Here is my interview with Karen McCann

Name Karen McCann

Age  65

Where are you from?

I’m a fourth-generation Californian, and like so many Americans, I’ve lived all over the USA. My husband and I have always traveled a lot, both for fun and to undertake volunteer work in post-war and developing countries. Eventually we discovered Seville, Spain, and after several visits decided to move there “for a year.” Eleven years later we’re still living there and still exploring the world. My writing has blossomed. I’ve published two best-selling memoirs, and my travel tips and adventure stories have appeared in Huffington Post, International Living Magazine, New York Daily News, Los Angeles Times, and Lonely Planet. I have a weekly travel blog on my website EnjoyLivingAbroad.com, where people from all over the world write me to discuss the pleasures and challenges of spending time in foreign lands.

 

 

Fiona: Tell us your latest news.

I’ve just completed a three-month trip through the Baltic States and Eastern Europe, traveling without reservations, a set route, or a fixed time frame. I’ve been living out of one small suitcase; it’s just 21 x 13 x 7.5 inches, or 54 x 34 x 19 cm. I packed only fast-drying, wrinkle-resistant clothes and did laundry constantly! It’s great to be back home in Seville, where I intend to stay put for a while and enjoy a somewhat larger wardrobe.

 

 
Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

I’ve always been a writer; it was my favorite subject from the first day of school. I love reading fiction but never had the knack for writing it. I found my niche in non-fiction, which I try to make as engaging and exciting as the best sort of novel. My career has included journalism, marketing, public relations, editing, and other wordsmithing jobs.

 

 
Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I started getting paid for writing (although not always very much) when I was 19, so that’s when I officially became a professional. I didn’t call myself a journalist until I began working steadily for newspapers and magazines in my thirties. Later, in Seville, I began to write extensively about travel and expat living, and at that point I began to consider myself a travel writer.

 

 
Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

Moving to Seville inspired my first memoir, Dancing in the Fountain: How to Enjoy Living Abroad. It takes its title from one hot night when Rich and I were sitting on the edge of a big stone fountain near our Seville apartment. Dabbling our feet in the cool water, pretty soon we were wading, then waltzing in the fountain. An old Spaniard passing by growled, “Hey you two, is that any way to behave? You wouldn’t do that back where you come from.” And that’s the whole point. Living overseas, you get to try things you’d never do back home.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

Reviewers have described my style as “inviting, immediately charming, and constantly entertaining.” Readers seem to connect with my personal stories and humor. I was delighted when Lonely Planet wrote, “I must have laughed aloud at least once in every chapter.”

 

 
Fiona: How did you come up with the title of the next book?

My second memoir’s title was more of a struggle. Rich and I had embarked on a long railway journey with no fixed time limit, no reservations, and only a loose itinerary; we wanted to see if we could still have the kind of spontaneous adventures we’d enjoyed in our youth. The results – often hilarious, occasionally harrowing, definitely life-changing – form the basis of the book. I wanted a title that reflected the excitement of the journey plus the fact that months of travel aren’t a vacation, they’re a lifestyle. And that’s when I thought of the title, Adventures of a Railway Nomad: How Our Journeys Guide Us Home.

 

 
Fiona: Is there a message in your books that you want readers to grasp?

Going abroad — for a short vacation, a long trip, or many years — isn’t as difficult or scary as you might think. Yes, there are logistical challenges to negotiate, but often the worst that ever happens is feeling ridiculous because you’ve taken some linguistic or cultural pratfall — such as forgetting that the Spanish word embarazada doesn’t mean “embarrassed,” it means “pregnant.”

 

 
Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most?

I love Bill Bryson and Peter Mayle; they capture the madcap quality of becoming entangled with other cultures.

 

 

Fiona: Are there any new authors who have grabbed your interest?

George Mahood’s marvelous travel memoir Free Country made me laugh out loud.

 

 

Fiona: Name one entity (outside of family members) that you feel supported you.

The expat community of Seville was tremendously supportive when I first arrived and continues to be an inspiration and source of good fellowship and great friendships.

 

 
Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

Yes.

 

 
Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

No. But I have lots of new ideas for things I’ll do differently in the next book.

 

 

 

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

When LA Times travel editor Catharine Hamm interviewed me, she ended the piece by saying, “Travel requires you to be braver than you think you are, whether it’s for a week or a year, and involves the joy of finding a better, smarter, stronger self that lasts well past the day you put away your suitcase if, indeed, that day ever comes.” That is the theme of my next book.

 

 

 

Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Coming up with titles.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your books?

I travel to get material, but I do all my promotion over the Internet. Every once in a while I give a talk to a travel group or book club, and that’s tremendous fun. But marketing is simply more efficient and effective online.

 

 
Fiona: Who designed the covers?

I did. Luckily, I made my living as a graphic designer for many years, so I have plenty of experience to draw upon.

 

 
Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Cutting out favorite bits that there wasn’t room to include.

 

 
Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book, and if so, what was it?

Writing a memoir requires digging deeply into your life; among all the comic moments you have to touch on important, sometimes painful relationships, decisions, and events. I learned to write about the “ouch” moments with greater honesty, and I make every effort to convey my sense of compassion for readers who may have been through similar experiences.

 

 

Fiona: If any of your books was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

Everyone tells me I look like Annette Benning. I don’t see it at all, but that’s what friends say. And of course, Annette must be hearing “You look so much like Karen McCann” all the time. So I’ve always assumed she’ll get the part.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write. Constantly. Don’t wait until you’re “good” to show your stuff to other people. Edit your stuff thoroughly. Most of all, never, ever, ever consider something finished until you’ve checked for typos. (This is good advice for when you’re getting tattoos, as well.)

 

 
Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Enjoy life. It’s pretty entertaining when you think about it.

 

 

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

Blackout, by Connie Willis. I love time travel stories. If the technology is ever developed, it will certainly spice up my job as a travel writer.

 

 

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?

Charlotte’s Webb.

 

 

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?

Things that are funny/sad.

 

 

Fiona: Is there one person, past or present, you would like to meet, and why?

Almost everyone. I have insatiable curiosity about what other people are doing and thinking.

 

 

Fiona: What do you want written on your headstone, and why?

I don’t really care, so long as they spell it correctly.

 

 

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies?

Painting.

 

 

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

I’m addicted to classic movies, especially the ones set in exotic locations, such as Casablanca, Dr. Zhivago, and Charade. I suspect watching them at an impressionable age inspired my lifelong wanderlust.

 

 

Fiona: Do you have any favorite foods?

I love trying new foods wherever I am. There are organizations that connect you with locals who will cook you a meal in their home; that’s a marvelous way to get to know an unfamiliar cuisine and culture, and to make new friends.

 

 

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

I would have liked to devote more time to my painting.

 

 

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so, what is it?

My weekly travel blog, EnjoyLivingAbroad.com, is full of travel information and advice to help people plan their own adventures. My EnjoyLivingAbroad website has additional info about packing, taking zingy photos, finding the best travel apps, and other essential road skills.

On train in Ljubljana Slovenija

Me in Seville

Here is my interview with Nancy Avery Dafoe.

Hello and welcome to my blog, Author Interviews. My name is Fiona Mcvie.

Hello, Fiona!

Let’s get you introduced to everyone, shall we? Tell us your name. What is your age?

Nancy Avery Dafoe. In terms of age, I’m no longer young and not yet old.

Fiona: Where are you from?

I live in Homer, New York.

Fiona: A little about yourself (i.e., your education, family life, etc.).

I have a Masters in Teaching in English, a Bachelor’s degree, and taught high school English and in a community college. I have three grown children, two daughters, Colette and Nicole, who are both lawyers, and a son Blaise who trims trees. I also have four little grandsons, Truman, Enzo, Owen, and Luca, who are too darling for words. Actually, I’ve written something for each of them. My husband, Daniel Dafoe, has the author’s name.

Fiona: Tell us your latest news.

My second murder mystery in the Vena Goodwin series, Both End in Speculation, has been accepted by the publisher and is expected to be released later this year (Fall or early Winter 2018). My first full-length book of poetry, Innermost Sea, will be released from Finishing Line Press late fall, but pre-orders go up this summer, starting in July 2018. I recently finished a fable/graphic novella, Naimah and Ajmal On Newton’s Mountain, and I’ve started outlining and writing my third murder mystery in the Vena Goodwin series. No title for the third one yet. I also write a political blog and author’s blog.

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

When? Very young. Writing is a way of looking at and processing life—our interactions, actions, and failures to act, how we cope with tragedies—our own and those of other people’s, how we think and analyse complex systems operating in our world and universe. I wrote in elementary school without knowing exactly why, figuring out why I wrote was a process akin to figuring out identity.

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I thought of myself as a writer at a very young age, probably by the time I was 15 years old, but I know other people don’t tend to think of you as a writer until you have a book published. So, I had to wait a long time for others to “consider” me a writer.

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

My first book was a pedagogical text teaching writing, inspired by the work in my classroom and my students. Breaking Open the Box(Rowman & Littlefield, 2013) offers a way for both students and teachers to approach writing more creatively and dynamically.

My first published novel, You Enter a Room, was inspired by a literary mystery I uncovered after reading two works that were supposedly not connected. I did some “detective” work and discovered something very surprising about the authors. I built the murder mystery around this find.

Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

Titles are fun to create. Breaking Open the Box arose out of the idea of literally breaking the silly boxes constructed by someone in education in which students were told to fill in the shapes, supposedly to help them organize essays, but in actuality, deadening their creativity and narrative flow.

You Enter a Room arose out of a concept in which my novel explores the genre of mystery writing, as well as a trope that begins nearly every murder mystery.

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style? Is there anything about your style or genre that you find particularly challenging?

Because I write across multiple genres—from non-fiction texts on writing to fiction and poetry, from fables to murder mysteries and literary fiction, I think my style is related to the genre I have chosen to express the ideas.

After years of writing literary fiction (many as yet unpublished), I jumped into the murder mystery genre and found it constricting at first, but then immensely satisfying, like completing a 1,000-piece puzzle of blue sky. I recently finished a graphic novella/contemporary fable, and I discovered that my voice took on a different tone. The beginning of every work is nearly always challenging, as I find the point of view, tone, mood, etc. arises out of the topic, genre, and so many other variables.

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

I have written a published memoir—An Iceberg in Paradise: A Passage through Alzheimer’s—that arose directly out of my experiences with my family and mother’s Alzheimer’s disease. The book was published by State University of New York Press in 2015. Obviously, the memoir is painfully and profoundly realistic.

Everything I write has some basis in what I have experienced or people I have known but not always directly. A character may emerge as I’m writing, and I wonder where that character came from, almost as if she or he invented an identity. I surprised myself that I could create a character as cruel and evil as Dr. Gould in You Enter a Room. I once wrote a short story about a character creating herself, surprising the writer by fighting the intent and going off on her own.

Fiona: To craft your works, do you have to travel? Before or during the process?

I travelled to Italy twice in researching the first and second books in my murder mystery series. In the first published novel, You Enter a Room, Italy only slightly figures into the setting. In the second novel, Both End in Speculation (a line Keats wrote to his brother in a letter, and Keats figures into the mystery), Rome is the setting of the novel, so I had to do additional research. For the third book in the series which takes place in Florence, I plan to go back to Florence to continue my research.

While I don’t think it is a requirement to travel to write about a place, it certainly makes the writing more realistic and believable. Traveling will also give the writer richer material to work with in creating the work. Someone who lives in that setting is likely to spot any errors very quickly if the writer is speculating from research alone.

Fiona: Who designed the covers?

I designed the covers for all of my books, but I had artists create them. A good friend of my daughter who happened to teach art in the school district in which I worked, painted the startling and powerful cover for my book An Iceberg in Paradise. Matt Cincotta, the artist friend and teacher, also created the cover for my book Breaking Open the Box. I’d love him to get more recognition because he is so talented.

One of my friends from Pen Women, an organization of writers and artists, designed the cover of my new book of poetry Innermost Sea. Katie Turner is another amazing artist I’m fortunate to know. My fable cover is being designed by one of my former students, Katie Mulligan, a National Scholastic Art Award winner in the portfolio category.

I designed the cover of my murder mystery, but the publisher assigned the art to their inhouse artist. I was very pleased with how it turned out.

Covers are tremendously important because they can either pull a reader in to pick up your book or turn him or her away.

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I don’t think novels have “messages” but, rather, themes, concepts for readers to struggle with and consider. In my recently published novel You Enter a Room, I hope readers will think about the idea of authorship, what it means to create a work in a continuum of writers throughout human history. How do we discover our ethics? What does it mean to steal another’s work? Is our work our own? I want my readers to question themselves about why we are fascinated with murder, with mysteries.  I hope my readers will ponder the concepts of deception and illusions, how the charming may disguise the sinister. How we may defeat evil in small ways.

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?  Who is your favorite writer, and what is it about their work that really strikes you?

Again, too many to fairly name. I return to William Faulkner again and again for his mastery, his narratives that are far more than narratives. Has anyone ever written a section of a novel like Benjamin’s voice in The Sound and The Fury?

I’m currently going through the mysteries of Louise Penny and loving them. Colum McCann’s novels stop me and make me rethink the genre. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, and TheTiger’s Wife by Tea Obrecht are a couple of the younger writers whose work I think is fantastic. For mysteries, I am a devotee of the Sherlock Holmes series of books. Of course, the first great murder mystery was written by Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment.

Fiona: Outside of family members, name one entity that supported your commitment to become a published author.

Far more than “one entity.” I have been fortunate. My students—many of them. I acknowledge my students my books on writing. I also have writer and poet friends who have been tremendously supportive and helpful over the years, including the poets Gwynn O’Gara and Jo Pitkin, and my friends from the National League of American Pen Women (NLAPW), Central New York Branch, Karen Hempson, Bobbie Panek, Mary Gardner, Judith McGinn, among others.  I would also have to recognize my former college professors William Rosenfeld and Mary Kennedy, both of whom were instrumental in my writing career.

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

Yes. However, it took a long time to reach that stage.

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

No, I wouldn’t change anything in my novel. I would change how I marketed my work and offer myself some professional advice at a younger age, so, perhaps I didn’t have to wait so long to find some degree of publishing successes.

Fiona: Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?

I learn many things on every major and most minor writing projects. I tend to do a lot of research even if I don’t use all of the material, it helps me discover and create.

Fiona: If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

If someone was to make a great mystery movie from my novel You Enter a Room, I’d love to cast Emilia Clarke or Emily Blunt in the role of Vena Goodwin, Dan Stevens to play Michael, Ralph Fiennes in the role of Dr. Gould, and Kim Rossi Stuart in the role of Elio. (I’ve actually thought about this. My murder mystery would make a great movie. Fiennes could pull off this charming but evil character.)

Fiona: Any advice for other writers?

Never give up. That’s it. The rest is just working at it.

Fiona: Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

You’re lovely. Thank you.

 Fiona: What books are you reading now?      

Michael Chabon’s Moonglow and Louise Penny’s Still Life.

Recently finished Deborah Digges’ The Wind Blows Through the Doors of My Heart (poetry), and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ We Were Eight Years in Power (yes, I cried reading it)

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?

I wouldn’t start with the first book I read, such as a first-grade reader, but the first book that made me think and weep and ponder for months (years) after reading—The BrothersKaramazov by Dostoevsky.  I still rememberstanding at a cash register as the only clerk in the store one Christmas eve many years ago, and reading that great novel, suddenly feeling the snow outside and connection to the universe—all in that little store without customers. I’m not alone in citing Dostoevsky’s work. Others who credited the book for influencing them dramatically are Einstein, Freud, Heidegger, Kafka, and many other well-known individuals from various disciplines.

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?

A great book or poem, my darling grandsons, my daughters, my son, my husband, my friends, a play, a great work of art, the loss of someone I love, losses great and small, the victories in life, an amazing satirist like Andy Borowitz, missing children, the unexpected…

Fiona: Is there one person, past or present, you would love to meet? Why?

Too many to elaborate. If I had to narrow it down to only one—Dante Alighieri. I’d ask him, “So, what do you think of Hell now? Any changes you want to make to Inferno? Aristotle, Ovid, and Homer in Hell? Really? Are the conversations intriguing?”

 Fiona: Do you have any hobbies?

I spend all of my time reading and writing when I’m not directly interacting with my family and friends, so I’m not sure how to quantify or qualify that. Reading is not a hobby. I guess if it’s something light, I like swimming, diving, and photography. I love going to museums and poetry and prose readings, but again, they do not feel like “hobbies.” I’m well versed in politics but, again, this does not feel like a hobby.

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

Although I don’t watch a lot of TV, The Rachel Maddow Show and Lawrence O’Donnell’s The Last Word are nightly fare for me. I love The Blue Planet andPlanet Earth specials. On a night when I’m exhausted and don’t want to think anymore, I might turn on HGTV (house design shows) or Jeremy Wade’s River Monsters.The other day, I watched 13 Reasons Why with my son, and we talked about the series.

Fiona: Favorite foods, colors, music?

Color—easily, blue, for a myriad of reasons, from the political to the affinity with the sky and water, for its soothing quality…

Music—Rhiannon Giddens, Sunny War, and George Ezra are new discoveries for me, and I’m startled by their talents. Old favorites include Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, The Beatles, Otis Redding, Bonnie Raitt, and Bruce Springsteen. My son loves rap, and I’m discovering the power of its raw poetry but still troubled by the misogyny.

Foods—berries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries. Oh, and a lovely, warm croissant.

Fiona: Imagine a future where you no longer write. What would you do?

I would still write. Until I am incapacitated, I will continue to write even if not for publishing, for others, for myself. If I am unable to write, I imagine my brain would not be working due to some tragedy or disease.

Fiona: You only have 24 hours to live how would you spend that time?

Traveling with my husband Daniel and writing poetry because I would want to leave him something just for him.

 Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone?

“Here lies a woman who loved well and loved to write.”

 Fiona: Do you have a blog or website readers can visit for updates, events and special offers?

I have a few websites for my various interests and genres: https://www.dafoewritingandconsulting.com/ , https://www.nancydafoebooks.com/  , https://www.nancydafoefiction.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Dafoe/e/B00DW1MX9A/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1527682851&sr=1-2