I’m delighted to welcome romance author Karen King to my blog.
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| Karen King - Author |
Hello Karen – And thank you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat today. It was lovely to connect with you through the romantic Novelists’ association. Such a great group of authors and affiliates. But before we discover more about your latest release, One Summer in Cornwall. here are a few questions that will hopefully give your readers and followers and insight into some of the things that matter to you.
Arabella: You’ve got an idea for a
story but it has yet to take shape. Where do you start? Do you concentrate on
the location in the story, or developing the characters personalities and
conflicts, or are there other key points you might consider?
Karen: Hi Arabella, thank you for inviting me over
to your blog. It’s lovely to chat with you and your readers. I always start my
story by getting to know my characters. Characters make stories has always been a
mantra of mine and I need my characters in place before I can start writing up
my story. I browse Pinterest for images of people similar to how I imagine my
characters to be, print them out then write a character profile for each major
character detailing their appearance, personality, background and any other
things I need to know. I also make a Pinterest board with images connected to
the theme and characters of my story. Here’s the link for the Pinterest board
for One Summer in Cornwall. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/karenkingauthor/one-summer-in-cornwall/
Arabella: In your latest release One Summer in Cornwall what is the overall theme or premise, and what made you choose this topic?
Karen: My latest book, One Summer in Cornwall,
will be published by Headline on 29th April. It is a sequel to my
bestselling romance The Cornish Hotel by the Sea and is set in the same
little Cornish town of Port Medden. When Hattie becomes homeless and jobless
within one week she decides to go and stay in Fisherman’s Rest, the cottage her
uncle has just left to Hattie and her father in his will. She sets off on her
motorbike, arriving late in the evening to discover that her uncle’s parrot,
Buddy, is still resident in the cottage. Buddy curses like a sailor and is
almost as cantankerous as the next door neighbour Marcus. As Hattie does up the
cottage ready to sell she starts to fall in love with Port Medden and Buddy –
and even becomes friendly with Marcus. This is a romance novel so the overall
theme is of overcoming obstacles to find love, other themes are of forgiveness,
the importance of family and not jumping to conclusions. I like my heroines to
be feisty and loved the idea of Hattie riding a motorbike and being a bit wild.
Lots of readers have asked for another book set in Port Medden, and I really
wanted to return there myself so set One Summer in Cornwall there. We
get to see some much-loved characters from The Cornish Hotel by the Sea,
and some new ones.
Arabella: Roses, Lilies, or another flower of choice?
Karen: Oooh, I love so many different types of
flowers, roses, pansies, carnations, gerberas but my favourites are red
geraniums and bougainvillea. They are both so vibrant and grow really well over
here in Spain. I have several red geraniums growing either side the driveway of
our house, and both purple and yellow bougainvillea growing up the balustrades
and also up an archway. I love it when the petals fall over the ground, like
large pieces of confetti, So pretty.
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| Image Provided by Karen King |
Arabella: You’ve arranged to meet with friends and family for an afternoon of fun. In the present socially restricted climate, where do you go and what do you do?
Karen:
Over here we are currently allowed to meet in groups of six outside in bar,
restaurants and cafes (wearing face masks, of course). Some of the bars have
shows on in the afternoon, a singer or a band, to try and support the artists.
So I would meet my friends in a local bar/restaurant for a drink and to listen
to music.
Arabella: All authors love and need
to read. When choosing a book, do you:
a) pick off the shelf?
b) search online?
c) go with friends recommendations?
d) other…
Karen: I usually buy online – it’s difficult to get
books written in English here – and go by friend’s recommendations or an online
search. The cover, title and blurb often draw me in. I read many different
genres, romance, thrillers, non-fiction, autobiographies and, of course, books
on writing.
Arabella: Italian, French or
English. (I’ll leave it to you to decide if I mean a gourmet meal, a bottle of
wine, or a partner!)
Karen: English and Italian. I love traditional
English meals such as roast beef and Yorkshire puds, toad in the hole and apple
crumble, and Italian food such as spaghetti bolognaise or lasagne followed by tiramisu.
I do like a quiche lorraine though, and French wine.
Arabella: The moment we are published, a career path is usually envisaged. Do you have any aspirations or ambitions for yourself and any future novels you might write?
Karen: I’ve been published over thirty years now so
have long given up any dream of being rich enough to buy a big country home and
a yacht! Not that I had those ambitions. My ambition was to be in a position to
write a full-length romance novel. However, being a ‘jobbing author’ and
writing to commissions (teenage and children’s magazines and books), which I
enjoyed and earned me a regular monthly income, left me no spare time to write
a long novel. Now my family are all grown up I have the time to write what I
want – which is romance and psychological thrillers. I find that these two genres gel well
together as I like to write about the light and dark of relationships. I’m
happy to carry on writing more books in both genres for as long as my readers
want to read them. 😊
Thank
you for being a super guest on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, Karen. I’m sure
your readers have enjoyed discovering some of your writing secrets and a little
bit more about your busy life in Spain. Sunbathing! Now that is what I call
hard work! J
Wishing
you all the best for your latest release - One Summer in Cornwall
Arabella
About Karen King
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| Karen King - Author |
Karen King is a multi-published author of both adult and children’s books. She has had eight romantic novels published, one psychological thriller with another one out later this year, 120 children’s books, two young adult novels, and several short stories for women’s magazines. Her romantic novel The Cornish Hotel by the Sea became an international bestseller, reaching the top one hundred in the Kindle charts in both the UK and Australia. Karen is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. Karen now lives in Spain where she loves to spend her non-writing time exploring the quaint local towns with her husband, Dave, when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.
Contact links
Book Blurb One Summer in Cornwall
Escape to Cornwall this summer...
A gorgeous feel-good read, perfect for fans of CATHY BRAMLEY
and PHILLIPA ASHLEY.
When Hattie is made redundant and evicted
from her flat in one horrible week, she needs time to rethink. Her Uncle Albert
left her and her father each half of Fisherman's Rest, his home in the Cornish
town of Port Medden, so this seems the perfect place to escape to until she can
figure things out.
As Hattie stays in the cottage, clearing it out, tidying it
up and getting it ready to sell, she starts to find her feet in Port Medden and
making a new home here begins to feel right. If only her dad didn't need a
quick sale and things weren't complicated by her unwelcoming neighbour Marcus .
. .
Buy Links
Preorder:
https://t.co/cGO6wxrZMN?amp=1
Thanks so much for inviting me over to your blog, Arabella. xx
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