Come on in, ladies and gents. Welcome to the Diamond Mine. I’m
Peggy, Peg for short. Take a seat on the sectional and I’ll introduce you to
one of my friends. It’s Karen H. Richardson with her debut novel! Karen and I
have been bumping elbows for some time, meeting here, meeting there, and now,
she’s putting out her first baby. I am beyond excited. Coffee anyone? Tea? Code
Red, no sorry, that’s for me. Let me pull the curtains to get rid of the glare.
And speaking of curtains…well, I can’t give the whole interview away this
early. Keep reading…
Peg: HI, Karen! I’m super-duper excited to host you for
your first novel. I know you’ve really been working towards this goal. But let’s
start at the beginning. What started you on your writing journey?
Karen: There has always been a writer inside me. In
elementary school, I wrote a play and tried to get my friends to act it out. When
I wasn’t writing stories, I was journaling– writing the story of whatever was
happening in my life. It’s fun to look around at people, they all have a story,
or could become a character. Along the way teachers fostered my love of the
written word. So, writing a book became the goal.
Peg: Yes! I need that t-shirt that says, Be careful. You
might end up in my book, lol. Have you always aspired to write contemporary
Christian books?
Karen: I didn’t set out to write Christian books, but my
faith is so much a part of who I am, it would be impossible to not include it
in my writing. I love reading historical fiction, but do not have the time for
the research that goes into writing it. I’m going to stick with contemporary
for now.
Peg: Do you have any mentors, conferences, meetings or
anything else that encouraged you along your way to publication?
Karen: In 2009, I went to my first writers group meeting,
Louisville Christian Writers. Then I found an ACFW chapter was starting and the
time they met worked better for me. The topics they talked about every month
broadened my view of not only the writing craft, but the business of getting
published. Until now, I was the only one in the group not published. But they
encouraged me to keep writing. I kept writing and learning about our craft.
There is still so much more I’d like to learn and improve on. Both Janet MorrisGrimes and Betty Thomason Owens were such strong encouragers for me.
Peg: I know those girls! They are the best. So, how about
sharing your favorite authors?
Karen: I enjoy Kristin Billerbeck and Kathleen Fuller, two
contemporary favorites. Liz Curtis Higgs and Lynn Austin are my favorite
historical fiction authors.
Peg: All of those authors are fabulous. I have so many of
Lynn Austin’s books on my shelves. Are you a full-time writer or do you juggle
writing around your job?
Karen: I have a fulltime job in addition to writing. The
first half of my career was in marketing and communications, which made it a
challenge to write all day, and then have any words left for my novel writing
at night. I was itching to get out of communications, so I took the course work
to earn my project management professional certification (PMP). Now I’m an IT
project manager by day, and a novelist by night.
Peg: I’m always interested in how people fit their
writing around their normal activities. Tell us your schedule.
Karen: Other than working full-time, my schedule is my own.
Our son is grown so the days of being a band mom, or a baseball mom are done. I
went through a few years of caregiving for my mother, but she went home to be
with the Lord last year. That opened my time and energy for working to get Curtains for Maggie published. I
have a blog, KK’s Candor (www.KKsCandor.com)
where I post short slice-of-life articles. I work on my novels when I have
bigger chunks of time like weekends or nights when I don’t have to get up the
next day. It is so much fun to get lost in Oakdale, Indiana (fictious town)
where Maggie and the gang are doing life.
Peg: Curtains forMaggie is such an interesting title. Tell us a little about the
premise and how you came up with the idea and setting and does it have anything
to do with curtains?
Maggie Nelson lost her identity. Nora
St. Claire lost her husband. And Jen Stephens lost her job—sort of. The three
friends from college, now in their forties, rediscover a special part of
themselves that time and relationships have stolen.
To rediscover who she is, Maggie
revisits a passion from her past. Something that was her own—acting. With this,
her family begins a season of their orderly, planned, and scheduled lives
becoming not so orderly. How can Maggie regain her identity without losing her
husband?
Nora is an interior designer whose
husband was killed in the line of duty. After years of mourning, she is ready
to rebuild her life. Her career launches when she wins over a difficult client
for the firm. And in her social life, she finds herself volunteering alongside
a man who sparks her interest. Work, friends, dating—what will the design of
her new life be?
Jen is a free-spirited personal trainer
who never expected to find herself as an assistant manager at the gym. The role
is a stretch, but it includes all the components of healthy living that she
believes in. The rest she can learn. The transition has a few twists and turns
Jen navigates well with the full support of her husband, and her two friends.
And yet … is it the best fit for Jen?
Their paths are messy ones, but isn’t
that true about life? Along the way, each woman discovers she is more precious
than rubies. Even in her imperfection.
Karen: The idea for Curtains forMaggie came from when my son was in elementary school, and I was a working
mom. Every morning when I dropped him off at school, there would be two or
three women standing around the parking lot with their coffee, talking. My
commute was 30-minutes. Many mornings I spent that time wondering what the
women were talking about. That’s when the theme for Curtains for Maggie came to me. I decided those women
were probably talking about life, families, children, things women generally
connect around. Curtains for Maggie
is the story of Maggie Nelson who feels like she has lost her identity to the
roles she has in life – wife, mother. She misses having something that is
uniquely hers.
She
comes across a flyer for auditions at the community theater. It reignites her
interest in acting which she did in college. With half-hearted support from her
husband, she auditions. The results aren’t exactly what she had in mind. The
story takes the reader on a journey of the challenges Maggie faces in her
marriage, family, faith, and finding herself. Along the way, Maggie’s friends
Nora and Jen are dealing with changes in their lives that stretch them as well.
Nora lost her husband five years ago and is rebuilding her life, even
considering dating. She just started a job at an interior design firm. Jen is a
part-time personal trainer who jumps into an assistant manager role at her gym.
The three friends encourage and support one another through finding out God’s
will and rediscovering the unique talents He gave each.
Peg: Ooops, I just spilled my drink, and I can’t seem to
find my glasses. Oh, that reminds me of a question I wanted to ask. What type
of personality flaws and quirks do each of the main characters have?
Karen: Maggie is hyper-organized. She’s a list maker and a
calendar keeper. Jen is a free spirit. Nora is always put together, hair pulled
in a knot, matching outfit with the perfect accessories. While there is nothing
wrong with any of these traits, taken to an extreme, they can become masks for
hiding their real selves. These three strong, intelligent women are going
through the same challenges many women do. We give ourselves to those we love.
Sometimes to a fault. I hope readers find encouragement to use the talents God
gave them. To love boldly and to live impactful lives. This will look different
for each of us. We can make an impact in our everyday interactions. I would
love to hear from readers about their “Maggie moment.” That season in their
life when they felt lost and by leaning into the faith, and their Creator, they
rediscovered something special about themselves.
Peg. Oh, I love that! Is Curtains for Maggie based on a Bible verse or theme?
Karen: Curtains for Maggie is based on the theme that God made each of us in His image,
with our own uniqueness that we shouldn’t let any relationship or role squelch.
Psalm 139 reminds me of what Maggie and her friends need reassurance of.
Peg: Will there be a sequel or are you working in a new
direction?
Karen: Yes, I have a rough draft of Nora’s story next, and
an idea for Jen’s. I’m working toward having at least Nora’s story ready to
pitch to Elk Lake Publishing this fall.
Peg: What is on your computer right now for your
attention? Writing? Editing? Or something else?
Karen: Right now it’s all efforts towards getting Curtains for Maggie launched –
marketing, social media, outlets for selling in addition to Amazon. But I’m
also itching to get to work on Nora’s story. Like other writers, ideas for
scenes, themes, or characters will dance around my head for a while before I
have to just sit down and draft them. Right now, I’ve got several scenes for
Nora whirling around in my head.
Peg: What is something you’d like people to know about you
as a writer?
Karen: I was very blessed that I only had to pitch Curtains for Maggie three times
before it was picked up by Elk Lake Publishing. I’m still learning about our
craft, and I look forward to the next book being better than the first one.
Peg: Give me 5 things fast about Karen H. Richardson that
have nothing to do with writing.
Karen: I like country music, playing pickleball, took up tap
dancing in my mid-forties, and would rather watch sports live than on
television. I was born with red hair, went through all the teasing in grade
school, but today am so glad God made me unique in that way. And no, I’ve never
colored it.
Peg: Thanks so much for sharing your novel journey with
us, Karen! I’m sure we’ll both be sitting at the same table before too long,
chatting about the next big book. And I am so excited about Karen’s book, that
I’m giving away an ebook copy! Leave your email in the comments section or send
it to us via our contact form to be entered! Wanna know more? Wanna copy of
Karen’s book, Curtains for Maggie right now? Check out her links below:
·
Check out Curtains for Maggie on Amazon.
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Social Media links:
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Facebook
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Instagram
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Twitter
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Online: www.KHRAuthor.com
