I'm really pleased to host author, Karen
King on my blog today to mark the first birthday of her
first YA (young adult) novel, Perfect Summer.
As
well as telling us all about the book, which I've read incidentally and heartily recommend, Karen has agreed to answer a
few questions about her life as a writer.
Karen has had over one hundred children’s books published. She’s
written for many children's magazines too including Sindy,
Barbie, Winnie the Pooh and
Thomas
the Tank Engine. She
writes for all ages and in all genres; story books, picture books,
plays, joke books and non-fiction.
Perfect Summer
is her first YA. It was runner up in the
Red Telephone books YA Novel 2011
competition. It's published by Astraea Press.
Karen also writes under the pseudonym Kay Harborne for her romance novels.
Questions
How did you get started writing?
I've
always written. I had my first poem published when I was 11. I
started my writing career with Jackie
magazine, writing articles and photo stories.
Are
you a Plotter or a Pantser?
It
depends whether I'm writing to a commission or not. If I'm
commissioned I have to plot as I have to send a synopsis and the
first couple of chapters to my editor. If I'm not writing to a
commission I plot at first so that I know the basic outline of my
story but once I get going I write 'by the seat of my pants'.
Are
you most productive in the morning or evening?
Morning.
Often I get out of bed and start writing right away. I'm full of
ideas in the morning.
What’s
the most frequent question people ask you.
When
I visit schools kids always ask me either if I'm rich. I usually say
"No, I'm really poor so please go and buy some of my books!"
Perfect Summer:
Growing
up in a society so obsessed with perfection that the government gives
people grants for plastic surgery, 15-year-old Morgan can't help
being a bit envious of her best friend, Summer. Summer is beautiful
and rich, her father is a top plastic surgeon and her mother is a
beauty consultant with a celebrity client list. Her life seems so
effortlessly perfect. Whereas Morgan isn't so rich or beautiful and
her little brother, Josh, has Down's syndrome - which, according to
the Ministry and society in general, is a crime.
Then
Josh is kidnapped and the authorities aren't interested so Morgan and
Summer decide to investigate. They, along with another teenager,
Jamie, whose sister, Holly, has also been kidnapped, uncover a
sinister plot involving the kidnapping of disabled children and find
themselves in terrible danger. Can they find Josh and Holly before
it's too late?
Prologue
of Perfect Summer
They
were on their fourth game of poker. The air was tense; they played in
silence, speaking only when they had to.
The
burly man glanced at the five cards in his hand, his expression
unreadable. “I’ll see you.” He took a drag of his cigarette and
waited.
The
woman sitting next to him studied her hand of cards and sighed. “I’m
folding.” She placed the cards face down on the table, crossed her
arms and sat back in her chair.
They
both watched the bald man on the other side of the table. He looked
at his cards and frowned. The burly man took another drag of his
cigarette and sent a spiral of thick smoke into the air. Then a
shrill ring broke through the silence, making them all jump. The
burly man grabbed his nanophone and the others waited as he flicked
it open. The air was electric with suspense.
“Yes,”
he said brusquely. He was silent as he listened, then replied, “We
will leave immediately.” He switched the phone off, threw his cards
down and stood up. “It’s on,” he said, scooping up the handful
of coins in the middle of the table and putting them, and the phone,
in his pocket.“Let’s get going.”
The
woman left her cards and followed him. They both hurried outside to a
dark blue van. The man climbed into the driving seat, the woman sat
beside him. She took a slip of paper out of her pocket and keyed an
address into the E--‐ Nav.
“We’ll be there in a couple of hours,” she said.
“How
old’s this one?” the man asked.
“Three,”
the woman replied.
“Shouldn’t
be too difficult then.” The man started up the van and they set
off.
Links
Author
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn&__adt=7&__att=iframe#!/KarenKingAuthor
Thank you Karen.... Ann
