Interview with local author Karen Whiddon

I met Karen Whiddon at my local Romance Writers of America® (RWA®) meeting, the North Texas Romance Writers (NTRWA) and discovered her fascinating, fun, and romantic stories involving sexy werewolves and shape-shifters. Her latest book, Wild Wolf, just debuted in July 2009 from Silhouette Nocturne®.

About Wild Wolf from the Amazon.com website:

"Turning her back on humans because of her ability to shape-shift into a wolf, young and beautiful Raven doesn't believe she needs anyone. Until the day a darkly handsome man appears near her remote cave... and she watches him turn into a wolf.

Simon Caldwell has been sent to assess the threat of a new feral wolf prowling the Rockies. But he's wholly unprepared for his intense attraction to Raven. His investigation is about to take a deadly turn as he and Raven become the hunted. Now their very survival depends on Simon's ability to win what this wild wolf holds most dear!"

Here's part one of my interview with Forth Worth author, Karen Whiddon:

Pat: Who is Karen Whiddon? How would you describe yourself as a person and as a writer?

Karen: Laughs. Who am I not? I’m a wife and mother who runs a commercial insurance agency and goes to the gym three or four times a week to work out. I’m also a published author, with over 23 published books to my credit and three more scheduled for 2010.

I’m a Yankee at heart and a Texan at heart too. I was born in Massachusetts, grew up in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of New York and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. I’ve lived in Texas for over 30 years now , raised a daughter here (gig `em Aggies!), and have been happily married to the same man for 22 years, though we’ve been together 27.

Pat: What do you write?

Karen: I write romance fiction, currently for Silhouette Books®. I write for two of their lines, Silhouette Nocture® (paranormal), and Silhouette Romantic Suspense®.

Pat: How did you first become interested in writing? How did it start? Idea? Dream? Then what?

Karen: I first became interested in writing as a child. In the seventh or eighth grade I had a fantastic creative writing teacher who introduced me to the beauty of the written word. I won an award with my poetry and a short story and began to think about someday being published. I read a lot and after reading a really good book that tugged at my heart, I told myself that I wanted to do that – write a book that would tug at the reader’s heart.

Pat: Where do you write? Desk? Home? Coffeeshop? Toilet?

Karen: Toilet? That would be interesting! Actually, I have a room that is set aside as my office at home. That’s where I do the bulk of my writing. It’s messy and cluttered and too small, but it’s mine. I also write a lot on my Alphasmart, because it’s so light weight and portable.

Pat: Are you a plotter or a pantser? Is it completely formed in your head before you write or do you follow blindly along? Do you use outlines or flowcharts to help you map out your plots? How do you write?

Karen: I have long been a pantser, but the last five or six years I’ve had to send in a synopsis before writing the book and I’ve slowly and gradually learned that writing is much easier if I do a bit of pre-plotting. That said, I start writing and sometimes the story just veers away from what I had intended. I wish I was a plotter, but definitely have pantser leanings <G>

Pat: How many drafts do you make of a book before it is finalized? And how much of a change is there between the first draft and the finished product?

Karen: For some reason I have the most trouble with beginnings. I’ve been known to spend months starting a book over and over, sometimes as many as six times. Then I do one draft, going back and revising as I go. If I have enough time before deadline, another published author – Anna Adams or Stephanie Doyle, my critique partners – will look it over and suggest changes. Then I turn it in. My editor will eventually send it back for revisions, at which time I’ll rework it again. Sometimes there isn’t much change. Other times, there’s a huge amount of change. It depends on the book.

Pat: Where do you get your ideas?

Karen: From a PO Box in Poughkeepsie. Just kidding.

Pat: How long have you been actively writing?

Karen: Since I could hold a pen in hand <G> Seriously, I first attempted a book in 1980 when my daughter was an infant. My then husband burned the handwritten manuscript for reasons of his own. I didn’t try again until 1988, when I was home for six weeks following surgery and married to a different man (my current husband.) I wrote more books and sent them in, garnered more rejections and rejections. Finally, in 1997 I sold a book. I’ll never forget – I called my husband, whose response was “You’re kidding me.”

Pat: Who is your inspiration?

Karen: My husband, of course. (What, did you expect me to say oh, Hugh Jackman? Gerard Butler? Ooh, Keith Urban. Definitely Keith Urban.)

Pat: Did you have encouragement in the early days, and if so who and what did you write?

Karen: Back in the day <G> from 1989 or 1990 until 1995 or 1996, I belonged to the DFW Writer’s Workshop. This group was very supportive and helpful and taught me to take criticism. They taught me a lot. At the same time, I also joined Romance Writers of America® and the local chapter, North Texas Romance Writers. Going to workshops and conferences helped me tremendously. I also read a lot of writing books.

Pat: What is your favorite book(s) or character(s)?

Karen: There are so many books I couldn’t list them all.

Pat: Who's writing style does your work most resemble? (or do you want to resemble? Or do you want to resemble anyone?)

Karen: I don’t know the answer to this one. I guess I just resemble myself. If I could write like anyone, I’d have to say I adore the lyrical quality of Barbara Samuel (now writing as Barbara O’Neal).

Pat: Are you an avid reader? How important do you think reading and reading well is to a writer? Do you read your contemporaries?

Karen: I’ve always been an avid reader. I think it’s very important to read a lot, to get a feel for the beat and style of other authors’ voices.

Pat: Who are your favorite Authors?

Karen: Ah, I have so any favorites in the romance genre. Kristin Hannah and Barbara Samuel come to mind. LaVryle Spencer. Lisa Kleypas. Julie Garwood, Judith McNaught, Laura Kinsale. Yes, the big guns! Outside of romance, I read Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and John Grisham. Yes, I’m a popular fiction whore!

Pat: What got you writing in your genre?

Karen: I read what I love to read. I’ve always read romance, starting back in the dark ages when I was fourteen and buying Harlequin books. So naturally, I wrote what I read. The first book I sold was a short contemporary romance. I wrote five of those and then had this idea for a Fairie, paranormal, time travel. I wrote that, sent it to Leisure Books, and they bought it. I went on to write five Fairie books for them. Then I had a female shape-shifter idea. I wrote that, my agent sent it to Silhouette, and Leslie Wainger bought it. Now I wrote both short contemps and paranormal for them.

Pat: What is your goal in writing? Has it changed since you started?

Karen: My goal? To someday have the ability to write full time. I’ve always wanted to do this. And of course I’d like to make some bestseller lists other than the Amazon one <G>!

Pat: Would you rather write a book that sells millions of copies, but have it be "Celebrity Fluff" -- or write an award winning novel that no one reads? And why does it matter?

Karen: Neither. I’m not sure what you mean by “Celebrity Fluff”, but the term makes me think autobiography of a celebrity. No interest there for me, thanks. And if I wrote a book that won awards but no one read, what would be the purpose of writing it? I write to entertain, to move people. If no one read it, why bother?

Pat: Do you write in the first / third person POV? And why?

Karen: I write third person because that’s what my publishers wants. However, when I first start a book and am attempting to get to know the character, I write first person, then go back and change it. I learned this from Suzanne Brockman in a seminar at a writers conference.

Pat: If you couldn't ever write again, what would you be doing?

Karen: Paint. Play music. Train dogs and show dogs. Train and show horses. Work at the insurance agency, cook more, design greeting cards, make yard art, read lots and lots of books. Oh, I’d keep busy, believe me.

Tune in tomorrow for the 2nd installment of Karen Whiddon's interview. Find out more about Karen Whiddon at her website. If you have questions for Karen, just leave a comment below.