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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Pump Up Your Book Promotion Tour, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 1 of 1
1. 7-Step Scoop: Karen White
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40 Comments |
By: Aerin, on 4/30/2009
Blog: In Search of Giants (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  author interview, 7-step scoop, Pump Up Your Book Promotion Tour, Add a tag

Hurrah!  I knew there had just been a mix-up.  Dorothy, the wunder-brain in charge of Pump Up Your Book Promotion Tours, mislaid the email that Karen had sent back with her interview responses.  And I'm so very glad she did.  Of all the interviews I've been collecting, Karen's "scoop" is by far the funniest I've heard.

Okay, back to the book business.


I was interested in doing the tour with Karen because 1) I think she looks like Celine Dion's way prettier sister and 2) I knew Shelly liked her as an author.  (Lo and behold, Shelly's got her review of The Lost Hours up today over at Write for a Reader.)  And I really enjoyed The Lost Hours, which to me combined the earthiness of Billie Letts' characters and the gracefulness of Audrey Nifenegger's story development.  The Lost Hours is well-written (of course it is, it's Karen's tenth book!), with characters who are at once new and familiar, and a plot that keeps you turning pages.

So, let's get on with the first ever 7 Step Scoop Interview!

Step #1
LIGHTNING ROUND
  • Mac or PC?  Both!  My desktop is a PC and my new laptop is a MacBook Air. Stevie: Nicks or Wonder?  Both!  (can you tell I'm a Gemini??)
  • keep or toss?  Toss.  Although I used to be a keeper.
  • London or Paris?  London.  (I lived there for 7 years)
  • salty or sweet?  Sweet--hands down!
  • bath or shower?  Shower
  • floral or fruity?  Floral
Step #2
DESCRIBE a favorite scene or event from your memories of childhood.

Lying in bed at my grandmother's house and listening to the tree frogs outside, and the sound of my mom, her four sisters and my grandmother talking in the kitchen.  I lived all over the world growing up, but I never looked forward to anything more than the summer visits to my grandmother in Indianola, Mississippi.

Step #3
TEACH US one or two of your favorite 4-star vocabulary words.  

Ubiquitous:  Everywhere, always present.  As in "The working writer can be identified by her ubiquitous laptop."
Inevitable:  Foreseeable or expected (I learned this word from reading Victoria Holt gothic novels as a teenager).  "Lack of sleep in an inevitable occurrence when an author is up against her deadline."

Step #4
BOOK BLANK
  •  The last book I finished reading was The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
  •  I gave it 5 stars.
  •  One word to describe it is illuminating.

Step #5
QUESTION:  I'll admit, I haven't read any of your other novels.  But the style of "The Lost Hours" reminds me of a meeting between Billie Letts and Audrey Niffenegger.  What authors do you think have most influenced your writing style overall?

Diana Gabaldon, Anne Rivers Siddons, Jodi Picoult--and probably a host of others that I can't think of right now!

Step #6
QUESTION: Piper, Annabelle, Odella, Earlene.  Lots of strong, definitive names.  How do you choose (or discover) the names of your characters? 
I think it's the hardest part of the novel!  I roll a bunch around in my head for a while, and usually even start writing a character using a different name at the beginning of the book.  I find that I have to 'know' the characters to properly name them.

Step #7
GIVE US THE SCOOP.  Tell us something about yourself that's exclusive to In Search of Giants (ie, has never been publicized in print or podcast interviews.)
I've done so much blogging for my virtual tour that I think I've shared all the big stuff.  So, here's a gem:  when I was in 10th grade I went on a school trip to Egypt.  While in a bazaar near Luxor, my chaperone was approached by a man who offered him 200 camels in exchange for me.  My husband would like to find that man and see if he's still interested...

Huge and many thanks to Karen for her time!

To celebrate this, my first-ever author interview, I ran to Borders and bought a copy of The Lost Hours to send to one of you!  DEADLINE SUNDAY NIGHT MAY 10.


Here's how to enter:
Leave a separate comment for each item!

+1 comment on the most interesting part of the interview
+1 becoming a follower (Google or just through a reader)
+1 already being a follower
+1 share info about this contest
+1 comment about the 7SS format (the good, the bad, the in-between)

40 Comments on 7-Step Scoop: Karen White, last added: 5/18/2009
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