This is one of the questions in my Between the Lines feature that I do on here on the first Friday of every month and today I will be introducing you to Karen King. I’m guessing we must be of a similar age as her answer to this question was that it used to be Bacardi and Coke which was my favourite back in my teens when I used to drink spirits – I’m more of a wine girl now. We have other similarities too including liking Paul McCartney (also in Between the Lines later in this blog) and Karen now resides in Spain where I used to own a house a few years back. No more spoilers, if you want to find out more about Karen and her latest book, The Perfect Stepmother, read on.
But before that, what have I been up to this week? Well, despite the miserable weather I’ve been out in my garden – painting the shed (more on my QVC blog today), planting runner beans and filling a new Veg Trug with compost.
We bought a few plants to put in it, but I haven’t planted them out yet as I’m not sure if they are suitable for growing in a trug: kale, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, mint, flat leaf parsley and Romaine lettuce. Any advice from knowledgeable gardeners would be gratefully received in the comments section below.
While on the subject of painting, we’ve been trying to decide on a paint colour for the two side walls of our family room. It’s currently a very pale grey with a white vaulted ceiling, but we are going to be moving the pale grey sofas from our lounge in there to replace my son’s sofa which he has obviously taken to his new home. I’m looking for quite a dark colour as the room is really light with glass at one end and four Velux rooflight windows – apologies for the mess, my son still has quite a few things to take. I quite fancy a midnight blue with a hint of purple… again, any suggestions would be most welcome in the comment section below.
Last week I mentioned that my latest book, The Woman on the Beach was going to be available to NetGalley readers to request from this week. There have been plenty of likes for the cover, but it’s usually an anxious few days wait before the first review comes through. I’m delighted to say that wasn’t the case this time; the first review was up within forty-eight hours, and it was five stars… phew! I know that it’s only one opinion and there are sure to be others who are not so keen, but that first review really matters to an author, at least it does to me.
Speaking of reviews, this month’s guest on Between the Lines is Karen King and her new book, The Perfect Stepmother has already had over a hundred reviews since publication on June 17th. Read on for more about both the book and the author.
On the first Friday of every month, I’ll be introducing you to fellow authors in Between the Lines.
Q & A session with Karen King
Posted on July 2nd 2021
1. What was your first job after leaving full-time education?
I worked for a few weeks in a chemist until I received my O’ level results then I went to work in a large Insurance office.
2. Who was your first crush – real life or famous?
Elvis Presley, closely followed by Paul McCartney.
3. What was your first piece of creative writing outside of school/college/uni?
I had some poems and stories published in the children’s corner of the local newspaper when I was about ten. Later, when I was married with three children I had an article published in Jackie, titled ‘Beating the Dole Queue Blues’. That started my writing career as I wrote more articles and photo stories for them, and other teen magazines, then worked on several children’s comics.
4. Do you have a favourite tipple, alcoholic or otherwise?
It used to be Bacardi and Coke, but I’ve now got the taste for Pink Gin and tonic. 😊
5. Are you a cat or dog person?
Cat definitely. I love dogs, and have owned several over the years but cats are my favourite. They are so cute and you feel so privileged when they actually deign so sit on your lap and let you stroke them. I also love it that they’re independent and you don’t have to take them for a walk!
6. What is your favourite TV show or series from the past twelve months?
I’ve been a Coronation Street fan for decades. Great characters and storylines and I love the mix of humour and tough subjects.
7. Do you have a favourite holiday destination or special memorable holiday?
Too many to choose from. I got engaged to my second husband on Santorini nine years ago so that’s a favourite, we honeymooned in Mexico so that’s another, Venice just blew me away and the pyramids in Egypt are amazing. I can’t wait until it’s safe to go travelling again.
8. Do you like to read in the same genre as you write?
Yes, mainly. I currently write psychological thrillers and romances and read those genres the most but I also read autobiographies and historical fiction and non-fiction.
9. How do you deal with negative reviews?
Providing I have positive reviews to balance it I ignore them, you can’t expect everyone to like your book. If I was to have mainly negative reviews I would think carefully about whether I needed to change something with my writing, or write in a different genre.
10. Cast your mind back to when you were thirteen and complete the following sentence:
When I grow up I want to be… An air hostess. I’ve always wanted to travel and see as much of the world as possible and that seemed a good way to do it. Of course I now realise that you don’t get to see much outside the airport/hotel.
A big thank you to Karen King for being the fourth author to feature on Between the Lines. I think Karen and I must be a similar age as quite a few of my answers would be the same as hers if I was asked this set of questions… apart from Coronation Street! Not wishing to upset anyone, but I’ve never been a fan.
I wish Karen every success with her new novel, THE PERFECT STEPMOTHER.
Julia x
THE PERFECT STEPMOTHER
She seems too good to be true. And now she lives in your home…
Lily wants to be happy for her father when he tells her he’s getting married again. Even if it feels too soon after the death of Lily’s mother.
He’s madly in love with Maria. And he thinks she’s going to the perfect stepmother to Lily’s much-younger sister, Emma. And perhaps he’s right. Because no one seems to have a bad word to say about Maria.
It’s only Lily who can’t trust her. Who thinks no one is that perfect. Who notices no one had ever heard of Maria until exactly ten years before.
And then Emma goes missing…
A totally gripping and unmissable psychological suspense novel about dark family secrets, perfect for fans of Shalini Boland, Claire McGowan and Gone Girl.
Karen King says
Thanks so much for inviting me over, Julia. X
Jane Risdon says
A fab interview, Karen. Gosh, you did well answering the questions which seem easy enough, but get you thinking. I never stayed in Mexico, only ever tripped across the border when I lived in the USA, would love to have seen more. Santorini must be a fab place to visit too, my niece and her husband spent their honeymoon there and the photos were ace. Now you live in Spain. Not been there. I would love to see the buildings and villages. Step-parents. boy oh boy. I don’t have any but my husband’s mother married three times and his father twice so it got complicated, especially with siblings, half, full, and step. You are brave to tackle that topic. I think on the whole the step-parents (in-laws) I had to deal with were quite nice. All dead now. Good luck with your fab book and future writing. Julia, thanks for hosting the fab, Karen. Enjoyed this no end.