Today on the blog, I have the lovely Karen Metcalf, author of 'In The Storm', for an interview. In The Storm is a lovely novella that can be purchased in e-book format from Vagabondagepress.com or Karen-Metcalf.com. But if you stick around, you will be in with a chance to win one of two copies of In The Storm.
Right, interview time =)
1. What was the inspiration behind In The Storm?
It all started with a thunderstorm when I was living on the East Coast. I absolutely love them, and thought about creating a world where it stormed all of the time, as a reflection of someone’s inner torment. As a child I thought storms were nature’s way of expressing emotion, and thought it was original enough idea to give it a shot.
2. Are Carly and Morgan based on anyone you know?
Carly’s anger is based on my own as a child. I wanted her to be a strong protagonist, as it seems many female protagonists are sort of idle, and wait for someone to sweep them off their feet, or fix everything. (However this is changing in YA more recently.) Morgan was not someone I really planned, but rather developed himself as the story progressed. I grew to really like the kid.
3. If you could escape to another world, what would yours be like?
Mine would be the storm world I wrote about. My only other obsession is the beach. It would definitely be a combination of the two, but a happier ocean that the one I describe in the novella. Storms and oceans can be so aggressively beautiful and have so much expression. The perfect personification of anger.
4. What is your favourite scene/quote from In The Storm and why?
I love my description of the stars and the moon as a hammock. For some reason I tend to think of those words a lot; they stuck with me the most. Also, The ending of the last chapter before the epilogue. It breaks my heart every time. That’s when I fall in love with my own character.
5. Did you learn anything whilst writing In The Storm? If so, what?
I learned that the inspiration just smacks you out of nowhere. I have no idea how many times I thought about what writing a book would be like. I never thought it would write itself in a week and surprise me so much. Even now some of those words don’t even seem like I wrote them. It’s an amazing experience.
6. If you could sit down with any fictional character for a spot of tea, who would it be and why?
Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. I am so in love with him!
Thanks for stopping by Karen!
1. What was the inspiration behind In The Storm?
It all started with a thunderstorm when I was living on the East Coast. I absolutely love them, and thought about creating a world where it stormed all of the time, as a reflection of someone’s inner torment. As a child I thought storms were nature’s way of expressing emotion, and thought it was original enough idea to give it a shot.
2. Are Carly and Morgan based on anyone you know?
Carly’s anger is based on my own as a child. I wanted her to be a strong protagonist, as it seems many female protagonists are sort of idle, and wait for someone to sweep them off their feet, or fix everything. (However this is changing in YA more recently.) Morgan was not someone I really planned, but rather developed himself as the story progressed. I grew to really like the kid.
3. If you could escape to another world, what would yours be like?
Mine would be the storm world I wrote about. My only other obsession is the beach. It would definitely be a combination of the two, but a happier ocean that the one I describe in the novella. Storms and oceans can be so aggressively beautiful and have so much expression. The perfect personification of anger.
4. What is your favourite scene/quote from In The Storm and why?
I love my description of the stars and the moon as a hammock. For some reason I tend to think of those words a lot; they stuck with me the most. Also, The ending of the last chapter before the epilogue. It breaks my heart every time. That’s when I fall in love with my own character.
5. Did you learn anything whilst writing In The Storm? If so, what?
I learned that the inspiration just smacks you out of nowhere. I have no idea how many times I thought about what writing a book would be like. I never thought it would write itself in a week and surprise me so much. Even now some of those words don’t even seem like I wrote them. It’s an amazing experience.
6. If you could sit down with any fictional character for a spot of tea, who would it be and why?
Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. I am so in love with him!
Thanks for stopping by Karen!
There’s a phrase in the South: “telling stories”, which means telling lies. Growing up, Karen Metcalf told a lot of stories, which wasn’t always a good thing.
She was raised on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where she spent most of her time reading science fiction and horror. She continues to explore those worlds through her writing, today.
Karen is 23 years old, and lives in Tucson, Arizona.
Link to my review here.
