Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As a former English teacher, I’ve always loved the written word–there is such power in it for good.
My husband and I are both retired now and we enjoy the outdoors and our family, not in that order!
Currently, I’m working on the preliminaries for my third novel. What a pleasure it is to dig into the research for it, and to meet so many fascinating people who carry around a wealth of information in their heads. The old saying is that people are always learning, and when we deliberately set out to learn all we can, the end product is always worth it.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Book II of the Second Chances Trilogy has recently gone to print; it is entitled “The Bridegroom of Castle Heights” and is set in one of my favorite neighborhoods in Waco, Texas. It is about a young couple who have settled for a marriage of convenience, but it is an empty life and a hopeless one, too. In their search for the missing pieces of life, Tyler and Sumner must learn to grieve the past and then to let it go. It’s never easy to change, but they will either learn to adapt or their marriage will not survive.
Inspiration sometimes comes from the generosity of strangers, and such is the case with “Bridegroom.” Due to a physical ailment, I was sent to a physical therapist who, quite literally, restored my ability to walk. I am indebted to this perfect stranger for the rest of my life.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Okay, this is going to sound really old-school, but I write all my stories in long hand first, in 5 subject notebooks, and I color code each book. Right now, Book III is in purple and yellow!
Another oddity is that I love to write outdoors where the breeze ruffles the imaginary leaves on the pages as I write. Sounds so weird when I write that!
Now, this probably isn’t all that strange to most writers, but I often wake up in the wee sma’s of the morning, curl up in my husband’s lounge chair, and scribble away.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
So. Many. Authors.
As a child, I gulped down Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries, which morphed into stories like “Caddie Woodlawn” and “The Cabins Faced West.” In junior high, the terrible pre-teens, I read “Johnny Tremain” by Esther Forbes probably fifty times. Even now, thinking of Sam Adams crouching under the heavy timbers of the attic where the Sons of Liberty met secretly, sends a resonating reverberation down my spine. Why did the Americans choose to fight the Revolution? “So a man can stand up,” Sam told the others.
As an adult, I have been greatly influenced by George McDonald, an early Scottish writer who has influenced some of our early theologians both here in America and across the pond, as well. More recently, I love reading anything by Lisa Wingate, a woman for whom I have the deepest respect.
What are you working on now?
Whoo! Okay, right now the story is the continuing life of a character from “Courting the Mrs.” Trey is a teenager when we first meet him in Book I, but as he matures and begins his career in Book III, he must now come to a recognition and an acceptance of the abuse he endured as a child. People are incapable of healthy relationships until they learn to deal with the past, and Trey is no exception.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method is prayer, and I mean that seriously. There are many women and men who pray for me faithfully, and who hold me and my characters accountable to God’s word.
Secondly, I have a wonderful friend who is my expert in all things about publishing independently.
Last of all, I try to remain open to the possibilities around me. Sometimes I need to go out of my comfort zone, but that’s okay. I find great joy in discovery.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing demands discipline and love. Write what you know, what you are passionate about, and what satisfies a place deep inside. Then be ready to take it all apart and write it again, and again, and again until it’s right.
Another thing I do is read aloud to myself as I write. That way I can hear the words and the cadence of the voices as I try to pin my characters to a page so that the reader can hear them, too. Hopefully, the reader will love them like I do.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Someone said once that if we love what we do, we won’t ever have to work a day in our life. For twenty- one years I taught high school, and I have to say that I didn’t work very many of those days. The same is true of writing. I love telling stories about life and the Lord. So when I’m writing, I’m not really working.
What are you reading now?
I just finished “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr and loved it. What a gentle, incredible tale of a dark period of history that is spun out of the brightness of a soul that refuses to hide in the darkness.
And then I will return to my old favorite, Lisa Wingate’s “Texas Cooking.”
What’s next for you as a writer?
With seven grandchildren, there’s no telling! I wake up every morning asking the Lord to direct my day, and so every day is a brand new adventure.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
My Bible and the thickest blank notebooks I could find!
Author Websites and Profiles
Karen Marstaller Website
Karen Marstaller Amazon Profile
Karen Marstaller’s Social Media Links
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