went by, during which I had a series of creative percolations that made me rethink the direction of the book. I reshaped all my characters, consciously trying to flesh them out in ways that related to the plot much more than they had in the past.

However, it wasn’t until I realized something so obvious, I feel silly about it now, that I finally knew why my previous drafts hadn’t worked. The heroine, Gwen, wasn’t directly involved in the resolution of the plot. How could she achieve her full potential if other characters solved her problems for her? How could the story be cohesive if this main character had nothing to do with the wrapping up of the plot?

My second realization was that I had to make the plot fit more naturally with Gwen’s struggle not to accept her gift of clairvoyance by pushing it away and feeling ashamed for it. She needed to use her gift in order to solve her problems. I also acknowledged that my little hint earlier in the book that the villain was terrified of dogs was the key to having Gwen save the day. Also, I decided that the final “glue” in making my story cohesive was to make the hero Dylan’s and Gwen’s pasts merge and intersect in ways neither of them ever dreamed. Everything fell into place then.

I wasn’t sure I’d fully succeeded in this task until the first reviewer (Huntress' Book Reviews) for the book said, “An excellent psychic thriller that will have you holding your breath until your lungs ache. The author uses her writing gift to connect both Gwen and Dylan’s pasts with a dark, menacing force and tangles a web so strong that readers will not want to stop reading.”

M:  Gwen and Dylan were both complex characters and I can see where that story might have given you difficulty. However the final result was worth the wait.

Please return tomorrow for Interview Part Three: A few personal questions!

Interview: Award Winning Author Karen Wiesner! Part One

I hope you will help me welcome Karen Wiesner, author of the Wounded Warrior Series and many other books, for a “series” interview!

Karen has had difficulty accessing my blog so she may not be able to answer questions on the blog.  However if you have questions I will pass them along and post her answers.

The interview will be in Three parts:
Wednesday May 5, 2010 Part One – Questions about the writing process.
Thursday May 6 Part Two – Questions about the Wounded Warriors series.
Friday May 7 Part Three – A few personal questions!

PART ONE - QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WRITING PROCESS:

M:  Karen, you have many successful books published! When, how, why did you start writing?

Karen: Thanks. I wrote my first book when I was ten years old. That was the summer my family was in Oklahoma (for my father’s job), and we discovered this abandoned old trailer with photographs all over the trashed floor. Both my sister (author Linda Derkez) and I got a ton of ideas from looking at these pictures, speculating about who had lived there, what happened that they left all these photos behind. That was the summer I knew I was destined to be a writer. All those daydreams were about to pay off. I started brainstorming romances, thrillers, and mysteries in my head. By the time I was sixteen, I’d written almost a dozen books, short stories, and countless poems. Unofficially, I had my own fan club in high school and had a dozen publishing credits to my name (all poems). 

Getting my fiction published was the hard part, and, ironically, I got so tired of the whole rejection thing, I’d just made the decision to quit writing for anyone but myself. I don’t remember whether it was a day or week after I made this decision that I received my first contract. Talk about turning a corner and coming face-to-face with a dream! In any case, my first novel was finished published in June 1998 (I was 32).

Reluctant Hearts, 
Book 1 of the Wounded Warriors Series

M:  I am very glad that you got a contract before you actually quit because you have written many good books for readers to enjoy!
How many books do you have published? What genres do you write?

Karen: In the past 12 years, I’ve had 72 titles published, which have been nominated for and/or won 99 awards, and 11 more releases contracted for spanning many categories and formats. I write women’s fiction, romance, mystery/police procedural/cozy, suspense, paranormal, futuristic, gothic, inspirational, thriller, horror and action/adventure. I also write children’s books, poetry, and writing reference titles such as my bestsellers, First Draft in 30 Days and From First Draft to Finished Novel {A Writer’s Guide to Cohesive Story Building}, available from Writer’s Digest Books. My  previous writing reference titles focused on non-subsidy, royalty-paying electronic publishing, author promotion, and setting up a promotional group like her own, the award-winning Jewels of the Quill, which I founded in 2003. The group publishes two award-winning anthologies together, edited by myself and others, per year.

M:  That is a lot of books in many genres! The anthologies are a great idea - I know I enjoyed Shadows in the Heart last October for Halloween!
Would you say you write from experiences or imagination?

Karen: My ideas come from my imagination. I get them all the time. Sometimes I feel bombarded with them—not that I’m complaining, since they’re my bread and butter. But I do use my experiences and observations to make my characters come to life. In Breathing Life Into Your Characters, Rachel Ballon, Ph.D. says that a writer isn’t limited to writing only what she knows. But she does need to write what she feels. What she’s experienced. Every author is a unique individual and therefore writes the story only she can tell. Every author also puts fragments of herself and others she knows into her writing. All of this breathes life and authenticity into characters. Between my imagination and “fragments” of my own life, I’ve been able to write quite a few moving tales of fiction.

M:  That makes sense and writing from your own life and imagination make the stories extra rich!
Do you enjoy promoting your books and do you do anything special to promote?

Karen: Enjoy? Lol. For a writer who loves solitude and anonymity, to enjoy putting myself out there is a bit laughable. But I do realize marketing is crucial to my success. I spent the first five years of my career promoting every new release and myself to the hilt. It was insane and exhausting. I felt like I was beating my head against a wall for a handful of sales. Then I had an idea about promoting in numbers, sort of like strength and safety in numbers. I’m incredibly proud of my promotional group Jewels of the Quill.

In every way possible—getting together with eleven amazing authors, our multi-award-winning group anthologies, the strategy involved in this kind of continuous promotion for group and individual—is the most successful kind of promotion an author can get. Jewels of the Quill is a reward to me I can’t even describe. I love every part of it. For more information on how to set up a promo group like Jewels of the Quill, see my book The Power of Promotional Groups.
 

Waiting for an Eclipse  
Wounded Warriors, Book 2)

M:  It sounds like you founded a wonderful group of author friends who share your love of writing. What a good idea too to share and spread the load of promotion! Thanks for that good advise.


Please join us again tomorrow for Part Two: Questions about the Wounded Warriors series.

Giveaway and Interview with Author Karen Wiesner - Join Us!

Please join me over the next several days for a series interview with Award winning author Karen Wiesner!
Karen Wiesner is an accomplished author "with 72 titles published in the past 12 years, which have been nominated/won 99 awards, and 11 more releases contracted for spanning many categories and formats."
Ms Wiesner will be giving away an autographed trade paperback of WAITING FOR AN ECLIPSE, Book 2 of The Wounded Warrior Series.

I have now read all six books in this wonderful series and am very pleased to have the chance to learn more about and share information about this talented author!
I will be posting the Giveaway later this week with the interview posts.  Although commenting on the interviews will not be a mandatory entry, they will gain a bonus entry. :)

Review and Giveaway - The Higest Stakes by Emery Lee

The Highest Stakes by Emery Lee
Paperback: 560 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (April 1, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1402236425
ISBN-13: 978-1402236426
Author Website

Rating: 4.25 of 5

A tale of drama, danger, thwarted love, and retribution set in the high stakes gentleman’s world of 18th century horse racing, where fortunes could be won… and lost…

Product Description
The breathtaking origins of thoroughbred horse racing. A tale of drama, danger, thwarted love, and retribution set in the high stakes gentleman-s world of 18th century horse racing, where fortunes could be won... and lost...
She’s lonely and neglected, but she knows horses...
Charlotte Wallace is orphaned and alone until a sympathetic stable boy takes her under his wing and teaches her everything about thoroughbred racing. In the process, the two discover in each other a love destined to be thwarted at every turn...
If only he could, he’d take her away with him forever...
Robert Devington has tried everything to persuade Charlotte’s uncle to allow them to marry. Then an ill-fated friendship, a scandal in the making, and one desperate act of folly rob them of their love and his livelihood... Dead set on retribution, all Robert’s hopes are hanging on one small horse-his only chance to reclaim his land, his dignity, and his love, against all odds...

Review: This is wonderfully engaging and rich debut novel. The history of thoroughbred horse racing is woven into a star-crossed romance with a truly authentic feel.

The Product Description does a good job of summarizing the story although it doesn’t really say that Robert’s pride stands in his way quite often. Robert is bright, determined and a bit too proud sometimes. His extreme risk taking in the racing realm was a bit frustrating for me and his hot headed stubbornness definitely got him into trouble.

Charlotte is a girl after my own childhood heart when I loved being outside with the horses (farm horses, not thoroughbreds). She falls in love with a groomsman but her Uncle wants to use her as a pawn. She is strong minded and faithful but stuck in the society she was born to. Although she is willing to take a risk on Robert he isn’t willing to take one on her without proving himself first.

There are several good secondary characters that give added depth to the story.  Charlotte's Uncle is a country squire seeking to build up a renowned and prosperous stable. Robert's good friend from their war service is particularly complex and plays a surprising role in Robert's misfortune.

I enjoyed the history of how all thoroughbred horses started from three specific Arabian stallions imported to England. The details of the owners and horse racing were wonderfully presented by factual information placed smoothly in conversation and description. Those details were extremely well researched and the writing fit the setting and time period so it seemed quite authentic. You could feel the excitement of the horse races and the intense emotions of the participants - both men and noble beasts.

I would not describe this as light, but it moved at a good pace with all the action in racing and war settings. It is a very enjoyable read. Wonderful for those who like historical romance with real history and those who like horses and those who love romance that has to overcome multiple obstacles.

***************************************************

Thank you to Danielle at Sourcebook for this fine book.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR THIS VERY GENTLY READ ARC:

1. Comment on the review telling me a little something you know about horses or horseracing or have you ever been to a real horse race?  Please leave your e-mail!

2. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

3. For another entry, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

(Three total entries possible.)
It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.
* This contest will close Midnight (Central) on May 21, 2010. The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.

Mailbox Monday May 3, 2010

This Meme starts with Marcia at The Printed Page

I got in several review books and these books that I won or purchased.

I didn't get to post this last week. I don't have a working camera right now so I didn't get a picture of my latest haul.  I got 50 - that's right 50! - books for $15.00.  Cool right?

Last week I got in Forget Me Not: A Novel (Crossroads Crisis Center) by Vicki Hinze. I was VERY pleased to win this as I really like this author even if I haven't read anything by her in a couple of years.
I won it at The Toy Box Years. [Check out Jennifer's Blog Birthday Month of Giveaways!] Thank you Jennifer and Ms. Hinze for this book!

Product Description

A mysterious incident leaves Susan Brandt dead---and her husband, Ben, devastated. Three years later, a similar accident occurs. The victim looks exactly like his late wife and carries Susan's name on a crisis center's card---but this woman survives. When somebody wants her dead, will Ben risk his life and his heart to save her? 352 pages, softcover from Multnomah.