Today we chat with Karen Lynch, author of the book Relentless. Read on for more about this author's technique for writing, favorite books as a child and so much more.
Sara Grey’s world shattered ten years ago when her father was brutally murdered. Now at seventeen, she is still haunted by memories of that day, and driven by the need to understand why it happened. She lives a life full of secrets, and her family and friends have no idea of the supernatural world she is immersed in or of Sara’s very powerful gift.
In her quest for answers about her father’s death, Sara takes risks that expose her and her friends to danger, and puts herself into the sights of a sadistic vampire. On the same fateful night she meets Nikolas, a warrior who turns Sara’s world upside down, and who is determined to protect her even if it’s the last thing she wants.
Sara’s life starts to spin out of control as she is hunted by an obsessed vampire, learns that her friends have secrets of their own, and reels from the truth about her own ancestry. Sara has always been fiercely independent, but in order to survive now she must open herself to others, to reveal her deepest secrets. And she must learn to trust the one person capable of breaking down the walls around her.
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Karen Lynch; 1 edition (January 3, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615942423
ISBN-13: 978-0615942421
Relentless is available for order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, SmashWords, Audible, and IndieBound.
--- Interview with Nicole Pyles
WOW: Thank you so much for being with us and our readers today and congrats on the success of your series Relentless. I understand you are working with Stephanie Hansen and Metamorphosis Literary Agency – how did you end up choosing this particular agent and agency? What has been a highlight of this partnership thus far?
Karen: I met Stephanie through Rick Miles, the owner of Red Coat PR. I’m a client of Rick’s and during one of our conversations, I mentioned I’d like to find an agent and had no idea where to start. I had talked to agents from some of the bigger literary agencies, but I didn’t really click with them. Rick told me about Stephanie and introduced us. She and I talked and hit it off immediately. I love working with Stephanie because she’s knowledgeable, and you can tell she’s passionate about the industry.
WOW: That’s awesome you hit it off so well! You mentioned on your website that some of the other characters in the series will be getting their own book. What is your method for writing from the perspective of these other characters?
Karen: I don’t there I have a different method for writing their POV. For me to write any character, I need to be able to hear them in my head. That might sound a bit weird, but if I can hear their dialogue and relate to them, I can write them. And not every character can be a main character. Some have interesting quirks that might make readers want to know more about them, but that doesn’t mean they have a whole story in them.
WOW: As a writer, I can understand what you mean about hearing characters! You also mentioned that your idea for Relentless came from a dream. How often do dreams inspire your writing?
Karen: Not often. I’ve written down several story ideas based on dreams, but so far, Relentless is the only one to make the cut.
WOW: That must have been one incredible dream! And I loved reading how much you read as a child! I think we would have been friends growing up. What kind of books did you read as a kid?
Karen: Now there is a question. I read everything I could get my hands on. Some of my favorites were the Little House series, Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Bobsy Twins, stuff like that. My favorite book was To Nowhere and Back by Margaret Anderson. That’s the one that inspired me to write.
WOW: I looked that book up and that sounds like something I would have liked as a kid – and likely even now! So, you mentioned in your interview with Ind’Tale magazine that when your boss asked you to stop working so much overtime, you finally decided to write “that” book. What was your writing method at that time and what worked best for you?
Karen: I started out just writing whenever I felt like it, but I soon realized I needed more structure if I was going to be serious about it. I blocked off two hours every week night as writing time, and I tried to get in six to eight hours on Saturdays and Sundays. I also refused to allow myself to edit what I’d written, another bad habit that had kept me from finishing books before. Once I got into a routine and changed some of my mindset, I became a lot more productive and finished the first book.
WOW: I love the structure and schedule you set for yourself. It obviously paid off! You are such a fantastic example of a successful self-published author! What made you decide to self-publish?
Karen: Thanks! I’d always thought traditional publishing was the way to go, up until I finished the first draft of Relentless. I started looking at my options while I was doing the second draft, and what I read was pretty discouraging. My series is young adult paranormal romance and a lot of writing sites I went to said publishers weren’t looking for that as much after the Twilight thing died down. Then I attended a self-publishing webinar where Hugh Howey and Sarra Cannon where the guest speakers. After listening to them talk about their success, I decided I wanted to try self-publishing. The rest is history.
In her quest for answers about her father’s death, Sara takes risks that expose her and her friends to danger, and puts herself into the sights of a sadistic vampire. On the same fateful night she meets Nikolas, a warrior who turns Sara’s world upside down, and who is determined to protect her even if it’s the last thing she wants.
Sara’s life starts to spin out of control as she is hunted by an obsessed vampire, learns that her friends have secrets of their own, and reels from the truth about her own ancestry. Sara has always been fiercely independent, but in order to survive now she must open herself to others, to reveal her deepest secrets. And she must learn to trust the one person capable of breaking down the walls around her.
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Karen Lynch; 1 edition (January 3, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615942423
ISBN-13: 978-0615942421
Relentless is available for order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, SmashWords, Audible, and IndieBound.
--- Interview with Nicole Pyles
WOW: Thank you so much for being with us and our readers today and congrats on the success of your series Relentless. I understand you are working with Stephanie Hansen and Metamorphosis Literary Agency – how did you end up choosing this particular agent and agency? What has been a highlight of this partnership thus far?
Karen: I met Stephanie through Rick Miles, the owner of Red Coat PR. I’m a client of Rick’s and during one of our conversations, I mentioned I’d like to find an agent and had no idea where to start. I had talked to agents from some of the bigger literary agencies, but I didn’t really click with them. Rick told me about Stephanie and introduced us. She and I talked and hit it off immediately. I love working with Stephanie because she’s knowledgeable, and you can tell she’s passionate about the industry.
WOW: That’s awesome you hit it off so well! You mentioned on your website that some of the other characters in the series will be getting their own book. What is your method for writing from the perspective of these other characters?
Karen: I don’t there I have a different method for writing their POV. For me to write any character, I need to be able to hear them in my head. That might sound a bit weird, but if I can hear their dialogue and relate to them, I can write them. And not every character can be a main character. Some have interesting quirks that might make readers want to know more about them, but that doesn’t mean they have a whole story in them.
WOW: As a writer, I can understand what you mean about hearing characters! You also mentioned that your idea for Relentless came from a dream. How often do dreams inspire your writing?
Karen: Not often. I’ve written down several story ideas based on dreams, but so far, Relentless is the only one to make the cut.
WOW: That must have been one incredible dream! And I loved reading how much you read as a child! I think we would have been friends growing up. What kind of books did you read as a kid?
Karen: Now there is a question. I read everything I could get my hands on. Some of my favorites were the Little House series, Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Bobsy Twins, stuff like that. My favorite book was To Nowhere and Back by Margaret Anderson. That’s the one that inspired me to write.
WOW: I looked that book up and that sounds like something I would have liked as a kid – and likely even now! So, you mentioned in your interview with Ind’Tale magazine that when your boss asked you to stop working so much overtime, you finally decided to write “that” book. What was your writing method at that time and what worked best for you?
Karen: I started out just writing whenever I felt like it, but I soon realized I needed more structure if I was going to be serious about it. I blocked off two hours every week night as writing time, and I tried to get in six to eight hours on Saturdays and Sundays. I also refused to allow myself to edit what I’d written, another bad habit that had kept me from finishing books before. Once I got into a routine and changed some of my mindset, I became a lot more productive and finished the first book.
WOW: I love the structure and schedule you set for yourself. It obviously paid off! You are such a fantastic example of a successful self-published author! What made you decide to self-publish?
Karen: Thanks! I’d always thought traditional publishing was the way to go, up until I finished the first draft of Relentless. I started looking at my options while I was doing the second draft, and what I read was pretty discouraging. My series is young adult paranormal romance and a lot of writing sites I went to said publishers weren’t looking for that as much after the Twilight thing died down. Then I attended a self-publishing webinar where Hugh Howey and Sarra Cannon where the guest speakers. After listening to them talk about their success, I decided I wanted to try self-publishing. The rest is history.
WOW: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us today! Best of luck on your series and we hope to hear more from you soon.
More About Karen Lynch:
When she is not at her job as a computer programmer, Karen Lynch can be found writing, reading and baking. A native of Newfoundland, Canada, she currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her cats and two crazy loveable German Shepherds: Rudy and Sophie.
Find Karen online:
When she is not at her job as a computer programmer, Karen Lynch can be found writing, reading and baking. A native of Newfoundland, Canada, she currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her cats and two crazy loveable German Shepherds: Rudy and Sophie.
Find Karen online:
Website: http://www.karenlynchnl.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenlynchNL
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenLynch.Author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenlynchnl/
-- About Nicole Pyles
Nicole is a writer, blogger, and bookworm living in Portland, Oregon. She loves writing stories about people in unusual circumstances and hopes one day WOW! Women on Writing will be interviewing her about a book she wrote.
Visit her blog, World of My Imagination, http://theworldofmyimagination.blogspot.com, for book reviews, writing prompts, and anything else in between.
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