Interview With Karen E. Martin
Karen E. Martin, M.Ed. is a full-time freelance writer/editor. She has been in the publishing business since 2004, working on books and publications for major and independent publishers, universities, businesses, and private individuals. Prior to entering the field of publishing, Ms. Martin worked as a Senior EFL Fellow (English as a Foreign Language) for the U.S. Department of State in Romania, a Junior EFL Fellow for the U.S. Department of State in Jordan, and a teacher-trainer for the U.S Peace Corps in Mauritania, Jordan, Romania, and Morocco. Ms. Martin served as a Peace Corps volunteer for two years, teaching English in the Errachidia Province of Morocco. This is Ms. Martin’s first novel.
1. Modogamous is your debut novel. Can you tell us a bit about the plot?
The story focuses on a group of friends in their mid-to-late 20s, who have settled into careers and relationships, but still don’t quite have it all figured out. The five friends are:
· Kate – an archaeology grad doing time in a customer service job; known for her streak of bad dates, some of which turn into fodder for her rather acerbic and tell-all blog
· Evette – her best friend; stylish, nosy, and entirely fed up with men
· Mitch – their close friend since college; quiet, artistic, and all-around great guy
· Cecie and George – a happily married couple with a young daughter
Before too long, new folks arrive on the scene and start to shake things up. JP, a playboy nemesis from Mitch’s past, takes more than a passing interest in Kate (which doesn’t make Mitch happy at all). Darcy, a former acquaintance from Mitch’s college days, becomes his confidante when they bump into one another again by chance. And Drama, the mucho energetic pug who invades Kate’s life, home—and heart.
2. What made you start writing Modogamous?
I had the idea in 2009 and filed it away in my notes after a few days of furious brainstorming. There it sat for 3 years until, BOOM! One of my (paid) writing projects went kablooey, just three days before the start of NaNoWriMo. I’d always wanted to try NaNoWriMo but never had the time, and suddenly, I had the whole month of November stretching out before me with nothing to do. The rest, as they say, is history.
3. What has been your favourite part of the writing process?
Revising, actually. I know a lot of authors hate that part, but for me, it’s the part where the story tightens up and really becomes something special. There’s something very satisfying about looking at a piece of writing and realizing, “Yeah, that’s fat that needs to be trimmed.” Sometimes even wonderfully-written or hilarious paragraphs or scenes just don’t belong in a book. Having the ruthlessness to cut those scenes out (even if I’m very, very attached to them) is part of what makes me feel accomplished as a writer.
4. Who was your favourite character to write?
That’s a tough one. I really enjoyed writing Mitch, because he’s very different from the kind of person I am, so it was challenging to step into his shoes and ask myself how he would react (not how I would react if it were me in that situation). I also had a blast writing from Kate’s point of view—especially her blog posts. She says things that I might say in confidence to a group of friends, but would never admit on a public forum like a blog. She’s mostly anonymous on the blog (using only her first name, and substituting nicknames for the people she dishes about), but still. She’s got some cohones, and that was fun to write.
5. Which authors have been your biggest inspiration?
I’ve been very inspired by the many indie authors I’ve interacted with in the past year as I’ve gotten to know the people who populate the Chick Lit world online. They have huge work ethics, and I’ve come across some truly talented writers out there in the trenches. Beyond that, I have a lot of favorite authors, of course, but I can’t really say that any one of them in particular inspired me to follow in his or her footsteps in terms of style.
6. After Modogamous, can we expect any more novels in the future?
I’m thinking yes, it’s definitely possible. This process has been an incredible amount of work and has taken more than a year, so it’s not something I take lightly. But with the experience of the first book under my belt, I feel like things would go a lot more smoothly in writing a second book. I definitely learned a lot on the “what not to do” side of the page this time around. ;)
Quick fire:
What is your:
favourite colour – orange
favourite song – “Happy Together” (The Turtles)
favourite book – “Siddhartha” (Hermann Hesse)
favourite word – schadenfreude
favourite food – probably a really good pizza
favourite season – SUMMER!!!!!!!
favourite TV show – at the moment, it’s “The Paradise”
favourite author – Gosh, I don’t know if I could possibly choose. I suppose the author whose books I have actually purchased the most is Lindsay Davis (the Falco series). She writes the perfect vacation reads, IMO.
favourite animal – brown bear
favourite day of the week – Saturday!
Thanks Karen!
You can find Karen on Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, and on her blog.
1. Modogamous is your debut novel. Can you tell us a bit about the plot?
The story focuses on a group of friends in their mid-to-late 20s, who have settled into careers and relationships, but still don’t quite have it all figured out. The five friends are:
· Kate – an archaeology grad doing time in a customer service job; known for her streak of bad dates, some of which turn into fodder for her rather acerbic and tell-all blog
· Evette – her best friend; stylish, nosy, and entirely fed up with men
· Mitch – their close friend since college; quiet, artistic, and all-around great guy
· Cecie and George – a happily married couple with a young daughter
Before too long, new folks arrive on the scene and start to shake things up. JP, a playboy nemesis from Mitch’s past, takes more than a passing interest in Kate (which doesn’t make Mitch happy at all). Darcy, a former acquaintance from Mitch’s college days, becomes his confidante when they bump into one another again by chance. And Drama, the mucho energetic pug who invades Kate’s life, home—and heart.
2. What made you start writing Modogamous?
I had the idea in 2009 and filed it away in my notes after a few days of furious brainstorming. There it sat for 3 years until, BOOM! One of my (paid) writing projects went kablooey, just three days before the start of NaNoWriMo. I’d always wanted to try NaNoWriMo but never had the time, and suddenly, I had the whole month of November stretching out before me with nothing to do. The rest, as they say, is history.
3. What has been your favourite part of the writing process?
Revising, actually. I know a lot of authors hate that part, but for me, it’s the part where the story tightens up and really becomes something special. There’s something very satisfying about looking at a piece of writing and realizing, “Yeah, that’s fat that needs to be trimmed.” Sometimes even wonderfully-written or hilarious paragraphs or scenes just don’t belong in a book. Having the ruthlessness to cut those scenes out (even if I’m very, very attached to them) is part of what makes me feel accomplished as a writer.
4. Who was your favourite character to write?
That’s a tough one. I really enjoyed writing Mitch, because he’s very different from the kind of person I am, so it was challenging to step into his shoes and ask myself how he would react (not how I would react if it were me in that situation). I also had a blast writing from Kate’s point of view—especially her blog posts. She says things that I might say in confidence to a group of friends, but would never admit on a public forum like a blog. She’s mostly anonymous on the blog (using only her first name, and substituting nicknames for the people she dishes about), but still. She’s got some cohones, and that was fun to write.
5. Which authors have been your biggest inspiration?
I’ve been very inspired by the many indie authors I’ve interacted with in the past year as I’ve gotten to know the people who populate the Chick Lit world online. They have huge work ethics, and I’ve come across some truly talented writers out there in the trenches. Beyond that, I have a lot of favorite authors, of course, but I can’t really say that any one of them in particular inspired me to follow in his or her footsteps in terms of style.
6. After Modogamous, can we expect any more novels in the future?
I’m thinking yes, it’s definitely possible. This process has been an incredible amount of work and has taken more than a year, so it’s not something I take lightly. But with the experience of the first book under my belt, I feel like things would go a lot more smoothly in writing a second book. I definitely learned a lot on the “what not to do” side of the page this time around. ;)
Quick fire:
What is your:
favourite colour – orange
favourite song – “Happy Together” (The Turtles)
favourite book – “Siddhartha” (Hermann Hesse)
favourite word – schadenfreude
favourite food – probably a really good pizza
favourite season – SUMMER!!!!!!!
favourite TV show – at the moment, it’s “The Paradise”
favourite author – Gosh, I don’t know if I could possibly choose. I suppose the author whose books I have actually purchased the most is Lindsay Davis (the Falco series). She writes the perfect vacation reads, IMO.
favourite animal – brown bear
favourite day of the week – Saturday!
Thanks Karen!
You can find Karen on Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, and on her blog.