Diana talks to Karen Vaughan

Hi Karen, I wouldn't have discovered your wonderful, quirky-humoured mystery books if you had not entered (and won) a recent Review Blog prize draw, starting us both talking. Now I am hooked and I am reading them as fast as I can buy them and I thought it was a good idea to talk to you here and introduce you to a much wider audience.

First things first I am sure there is a question that you have always longed to be asked. Now is the chance. Ask your own question and answer it!
MY QUESTION FOR ME? What would I do for a Klondike bar?? Do an open mike comedy night.
(She is serious, folks! Has anyone heard her sing? Maybe we should just club together and buy her one!)
What would I do with it once I got it???-eat it of course!

If your latest book HOLMES IN AMERICA- was adapted into a TV show or a film, who would you like to play the lead role?
I would put Ricky Gervais in the lead role because Nigel Holmes is as politically incorrect as he is!

What made you choose this genre?  I have always loved mysteries and I love comedy so I thought I would combine them.
How do you get ideas for plots and characters? In my head, really, and people have given me some really neat ideas that I might use. 
If, as a one off, (and you could guarantee publication!) you could write anything you wanted, is there another genre you would love to work with and do you already have a budding plot line in mind?
I have got a few romance/romantic suspense stories in progress.

Was becoming a writer a conscious decision or something that you drifted into (or even something so compelling that it could not be denied?) How old were you when you first started to write seriously.
It was a huge drift. I was home sick and very bored. I started writing what is now 'Dead on Arrival' in 2005 and just kept going - it's like potato chips; you can't just eat one!
Marmite? Love it or hate it? MAKES NASTY HACKING SOUNDS—UM HATE IT. (No need to be polite, Karen, say what you really think!!!)
Do you have any rituals and routines when writing? Your favourite cup for example or ‘that’ piece of music...??
My 'Please don't annoy the author' mug, full of coffee or tea. 70s Classic rock or oldies.

I promise I won’t tell them the answer to this, but when you are writing, who is more important, your family or your characters?
Characters rule!
Other than writing full time, what would be your dream job?
Stand up comedian. I am also an author/book promoter.
Coffee or tea? Red or white?
Both coffee and tea-sorry can't choose. Red as it is bold and vibrant like my characters

How much of your work is planned before you start? Do you have a full draft or let it find its way? I write by the seat of my pants  -my characters write it I am just the typist

If you had free choice over the font your book is printed in, what font/fonts would you choose? COMIC SANS MS

Imagine that you could get hold of any original source document. What would it be? Romeo and Juliette.

Have any of your characters ever shocked you and gone off on their own adventure leaving you scratching your head??? If so how did you cope with that!? I had it planned in my nano last year - Playing Dead - that the thugs would abduct my protagonists, but one of them took off and made a deal with the badasses.

How much research do you do and do you ever go on research trips?

Not much, I am lazy -LOL- mostly online, but I did go down to Toronto to research one area that would play a prominent part of the story!

Fiction authors have to contend with real characters invading our stories. Are there any ‘real’ characters you have been tempted to prematurely kill off or ignore because you just don’t like them or they spoil the plot?

My editor has a nemesis named Stella so after hearing stories about her I gave her a part but she is so annoying I had her kill her ex husband and sent her off to jail. I have killed off a few people on paper that just needed it.

Are you prepared to go away from the known facts for the sake of the story and if so how do you get around this?

It’s called creative license I believe. I get close to the truth but the facts get warped sometimes

.
Do you find that the lines between fact and fiction sometimes become blurred? Truth is stranger than fiction sometimes.

Have you ever totally hated or fallen in love with one of your characters?

I love Jeff Gibbons, my cop in my series; he is married but a girl can dream.

What do you enjoy reading for pleasure? It's easier to say what I don't like -- HORROR!

What drink would you recommend drinking whilst reading your latest book?

I don’t recommend drinking anything as you might spit it out while laughing, but wine is good.

Last but not least... favourite author? James Patterson, Jonathan Kellerman and many more
Your answers have been as fun and funny as your books, Karen, so now I will tell people a bit about you:
Karen Vaughan lives in Peterborough Ontario with her husband Jim and a cat named JJ. She is the mom of a 26-year-old daughter and four grown stepchildren, a newborn granddaughter and a 6-year-old grandson named Izak who could very well be smarter than a fifth grader. DEAD COMIC STANDING is her second novel. Her first novel DEAD ON ARRIVAL garnered praise from friends, family, and online gamers. She also enjoys doing crafts and other hobbies. Her third book and sequel to DEAD ON ARRIVAL is called OVER HER DEAD BODY. DAYTONA DEAD is the third in that series and was released in May 2013. Other than writing Karen loves to read, do crafts and play online games. Currently, she hosts an internet radio show called WRITERS ROUND TABLE since January the 14th, 2014. She has a quirky sense of humor and shows this in her mysteries and her side hobby of stand-up comedy. DEAD MEN DON’T SWING AND JAMAICA DEAD WERE PUBLISHED in January 2015. LEFT FOR DEAD AND HOLMES IN AMERICA WERE PUBLISHED IN 2016. Karen is currently working on her 7th book in the Laura and Gerry series DEAD TO WRITES.                


© Diana Milne January 2017 © Karen Vaughan February 2017

Alaric reviews: The Book of Zev by Marilyn Horowitz

The author kindly has kindly donated a hardback book and 2 e-books as prizes. To be in with the chance of winning simply comment here on the Blog or on our Facebook page

The Book of Zev is all about questions, chances, and changes. We must constantly ponder what we are and what we will be, or should be. We have lost chances, chances that come that we never notice; chances we take, and the changes we must face as a result of all of them. Life grinds us through many paths, some unkind, others we love. In The Book of Zev, you can easily relate to the ones in the lives of Sarah and Zev. You could also say the book is also about religion, what man makes of gods and beliefs, how religion makes us stronger or weaker, and how perhaps there is a spark of righteousness even in those of us who do not worship or who doubt their beliefs. It’s also a very clever political thriller with well-crafted, real characters.

Sarah is a Jewish kosher chef, struggling with disappointments and her questions about religion. She is feeling lost because of her divorce and her past choices, and deals with the issues with yoga and alcohol. There is another troubled soul, Zev, also a Jew, who is not sure where he belongs in life and the Jewish community; and what his purpose in life truly might be. But when he meets Sarah, he also finds a promise of stability for him. Both Sarah and Zev find some answers and comfort in Gwydion, their guide, and it is through this man they find common ground. There will be challenges, and a purpose for both.

There is the change.

Sarah meets a powerful man from her past, a dangerous man she once was, and still is, in love with, so things get complicated because their relationship is something that is frowned upon by their respective societies. The relationship becomes an opportunity to stop the man from doing something monstrous and wrong. Ultimately, confused but brave, Sarah and the suffering Zev have to decide if they will stand together against what is inhuman, even if it means betraying trust, love, and risking their lives. The lost souls find that despite the open questions and lost chances, they can make a real change in life still.

The characters are the meat of the story. They are very real, and one can easily relate to their lives. The personalities have flaws, severe flaws, and a genuine wish to be better, almost to be a child again, when everything was simpler. The story starts slowly, and that’s ok, because it is building the personalities, letting us inch into their lives making us care for them, and fear for the danger they will face.

The story flowed well. It is soft and at first purposefully sneaks forward, and then grows powerful and meaningful, right when it should. It’s a very good political thriller with very real, troubled people you will root for. For example, how could you not like Zev, who, upon hearing Sarah’s voice,
thinks that is how Moses must have felt when the Red Sea parted?

About the author

Marilyn Horowitz is an award-winning New York University professor, author, producer, and Manhattan-based writing coach, who works with successful novelists, produced screenwriters, and award-winning filmmakers.

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 Alaric Longward is a dad, a husband and an aspiring writer who creates fiction, fantasy adventure and drama. You can find more about him and his books at his official pages and his Amazon author page.