Today's
Summer of Indie guest author is Karen Magill, author of paranormal romance and
adventure novels. Forced to leave the workforce in 2000 by the onslaught of MS,
Karen saw this as an opportunity to explore her lifelong desire to write.
Initially she explored other areas of writing before deciding that her future
lay with creating novels. We talked with author Karen Magill about two of her
books: Let Us Play, A Rock ‘n Roll Love
Story, and The Bond, A
Paranormal Love Story.
Let Us Play, A Rock
‘n Roll Love Story:
In an uncertain time in the future, 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.
The Bond, A Paranormal Love Story:
A woman, Laura Neill, in Vancouver is struck while
crossing the street. At the same time in Toronto a car also strikes Julian
Rule. When both have an out of body experience, their ethereal forms bond as
one before separating - each taking a part of the other's soul with them as
they return to their bodies. They are truly soul mates. When he senses that she
is in danger - a feeling that is confirmed by a psychic friend - Julian goes to
Vancouver to come to her aid. With the help of a detective, Julian is able to
prove that Laura's fiancée is a con artist and a murderer. When Julian
confronts the man, he and Laura are placed in imminent danger.
After hearing more about the quirky and unique premises of her books, we
held a short interview with author Karen Magill to find out more about her and
her style of writing:
Q:
Why did you start writing?
A:
I come from a family of artistic people. My grandmother was a published author
and I have been writing since I could put words together. It is a form of
escape for me.
Q:
What do you like most about writing?
A:
I like creating new worlds. I like being in control of the lives of these
characters and deciding their futures.
Q:
What do you like most about writing Paranormal?
Q:
What do you like most about self-publishing?
A:
I like the control I have over what happens with my book. I decide what happens
to the cover, the content, where to place my books in the marketplace. I only
have to wait for people to do things that I can’t. Like design covers, I can’t
do that one. And an outside editor.
Q:
What mistake do you feel self-publishers and/or writers make most often?
A:
Too many people rush their projects to completion. They think that they have to
write three, four, or more books a year and get them out to the public. I would
rather write one good book a year and have people love that one rather than
saturate the market. In addition, so many writers forget that marketing is such
a essential tool. We have to come out of our dream world sometimes and face
reality.
Q:
Where do you get your covers?
A:
I want all my covers to be originals; I don’t like using stock covers, so I get
artists to design them. For The Bond, A Paranormal Love Story, an artist I had
met on a fan site designed it for me. For the Turkish version of The Bond, the
publishing house in Turkey used an artist on site. For Let Us Play, A Rock ‘n
Roll Love Story, a friend’s boyfriend in England designed it.
Q: How has the fact that you have multiple sclerosis affected your writing?
A:
First of all, having MS has given me the time to truly look into where I want
to go with writing and allowed me the opportunity to spend more time on it. It
also forces me to manage my time better. I can’t sit for five or more hours on
the computer writing and promoting because I get too tired and that will affect
me for days after. I have to regulate my time and energy and find easier ways
to do things.
Q:
Is there anything you would like to tell aspiring writer that are reading this?
A:
Don’t give up. I have been writing for over twenty years and it looks like I
may finally be getting some recognition for my work. Have a good editor look at
your work. Get a fantastic cover and listen to those who have gone before you
and done well. Above all, learn to market your work.
Karen
Magill currently lives in an eclectic area of Vancouver, Canada and draws
inspiration from the history, beauty and stories around her. You can find author Karen Magill online at:
Thank you for a great interview Robert.
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