Today I’d like to welcome Karen Mossman, romance author of Star Struck and also short stories.
Can you give us your quickest description of your books?
Love. Passion. Secrets.
That does indeed quickly get the point across. What drew you to write about these themes?
It was the era that drew me initially and the short story evolved as I wrote it. I’d read many romance stories since I wrote it and starting learning from the way people wrote. I found I could do passion, and secrets are great to write about. They can be anything and as people we are naturally curious.
What are you working on currently?
A love story set in the 1970s, but it is full of dark secrets and frustration.
Are you drawn to love stories set with a darker spin, then? What are some similar stories that inspire you?
I like love stories, but it must always have something more like an element of suspense, although not necessarily dark. Danielle Steele inspired me because she had great heroines, a good love story, and there was always some tragedy in the past.
What is your favorite scene you’ve written? Can you give us a peek?
My two main characters are in a joiner’s workshop. He is showing her where he works and they have come down on a Saturday when the place is empty.
Draw me? I didn’t expect that. Was I disappointed? Did I think he was going to make mad passionate love to me right there on that table top?
I managed to giggle and stood on the chair, then onto the table and lay down feeling a bit silly. I let him manoeuvre me into position and felt even sillier.
“Relax Kerry.”
“Do you know how hard this table is?”
He pulled out a chair and sat down a little way from the table. Producing a sketchpad from somewhere, he began to draw.
“Well, this is nice,” I said, feeling the back of my head on the edge of the table as I peered at the ceiling and my hair hung down towards the floor.
“You’ve no idea,” he said, glancing up at me and then down to the sketchpad as his pencil moving quickly.
“Hmm, I wonder what’s for tea tonight. Wood chips? Or wardrobe sausage?” I pondered.
“Keep still.”
“I am still; in fact I’m so still you can hardly tell I’m breathing.”
“Your mouth is moving.”
“Can you draw an open mouth?” I puckered it.
“Not in the way you mean, shut up a minute.”
I mentally started counting to 60 and then said, “My back is aching.”
“Okay,” he said, standing up and snapping the pad closed. “Finished.”
“Can I see it?”
“No, you can’t, I need to finish it first.”
“I thought you just said you’d finished.”
“Hmm,” I loved the rumble sound his voice made. “These are just the bare bones,” he said with a grin, “I’ve to fill it in yet.”
“God!” I huffed, feigning annoyance. “I’ve been called many things, but bare bones!”
He swatted my bum with his hand. “You’ll see it, eventually.”
We were laughing as we made our way back outside to his bike. Is this too soon to fall it love? Because I was falling right over!
Your dialogue flows very naturally. I quickly feel like I have an idea about who these characters are as people. And there’s a nice infused bit of humor. Do you use a lot of dialogue in your writing to move things along, or do you use more description?
Oh, definitely dialogue. I like having the characters tell it, rather than me describe it. People tend to be humorous when they speak and I especially wanted it in this story to lift the dark side of it.
When you get stuck in your writing, how do you make yourself keep going?
Lol! By walking away and leaving it. I then spend the time before I go to sleep thinking about it. I usually come up with the answer and get back to it the next day.
That seems like a good system you’ve worked out. Do you use your personal experiences in your writing?
I have in this book. I was a teenager in the 70s and I did have a biker boyfriend who was a joiner. He never drew me, but I do remember visiting his workshop on a Saturday when nobody worked at the weekend.
Wow, that’s very specific! So how much of Kerry is Karen (you)?
lol – none at all. Everything that happened to her was not my experience, just my imagination. But as I was a teenager in the 70s, I once lived in the area that Kerry does. I wanted to bring some realism to the story. All the places are real and for those readers of that era, they will pick up on things that were around at that time, fashion, music, local shops, food and drink, etc. As for other readers, they may like to immerse themselves in that decade.
Thank you, Karen, for sharing!
WHERE TO FIND Karen Mossman:
Website: www.karenmossman.co.uk
Goodreads: Karen Mossman
Amazon Page: Karen Mossman
Facebook: Karen Mossman – author, writer
Twitter: @KarenJMoss
Sunshine Somerville 
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