Interview with Stephanie Haefner

I'm thrilled to feature an interview with Stephanie Haefner, author of A Bitch Named Karma. This is a touching story about a woman who finds herself through a series of unfortunate events. Stephanie shares with us insight into her book as well as her favorite snack food and how she names her characters.

-Stephanie, Why don't you start us off by telling us a little about your book, "A Bitch Named Karma".
A Bitch Named Karma is a story about a self-absorbed women, living this fabulous life, completely oblivious to pretty much everything going on around her. Until one day when everything falls apart. Then she starts to realize that her life was not as perfect as she thought and when she rebuilds, it's then that she sees that the way she was living her life was really not what made her happy. Her life ends up being so different from what it had been, but she can no longer imagine it any other way. She finds new forms of love and learns that judging anything by it's cover is just not he way to go through life.

-How did you end up becoming a writer?
I'd been a floral designer for many years prior to starting my career as a professional author. I wrote little stories as a kid, in a diary as a teen, and in high school, I had been the reporter for a club I was a member of. I published several articles in local newspapers. I always enjoyed writing and even debated on a journalism major for college. I started writing seriously for major publication a few years ago, after one day deciding to actually write down one of my many story ideas instead of letting it fly away. And that's what started my love affair with fiction writing.

-Where do you draw your inspiration for your writing?
From everywhere! Usually I am just sitting here, kinda minding my own business, and a thought will enter my brain...and I'll wonder how I would handle the situation. A story idea is born!

-Do your characters come to you with names? If not, how do you go about naming your characters?
Usually I have a story idea first and dream up the characters afterward. I will look online for names...searching for ones that inspire me. Sometimes I need a very typical name, so I'll search for the most popular baby names from a certain year. For me, certain names represent certain personality traits. My main character in A Bitch Named Karma is extremely sassy and says what's on her mind...for her, Mary or Sue or Kate just wouldn't work. I chose Lexi, with her full name actually being Alexandra...a more traditional name given by her mother, but she's the only one who actually calls her that...proof of how her mother is always trying to squish her into what she thinks Lexi should be like.

-Do you snack when you write? What's your snack food of choice to get the creative juices flowing?
I do sometimes...and though I would love anything sugary or chocolatey...I try and stick with healthy snacks! Nutra Grain bars, granola bars, low cal cookies or other snacks. :)

-Not including your own work, what's your favorite book(s)?
I ADORE The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares. Those books have everything- laughs, love, sadness, true bonds of friendship. I love to read-and tend to also write- stories that take the reader through a wide range of emotions.

-You have a second novella coming out in March from Lyrical Press. Tell us a little about that.
It is titled Paradise Cove and I am very excited about it! It is a great story about love and how you can't always do everything yourself. It's okay to accept help and accept love. Shelby has just bought a resort in Cancun, one in much need of refurbishment. But the old owner's grandson is not so eager to see his birthright being owned by a stranger.

-Is there anything else you're working on now?
I am working on the sequel to A Bitch Named Karma, titled Karma Kameleon. Lots of new problems for Lexi and her crew!

-Any advice for aspiring writers?
Just keep writing! Never has the phrase "Practice makes perfect" rung so true! And find a good writers group- in person or online- who you can seek critique from...so so imperative to get honest, constructive feedback...family members and friends do not count! :) Though it is sometimes helpful to get feedback from a reader's perspective- someone who is not also a writer. But you need someone who will tell you the truth and tell you where the story gets confusing.

-Last but not least, what question do you wish you were asked in this interview?
Lol!! I have vacation on the brain (we almost never go anywhere in the summer...we do our traveling in the fall), so I guess something about that!! Walt Disney World is our most favorite place to go, so we are anxiously awaiting our trip!

Thanks you Stephanie for allowing me and my readers a peek into your life. 'A Bitch Named Karma' is available here as well as amazon and most places ebooks are sold. There's also a print version coming out December 1st.

For more updates into Stephanie's life, check out her blog The Writer's Cocoon

New site design and a blurb

As anyone who reads this blog may have noticed, I've been playing around with the site design. Although this is still a work in progress, I'm having a lot of fun finding new looks and new ways to do things. Let me know what you think!

Other than that, I've been working hard on Arctic Winds (which has moved on to the next phase of editing) and Chasing Paradise. Chasing Paradise is the second novella in the Alpine Woods Shifters series (renamed from Sundered Love) and will be available from Lyrical Press sometime next year.

Here's a blurb for Chasing Paradise:
A vacation is exactly what Ethan needs to escape the mate hungry females in his pack. Determined to have fun, Ethan can't think of a better way to start than sampling all the different flavors the shifter only resort has to offer, and not the food variety. But after he meets Gwen, no one else holds any interest for him. Ethan came on vacation to avoid mating. There's no way he's going to give up his freedom without a fight.

Gwen is devastated when she hears her mate denying everything they are to each other. She can't sit by, watching him fool around with other girls at the resort. Worse, crawl back, unable to resist the mating pull but not really wanting her. She needs to get away and her own vacation sounds like the perfect plan. But she should have remembered what her mother always taught her, never run from a predator unless you want them to chase you. The hunt is on...

Cover for Arctic Winds

How excited am I? Extremely! I just got my cover and I absolutely love it! Check out my cover for Arctic Winds, coming January 2011 from Lyrical Press.

Blurb:
After her skulk abandoned her four years ago, Samantha knew in her heart she would never truly be wanted. When she stumbles into a wolf town accidentally and is asked by their premier to stay, she believes it's the novelty of an arctic fox motivating him. She knows she'll be on her own again once he tires of her.

Jason finds himself pulled to Samantha from the moment she faints in his arms. His wolf is calling to him, telling him he's found their mate and the heat he feels for Samantha is impossible to resist. But his little fox is loaded down with emotional baggage and doesn't believe she's worthy of love. Can he overcome her fears? Or will pack jealousies and the local foxes convince her she doesn't belong with him before he has a chance?

A day in the life...

What is it about stores like Walmart, Target, and K-mart that causes perfectly reasonable adults to act like kids in a candy store? I went to Walmart for one reason and one reason only. Yet, before long, I found myself wandering down aisles and searching through five dollar movie bins "just to see what they had". And what do I do? I ended up buying two movies, a couple camisoles (who could pass up a three dollar tank top?), a new notebook (not because I needed one but because it was only one dollar!), and other misc. items I didn't need. What is it about discounted items that force reason to take a back seat to the idea of something new, shiny, and cheap?

After my misadventure, I implemented a new rule in my household. I cannot go into a store like that without adult supervision. Yet, when I told one of my friends about my apparent lack of sense and new rule, she confessed to the same problem. Is anyone safe from the lure of the discount bins? Maybe it's simply ingrained in the female brain as my male family members and friends don't seem to suffer the same affliction. So maybe my new rule should be, no superstores without male supervision. But alas, The feminist in me balks at that new phrasing. Perhaps I should just avoid those stores altogether or shop online as it's harder to binge buy in front of a computer.

Anyway, I'm thinking of creating book review days or guest authors/interviews on this blog to bring a little spice to it. What would people most like to see/read?

Exciting News!

It's been an exciting time for me lately. Not only have I been working hard editing Arctic Winds, but just this week I signed my contract for the second book in the series, Sundered Love (the title is a work in progress).

I've always heard people talk about how sick they are of something after spending so much time editing/working on it. However, I have to admit that throughout this process, the more I work on Arctic Winds the more I love it. As I'm reading through another round of edits, I love the polished piece that's taking shape. Even though January is still months away, I find myself getting more and more excited. My editor over at Lyrical has been an absolute gem to work with and I can't wait to get started on Sundered Love!

Hope everyone has a fabulous Friday!

The Human Interaction

One of my not-so-secret dirty pleasures is reality television. I eat it up and love every moment of it. Everything from the cutthroat contests like Survivor (possibly my favorite) to the ridiculously corny mtv and vh1 shows like Rock of Love and Tool Academy. People often make fun of me when I admit my adoration of these shows, but honestly I find it hard to mind. Even knowing how ridiculous reality television can be, I still find myself drawn to it. Reflecting on some of my favorite shows, I actually think it makes me a better writer.

Now I'm sure anyone reading this blog is thinking to themselves, what the hell is she thinking. But all I have to do is look back at some of my favorite tribal councils in Survivor and I know I'm on to something. Reality television gives me insight into the human psyche. The disbelieving hope and joy as someone realizes their dream the first time they get to sing or dance on stage. The heartbreak as someone doesn't get a rose. And the willpower and strategic planning it takes to get ahead.

Through these shows I see not just the average everyday side of people but also The extraordinary lengths people go to when pushed against a wall. There are the conniving villains who go to such extremes as to tell their tribe their grandmother died to stay on the island another week or burn someones socks to control their emotions.

More interesting than the villains themselves are the people who play with them and the way they behave toward them. So many different people who range from hating to tolerating to actually enjoying their behavior. It's fascinating to watch people play these games and truly gives me insight into how their minds grapple with problems.

So as the latest season of Big Brother starts up on CBS, I find myself avidly watching and excited to see what this season will bring. Because the more I broaden my knowledge of the human psyche, the better equipped I can be when creating characters. Do I plan to have my characters screaming and throwing tantrums like in some of these shows? Most definitely not. But can I use certain elements of contestants to give my characters new depth? Certainly!

My Blogging Absence

I realize it's been awhile since my last post and wanted to explain.

Unfortunately, one of my dogs hasn't been doing so well lately and on Friday we had to put him down. It's never easy to loose a loved one, even a pet, but in the end it sometimes is the last act of love you can do for them. The end is always difficult but after fourteen years, it's easy to remember the good times.

I was a teenager when my family got Tucker, an adorable soft coated wheaten terrier, from a breeder in Michigan. As soon as we stepped into the yard, we were overwhelmed by jumping, wiggling, furry bodies begging to be petted and held. After maybe an hour of playing with the cutest brown and black balls of fur, the breeder held out one with a dark blue ribbon and introduced us to our newest family member. We spent hours trying to come up with a name that appealed to all of us, the puppy sleeping without a care after hours of playing. Finally, my dad looked at the resting body and exclaimed, "That dog is really tuckered out." and that was it, Tucker.

He was so tiny at first, he slept under the ridge on the bottom of the kitchen cabinets, and of course, in my room. The first couple nights were rough. He cried all night long and left barely any time for sleep, until I came up with the idea to sleep with him on the floor. He cuddled into me and fell asleep right away. Although I adored him before, I think that was the moment I fell in love.

Leaving him to go to college was hard. My parents bought me a wheaten stuffed animal and placed his puppy collar around it's neck so he'd always be around me in some small way. I remember him running to the door to greet me whenever I came home, his tail furiously wagging as he jumped up and down as if he couldn't get close enough. The whole summer after graduation, he followed me around as if fearing I'd disappear.

He gave me fourteen years of loyalty and unwavering love. It was easy to give him my love in return. He had a good life and remembering all the good times makes the end easier.