Guest Post

Guest Chick: Karen C. Whalen

Today the Chicks are delighted to welcome author Karen C. Whalen, author of The Dinner Club Mysteries and The Tow Truck Mysteries, to the blog. She’s sharing both a giveaway for joining her newsletter and her thoughts about why she writes. Take it away, Karen!

WHY I WRITE

An interesting question was posed to me the other day. Why do I write? Not “where do I come up with the stories” or “have I always wanted to be a writer?” Those I’m prepared to answer because they are asked so often.

So I thought about it for a while. There are probably many diverse reasons writers push a pencil, including an unconscious need to be heard, but without too much psychoanalysis, here are my motivations.

I write because I read. Writing is an organic outcome of reading. You know that satisfaction you get from reading a really good book? That desire to get back to the book as soon as you can? After the office, after dinner, after the kids are in bed. There’s a similar satisfaction you get when writing. There’s gratification in putting your ideas on paper, in crafting a creative scene, and in finishing a story. All writers will tell you they are avid readers.

Another reason is that I’m compelled to write. I’ve always had the need to record my thoughts and to create stories. A writer will spot an interesting face in the crowd and imagine a personality behind the features. Or daydream about an event, usually with yourself as the center of the story. And when reading a book, you want to rewrite sentences to make more sense or to be more to the point.

There’s also a need to share my stories (maybe that unconscious need to be heard?). Some say writing is a solitary art, but I say it is also a performance art, with the necessity for an audience. Writers write with a target reader in mind, like a child, a teen, a romance reader, or a fan of fantasy. I write with Erma Bombeck or M C Beaton leaning over my shoulder. Presumptuous, I know! But would they laugh? Would they be invested in my characters? Would they approve of my writing?

All you writers who are reading this: why do you write? And readers, have you ever wanted to write a book yourself? I’ll bet you have some similar reasons and also some unique to you. I’d love to hear them!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Karen C. Whalen is the author of two mystery series for The Wild Rose Press: the Dinner Club Mysteries featuring Jane Marsh, an empty nester who hosts a gourmet dinner club, and the Tow Truck Mysteries starring Delaney Morran, a super feminine shoe-a-holic who drives a tow truck. Both are cozy mysteries about strong friendships and family ties set in Colorado. The first book in the Dinner Club series tied for First Place in the Suspense Novel category of the 2017 IDA Contest sponsored by Oklahoma Romance Writers of America. Whalen worked for many years as a paralegal at a law firm in Denver, Colorado and was a columnist and regular contributor to The National Paralegal Reporter magazine. Whalen loves to host dinner parties, entertain friends, ride bicycles, hike in the mountains, walk on the beach, and read cozy murder mysteries. Find out more about Karen at KarenCWhalen.com.

Join Karen’s newsletter by clicking here:  https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/y6o8y8. Let her know you signed up, and she’ll send you a free e-copy of the first book in the Tow Truck Murder Mysteries, Toes on the Dash, where you’ll meet Delaney Morran, the high-heeled tow truck driver, and her crew of friends.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

31 thoughts on “Guest Chick: Karen C. Whalen”

  2. I write because I like the creative process and it’s a great stress reliever. Similar to reading, when the news or the real world has me worked up, I can escape into something fictional – and when I’m writing I’m (mostly) in control.

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  3. Thanks so much for visiting us Chicks today, Karen! I have no idea why I write—it’s always been something I’ve loved, ever since creating “books” in nursery school where we crayoned pictures and the teachers transcribed the captions and paper-fastened the pages. I see scenes running in my head like a movie—the hard part is being engrossed in the action and writing words at the same time!

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  5. Hi Karen – thanks for stopping by. I write because I have to. I can’t not write. I was on a panel with popular cozy author Earlene Fowler a couple of years ago and she said she’d retired. I found that incomprehensible. Writing is breathing to me.

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  6. I’ve been obsessed with words and language ever since I was a kid, and nothing gives me as much pleasure as arranging words into a sentence–almost like magic!

    Thanks so much for visiting the Chicks today, Karen, and for this lovely guest post!

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  8. I’ve thought about writing over the years, but the writing I do in my head flees when it comes time to set words to page. It’s so much better in my head. So I stick to writing reviews (which also are usually better in my head).

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  9. Thanks, Karen, for your comments, and what a great book cover! I too write because I read. I write to figure out what I think and to entertain myself. However, I find writing creates stress as much as it relieves it!

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  10. I would love to write a book or more, but I just am not made for that. So, I will read and enjoy. Your books sound great.

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      1. I majored in the Fine Arts, minored in Art History and got certified to teach them. I could not get a job teaching art in my small hometown, so I taught English and got certified in it with basically a major in it. My teachers and professors said that I used too much purple prose in my writing. So, I just kept teaching all of the above for 38 1/2 years until I retired. So, I think that it is too late for me. My Daddy always said I had too many interests and was not dedicated enough and that I would be a starving artist. But I have been a voracious reader since I was 5 years old and in 1st grade where I won the award for the most books read–over 200. So, I read, work jigsaw puzzles and work on genealogy for the most part. i read 59 books last year, plus some kindle books and so far, have read 21 books this year. I worked 34 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles last year and 16 so far this year. So, you see where my priorities are. But thanks for the comment. You do never know.

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  11. Karen, I always love when the tow truck mysteries pop up! I remember when you were just kinda sorta maybe thinking about them. As for writing, I came to it kind of late, and only began as a way to keep my brain from turning to mush while I was busy raising kids. But once I got some real money for doing it, and had adults and kids tell me how much they liked my books, well, I was hooked! It honestly never occurred to me to write or that it was a skill or talent I had until people pointed it out to me. A true epiphany.

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  12. Just a note from us Chicks here: The “anonymous” commenter today is indeed our guest Karen Whalen. We apologize to all and especially to Karen—it seems WordPress is having a few issues today!

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  14. Thanks for visiting the Chicks, Karen! I’ve written for my supper for as long as I can remember, but novel-writing is definitely a labor of love–and sometimes more labor than love. I guess I write because I love language, reading, and being on both sides of the storytelling equation!

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