Karen McCoy - Author and Librarian
- litkidsmagazine
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Karen McCoy is an author, librarian, and tea enthusiast. She maintains a blog where she interviews other authors. She has also reviewed books for Library Journal and Children’s Literature, wrote a feature article for School Library Journal and contributed a chapter to Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Currently, she lives in Northern California with her husband and two very opinionated cats. The Etiquette of Voles is her first published novel.
1. If you could travel anywhere in the world to do your work, where would you go?
New Zealand. I'd love to visit where "Hobbiton" has been built into the hills. LOTR always has such great fantastical inspiration!
2. If you could spend a day with another popular author, who would you choose?
I'd probably love to spend a day with Mary Robinette Kowal. I always love her YouTube videos, and I am a huge fan of her books. She also seems like she would like drinking tea, which is one of my favorite things to do.
3. Do you play music while you write — and, if so, what’s your favorite?
I have to defer to LOTR again—The Two Towers is my favorite soundtrack and always helps me while I write. Tangentially, the movie about Tolkien (called Tolkien), also has an amazing soundtrack and is perfect for getting my brain into the writing space. I tend to prefer movie soundtracks in general because music with words can be distracting for my process.
4. How do you celebrate when you finish a project?
Dessert. Ice cream and/or custard are my usual favorites.
5. What do you like to do to inspire yourself when you have a block?
I usually have a book on the desk ready to read whenever I get stuck on a project. Somehow, reading other words in print helps me un-stick my own. And this isn't as glamorous, but sometimes I make myself take a break—and usually get an idea while walking to the kitchen (or the bathroom—like I said, not glamorous, but there you have it!)
6. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
At a conference in Phoenix over a decade ago, author Laini Taylor once told me, "There are no wasted words." Even if none of my drafts ever see the light of day, the more I write, the better I get. Plus, I can always dress up old ideas in new clothing (which I've done once or twice). I usually keep a "scrap" file, a Word document where some of my better sentences go when they don't fit into the bigger picture. That way, I always have access to them if I need.
Besides all that, this particular post written by Lisa Cron was very pivotal for me. One of the trickiest parts of writing is knowing how much/how little information to put in a scene, and I realized that I was giving too much detail to parts that weren’t very important and not giving enough description to what really mattered and/or to elements that readers could really hook onto.
7. What are the essential characteristics of a hero you can root for?
Someone with a razor-sharp wit. Someone who has a lot of snark, but isn't mean-spirited about it. Someone who has ingenuity, but is still trying to hone it. Someone who is trying to come into their own for the first time by figuring out what actually works for them (rather than what others are telling them to do). Someone who has courage and empathy. Most importantly, someone who is ready and willing to grow.
8. Would you share something about yourself that your readers don’t know (yet)?
When I was a child, I had a bit of a stutter. It's gone now. I think it was because I've always talked really fast, and my brain has taken a while to catch up with my mouth (in fact, I'm not sure it fully has!).
Karen, congratulations on your debut and thank you so much for your insights into your writing process! Please follow Karen on social media, share this interview, and check out her exciting debut, The Etiquette of Voles, available in our Bookshop. Keep shining!
Website: https://karenbmccoy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenmccoybooks
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