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As an only child, Karen Heenan learned young that boredom was the ultimate enemy. Shortly after, she discovered perpetual motion and has rarely been seen holding still since. Since discovering books, she has rarely been without one in her hand and several more in her head. Her first series, The Tudor Court, stemmed from a lifelong interest in British history, but she’s now turned her gaze closer to home and is writing stories set in her hometown of Philadelphia. Karen lives in Lansdowne, PA, just outside Philadelphia, where she grows much of her own food and makes her own clothes. She is accompanied on her quest for self-sufficiency by a very patient husband and an ever-changing number of cats. One constant: she is always writing her next book.<\/p>\n
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Tells us about your writing\/ published book(s)<\/b><\/p>\n
I write historical fiction. It’s my favorite to read, and although I’ve considered writing contemporary stories, I haven’t attempted one yet. I have three books in my Tudor Court series – behind-the-scenes novels from the points of view of a minstrel, court secretary, and lady in waiting – and my latest book, Coming Apart, is the first in my Ava & Claire series, set in Pennsylvania during the Great Depression.<\/p>\n
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Where\u2019s your favourite place to write?<\/b><\/p>\n
Since I do much of my writing by dictation, my FAVORITE place is walking around my town, dictating into my phone. I can actually look at certain streets and remember what I was working on when I walked there.<\/p>\n
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How do you approach starting a new book?<\/b><\/p>\n
It finds me. Generally there’s some historical tidbit or edge-of-sleep idea that sets me off, and I go exploring in the time period to see if I find the era interesting enough to sustain me over what may or may not be several books.<\/p>\n
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How do you choose your book\u2019s title(s)?<\/b><\/p>\n
Titles are hard. Songbird had at least a half dozen before I went for the simplest choice. A Wider World was always that, as was Lady, in Waiting. Coming Apart had a different title, but then I saw a domestic thriller with the same title and author first name, and even a similar premise, and I decided to avoid potential confusion and come up with something new.<\/p>\n
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What advice would you give to someone wanting to write their first book?<\/b><\/p>\n
Go for it! Be kind to yourself – most new writers (and lots of older ones) forget that the books we’re comparing our WIP to are polished products that went through many rounds of edits. Be as kind to yourself as you would a friend, but keep going. Don’t talk yourself out of it because you don’t think your work is “good enough.”<\/p>\n
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Do you do research for your books? If so, what kind of research?<\/b><\/p>\n
Lots of research. I was broadly familiar with the Tudor period, so my main work there was on world-building details – what they ate, how they got dressed, how to get from place to place. For the 1930s, it’s easier, because I can use old newspapers for a lot of those details.<\/p>\n
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How do you fit writing into your everyday life?<\/b><\/p>\n
I work from home now, so I have a lot of flexibility, but I think I wrote just as much when I was working full time, because I learned to fit it into the corners of my day. I can write flat-out for 15-20 minutes if that’s all I have, and not feel the lack of time. Sometimes if I have too much time on my hands, I fall into a research rabbit hole and waste half the day.<\/p>\n
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How do you approach \u2018world building\u2019?<\/b><\/p>\n
Research and more research, putting far too many details into my first draft, and then paring them down as I edit.<\/p>\n
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How do you handle criticism?<\/b><\/p>\n
After an allowed period of wallowing\/eating my feelings, I remind myself that not every book is for every reader. If the criticism is valid, I’ll consider it, but if it’s mean-spirited or trolling, it’s much easier to brush off.<\/p>\n
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Describe your perfect character to me<\/b><\/p>\n
Complex, morally gray, and a bit prickly. Robin Lewis, the MC of A Wider World, my second book, is my favorite character to date.<\/p>\n
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Tell me about your current work<\/b><\/p>\n
Coming Closer is the second book in my Ava & Claire series and it picks up where book 1 left off. Ava is starting a new life in a new city, while Claire is trying to reinvent herself. They are each other’s best friends and worst enemies, sometimes both in one day.<\/p>\n
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Tell me about your main character<\/b><\/p>\n
Ava Kimber is in her mid-30s, mother of many children, and a skilled seamstress. She has little time and less patience, and she is as hard on the world as it has been on her. It’ll get easier. Eventually..<\/p>\n
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Would you want your book made into a film?<\/b><\/p>\n
Why not? Though I’d probably say limited series on a streaming service like Amazon or Netflix, so there’d be more episodes and less would be cut from the plot.<\/p>\n
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How many books do you own?<\/b><\/p>\n
Far too many. I’m grateful for my Kindle because at least this way I don’t have to find space for them all.<\/p>\n
Karen’s Website <\/b>http:\/\/www.karenheenan.com<\/a><\/p>\n