National best-selling author Karen McQuestion writes books for adults as well as for kids and teens. Her novels regularly place in the top 100 Kindle books, and each successive novel has added to her ever growing fan base, making her one of the preeminent Amazon Publishing authors. McQuestion lives in Wisconsin with her family and is always working on her next novel.
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Q&A
Q.
What inspires your writing?
A. I’m
inspired by all the great books I’ve ever read, and the desire to give the same
wonderful experience to readers.
Q.
What is your favorite thing about being an author?
A. The writing,
of course! For me, the worst day spent writing is better than the best day at
any other job. A very, very close second (okay, maybe it’s a tie) would be
hearing readers say they love my books.
Q.
What is the toughest part of being an author?
A. Doubt.
I can be completely engrossed in my fictional world and convinced of its worth
one minute, and then, a moment later, my confidence is shaken. Will anyone care
about these characters and their predicaments? Are the humorous parts funny? Can
I really pull this off?
Q.
If you could not be author, what would you do/be?
A. In the
past, my favorite jobs allowed me to daydream a lot, because having to be
present and continuously interact with people exhausts me. To answer your
question, I’m not sure exactly what I’d do, but it would have to be the
equivalent of filling salt shakers, (something I recall fondly from waitressing
jobs) or straightening stacks of blue jeans
(a happy chore from my retail days). Anything that lets my mind wander.
Q.
What would the story of your life be entitled?
A. Better
Late than Never: One Woman’s Dream of Becoming an Author
Q. What is your favorite book of all time?
A. The answer
to this question changes from day to day, but right now I’d say my favorite is Time and Again by Jack Finney. I’m a
sucker for a time travel story and this one has it all—romance, intrigue, great
characters (and time travel, of course).
Q.
Which character from ANY book are you most like?
A. I
don’t think I’m interesting enough to be a book character, but I’d love to be
able to say I’m like Scarlett O’Hara. She’s selfish, conniving, and a terrible
friend, but also strong and resourceful and never boring. Plus, she’s so
beautiful that men flock around, fighting for her attention. I could get into
that.
Q.
What character from all of your books are you most like?
A. This is
hard for me to confess, but when I wrote A
Scattered Life, I could relate best to Audrey, the difficult, meddling
mother-in-law. I think I was feeling unappreciated in my own life at the time.
To this day, when readers criticize Audrey, I take it personally.
Q.
What is your favorite season?
A. That's a tough one. I'd have to say autumn.
Because it's not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket.
Q.
What inspired your book cover(s)? Or what is your favorite book cover and
why?
A. My romantic
comedy, Easily Amused, was originally
self-published. My daughter Maria, who was in high school at the time, designed
the cover using split images. The top half showed the neighborhood where the
story took place. The bottom half depicted the legs of a couple standing face
to face.
Later, when
the book was acquired by AmazonEncore, a new cover came with the deal. And when
the paperback rights were acquired by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the cover was
revamped again. Despite the fact that the last two versions were created by
professional designers, the truth is that I liked Maria’s the best.
Q.
Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting
your book.
A. I’m not
sure if the following incident is funny, but I did find it unusual. I once
got an email from a man who was the head of a paranormal society, wanting to
know if my kids’ book, Celia and the Fairies,
was based on my life. He asked if I’d ever had encounters with fairies and promised
to keep my response completely confidential. Of course I told him the truth.
Q.
Are you working on something new?
A. I have
a novel called Edgewood, the first in
a series, coming out in September. As a
paranormal, it’s a departure for me. This is the premise:
Every sixteen years…
I’m going to
be promoting Edgewood this fall, and
at the same time I’ll be working on the sequel, Wanderlust.
Q.
Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just
stopping by?
A.
If you’re reading these words, chances are good you’re a book lover and
supporter of authors. If so, you should know that there’s a special place for
you in heaven (if you believe in heaven, and I do!).
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Book Giveaway of:
THE LONG WAY HOME
(enter below)
Book Description
Four women bound by chance take the trip of a lifetime in Karen McQuestion's fifth novel The Long Way Home.
For Wisconsinites Marnie, Laverne and Rita, life isn't working out so well. Each is biding time, waiting for something better, something to transport them out of what their lives have recently become. And then there's Jazzy: bubbly, positive, and happy even though she hears voices of the departed. Brought together by a chance meeting, the women decide to join Marnie on a road trip from Wisconsin to Las Vegas where she intends to reunite with Troy, the boy she raised as her own—and who she’s been separated from since her boyfriend’s death. Little do they know that as the road trip unfolds, so will their lives—in directions they never anticipated. Humorous, heartwarming, and bittersweet, the journey has something special in store for each woman.
For Wisconsinites Marnie, Laverne and Rita, life isn't working out so well. Each is biding time, waiting for something better, something to transport them out of what their lives have recently become. And then there's Jazzy: bubbly, positive, and happy even though she hears voices of the departed. Brought together by a chance meeting, the women decide to join Marnie on a road trip from Wisconsin to Las Vegas where she intends to reunite with Troy, the boy she raised as her own—and who she’s been separated from since her boyfriend’s death. Little do they know that as the road trip unfolds, so will their lives—in directions they never anticipated. Humorous, heartwarming, and bittersweet, the journey has something special in store for each woman.
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Karen's Other Books
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Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Emily! Your questions were outstanding. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. I have never read one of your books. I must change that.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview and your book sounds great can't wait to check it out.
ReplyDeleteDebby, if you get a chance to read one of my books, I sincerely hope you enjoy it. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteKippoe, we meet again. :) Thanks for your support and for leaving such a nice comment.