Welcome to Part Two of Confessions of a Reviewers’
interview with Karen Malena.
In tonight’s section, Karen starts by answering some
specific questions on her newest book Sound
of Silence, continues to talk about her writing and life in general and
tackles The Ten Confessions.
It’s only Tuesday but go grab something nice like a pizza
and a beer, sit back and relax, but mostly……enjoy!
COAR - Moving on to Sound
of Silence, where did the inspiration for this one come from?
KM - Sitting in a restaurant watching a family of four, each
engrossed on some electronic device in front of them, none of them talking or
making eye contact with one another, is how I came up with the idea. What if
speaking became outlawed and a punishable crime? Would we miss it then? Would
we risk everything to hear our child’s voice even one more time? And who would
make such a law? It would have to be someone hugely popular and well-loved. He
would have to prove to the public that it was in their best interest to put the
edict of silence into order, for their protection so to speak. It had to be a
politician.
COAR - How did you feel moving out of your comfort zone and
writing a dystopian story this time?
KM - This has been the biggest challenge and yet most rewarding
writing I’ve ever done. Though I usually write about places I’ve been to, it’s
tough to write about future events, even though they aren’t so terribly far
away. But to create a dystopian society is a tricky feat. It was a love/hate
relationship for me with this book. Although it could have been longer, I am a
word economist and I made my point with the least amount of words. I do feel a
sequel or prequel is brewing however. And hopefully this time it will be easier
to slip into the futuristic world.
COAR - You make references to the holocaust in this story. Is
this something that you would have an interest in or did it just fit the story?
KM - I had several beta readers, one of which is a German
historian and the other a Holocaust historian, that each had the same idea.
They saw the parallel right away of the futuristic society and the Nazi regime
of the 1940’s. The idea came to me then, that, what if Ray found out he was of
Jewish descent? What if his beloved grandmother told him of the atrocities of
the 1940’s and compared it to what was happening around them now? If she made
him promise to be an element of change, something their past relatives could
not do at Auschwitz, then it would up the stakes for Ray and give him so much
more to fight for.
COAR - This had a real eerie feel to it. Almost like an old
black and white movie or something you would see Bruce Willis cast in. Was this
intentional or just how it came?
KM - It’s exciting because those in my writer’s group who had
a chance to hear a little of how the story was coming along, all said it had
the feel of a movie to it. I could really see this playing out before me as I
wrote and I’d love the chance for it to be made into film. And if Bruce Willis
wanted to star in it, I’d have no qualms!
COAR - Is this a writing style you can see yourself doing
again or is this a one off?
KM - As I mentioned above, a few people already are bugging me
for more of this story. When the Holocaust historian told me he saw the prequel
in his head, and how it would be great to know how the Sound of Silence edict really came about, I decided that after a
sequel to my Love Woven in Time, the
prequel to this story would be next. (Did I really just say that?) (Yes you
did!)
COAR - What’s the most difficult part of writing for you?
KM - It would have to be making up places that I’ve never been
to. It’s easy for me to see in my mind’s eye, a place I’ve been to or visit
frequently. In writing my cat fantasy story, Piggy, even though talking animals aren’t real, the story was fun
and easy because it was my son’s cat I was writing about and my son’s house. I
could “see” it play before me. With a futuristic tale, it is much more
difficult. I would almost love to storyboard my writing with drawings so I have
something in front of me to work with.
COAR - What would your ultimate wish be with your writing?
KM - To be a well-loved or best-loved author. To have people
know me when they see me and say, “Hey, wow, that book of yours really meant
something to me. I was touched by that story.” Or, “Wow, how do you think that
stuff up? It was awesome.”
COAR - What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
KM - Spend time with my family. I have little nieces that I
absolutely adore, and I find they bring out the child in me and I’m playful and
creative when I’m with them. I also love going on long weekend trips with my
husband. We have a quaint town that we frequent several times a year to get
away from it all. It’s that very town that features in my story, Love Woven in Time: A Ligonier Golden
Romance.
COAR - What’s coming in the future from Karen Malena?
KM - Hopefully many more stories to inspire and challenge
readers!
THE TEN CONFESSIONS
1 Who would you view as your main competitor in the
writing world?
There are many writers I’ve met in the Facebook community
that I cheer on wholeheartedly. Each of us has our own genres and talents. For
example, the Light Brother’s write amazing horror. I could never compete with
them. Other authors I know write the Amish stories I’ve mentioned above. I
don’t care to ever write something like that, but I cannot compete with their
success and I find myself a little envious of it.
2 What book or author have you read that you think should
never have been published?
I read a book recently called The Great Dragon Zoo of China. It was the worst drivel I’ve ever wasted
time on. It touted that it was in the brilliant style of Jurassic Park. Nonsense. Awful writing style and terrible
storyline.
3 Are any of the things your characters have experienced
in your books been based on something that has actually happened to you? What
was it?
In Shadow of My
Father’s Secret, we hear the story of a kid bullied and shamed on a
playground by a couple of older kids. Without getting into too much detail,
this is something that happened to me. It was so shameful that I truly had nightmares
about it for years. It’s nice to write it out of your head though, and then you
can forget about it!
4 Have you ever blatantly stolen an idea or scene and
adapted it for one of your own books? If so, care to share?
There’s a creepy Halloween scene in Reflection From My Mother’s Kitchen where my main character, Kate
and her mom are talking about one of the scariest moments from her childhood
when Kate was actually accosted by a drunken fool on Halloween night. I did
“borrow” a little in this scene from one of my all-time favorite parts of To Kill A Mockingbird when the children
are walking home from the play near the end and Bob Ewell attacks them.
Powerful.
5 Have you ever anonymously left a bad review for someone
else’s book? If so, care to share?
No, I would never do that. As I mentioned earlier, the
only book I truly disliked with my whole being was The Great Dragon Zoo of China. And I left a review but I did use my
name.
6 What’s the one thing you are least proud of doing in
your life and why?
Being mean to a friend as a little child. Every time my
favorite cousin would visit from overseas (she was an army brat), I would be so
excited that she was there, I would actually ignore all other friends and
prefer her company. I realize that isn’t the worst thing ever, but to a child,
to be shunned by someone who is supposed to be your best friend…well, let’s
just say I’d never want that to happen to me.
7 What’s the one thing you are MOST proud of doing in
your life and why?
Learning from the above mistake and becoming a person who
would stick by a friend, family member, husband, child, through thick and thin.
I am not easily swayed by the callousness of others, and am very forgiving. I
give second chances all the time.
8 What’s your biggest fault?
Insecurity. It’s a fault that has stuck with me all of my
life. Ever since I was made fun of by boys in my seventh grade year when I had
scoliosis, I’ve been terribly self-conscious and insecure.
9 What is your biggest fear?
The fact that I feel I will never rise above insecurity
in myself. I would hope to put it all behind me and move on. To love myself
unconditionally and not let naysayers or those who would criticize my writing
or anything else about me, really get to me.
10 If you had to go to confession now, what would be the
one thing you would need to get off your chest?
Impatience with my mother’s dementia. It’s not an easy
thing watching your aging parent succumb to this disease. Especially difficult
since I’d dealt with issues similar to this from Mom in my childhood. I hope to
be a better daughter and realize that she is not responsible for her actions
just as she wasn’t when I was little. Oh, and of course I need to turn to that
awesome world of make-believe once again to see me through.
Well that, unfortunately, is the end of the interview.
You should, by now, know nearly all you need to know about Karen Malena.
If you want to know more then come back tomorrow night
when I will be posting my review of Sound
of Silence and will provide you with all the links to buy it and all
the links you need in case you want to get in touch with Karen or just follow
what she is doing.
I want to say a personal thanks to Karen for giving up
her precious time to take part in this interview and for being so open and
honest about every single aspect of her life. I think a lot of us would like to
possess the same positivity as Karen.
Thanks again for visiting Confessions of a Reviewer
Phew...glad confession time is over now!
ReplyDeleteBut it's out there forever now Karen!
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