Guest Author: Fiction Author Karen White

[Dorothy Thompson]

Author Day presents Karen White, author of the fiction novel, THE MEMORY OF WATER, on Monday, June 2, 2008. Leave your questions for Karen in the comment section below and she will be here to answer them! Karen will be giving away one copy of her book at the end of the night to one lucky person, so come back to find out if you won!
About the Author:

After playing hooky from school one day in the seventh grade to read

Gone With the Wind, Karen White knew she wanted to be a writer—or become Scarlett O'Hara. In spite of these aspirations, she grew up to pursue a degree in business and graduated cum laude with a BS in Management from Tulane University.
"I have always been a voracious reader and was encouraged by my teachers to write ever since elementary school," she says. "Writing a book was always in the back of my mind, but definitely something I'd "do later when I have time.

One day in 1996 when my children were just babies, I decided it was time and started writing my first book. When I had a few chapters written, I sent it in to a writer's contest and by some miracle it won. The finalist judge was a New York literary agent and she offered to represent me. That first book, In the Shadow of the Moon, was sold and then published in 2000. It was a double finalist in Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA award.

I have since published seven award-winning novels, and three more books are scheduled: The Memory of Water (March 2008), The House on Tradd Street (November 2008) and a third as yet untitled book set in Savannah, Georgia will be out in May 2009.

While growing up, I lived in London, England and am a graduate of the American School in London. I currently live in sunny Georgia with my husband and two children. When not writing, I spend my time reading, singing, scrapbooking, carpooling children and avoiding cooking."

You can visit Karen's website at www.karen-white.com.

About the Book:

On the night their mother drowns trying to ride out a storm in a sailboat, sisters Marnie and Diana Maitland discover there is more than one kind of death. There is the death of innocence, of love, and of hope. Each sister harbors a secret about what really happened that night—secrets that will erode their lives as they grow into adulthood.

After ten years of silence between the sisters, Marnie is called back to the South Carolina Lowcountry by Diana’s ex-husband, Quinn. His son has returned from a sailing trip with his emotionally unstable mother, and he is deeply disturbed and refusing to speak. In order to help the traumatized boy, Marnie must reopen old wounds and bring the darkest memories of their past to the surface. While resisting her growing attraction to Quinn, she must also confront Diana, before they all go under…

[JM]

Hiya!

I'm wondering - with your background in reading a lot of books, do you think it's necessary for writers to read a lot?

And I just want to say that this sounds like an excellent book!

[Karen White]

Hi, JM--

Absolutely! I don't think it's possible to be a writer without being an avid reader. I certainly don't even know any writers who are voracious readers! To me, it would be like a surgeon who's afraid of blood.

Seriously, the best 'learning' I've done in regards to how to write a book, is by reading really great books. They taught me the 'beats' required to build a plot and how to build in great characterization and setting without jerking a reader out of the story.

Even now, I find that before I can sit down to write, I have to read a little bit to get the juices flowing.

[Dorothy Thompson]

Welcome to the forum, Karen! I love your title...how did you come up with it, what does it signify and how important do you feel titles are in terms of book sales?

[Karen White]

Hi, Dorothy--

It's funny you should mention the importance of titles--since at the moment I'm going round and round with my publisher about the title for the book I'm currently working on!

Titles, like the book cover, are hugely important. It's the first thing a reader sees and it can either make a bookstore browser pick it up or leave it on the shelf. I mean, would you pick up a shampoo bottle that was unnatractive or had a ridiculous name? The shampoo might be fabulous, but the chances of you actually picking it up and putting it in your shopping cart are slim to none.

The best titles are thought-provoking while at the same time being true to the book's plot and lending itself to something concrete the cover art department can latch on to.

The Memory of Water title came from a line in the book that when I wrote it, I knew I had the title. The main character, once an avid sailor but who had deliberately kept herself away from the ocean since her mother's drowning death in a sailing accident, touches the hull of a boat being repaired and to her touching it was like 'the memory of water.' It was perfect!

I have to say that my best titles come about organically like that. A few, like the one I'm struggling with now, require a little more work!

[Dorothy Thompson]

Wow, great answer. I love it when titles are derived from a line out of the book...I've seen that done before. I think I do it backwards...a title comes to me out of the blue and I want to write a story around it. That has happened to me so many times and the kicker is, I don't have time to write the darn story!

[Dorothy Thompson]

Another question...why did you choose the south for the setting in your books?

[Karen White]

It's as simple as the old adage 'write what you know.' I'm from a long line of Southerners and have lived in Georgia now for the last sixteen years. It's what I love and what I know---which makes it a very easy step when choosing a location for my books.

[Dorothy Thompson]

Yep, that's a very good answer. I do this myself and I know a lot of authors who do it. Thanks, Karen!

[Dorothy Thompson]

Where did you get the idea for your book, Karen?

[Karen White]

A few years ago, I read an article written by two adult sisters who'd been raised by a bipolar mother. As young as 6 and 8 they were pretty much left to fend for themselves. It was as if this mental disease had caused the mother to abdicate all of her parental responsibilities.

As a mother of two myself, the story haunted me and touched me emotionally--a great starting point when deciding on what to write about.

[Karen Harrington]

Hi Karen,

Wow, does this starting point strike a cord with themes I've written about. I'm intrigued!

I'm always curious about how authors frame their novels as I find this one of the most important choices when starting a work. You mention that there was 10 years of silence between the sisters following the tragedy. Is the story told in flashback or do you begin the story ten years after the event? How did you go about choosing how you would structure the story?

And like everyone else, I ADORE the cover. I find I am always attracted to light blue covers. I don't know why, but there's something about that color pallete that sets a mysterious tone for a story.

Thanks,

Karen H.

[Karen White]

Hi, Karen!

As I sit here to answer, I'm actually eating my tomato sandwich. Really! Maybe I need to get out more... Nah!

In answer to your question, the story is not told in flashback. The actual accident that happens ten years previously is worked little by little into the story. The book is actually told in 1st person narrative--but with 4 different points of view: the two sisters, the ex-husband of the oldest sister, and the 9-year-old mute story. They don't rehash the same part of the story, but further the story along in their own point of view. This was a new thing for me but I think it worked out really well. Readers have seemed to like it as well.

And, yes, the cover really is beautiful. I think you're not alone in like the light blue color pallete. The only cover color that I think can truly tank a book is dark green. One of my covers is lovely but predominantly dark green. I can be at a signing with all of my books displayed I'll sell out of everything except that one--people won't even pick it up to flip it over to see what it's about!

Kinda scary, isn't it, the power a cover has. And, unfortunately, the cover is the thing we have the least control over!