Author Interview: Karen Amanda Hooper

Happy Release Day to Karen Amanda Hooper and her newest book, Grasping at Eternity! *throws confetti* 

I've been following Karen's blog for the past few years and celebrated last year with her for her debut release, Tangled Tides (which will be featured in a book review next month here on my blog). Now I am please to announce the release of her second book, which is a story very dear to her heart. The book will only be available in e-book format for now with the paperback version becoming available sometime this summer. To help Karen spread the word of GAE and to help share in her celebration, I'm featuring an interview with her today on my blog. Please enjoy! (And check out her magical books!)

The Book...

Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily Series #1)
by Karen Amanda Hooper


Leave it to Maryah Woodsen to break the one rule that will screw up eternity: Never erase your memories. 

Before entering this life, Maryah did the unthinkable—she erased. Now, at seventeen years old, she’s clueless that her new adoptive family has known her for centuries, that they are perpetually reincarnated souls, and that they have supernatural abilities. Oh, and she's supposed to love (not despise) Nathan, the green-eyed daredevil who saved her life.

Nathan is convinced his family’s plan to spark Maryah's memory is hopeless, but his love for her is undying. After spending (and remembering) so many lifetimes together, being around an empty version of his soulmate is heart shattering. He hates acting like a stalker, but has no choice because the evil outcast who murdered Maryah in their last lifetime is still after her. 

While Maryah’s hunter inches closer, she and Nathan make assumptions and hide secrets that rip them further apart. Maryah has to believe in the magic within her, Nathan must have faith in the power of their love, and both need to grasp onto the truth before they lose each other forever—and discover just how lonely eternity can be. (via Goodreads)

Meet the Author...

Author of YA paranormal and fantasy. My merfolk/selkie novel, TANGLED TIDES, was released November 2011 by Rhemalda Publishing. 

I was born and bred in Baltimore, frolicked and froze in Colorado for a couple of years and I'm currently sunning and splashing around Florida with my two sweet and adorable dogs. I'm addicted to coffee, chocolate and complicated happily-ever-afters. (via Goodreads)

Find Karen On

Twitter: @Karen_Hooper

Facebook : Karen Amanda Hooper - Author Fan Page

Goodreads: Karen Amanda Hooper - Goodreads Author

Website: www.KarenAmandaHooper.com

The Interview...

Hello Karen and thanks for letting me interview you!

My pleasure! Thanks for asking me to be interviewed!

What inspired you to become a writer?

My overactive imagination and a lot of teenage drama. As a teen, I mainly wrote poems and short stories, and those were inspired by my overflow of emotions. I didn’t attempt to write my first novel until my late twenties, but the idea started while I was singing an old Ella Fitzgerald song. Interestingly enough, my first manuscript was Grasping at Eternity (originally called The Kindrily). 

Are you a plotter (outlining, planning before writing) or a pantser (writing where the story takes you)?

I’m a total pantser. I know I SHOULD learn to plot ahead, but so far it hasn’t happened. One of the first scenes I ever wrote ended up near the end of book 2 in the Kindrily series. I randomly write scenes and somehow they all magically fit together. I call it magical madness. 

Do you prefer listening to music as you write or silence? If music, do your stories or characters have “theme songs”?

Many times music inspires a scene or mood from one of my stories, but it’s usually when I’m listening to a song in my car. When writing, I can’t listen to music with lyrics, but I do listen to instrumental and ambient music as background noise. 

What book/author had the greatest impact on you as a child/teen?

Judy Blume was a childhood fav. I remember reading her books and repeatedly being a little shocked by some of the content, but the shock always intrigued me and kept me reading. In my teens I became addicted to Diana Gabaldon’s OUTLANDER series. I still have a huge crush on Jamie Fraser. 

If you were stuck on a deserted island, what 5 books would you want with you?

Tangled Tides (duh—and very fitting), Grasping at Eternity, Outlander, Wicked Lovely, and How to Survive on a Deserted Island. 

How does it feel to be a published author verse unpublished?

Honestly, it doesn’t feel that much different. I’ve met lots of new bloggers and readers, which is awesome, and my To Do list is never-ending, but overall I feel pretty much the same. I’m happy that my stories are out in the world, but I know I have a long way to go—and grow—as a writer. 

How did your self-publishing journey (for Grasping at Eternity) differ from your first publishing experience (for Tangled Tides)?

I’m still in the early part of the journey, so I don’t have much to judge on yet, but ask me in 6 months. ;) 

Why did you choose to write a story about reincarnated beings (the Kindrily)? What was the inspiration behind the Kindrily?

I didn’t choose to write about them. They chose me. I know that sounds odd, but I had no intention of writing a novel whatsoever. Then, one night before xmas of 2008 I was baking cookies and an Ella Fitzgerald song came on the radio and BAM! Maryah and Nathan’s story hit me like a Mack truck. I started writing random scenes and was so consumed by it that I burnt the cookies. 3 months later I had 150k words, but I knew nothing about how to make it good enough to publish. Years later, here it is, about to be shared with the world. And it makes me insanely nervous. 

If you could live forever as a reincarnated version of yourself, would you? If so, would you want to remember every “life”?

Oooh, what an evil question considering that’s what I did to my kindrily characters. Lol. I honestly don’t know. At first offering, I’d say yes, but knowing what my characters go through (and have gone through over the centuries) I’m not sure I’d want to remember every life. Some things probably should be forgotten. 

Do you have any advice to share with aspiring writers?

Write what you love. Expect the unexpected. Always strive to improve and learn more. Give back and help others whenever you can. And if you truly love this crazy roller coaster ride called writing, never give up on your dream. 

Thanks again for this interview! I look forward to reading Grasping at Eternity!

Want a chance to win an e-copy of Grasping at Eternity? Check out Karen's giveaway on Goodreads and her special contest on her blog.

~Namárië

(Elvish Farewell)