Author Spotlight: Karen Carlisle

Karen J Carlisle is an imagineer and writer of steampunk,

Victorian mysteries and fantasy.


She was short-listed in Australian Literature Review’s 2013 Murder/Mystery Short Story Competition and published her first novella, Doctor Jack & Other Tales, in 2015. Her short story, Hunted, featured in the Adelaide Fringe exhibition, ‘A Trail of Tales’.

Karen lives in Adelaide with her family and the ghost of her ancient Devon Rex cat.

She’s always loved dark chocolate and rarely refuses a cup of tea.

Welcome Karen once again to Killing Time Blog. This is your second visit here and I was so happy to have you back again.

How long have you been writing, and how did you become involved in writing?
I used to write Doctor Who stories as a child. I wanted to be part of the adventure.

I won a school poetry prize when I was nine, wrote some angsty teen poetry in the 70s and my first SF/comedy novel in grade 12 (on a typewriter with carbon paper) - because I didn’t like the ending of some of the books I read.

I wrote again in the mid 90s (mainly D&D articles for an Australian roleplaying magazine). I started again in 2012 - as therapy following workplace anxiety (and now diagnosed as PTSD). Finally I had returned to my bliss (except I don’t call it that when elbow-deep in rewrites with a deadline looming).

What are you working on at the moment?

‘Aunt Enid: Protector Extraordinaire’ is the first of ‘The Aunt Enid Mysteries’, set in modern Adelaide. The rest is… spoilers.

Did you have any goals with writing, and if so, how well do you feel you’ve achieved them?
Keep writing. I can’t go back to my old career. It’s not good for my health. I need to get all these stories out of my head and share them with others.

I’m still working on it.

What do you hope to achieve in the future?
I’m trying to find the balance between my health and writing. That is my current goal - and see if I can pull off two books a year…

How long does it take you to write a book?
Up to a year currently. Aunt Enid will end up about the six month mark.

What are the hardest parts of being an author for you?
Staring at a blank page and the fear of failing.

What do you enjoy most about being an author?
I love using words. I love creating worlds (I’ve been doing world building since DMing Dungeons and Dragons, back in the 70s.) I also love making book trailers (I also wanted to be a director or cinematographer when I was a kid).

Do you have a spot where you like to write?
I have several spots I like to write. I often sit at my ‘sewing table’ in the front sun room, with a view of the garden. I have a standing desk (for back health). Sometimes I pop to the local library, or write in the back garden, or even in the car at school pick up.

Besides writing, what do you love doing?
Photography, video work, playing D&D with friends, drawing, costuming, steampunk, and much more.

What books or authors have had the most influence on you as an author?
Agatha Christie, JRR Tolkein, Arthur Conan Doyle, HG Wells, Gail Carriger, Jim Butcher… shall I go on?

What did you find most useful when you were learning to write and expanding your skills?
I’ve done some local WEA courses on writing. We’re fortunate to have a good local teacher who has worked with publishing houses as an editor, is a writer and a professional teacher.

Jim Butcher and other authors also several talks on youTube, from various conventions he has spoken at.

I also find it valuable being a member of a critiquing writing group, with some lovely (and honest) people.

What are your thoughts about ebooks vs. print books?
Personally, I prefer print. They don’t need power, they are more comfortable for me to hold. I love the smell, the covers, and I find I can concentrate on the story more. I do own some myself.
I have a love/hate/hate relationship with technology. I use it because I have to. It’s great when it works, but…

However, many people love eBooks. I always publish my books in both print and digital formats so people can choose their own preference.

What are your thoughts about self-publishing vs traditional publishing?
I self publish because I can control the end product. I love doing the cover art (I also wanted to be an artist when I left school… and an astronaut… and…) and making booktrailers. I get to do all things! I can also control deadlines, which is important to me; it helps with my anxiety. I don’t have to work to someone else’s deadline. At the moment this is a mental health priority.

I hope to do the ‘hybrid’ publishing thing one day. It would be nice to have someone do some of the marketing and organising for me on occasion.

How often do you write, and how do you find or make time to write?
I had an unscheduled paid work cessation. I had planned to write part-time for at least five years and then transition to full-time writing. Well, that didn’t happen!

So, I now write full-time and am still trying to find a balance. Too many stories. Not enough time.
I try to write almost every day. Currently I take some ‘off days’ then write like mad for weeks on end, up to sixteen plus hours for five to seven days (especially when I have a deadline). Then, I crash and burn for a few weeks. One day I’ll actually do the ‘write five days and have a weekend off’ thing.
I actually work longer hours now than when I was in a paid job.

Do you plan your whole book out in advance, or just let it flow? What does your writing process look like? I used to be a full-on pantser! But I needed more stability. I’m now a plotter-pantser.

An idea will strike (often sparked by a picture, a song, a title, something someone said…) and I’ll scribble down bits. If I think there’s a longer story there, I assign it a box (literally) and put any related inspirations or writing in that box. I may have an instant idea of the main story points and ending or they may wheedle their way into my brain, or the story box, over time. Eventually I have the bones of a story.

I tried planning out every scene once. I stressed out, feeling I couldn’t deviate. I’ve modified the process now. I write specific points on sticky notes, pop them on the cupboard door in the sun room.

I dive into research until the settings, time or character headspace oozes from my pores, then I let it all sink in for a while. (this can take a week or a month. My fantasy work-in-progress has been in the ‘pop it in in the box and let it cogitate’ step for years now. )

I then work on the scenes or chapters related to each note. This gives me the flexibility to move them around (or scrap them) as the story changes and evolves. The most important thing is to know the ending, and ask ‘what would the character do?’/ ‘what are they thinking?’

I also use sticky notes along the way, if I remember an important point three chapters later, or something lurking in the back of my mind pops into the story. If I need to put a ‘gun in the room’, so to speak, then a sticky note goes into the earlier manuscript to remind me in final rewrites.

Every few chapters I do new ‘story line notes’ and more things get added to the bones for the final story (like a snowflake growing).

There’s a family joke: when I’m staring out the window, they say ‘leave mum alone, she’s writing’, which is absolutely true. Stories often mull in my head on the ‘procrastinating’ or ‘time off days’. My brain is always sifting through different story permeations and ‘what ifs’.

What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write?
Wake up. (do my PTSD therapy if I’m able, ten minutes on the stepper for endorphins). Cup of tea (perhaps some chocolate if I’ve had a bad night). I try to start writing or research at 9.30 to 10.00 am. I’m supposed to break for lunch, but often I get distracted until school pick up. I take a break, catch up on my favourite TV show (I’ve just finished re-watching all the Miss Marple in order) or watch a movie (so 60-90 minutes break) and then try to finish up the writing. If I’m having a bad health day, this goes out the window. I usually get a second wind about 11.00 pm and sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to scribble in the notebook by the bed.

In reality, I aim for minimum of four hours writing a day.

Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it?
My writers’ block is more procrastination, usually at the start of a new story or chapter. The blank page is my bane. I often know what I want to write but the fear sets in…

I switch to either a different story or something artistic and concentrate on cover or poster design or scripting the next book trailer and working out stills and shots I will need. (at least it’s constructive procrastination) On bad days, I just chill, let my brain recover and catch up on reading or movies. I even have a divers’ notebook in the shower. Relaxing seems to jog things.

Do you read your own reviews? If so, how do you deal with bad reviews?
Unless someone emails me a review, I stumble over reviews. The worst review I had was someone emailed me about: I didn’t think it was that bad. The (male) reviewer just didn’t seem to understand the motivation of a (female) character and mansplained how she should have reacted in the situation in question and obviously hadn’t followed the character arc to its conclusion. Oh, well.

The way I look at it is, no one can please everyone. I’m just happy to get comparisons to Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes (mentioned a few times) in independent reviews… (and not get trolled). That makes up for most things.

Other than reviews, do you hear from your readers? What kinds of things do they say? I get readers contacting me on FB, twitter and chatting to me at conventions. I get fans emailing me to ask what costumes a character would wear so they can cosplay them (squee!) or ‘when’s the next book coming out?’ and (best of all) dragging their friends (literally) up to my table and saying ‘you have to buy this book!’ (Waves at Tilly- my first con fan!)

What are some ways in which you promote your books? What have you found most or least effective? I do interviews (like this one), guest blog posts, book trailers (on my youtube channel) and webpage. I’ve done talks for local heritage groups, SF and book groups and would love to do talks for schools. I do local steampunk and pop culture conventions. I also have a live chat, via Patreon, and a monthly newsletter for those who want to know more.

I find the most effective is talking and engaging with readers.

Least effective? Facebook ads. I tried it. I get more regular organic reach than when I paid for it.

How easy or hard do you think it is it to make a living as an author? Did you know the average author’s wage in Australia is only $12,500? And yet people still want free stuff.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be an author? 1. Keep your day job
2. You need to actually write stuff.
3. Beware vanity presses.
4. Never stop learning.
5. Write what you love because you’re going to be in this for the looooong haul.

Tell us a random fact about yourself My father was part native Canadian.
I’ve been a Doctor Who fan since I was 4 (1969) You do the maths. J

Thank you for dropping by Karen, this has been an amazing insight into your writing and your practices. How and where can readers find out more about you and your amazing stories:

• Website: www.karenjcarlisle.com 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenJCarlisle/ 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kjcarlisle 
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/KarenJCarlisle 
• Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/KarenJCarlisle

Author Interview: Steve Dillon, Author, Artist, Editor, Publisher, Publicist and Philanthropist

Hey fellow readers and writers. This week I am interviewing Steve Dillon: author, artist, editor, designer, publicist, publisher and philanthropist

Steve Dillon is one of over 30 artists and writers involved in the creation of the fantastic collaboration The Refuge Collection. The book can be described as a series of tales about a place called Refuge. "Heaven to Some, Hell to Others". It's a place where the thin veil of death is often torn asunder, where Egyptian gods roam freely alongside Lovecraft's mythos deities. There are tales of terror, suicide and murder, perverted priests, corrupt politicians. All in the name of charity, with stories from Ramsey Campbell, Kaaron Warren, Paul Kane, Lee Murray, Tracie McBride, Mark Allan Gunnells and many more! So far, 32 interwoven stories have been published online, and the last few tales are in progress. Book 1 is out now, (Heaven to Some...) and this contains the first 18 stories by 12 authors), and the remaining 18 will be included in book 2 (Hell to Others!)

Steve not only wrote 15 stories for Refuge, but also contributed artwork and cover design work. He was also the series editor.  All of that equals a pretty big job in my eyes. 

Well done Steve and thanks for coming today to talk to me about your contributions to The Refuge Collection. 

Can you tell us a bit about you as an author? 
Writing fiction has always been a hobby, but as our kids have grown older, I’ve found more and more time to develop the hobby. Writing is now a passion; a compulsion and is rapidly in danger of becoming an obsession.

What are the hardest part of being an author?
Finding the time to get the ideas down before the next idea hits me. That, and the dreams… When I’m immersed in any project, whether that’s painting or writing, sleep becomes more like walking I’m just walking in a different world. Since I started work in The Refuge Collection, each night is like a visit to Refuge. I dream its streets into being, meet up with and converse with its people, study about their personalities and wonder what adventures will befall them next. I seldom sleep more than a couple of hours before waking, and if the ideas are buzzing about me—the hornets, I call these—then getting back to sleep is very difficult. Sometimes I have to switch on the laptop and start writing. Is that bad?

What do you enjoy most about being an author? 
Above all, the ability to construct an alternate reality, to play out my dreams, to test my theories, explore the interactions between ideas and personalities. Of course, this can be done while I’m painting, but writing provides—for me at least—a much faster means of transport to get there.

What authors/books have had an influence on your writing? 
I’m hesitant to offer a long list of writers, but of course everything we read influences us. The first library book I recall reading was a Doctor Who story. It was way above my age, but I was enthralled and subsequently labelled a ‘bookworm’ by my family. After filling my world with Spiderman, Doctor Strange, The Avengers and all those early British Marvel comics, I moved on to read more Science Fiction—I was equally attracted to the artwork and I collected Sci-Fi posters and artwork. I turned to fantasy after a while— everything by Tolkien, Terry Brooks’s Magic Kingdom and Shannara Chronicles (I hated the TV series) and of course Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea. I’ve Lol’d at most of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books and peripherals. My main inspiration for the darker side of fiction comes from Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell (who has a story in The Refuge Collection), HP Lovecraft, MR James, Brian Lumley and many more. Since coming to Australia, I’ve discovered a much broader wellspring among my colleagues and friends, as well as my co-writers at The Refuge Collection. Lee Murray’s ‘Into The Mist’ leaps out at me as one of the best novellas I’ve read recently, but I mostly read short stories now. I also listen to audiobooks on my daily commute, and have recently discovered Ian Tregillis’s ‘Something More than Night’ which in my opinion is a modern archetype. When I was young, I read the Bible studiously (especially Revelations), as well as Shakespeare (I memorised most of Macbeth and large sections of Hamlet and Richard III.)

Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you believe there is such a thing? 
I believe in it, because people often refer to it. I have tried to write three novels, one of which got to 60,000 words before I put it down and accepted the fact that it was something I’d never finish. That’s not a block, in my opinion, even though it may be a dead end. There’s plenty more to write about, after all. Ideas come to me all day every day and I find I have to block them out, so I don’t believe I’ll ever suffer from lack of ideas. Personally, I find writing to be more of a sludge at times, when I have to pause the ideas factory in my head to write stuff down—the details if you like—when I really just want to crack on with the story.

Do you have a particular place that you like to write? 
At my day job, if I can get away with it—that’s where I’m writing at the moment. Usually when I’m waiting for some information before I can proceed with something. I write in bed sometimes, or on the commuter train—with earplugs in—and that’s where I wrote the first draft of ‘The Shiraz Train.’ I also have a dedicated space where I work at my day job as well as write, and I travel a lot and stay in hotels, so I do a lot of reading and writing at restaurants or in my hotel room. In general, I prefer solitude and quiet, so I always carry earplugs with me.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
During working hours is preferred, but not always practical as my day job gets in the way. Other than that, not really.

How do you like to reach your readers? (Social media? Book signings? Blogs etc.)
I use Facebook a lot, and Twitter tends to feed off that. We also have a fantastic web site built by Eric Gross, one of our contributing artists. I’d love to engage more in person at book shows and conventions, etc. but I’m fairly restricted in that respect because of my job, family commitments and geographical constraints.

Can you tell us about The Refuge Collection?

‘The Refuge Collection’ is a series of short, standalone, scary tales set in the shared, mysterious world of Refuge. 36 tales from Refuge have been imagined by about 30 writers and artists, but they also inter-leave and form a large organically-grown story-tree. It’s often in my own stories, and in my role as series editor, where we graft the other branches to the tree, or plant seeds that can grow into other tales, allowing the characters to blossom between stories.

All the proceeds are for charity to aid refugees, and we see this as a way for fictional horror stories to help people who are living real-life horror stories.

How long did it take to write the book?
“Book 1 of The Refuge Collection—subtitled ‘Heaven to Some’—saw print about 9 months after I kicked off the project, and Book 2—subtitled ‘Hell to Others’—will follow about 3 months later. A lot of that time is spent working with the other writers on how the plot will flow, and sequencing of the stories.

Do you have a favourite character/topic in the book?
Refuge is populated with an assortment of characters that are often revisited in different tales, sometimes by different writers. The town’s mayor is a devious, devilish sort, and along with father Millar, the corrupt parish priest, he’s probably the one most writers want to include in their own stories.

What was your process? Did you plot out the entire book, or just let the storyline flow? Do you write in chronological order?
I began by writing a few inter-related short stories in quick succession, to flesh out some of the key characters, places and events. Then the other writers developed the themes, contributed their storylines and ideas, and we worked together to make them all fit together. One of the stories, by Ramsey Campbell, is a reprint, and this needed to be adapted slightly to fit into Refuge. My most recent stories are inspired by the events and happenings that other writers have brought to Refuge through their stories. Although I had a beginning and an ending in mind, how those two elements came together have largely been affected by the other tales and the imagination of the other writers.

Do you have plans for further instalments?
Yes. Book 2 will be out later this year, and we’ve already begun writing for The Refuge Companion, which will include some additional stories, but also character summaries, plot overviews, and additional thoughts. Easter eggs and puzzles will be solved, and some of the symbolism in the books will be expounded upon.

Do you have a plan for your next book?
I don’t know that Refuge will ever let me go, and I’ve been asked by some of the writers to make this an annual project. Plus, we’ve already held discussions for a TV series, graphic novels, a role-playing game, etc. But I’m also trying to find time to write non-Refuge work for competitions and for escapism. The problem is, they always seem to draw me back to Refuge… I’m writing one about cats at the moment, and cats feature heavily in Refuge, so who knows?

Author, editor, artist, publicist, philanthropist... what do find to be the hardest "job"?
“Series editor, definitely. Being in control to some extent of the underlying plot – the shared world side of things, as well as the underlying empathy with the refugee situation – meant I sometimes had to explain why key characters couldn’t be killed off, or why a certain plot point wouldn’t work. In some cases, multiple review cycles were needed and eventually I ended up turning down stories after several revisions because we just couldn’t make it work. That was quite draining on my time and energy.

There are often people who try to detract from author's work. How do you deal with trolls/haters/detractors? 
“I see it all as personal opinion. I was never a Stephen King fan (now we’ll get the hate mail!), but I know he has sold one or two stories, so he must be good. If Stephen King was to write the way I’d like him to write, maybe it would be worse for that. Who knows? Having said that, some of his movies are great, and I loved ‘Needful Things.’

Why did you decide to help a charity with this book?
“I’ve always tried to help where I could. I generally avoid the news because I usually feel so helpless, but this one time I was visiting my Mum who lives in the UK. I turned on her TV and saw the real humane crisis that is the refugee situation, and I cried. I was already writing three or four stories, so I thought, Okay, these will be for charity. Then I hit on the idea of asking Ramsey Campbell if he’d be involved, and Kaaron Warren, and once I had their support, the rest came easy. There are a lot of people who want to help but don’t have any way to help out, and this kind of slotted into place: A book about fictional characters living in a place called Refuge, providing the readers an entertaining read, but still raising real-world refugee issues in a way that’s easy to absorb, and put in place by a bunch of people who love doing what they do – writing, artwork, etc.

Ebooks vs Physical books? Do you have a preference when reading?
I prefer hardback books to thumb through when I’m feeling self-indulgent. I like softbacks to read and fold the pages, and drink coffee over and while travelling, I read ebooks for their convenience, and listen to audiobooks most workdays in the car.

Self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What are your thoughts? Do you feel that the industry is changing? 
It seems to me that the advent of self-publishing is a writer’s heaven and a reader’s hell… The biggest challenge is to recognise the great stories from the masses. Most people will tend to stick to known authors as a consequence, which is a blessing and a curse—another duality.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors? 
Don’t aspire—just write. I’m an artist because I paint, no matter how good or bad (or unconventional) it might be. And I’m a writer because I write. Even if nobody else likes it, or ever reads it. I was an aspirant for way too long, and life is too short.

How can readers find out more about you:
Website: www.RefugeCollection.com
Smashwords (for ebooks): http://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/22669
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stevedillonwriter/ and http://www.facebook.com/refugecollection
Twitter: @Refuge
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/29KLmdF
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/12352170-stephen-dillon

As mentioned earlier, this book will benefit charity, to be more precise, The Sanctuary Australia Foundation. Here is a link to a great article about the book and the charity.  

Thanks Steve for dropping by this week. The collection was released in HC on August 1 and the PB is now available too!

Thank you everyone for stopping by. If you'd like to be interviewed for this blog, please drop me a line, if you have a cool story to tell also let me know. 

Until next week!

Cheers, 

Amanda Howard