Interview with Australian Author – Karen Turner
“Australian Authors” – Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?
Karen – When I’m not writing I love to run and keep fit. My favourite event is the Melbourne half-marathon as it finishes with a lap around the MGC. I drink too much coffee and eat too much chocolate. I have been a very strict vegetarian for over 30 years.
I have a lead-lighting studio at home and make some nice things, although I’m not very artistic. I love making chocolates and spend a lot of time playing with colours and decorative techniques, with hand-made fondant fillings in different flavours.
I speak Italian and get together (via Zoom) with a group each week where we speak Italian, and discuss current affairs, politics, books, work, movies – anything really. No English allowed! When in Italy I volunteer at an animal shelter twice a week. The centre relies totally on public donation so I use my dual-language skills to chat with visitors and explain the work the shelter does.
In terms of my writing, I’d been working in corporate writing and financial services for many years, but began writing short stories in 2009. I then published my first collection All That and Everything. and many of the short stories went on to win literary awards! It was the start of a brand new direction for my life!
“Australian Authors” – What made you want to become a writer?
Karen – I’d wanted to be a writer since I was a girl. I used to write little books telling stories about my family, pets and friends, illustrate them very badly, and keep a collection of them on a bookshelf
“Australian Authors” – What gives you inspiration for your book(s)?
Karen – When I was 19 I moved to Yorkshire, England to live with my grandmother. We lived in a small rural village and I fell in love with the history, countryside, lovely country homes and villages. My novels were entirely inspired by my memories of living where you can physically touch history!
“Australian Authors” – Now, the big question, are you working on another book?
Karen – I’m currently working on a book called Fever which will be set in the Victorian goldfields.
“Australian Authors” – What genres do you prefer to write in?
Karen – My books have been classified as both Women’s Fiction and Historical Fiction – although I have quite a few male fans which surprised me! I love these genres, I think it’s the history that attracts me, and I’m a bit of a romantic at heart so my books will always have that element too.
“Australian Authors” – What do you think about the ebook revolution?
Karen – As a writer, I think eBooks are a great opportunity for writers to reach more readers as eBooks are so quick and easy to buy. As a reader, I love them for the same reason. The books are so accessible, and since they’re generally cheaper, I’m not putting so much at risk when trying out a new author. I’ll never forget finishing a book while sitting on a train. I’d loved the book so much that I immediately downloaded the sequel and continued reading. It was the coolest thing!
“Australian Authors” – Do you start a book with a definite plot, or do you just write?
Karen – I’m a Pantser, so the story develops as I write. Oh, I know the basics: where it starts, what happens, how it ends – the milestones – but I don’t know the parts in between that make the story … well, the story.
I know I’m making progress when I fall in love with my protagonists, admire their better qualities, become frustrated with their human foibles.
I celebrate their wins and lament their losses. I take the journey with them as they move through their world, and then I write what I’ve seen and heard, inviting my readers to take that journey too…
“Australian Authors” – Pen or type writer or computer?
Karen – I’m a Pantser, so the story develops as I write. Oh, I know the basics: where it starts, what happens, how it ends – the milestones – but I don’t know the parts in between that make the story … well, the story.
I know I’m making progress when I fall in love with my protagonists, admire their better qualities, become frustrated with their human foibles.
I celebrate their wins and lament their losses. I take the journey with them as they move through their world, and then I write what I’ve seen and heard, inviting my readers to take that journey too…
“Australian Authors” – Do your characters seem to hijack the story, or are you always in control?
Karen – The characters always seem to be in charge, and tend to cause some trouble as I’ve tried to work out whether the character should be reined-in or would the reader be worse off. In my second novel, Inviolate, I was writing away and suddenly realised a major character was about to die and I hadn’t seen it coming. I had to go make a coffee and decide whether I should force the story in another direction or let the character carry on their path. I’m not telling you what the outcome was – you’ll have to read it for yourself.
“Australian Authors” – Are your characters based on real people or completely imagined?
Karen– Completely imagined, although my character Patrick in Torn and Inviolate had the most amazingly green eyes which I’d ‘borrowed’ from a guy I’d had a crush on when I was a teenager. I bumped into this guy about 30 years later at a party. He was balding and paunchy but still had those incredible eyes.
“Australian Authors” – Have you thought about joining with another author to write a book?
Karen – Interesting question. I have written collaboratively in my non-fiction life which is predominantly in the banking/finance industry. However when it comes to fiction, I’m not sure I’d want to. Having said that, I have an idea for a novel set in a very high-tech business world that I know nothing about. I thought it would be interesting to work with someone who knew that world and see how the story ended up.
“Australian Authors” – Who are your favourite authors?
Karen – My greatest inspiration was an English writer named Pamela Belle. I have every book she ever wrote and have read them several times. Other writers I love are Philippa Gregory, Diana Gabaldon. I also enjoy Charlaine Harris, and of course George R.R. Martin – who doesn’t love him!!
“Australian Authors” – What’s your advice to Authors? On writing? Publishing? Marketing?
Karen – I get asked this so often and there are two main things I always tell people.
1. Just start writing. It doesn’t matter how good or bad it is, just get it down. A book is never written in one draft anyway; writing something perfect straight off is not going to happen. Just start writing and worry about the detail later – that’s the easy part. Knowing when your book is finished is the hard part, but that’s a whole other subject!!
2. It doesn’t matter how well you write, everyone makes mistakes. If you’re serious about your writing, you must engage a professional editor. Nothing takes a reader out of a good story like a silly spelling or grammatical error. More than that, a good editor can help with structure, continuity and will work with you to polish your manuscript to the best it can be. If you value your work, it deserves this much!
