WRITE STAR
KARINA GIOERTZ
Author Bio:
Although Karina Gioertz has been writing for most of her life, it never quite registered with her as something out of the ordinary or worth pursuing, because it was so closely connected to who she was. It wasn’t until she became a stay at home mom and finally took the time to write an entire book from beginning to end, that she understood what all of those ideas she had been jotting down all those years were really for. Since then, she has written several books, including Country Girls, Lucky In Love and Blood Bound.
While writing and motherhood have become her main focus over the years, she also enjoys many other creative activities such as painting and photography. Most sunny days she can be found in her courtyard working feverishly at painting and refurbishing old furniture…that is, of course, only if it wasn’t a suitable day to spend at the beach. 😉
Karina resides in sunny Florida with her family and two dogs.
A little Q & A with WRITE STAR Karina:
1. What was your favorite chapter to write and why?
Hm…that’s a tough one…well, chapter 16 – The Art Of Possibilities was fun (see excerpt below)! That was when I first heard about whistling pots and nuntius parchment, both of which are pretty cool.
2. What old/new author has garnered your attention the most?
Most recently, Judy Schachner has been fun to read. Now, keep in mind, most of the reading I do these days is with my 5 year old, but you can’t find better bedtime entertainment than Skippyjon Jones. I mean, really, a Siamese cat that thinks it’s a Chihuahua?! That’s nothing if not brilliant!
3. Which author do you feel your stories are most like?
Honestly, I haven’t a clue. Some reviewers have compared my writing to Fanny Flagg and Kristan Higgins…but they were two completely different books.
4. Did you learn anything from writing your book(s) and what was it?
Are we talking ‘personal growth’ learning or ‘I was researching the layout of a prison cell’ learning? ‘Cause I’ve learned plenty either way
5. What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine?
It seems to be evolving lately. When I first started, I had several steps I followed, starting with notes before moving on to writing out the story in primarily dialogue and then going in and really fleshing out the story. Recently I’ve figured out that I’m ready to skip step number two and go straight from notes into writing the book.
6. Tell me about your muse? Life is my muse.
She’s an endless source of entertainment, ranging from drama to comedy and sometimes both at the same time. She never lets me down…although she often gives me more material than I have time to write about…
7. What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The hardest part was telling that negative voice of self-doubt to shut up and go away. It creeps up from time to time, mostly when I’m pushing myself to write things that might be a little out of my comfort zone.
8. Do you have any advice for other writers?
Keep on top of that negative voice. Don’t let it get too loud or you might start to listen to it and that would be a shame. There’s quote, “Be courageous and try to write in a way that scares you a little.” -Holley Gerth I think it’s probably the best advice any writer could follow.
9. Are there certain characters you would like to work with again, or a theme/idea you’d love to work with?
I definitely think I’ll be working with the Wilson Girls again…and the McCarthy boys have been hounding me to make a comeback as well…but right now I’m going for round number two with Lucky and the guys and, of course, everyone from The Final Descendants will be back again for book 2 of the series.
10. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
I think it’s really hard when a reader totally misses the mark on what you were trying to say with your writing. Obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but sometimes I read a review and I think – what book were you reading?? It doesn’t even have to be a bad review for that to happen, but it makes me wonder if I’m not articulating things as clearly as I would like. But then, when someone says that they completely related to my characters, that’s the best! When I’ve succeeded in making my fictional characters so real that people can connect with them and come to care about them, that’s pretty awesome!
To keep up-to-date on this WRITE STAR and read more of her work, please follow KARINA GIOERTZ on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/friedgatortail
Website: www.friedgatortail.wix.com/karinagioertz
Twitter: www.twitter.com/friedgatortail
Blog: www.friedgatortail.wordpress.com
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5768892.Karina_Gioertz
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Check back tomorrow as the FABULOUS BLOG HOP stops here again with another WRITE STAR to be premiered…. Author RACHEL RUEBEN
S. A. Hussey 