Meow, my guest this week is author Karen Rose Smith!
USA
TODAY Bestselling and award-winning author Karen Rose Smith was born in
Pennsylvania, in the Susquehanna Valley.
In college, Karen began writing
poetry and also met her husband to be. They both began married life as
teachers, but when their son was born, Karen decided to try her hand at a
home-decorating business. She returned to teaching for a while but changes in
her life led her to writing fiction. Now she writes full time. Her first novel
was published in 1992; her 100th book will be published in 2018.
A winner of New Jersey's Golden
Leaf Award in Short Contemporary Romance, Colorado Romance Writers Award Of
Excellence for short contemporary, as well as the Phoenix Desert Rose Chapter's
Golden Quill for Traditional Romance, she has also been honored with
Cataromance.com's award for Best Special Edition. Her novels have made both the
USA TODAY list, Amazon's Cozy Bestseller List and Amazon Contemporary Romance
Bestseller list. She is writing two mystery series now for Kensington Books in
addition to her indie SEARCH FOR LOVE series and her Harlequin romances.
- Welcome
Karen! Tell us a little about your background
Hi and thanks ROCCO! I'm Karen Rose Smith. I write mystery, romance and women's
fiction. My 100th novel will
be released in 2018. Besides writing, my
passion is caring four our six rescued cats (We just adopted two new
kittens.). In addition, we care for two
outside strays (a sibling pair) who spend most nights in our basement.
An only child, I delved into books at an
early age. I learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries
with Nancy Drew, and wished I could have been the rider on The Black Stallion.
Yet even though I escaped often into story worlds, I had many aunts, uncles and
cousins around me on weekends. My sense of family and relationships began
there. Maybe that's why families are a
strong theme in my novels, whether romances or mysteries, along with couples
finding true love.
I like to use different settings to give
books a unique sparkle. Many of my first releases were set around my home town
in Pennsylvania. One hundred books later, I now enjoy settings like Northern
Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming where the landscape can become as integral to
the plot as another character. There is something about canyons, mountains and
the ocean that give me a sense of awe and I like to bring that to my romances
as well as mysteries.
Readers often ask me about my pastimes. I
have herb, flower and vegetable gardens that help me relax. In the winter, I
cook rather than garden! And year round I spend most of my time with my
husband, as well as my cats who are my constant companions. They chase rainbows
from sun catchers, reminding me life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller
lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.
Something I always dreamed of, but I never
expected, happened this year. One of my
romances, HIS COUNTRY CINDERELLA, has been made into a TV movie—A VERY COUNTRY
CHRISTMAS. It will air on November 23rd
on the UP Network.
- Tell
us a bit about your two series. How
did those ideas come about?
After 20 years of
writing romance, my agent suggested I write a cozy mystery. I was at a conference at the time, meeting
with him. At first the idea was foreign
and I told him I'd have to write about something I knew. He said that was fine. So I came up with the idea of a home
decorator who turned into a home stager because of the economy. Fate led her to high-end clients and she is
able to do quirky themes to stage their homes.
As I developed the idea to include an open house, it only made sense
that her sister would be a caterer.
Using my favorite Italian names from my Italian background, I created
the large De Luca family. My sleuth and
home stager, Caprice De Luca, is my alter ego.
She likes to cook, find homes for stray animals and have strong friend
and family relationships. Of course,
I've included romantic relationships over the course of the series until her
heart tells her who is Mr. Right.
With my second series,
Daisy's Tea Garden Mysteries, I use my love of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania,
and liking for tea as a starting point.
My Sleuth, Daisy Swanson, is very different from Caprice. She is a widowed mom of two teenage
daughters. She owns Daisy's Tea Garden
with her Aunt Iris. All the women in her
mother's family have flower names. She
named her own girls Violet and Jasmine.
This series has a homespun quality that I enjoy delving into. Daisy will also become involved in a romantic
relationship.
- Tell
us about your latest release
SLAY BELLS RING, my
November 2017 Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery, is a holiday cozy.
Christopher and Sara
Merriweather have the perfect life. They
are selling their beautiful historic home that Caprice De Luca stages with the
theme Christmas Delight. They plan to downsize.
Their grown children are in the vicinity and their craft shop is doing
well. Blitz, the white Malamute Chris
rescued, is always by his side. A
Vietnam veteran, Chris has come to terms with his PTSD and even plays Santa
Claus. When he is murdered at the sleigh
on Santa Lane not far from Santa's cabin, everyone is shocked. (Blitz may have seen the murderer.) As Caprice delves into the Merriweathers'
lives, she discovers more than one secret.
The main one—Chris was dying from a brain tumor and had told no one.
Caprice meets with
Chris's Vietnam buddies to see if she can gather clues and ferrets out secrets
and complex connections that seem difficult to unravel. Blitz, whom her dad has adopted, becomes a
vital part of solving the murder when Caprice realizes there is something
hidden inside the dog's collar that gives her clues. A meeting at Santa Lane with one of the
suspects is risky, but Caprice feels she has no choice. With Blitz and her dad nearby, she finally
discovers who the murderer is. Her dad
comes to the rescue and Blitz saves her life.
- How
do you “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the
books?
I choose a character's
personality before I choose his or her name.
Once I name a character, that name seems to bring with it traits that I
develop along with the background. I
write a full synopsis before starting a book so I know my characters fairly
well when I begin chapter one.
- How
do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat
of your pants”?
I construct my plots
according to the word length I need.
Since I have been writing for thirty years, instinct takes over. I plot the specific number of chapters, three
to four scenes a chapter. Once in a
while, a character takes over a plot, but that's not a usual occurrence.
- Which
do you consider more important, plot or character?
I consider character
more important. A well-plotted book
leaves me cold if I don't become involved in the characters' lives.
- What
is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you
and keeps you motivated?
The biggest challenges
have been my physical disabilities. Back
surgery that left me in pain was one of the reasons I began writing. About fifteen years ago, fibromyalsia began
affecting my eyes, so now I use a tape recorder to write and I have a typist
transcribe it. These days, a challenge
is the time writers have to spend on social networks for promotion. They can become a real time sink. But raw writing is always a priority for me.
- Do
you have an “How I got my agent” story you want to share?
Early in my career, I
went to a conference and had several agent appointments. My first choice was Evan Marshall, but at
that time, he turned me down. I did
acquire an agent at that conference.
When I left that agency five years later, I queried Evan and he took me
on. We've worked together for over
twenty years.
- What
are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?
Right now, I am working
on Caprice mystery #8—CUT TO THE CHAISE.
I plan to keep writing mysteries...and maybe romances, too.
- What
is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you
devote to writing?
At present, I am taking
a break from promotion which was eating up 80% of my time. I've been devoting myself to raw writing,
which I enjoyed the most early in my career.
I am enjoying it now as well. In a few days, I will be editing CUT TO
THE CHAISE. Those days, I read and edit
most of the day to keep the continuity and to make sure I have the details
right.
- If
you could take only three books with you for a year-long writing retreat
in a gorgeous setting with no library, which three would you take?
THE FLAME AND THE
FLOWER by Kathleen Woodiwiss
The latest Harlan Coben
novel
The latest Lisa
Scottoline
- What
advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?
Write every day. Be persistent concerning everything about
your career.
- What’s
the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
I rode a horse over a
jump for the first time.
- What’s
one thing your readers would be surprised to find out about you?
I write using a tape
recorder.
- What
question do you wish interviewers would ask? (And what’s the answer?)
QUESTION: Can you tell me about your cats?
ANSWER: We have 6 inside cats from three months to 16
years old. We also care for a sibling
pair that is still feral in many ways.
We've trained them to come into the basement at night so they are
protected from other creatures and cold weather.
- Where can we learn more about you and
your books?
I have two websites,
one that features all my books and a second that concentrates on my mysteries
Thank you Karen!
Just for Fun:
Night or Day? NIGHT
Dog or Cat? (answer carefully) CAT
(Good answer, merow!)
Beach or Pool?
Beach
Steak or salad?
Steak
Favorite Drink?
Mocha Latte
Favorite Book? ANNE OF GREEN GABLES
Favorite TV Series?
The Nightshift
Favorite Movie?
Ghost
Favorite Actor:
Colin Donnell
Favorite Actress:
Drew Barrymore
Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? Pina Colada
Hawaii or Alaska?
Hawaii
Finish this sentence:
If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be Michelle
Obama
If I had just one wish, it would be to be pain-free
all of the time.
If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it
would be (I don't want to trade places with anyone!!)
You can find out more about
Karen at:
Giveaway time!
Karen will give away a $10 Amazon Gift
Card and an advance copy of her January cozy mystery release, MURDER WITH LEMON
TEA CAKES.
To enter, leave a comment on
this blog post with your name and email address (entries without email will be
disqualified). For extra entries, you can do any or all of the below:
* Mention the contest on Facebook (+ 1
point)
* Mention the contest on your blog (+ 1 point)
Winner will be chosen at
random using random.org. Don’t forget to
mention all you’ve done in your comment. Good luck! US entries only, please.
Contest closes midnight, November 17!
