I'm delighted to welcome to my blog my good
friend, multi-published author, Karen King, and to say congratulations on
the release today of her latest YA novel - Sapphire Blue.
With more than 125 books to her credit,
ranging from picture books to adult romance (under the name Kay
Harborne) this is Karen's second young adult novel. It's published by Solstice and has a very distinct supernatural theme to it.
Karen has also written for
many children's magazines including Sindy,
Barbie, Winnie the Pooh and
Thomas the Tank Engine.
In fact she writes for all ages and all genres: story books, picture
books, plays, joke books and non-fiction.
I asked Karen a few question – and
was really pleased by her first answer... you'll see why!
Q. Placing the story in a spiritual
setting is very different from other books you've written. How hard
was it to write this and to imagine the locations and backgrounds?
Karen:
It
was quite a difficult book to write and I kept putting it away and in
fact wouldn't have finished it if you and another friend hadn't kept
persuading me! Imagining the world and background wasn't too
difficult, after all no one knows what the afterlife is like so I
could give my imagination free range. What was difficult was working
out as things like whether people would still eat, sleep, how they
would walk around, would we still have night-time? Also, the story is
written in dual viewpoint, from both Sapphire and her boyfriend
Will's point of view so I had to try and get into two characters'
heads.
Very
pleased that my nagging had something to do with you finishing
Sapphire Blue, Karen.
Q. The idea of there being different
plains when we die is interesting. What inspired that idea? And what
inspired you to write Sapphire Blue?
Karen:
I've always believed that we live on after we die, that our souls go
back to the place we came from, join our friends and family and carry
on with our journey. I was talking about this to someone one day and
they said that they hoped they didn't forget life on Earth, when they
died and that they still had their memories. That started me thinking
about what it would be like if you loved someone; would your love
still survive in the afterlife? Does everyone go to the same place?
It was from this that the idea of
Sapphire Blue
was born. I started it seven years ago and my synopsis grabbed the
attention of a publisher straight away but unfortunately they didn't
carry on with their YA fiction list so I shelved it for a while. But
the idea wouldn't go away.
So
glad the idea didn't go away, Karen.
Q. Sapphire Blue is your second YA
book, could you tell the readers something about your first YA book?
Karen: Perfect Summer is
set in the not-too distant future when society is so obsessed with
perfection that being different in any way is considered a crime.
Morgan, the heroine, has a younger brother, Josh, with Down's
syndrome and she and her family are under a lot of pressure to have
him put away in a home, so life is tough for Morgan. Whereas her best
friend, Summer, seems to have a perfect life. Then Josh goes missing
and in her quest to find him Morgan encounters great danger and
discovers that Summer's life isn't so perfect after all.
I've read Perfect Summer – it's a
great book. I know when Karen goes into schools, the story provokes
much debate amongst the students. I think Sapphire Blue will do
likewise!
Q. With more than 125 books
published, what advice would you give to anyone just starting to
write.
Karen: Read, read, read so that
you're aware of the current market, then write the story that is
buzzing around in your head shouting to get out.
Q. Finally, what's next in the
pipeline for you?
Karen: I'm working on a few
different things but finishing my romance novel and writing the
series I'm doing with you is top of my list.
So glad you said
that, Karen! Good luck with all your writing projects and especially
Sapphire Blue.
Sapphire Blue – Blurb
Can
love survive death?
“No
one has ever walked out of Red. Once the Soul Catchers get you they
don’t let you go.” Denny’s words scare me but I have no choice.
If Will is in Red that’s where I have to go.
I’ve
never really thought what it was like when you died. I’m only 16,
too young to worry about that. At least I thought I was. I’ve heard
about Heaven and Hell, of course, but it doesn’t look like I’m in
either of them. All I know is that Will is here too and I need to
find him. I can’t face spending eternity without him.
Sapphire Blue –
Extract
Everywhere
Will turns all he can see is mist. It’s inside his head too,
wrapping around his mind, stopping him from thinking straight.
He
tries to shake the mist away, to find a fragment of memory that will
tell him who he is, where he is. But there’s nothing. His mind is a
complete blank. He can’t even remember his name.
He
squints as a shape starts to form in the mist. It’s a man.
The
man strides purposefully as if he’s heading somewhere in particular
and needs to get there fast.
“You
okay, mate?”
Will
shakes his head. “I can’t remember anything. Where am I?”
The
man pauses and looks around. “No one meeting you?”
Will
frowns, trying to remember. Why would someone be meeting him? “I
don’t think so,” he stammers. “Should they be?”
“Sometimes
they do.” The man’s tone is casual. He shrugs. “You’d better
come with me then.”
Will
doesn’t know what else to do, so he follows the man. He has to
quicken his pace to keep up with this stranger’s long, effortless
strides and constantly looks around, trying to get some idea where
they are. After a while the mist starts to fade and Will sees that
they’re crossing what looks like barren wasteland. Rugged cliffs
jut up along each side, gnarled trees and bushes dot the landscape
here and there, and a buzzard caws as it flies overhead. It’s
eerie. There’s no one around except him and the man yet Will feels
like he’s being watched. Stalked almost.
“Where
are we going?” he demands, fear making his voice sound shrill. “Who
are you and where the hell am I?”
The
man turns around. “You really don’t remember, do you?”
Something
about the way he says the words sends an icicle of fear down Will’s
spine. “Remember what?”
The
man holds out his hand, it’s long, thin and bony. “Take my hand.”
Will
stares at the outstretched hand not wanting to touch it.
“Take
it if you want to remember. Or leave it if you don’t. It’s all
the same to me.”
Will
hesitates, a terrible feeling of foreboding seizing him. What is it
he has to remember? He’s sure it’s something he’s not going to
like. But he has to find out. He needs to know who he is, where he
is, what he’s doing here. He takes a deep breath, reaches out and
grasps the man’s hand.
Immediately,
a bright light explodes across his forehead. He gasps and tries to
pull his hand away but the man grips it tight, his nails digging into
Will’s flesh. The light fades and pictures flash across his mind
like a horror slide show. He’s getting in a car, a girl’s
singing, a huge tree zooms in so close that he instinctively step
back then there’s a big bang. Now the girl’s lying motionless,
blood oozing out of a gap in her forehead, her neck bent at an
awkward angle, her eyes open, staring. Will draws in his breath, his
hand pressing across his forehead as his memory floods back and his
heart shatters into jagged smithereens that puncture him inside. The
girl is Sapphire, his girlfriend. He’d just passed his driving test
and was taking them for a drive when he crashed.
He
killed her. He killed Sapphire.
Links
Author
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn&__adt=7&__att=iframe#!/KarenKingAuthor
Twitter:
@karen_king
Amazon
Author page:
http://www.amazon.com/Karen-King/e/B0034P6W7I/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/kryski/
Please visit my website: http:www.annevansbooks.co.uk
Take a peep at three of my latest books:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celeste-Ann-Evans-ebook/dp/B00KQ8XIGE
and
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Uninvited-Ann-Evans-ebook/dp/B00O2I9084
Any teenage reluctant readers in the family?
http://www.amazon.com/Nightmare-Teen-Reads-Ann-Evans/dp/1781479720
