Monday, December 3, 2012

Gladiators tug at Karen S. Moore's Heart Strings


Today in the ludis we're tugging the Heart Strings of Karen S. Moore. Refill your cuppa, sit back and enjoy our chat about the author and her latest release. 

Tell us 3 secret things about Karen Moore:
One of my ambitions is to own a donkey. 
People often get the impression that I am quite reserved but I love to sing, dance and laugh as much as I can!
I live in a house over 150 years old . . .

You began writing at a young age. What drew you to write then and now that you’re all grown up?
At 7 years old, I was given a Scooby-Doo notepad.  I was a huge Scooby fan and I remember thinking that I'd like to write him some new adventures.  Having written one story, I think I may have suggested to my parents that I send it to the program makers!  They quickly disillusioned me and tried to explain that there was already a team of writers in operation.  Ah, the confidence of youth!

And since I grew up . . . hmmm, I'm not sure I ever did truly grow up.  I think, that's an important part of writing and keeping your motivation.  You have to continue to be excited by life and allow yourself to play with words, characters and plotlines.

You’re celebrating the release of Heart Strings with us today. Tell us about it?
'Heart Strings' is a collection of ten short stories, united by their strong emotional content.  The book spans a mix of genres, including Mystery, Ghost Story and Fantasy but the overriding themes are Relationships and Romance. 

Throughout the pages, some colouful characters emerge, including: Athena, a reclusive lover of literature, Marina, a thoroughly Modern Witch and Bill, a cynical writer, forced to embrace the Festive Season.

Do you have a favorite story in the book? What makes it so?
I think the story I am most satisfied with is the opener: 'Athena'.  The whole story grew from this very strong, yet vulnerable female lead.  Athena has given up work due to illness and now amuses herself with cake-baking and other people's lives.  She watches everything from her window, between turning the pages of the latest crime novel.

The fact that her world is so small makes for an intense study of the relationships within her family and the new friendship she forges with her enigmatic neighbour.

Out of all your books, which one would you spend a day inside of? What would you do or whom would you spend time with?
'Heart Strings' is the only long length work of fiction I have published apart from Poetry Collections.  I don't think I'd want to spend time inside them, too many random words, swirling around!

At this moment, I think I would hang out with Bill from 'Rewriting Christmas'.  He's throwing a Christmas party, heading to Santa's Grotto and playing in the snow.  With the approach of the Festive Season, it would be great to rediscover my inner child! 

What do you feel are key elements when writing romance?
The relationship between your leading female and leading male is central. 
Dialogue is very important, the way your couple interact and look at each other, what they have in common, or disagree on.  There has to be a spark between them, as in a real life romance!

What inspired you to write the stories of Heart Strings?
I've been writing a lot of short stories since moving from Wales to Ireland so it must be something to do with the location!  I do think a significant change in your personal life can aid inspiration.  You find yourself in different surroundings, meeting new people.  I also live in a very quiet countryside location these days. I have to write to amuse myself!

How do you choose what stories go into a fiction collection? Were there some that didn’t make the cut?
I did wonder whether to include two of the stories in this collection: 'The Professor's Child' and 'Ghost Writer'.  I wrote these, back in Wales, when I was running a small publishing company and they were released as individual booklets as part of a 'Mini Lit' series. 

The tone in these stories is a little more serious than that of the others.  However, I feel in a collection like this you can get away with offering different genres and viewpoints.

Is there a character in the book you would like to be romanced by? Who and what would he do for you?
I think the character closest to my ideal man would be Luke from 'Roadtrip'.  He and Jenna are best friends who become lovers.  As my husband is my best friend, I think some of the conversations the two of them have echo our own closeness and banter. 

Do you have any up coming projects or events that you would like to share?
I've started work on a new book inspired by two of the stories in 'Heart Strings': 'Return to the Country' and 'The Move'.  The stories are set in a small Irish town and feature many compelling characters from the local community.  I feel these characters are crying out to be developed and given stories of their own, so it's looking like it could become a novella! 

I'm also going to be teaching a workshop called 'Story Wise' from February onwards, in a range of locations, across the Southeast of Ireland.  I'll put the details up on my website and Facebook Page, when confirmed.

Where can we find Karen Moore and your books? 
Download Heart Strings at: http://amzn.to/X3RO2a (Amazon UK)
                                        or: http://amzn.to/U4lLb6 (Amazon US)
 Visit me at:
My Website: http://ksmoore.com/

Thank you for joining us Karen you're welcome back to the ludis any time! Show Karen some comment love, have  you read Heart Strings or any of her other titles? 

1 comment:

  1. Hi Elise :) Thank you for having me on the blog today. It's been great, getting down with the gladiators! ;) Karen.

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