Sharkbait Writes

Welcome to the first edition of Chumming with Sharky™ :-), my new blog series where guests from around the deep blue sea make a visit to the realm of Sharkbait Writes to chat it up talk show style. Most guests will be authors, but other artists may make guests appearances too. I hope you enjoy this new series and keep coming back to meet my future guests. Now, on with the show…

Karen Einsel

Karen, thank you for being my guinea pig first guest on the new blog talk show called Chumming with Sharky, where viewers from every corner of the deep blue sea will be treated to a small taste of various authors who write in a myriad of genres. Please take a seat by the sea cucumber and let the mermaid know what you would like to drink.

Well when it comes to drinks, I am quite boring 🙂 Black coffee please. Only fill it ¾ of the way with coffee and ¼ with water. I like to be able to drink it without waiting for it to cool.

Black coffee it is then. I’ll take a Ninja Turtle, Ariel, and tell Hammerhead to make sure it’s light on the tequila. I don’t want things to get too crazy on my first airing of Chumming with Sharky. vV””Vv

Okay, now that Anchor the Hammerhead Shark has made our drinks, we can get started. We’ll start off with some basic questions about you as an author.

Thank you Anchor. It’s perfect! And thank you Sharky for inviting me to this wonderful under the sea world. This is amazing!

Thank you, Karen! We spared no expense. Just make sure you don’t spill your drink. Jacques gets a little upset when we get a bit messy. Those pacific cleaner shrimps are real neat freaks!

Anyway, back to the interview. Word around the coral reef says that you’re a contemporary romance author. What is it about this particular genre that interests you the most?

I love the conflicts and the heart and soul connections that lead to a Happily Ever After.

Ah, yes! I love happy endings. Although, I have read a few books with not so happy endings that actually worked very well. That is a challenging feat for an author to accomplish. And speaking of challenges, when you’re working on your manuscripts, what do you feel is your biggest challenge as a writer?

I have the hardest time Showing and not telling, which means I end up with a lot of revising!

I can definitely relate with you there, Karen! It’s a bit tedious sometimes with the edits, but when we complete the manuscript, it’s time to celebrate. When you finish your novels do you celebrate the accomplishment in a special way? If so, what is it? If not, why not? 🙂

You know…I haven’t. I really haven’t thought about it, but I think I will when I finish the one I’m editing now, because I have been working on it for quite some time. Dinner out at my favorite Italian restaurant sounds really good to me. Everyone’s invited!

I love Italian food! Just name the time and place!

I attend a Twitter Addicts Anonymous meeting every Tuesday night on Twitter and last week the topic of social media marketing came up. One very outspoken swordfish in the group stated that he does not like the fact that Indie authors have invaded Twitterville to promote their work. What’s your opinion regarding writers and social media marketing?

Actually, if it wasn’t for Twitter and indie author’s tweeting their books, I wouldn’t have met so many wonderful people and read some great books! It doesn’t bother me at all. Tweet what you want and I’ll even share and RT. I love to help others. I believe there’s enough people and different tastes in the world that we can all be successful.

I agree with you Karen. Twitter has connected me with some amazing indie authors and some great books. I haven’t read a traditional book in a while because of it. Sorry, Mr. King. You know you’re still my favorite author.

So, Karen, I was sitting in the jury selection room downtown the other day for a trial involving a missing clown fish and a great white shark and something caught my eye. A blue tang fish named Dory sat next to me and began reading a short story titled Kyle & Kelly: The Perfect Party Planner. I asked her what the story was about, but she couldn’t remember and just kept introducing herself to me. Maybe you could help fill us in with a brief synopsis of this short story without giving away any spoilers.

This is the hardest question!

Kyle and Kelly meet the first day of jury duty. Kelly is a party planner and Kyle asks Kelly to meet him for lunch the following day so she can plan a child’s birthday party for him, but when he tells her that he will be out of town for two weeks and he will give Sheila her number Kelly realizes he’s unavailable. Can Kelly keep their relationship on a professional level while trying to keep her feelings for Kyle hidden?

Thanks for the brief synopsis, Karen! And for avoiding the spoilers!

I was at the vet recently to get my dogfish Fluffy’s rabies vaccination taken care of when I overheard the staff talking about one of the other vets in town. I think his name was Dr. Grant, and I heard something about a dog named Peanut. It turns out the ladies were actually talking about a book that you wrote titled The Good Dr. Grant. So, Karen, what is it about Dr. Grant that these ladies at my vet’s office were so giddy about?

Maybe it’s his quiet reserved demeanor, or maybe his gentleness with animals? Nah, it’s his gorgeous blue eyes and the passion that hides in them. For some reason, why I haven’t a clue, women want to unleash that passion. Go figure.

Well, that explains everything. I’ll have to let those nurses know that I had you on the show. They’ll probably be wanting your autograph… or Dr. Grant’s phone number.

When you are not writing, what do you like to do for fun?

Hmmm…Sleep! 🙂 No, I have many interests. I like to read, go camping, do yard work, and I’m a crafter. I enjoy knitting, crocheting, plastic canvas, even some woodworking. I like to work with my hands. There is one thing I don’t like to do, that sets me apart from others.

Want to know what that is?

I don’t like shopping! I don’t like to shop for clothes, gifts, or groceries and I have no problems staying away from the malls.

So, I guess that rules out Black Friday shopping. I would rather spend time at a car show. Which reminds me… you and I both have a love and appreciation for classic cars. If you could own any classic car, what would it be?

A 1956 Chevy two door hardtop with a 454. I know a gas guzzler, but think of the power! I do own a 1983 Chevy Suburban with a 350. And I used to have a 1968 AMC Javelin.

Excellent choice! You won’t get any criticism from me about the gas guzzler. My 1981 Corvette (also with a 350) gets eight miles per gallon… well, that is when it’s actually running!

Here’s a hypothetical scenario just for fun: You’re stranded on a small island and find a magic lamp. You rub the magic lamp and the genie (a great white shark with a mischievous grin) offers you three wishes, none of which can be a way off the island. What would your three wishes be?

I’m a practical person. So what would I wish for? A laptop, electricity, and an internet connection!

Ha ha! What a perfect selection of wishes, Karen!  It was a pleasure having you as my first guest on Chumming with Sharky. Before we go could you let the audience know where they can stalk keep up with you and find out more about you and upcoming writing projects?

If anyone has read The Good Dr. Grant, you know I do have the first book in my series, “Chris’ Journey Turning Different Corners” Coming out soon. If I quit procrastinating that is! So watch for it during the first week of July.

Author Bio:

Hmm… Bio? They say you should be able to say one sentence describing your novel and people will recognize your book by that one sentence. Recently I was reading a challenge on another blog and the challenge was describe yourself in one sentence.

So my bio is…

“Karen is a caring, compassionate, go-getter, who procrastinates!”

Thank you Donna at My Write Spot for the challenge!

Oh and my tag line is…

“Treat everyday as a new adventure, because you never know what tomorrow might bring.”

Links:

Karen’s Blogs:

Karen’s Different Corners
Different Corners in My Life

Connect with Karen on these Social Media platforms:

Twitter
Facebook 
Goodreads 

Thank you Sharky for such a wonderful evening!

.

And thank you for being such a wonderful guest, Karen!

.

vV””Vv

Chumming with Sharky™ is a weekly spotlight series brought to you by Robert “Sharky” Pruneda, author of Victory Lane: The Chronicles and The Devil’s Nightmare. If you would like to be a guest on Chumming with Sharky™ or you know someone who you think would like to be featured, please send an email to: ChummingwithSharky (at) gmail (dot) com or contact me via Twitter @SharkbaitWrites.