Author, Author

...read all about it!!


Thanks for joining us and please help me to welcome a great author,

 Karen Booth

What or who initially inspired you to become a writer?

I think it’s genetic. My dad, my aunt, my siblings, my cousins—everybody is a writer and everyone writes different stuff. Poetry, mysteries, screenplays, science fiction, romance. It’s in our blood.

What kind of research do you do for a novel and how extensive do you get?

Nothing pulls a reader out of a story faster than an incorrect bit of information. When it comes to careers and businesses, I always research standard practices and the ways things work. Locales are another thing that’s important to know well, I’ve never written anything that took place in a city I’ve never visited. Even then, I will email a friend who lives in that city and ask about restaurants, neighborhoods, etc. The Internet is invaluable.

Do you have a special place you like to do your writing? Such as an office, a spare room, the dining room table, your couch?

I’m very lucky—I have an incredible office with big windows and French doors. It’s very nice. You should stop by some time. I have a spacious L-shaped desk and can really spread out. I also love to write on our screen porch when it’s warm or on the couch in front of the fire if it’s cold. I hope I didn’t just describe a scene out of the unauthorized biography of Nicholas Sparks.

As a reader, what types of works do you like to read and do you think they influence the genre/genres you write in?

I read a ton of romance and women’s fiction because I write in those genres and now I have friends who are published authors. Just keeping up with everyone’s current releases is so much fun. I also like reading non-fiction—biographies, books about music. Good writing is what influences me the most and I seem to key in on the storytelling with fiction. You come across a plot point or something a character does and you say, “Wow. That is so cool the way she did that.”

What is your favorite method of writing...as in laptop, desktop, Ipad or the old fashioned pencil and paper?? And do you plot out your story or go with the flow of your muse?

I use my laptop for 95% of writing and the rest is scribbled in a notebook, but those are mostly details I want to add later or character descriptions. I am such a go-with-the-flow kind of girl, it’s ridiculous. I want to be a plotter. I want to plan everything out, but once I see my characters and start to see the story, I can’t stop myself from just writing it, which also means that I will eventually get stuck. I have the worst writing habits. I revise while I write and I am constantly going back to the beginning and starting over.

When you need a break or some time off from the trials of being a writer, what can you be found doing?

Wait—there’s a world outside my office? I had no idea. But seriously, I love to hang out with my husband listening to music or watching TV—we’ve been really into Breaking Bad lately, but we love Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, I just made him watch Downtown Abbey. I enjoy being in the garden and again, music is always a huge part of anything at our house. There is always music on. I am also completely nuts for college basketball (Go Heels!).

Is there anything about yourself nobody knows that you would like to share with our readers??

I always worry about sharing too much, but I love tap dancing. I took lessons when I was five, again in middle school, and then again as an adult with a friend. She and I were totally the teacher’s pets. Actually, I love all dancing. I can dance for hours if it’s the right music.

Okay for fun, I have a few personal questions,

Your Favorite 5

1) Favorite color – Blue, any shade except Duke blue. Definitely NOT Duke blue.

2) Favorite dessert - Dessert

3) Favorite Season - Spring

4) Favorite sad song- “Nothing Compares 2 U”, the Sinead O’Connor version. I once spent a week crying to that song. It was over the guy who eventually became my husband so this story has a happy ending.

5) Favorite Romantic movie – “Sixteen Candles”. I know it’s not technically a romance, but the ending is so achingly sweet and it’s my favorite movie, period. Every girl wanted to be Molly Ringwald, sitting on the dining room table with Jake Ryan, kissing him over the birthday cake. Every girl.

And last but not least, a bonus question! What is your ideal romantic vacation??

Caribbean—St. Barts or Nevis. Just me and my husband. Kids are at home with Grammy. We have a private villa and a butler and a cook. We don’t do anything but snorkel and nap and drink girlie tropical drinks and eat calorie-free Haagen-Dazs and have sex without worrying that the kids will barge in.

Where can our readers find you??

 In my office or possibly St. Barts. Otherwise, they can visit www.karenbooth.net for even more fun and frivolity.

Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?

My first ebook just came out through Ellora’s Cave—it’s called Long-Distance Lovers, and was co-authored by my amazing critique partner, Karen Stivali.

Long-Distance Lovers

British musician Tim Wentworth trades his London flat for an apartment in NYC so he can record with a promising American band, but he arrives in Manhattan to learn the gig has been canceled. With no job and a two-month stay in the States, he wonders if the trip has been a waste of time, until he meets charming and talented jewelry designer Jenna Bradford.

 Unlike the groupies who throw themselves at Tim after shows, Jenna couldn’t be less impressed by his music credentials. Bad experiences have led her to have a strict “no-musicians” policy. But when Tim rescues Jenna from an obnoxious drunk, she bends her rules and they embark on a sensuous courtship filled with steamy, passionate nights and intense, unexpected emotions. While they try to find a way to prolong their time together, a family tragedy forces Tim to return to England. Jenna and Tim must each decide how far they’re willing to go to see if their whirlwind romance can lead to a lifetime of love.

Available on the Ellora’s Cave website at http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9719-long-distance-lovers.aspx

Also available on Amazon at http://goo.gl/KG3Yg

Well we have greatly enjoyed you being here today but before you go, do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share with the world.

My critique partner, Karen Stivali, is an incredible cook and shares recipes with me all the time. This is her recipe and her photo. My kids and husband love this recipe and it takes no time. I always have the ingredients in the house.

Applesauce Cake

½ C vegetable oil

2/3 C packed brown sugar

1 C applesauce
1 t ground cinnamon
¼ t salt
1 ¼ t baking soda
½ t nutmeg
1 ¾ C flour

Note: There are no eggs in this cake.

Combine cinnamon, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and flour in one bowl and oil, brown sugar, and applesauce in a second. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring just enough to combine. Bake 30 minutes at 350 in a 9” x 9” baking dish or cake pan.

Thank you so much Karen for being with us today.  I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about you and your new release.  And I love the cake recipe, I know my kids will too!  Please come back and visit us again any time, we'd love to have you !

Readers, don't forget to hop over to  http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9719-long-distance-lovers.aspx  or  go to Amazon at  http://goo.gl/KG3Yg and check out this great book!

Have a great day,
Krista