Karen King launches into chicklit

A prolific children’s book author, Karen King has also had a couple of romantic novels published. She has just published her first contemporary chicklit novel with Accent Press and is contracted for two more. let’s find out what drives her …

Welcome Karen. Tell us about your writing – I take it you’re not exactly a newcomer?

I’ve been writing most of my life, but have been a published author for thirty years. I started my writing career with the teenage magazine, Jackie, and spent many years writing for various children’s magazines before concentrating solely on writing children’s books. Then I sold some short stories to women’s magazines and started writing romance novels under the pen name of Kay Harborne. I had my first romance novel, Never Say Forever, published in 2007. My second romance novel, The Millionaire Plan, was nominated for the RONE Award in 2014. Both romance novels will be republished by Accent Press later this year. I’m delighted to have a three book contract with Accent so there are two more books in the publishing pipeline.

So what inspired this latest book?

I think some people seem to drift into marriage because they’ve been going out with someone for a while and marriage seems the next step. They’re swept up in the preparations and it seems too late to call it off, even if they do have doubts. I remember reading that one of Princess Diana’s sisters told her that she couldn’t call off the wedding now because her face was on the tea towels. This is what happens to Cassie, she’s sort of pushed into marriage by Timothy and his mother, then she meets her first love, Jared, again and wonders if she’s doing the right thing – but the wedding preparations are racing ahead and she feels like she can’t stop them. Will she say ‘I do? or call it off?

Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

I think there’s probably bits of me in, Cassie. I like to wear a maxi dress with a denim jacket, like she does in the first chapter, and I always paint my toe nails red. I’m also a bit of a chocoholic!

What are your top tips for writers?

1) Know your market, know your reader 2) Revise, rewrite 3) Never give up.

Finally, what are you proudest of, Karen?

Passing my driving test. It took me 17 attempts, goodness knows how many lessons and I daren’t add up the cost!

My goodness! Not many people would say passing their driving test was harder than getting published! Well, congratulations – and thanks for being my guest today.

Thanks for hosting me, Jenny.

A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists, Karen King writes sassy, contemporary romance just right for reading on the beach. ‘I Do – or Do I?’ is her first chicklit for Accent Press. She has been contracted for two more.

Karen has had two other romance novels, several short stories for women’s magazine and 120 children’s books published.

When she isn’t writing, Karen likes travelling, watching the ‘soaps’ and reading. Give her a good book and a box of chocolates and she thinks she’s in heaven.

Website    Twitter: @karen_king    Facebook Romance Books    Facebook Children’s Books    Pinterest

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Local journalist Cassie is getting married to hot-shot lawyer, reliable Timothy, and his mother, Sylvia, who Cassie has nicknamed ‘Monster-in-Law’, wants to plan the entire wedding. When Sylvia books the exclusive ID Images to take photographs of the extravagant do, Cassie has no idea what she’s walking into.

The elusive JM, ID Images’ newest photographer, just so happens to be Jared, Cassie’s first love and ex-fiancé, who broke off their engagement to travel and take photos of far-reaching wonders. He’s back to pay for his next wild adventure.

Cassie decides it’s best to pretend not to know him, but when she’s asked to write an article for her newspaper, she’s tasked with a column surrounding all things wedding related. When Cassie jokingly writes a column meant for herself depicting her situation, a co-worker submits it in place of the real article and it’s soon making headlines, with readers asking the age old question – Who Will She Choose?