Interview--KAREN MASON 1

Thanks for being here Karen . It’s a pleasure.


#1- Tell us a little about yourself outside of your writing career…

I’m 37 years old and I live in London. I’m single but open to suggestions! I work in Law Enforcement as a Data Analyst. No children, just a crazy dog.


#2- You are a self-published author. What prompted you to go that route and what challenges have you faced in doing so?

Like most authors I found it difficult to get a publishing deal or an agent. In the UK at the moment, the trend is for Z-list celebrities to be given multi million pound book deals to write ‘novels’ with the aid of a ghostwriter. This is lazy publishing in my opinion because publishers aren’t willing to take chances on an unknown and prefer just to go down the easy route with someone they know will sell loads of books, but there’s no integrity in that.

The biggest problem with Self Publishing is with promotion. Trying to publicize your book for free is pretty difficult and to pay for a professional would cost thousands of pounds. It’s also pretty gutting when people promise wholeheartedly to buy your book then forget all about you, but I’m getting tougher about that.


#3- I think most writers have something that inspired them as a child to want to pursue a career as an author. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer and where do you feel you get your inspiration from?

I started writing pre-school. Well drawing more than writing. I used to sketch stories on anything I could get my hands on. I get my inspiration from so many things. Sometimes it can be a song, or a newspaper headline or something I wished would happen to me. Or in some cases, what has happened to me. Hard to say really.


#4- As you know, I reviewed your title Summerset for Bookpleasures and loved it! But how do you handle the negative reviews and critiques you receive?

You have to take it on the chin. If you put your work out there for people to read you’ve got to accept that not everyone is going to like it. However if say ten people read something and eight of them gave negative reviews, I would seriously consider revising it because people are trying to tell me something.


#5- Some authors like to use social media sites to promote and meet other authors and readers. Since I know you are one of them, what are your thoughts and experiences about the sites?

I think it is a very valuable tool although I do worry that sites like Facebook and Myspace attract people who are much younger than my target audience so my marketing may be falling on deaf ears. But I have met so many fellow authors (like yourself Kelly) in this way that that can only be valuable.


#6- Are there any upcoming releases we would like to know about, and could you give us your web site so readers can check it out?

I have just released Two Become One, my latest novel. It tells the story of identical twins who are separated shortly after they’re born and grow up to lead very different lives unaware of the other’s existence until it’s ‘too late’. Details can be found at my website

http://sites.google.com/site/authorkarenmason

I’m also in the early stages of publishing Winner Takes It All – the sequel to Summerset.


#7- This about concludes it. Thank you again for joining us. Is there anything else you would like to share?

Thank you Kelly. I’d just like to say to people that I know we’re in the grip of a global recession, but £6.99 ($9.99) isn’t a lot to pay for something that will last you for life and give you lots of pleasure. So go on, buy my book!