Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I’m a hopeless romantic who is living her happily ever after. I’m working on Book Number 12, the third in my Epitaph series. I like to travel and am inspired by the world around me – the people, the places, snippets of overheard conversation, observations. I work a demanding day job, but am happy to retreat to the world of my imagination – my night job writing books.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest release is Epitaph, and it was inspired by a walk in the cemetery. I was looking for names for characters in the book I was working on and thought headstones might be the way to go. I found so much more! The historical society did a cemetery walk and I learned a lot about cemeteries, from symbolism to epitaphs to types of stone. I kept imagining a woman walking through the park, more at home in the graveyard than anywhere else…
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not unusual, no. I tend to write in fits and spurts, words exploding onto the page in a fairly messy fashion to be cleaned up later. It might not be the most efficient way to write, but once I get the story down, it’s much easier for me to see what’s wrong with it and clean it up later.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I grew up reading Victoria Holt and Stephen King. Loved gothic romances and loved the scary ghosty stories.
What are you working on now?
The second in the Epitaph series is due out April 4, 2017. I wrote it while I was laid up after surgery, and used some of my experiences for my hero (can I just say Jared is one of my favorite heroes?). During my recovery, I walked past a conjoined tree and found a home for the ghosts in that book! I’m working on the third in the series now, another ghost story with a man in a mirror.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Wow. There are a bunch. I find newsletters to be the best place to promote my books, like BookBub (I’ve never been invited to advertise with them), E-reader news today, Bargain/freebooksey.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep going. Get that first draft down, even if it sucks. You can always make it better later.
What are you reading now?
I just finished reading one of Linda O’Connor’s “Perfectly” books, and plan to read more. Love her wit.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue with the Epitaph series and more ghosts, but I may detour back to the Northwest Suburbs series. I like the small town feel. Northwest Suburbs is a group of friends with dysfunctional family lives who band together.
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?
Outlander
On the Night of the Seventh Moon (or most Victoria Holt books)
Jill Shalvis
Author Websites and Profiles
Karla Brandenburg Website
Karla Brandenburg Amazon Profile
Karla Brandenburg Author Profile on Smashwords
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