Author Interview and givaway with Karen McQuestion

I have read several of Karens novels and find them to be thoughtful and well written. She has a strong following and I wanted to let her tell you a little about herself. Along with this interview, please leave a comment and you will be entered into a drawing for her two newest books, Life on Hold and Favorite.
I have reviewed the first which you can find on the link, and will have the second review by the end of the week.
Hi Karen and Thank you for your time in answering these questions.

Please supply your writing name as it appears on your book or e-book
and the name of your most recent published story.


Karen McQuestion--the author of two young adult novels, Favorite and Life On Hold. Both books have a release date of April 1, 2011.

Please introduce yourself to our readers. (Name, where are
you from, married, kids, go to school....things that your readers may find interesting.

I’m a writer who lives in Hartland, Wisconsin. I’m married to Greg, a great guy (also my tech support). We have three kids--all of whom make me laugh on a regular basis.

Tell us about your book.

I’ve written books for adults and I’m excited to have the opportunity to write for young adults as well.

Favorite is a hard book to categorize. It’s part mystery, part thriller, part coming-of-age. The main character, sixteen-year-old Angie Favorite, has never gotten over the loss of her mom, who’d vanished without a trace five years earlier. When Angie is attacked by a stranger, she discovers it wasn’t a random event—her attacker’s family is somehow connected to her mother’s disappearance.

Life On Hold is the story of Rae Maddox, a teenager who wants to set down roots, even as her free-spirited mother thrives on cross-country moves. The two finally settle in Wisconsin where Rae finds friends and love. All seems fine until she meets a new girl at school who has secrets of her own. I loved writing the book and I hope readers enjoy it.

What inspired you to be a writer or have you always had a passion for writing?

Like most writers, I was a big reader as a kid. I remember reading books and thinking that someday I wanted to be the one to create fictitious worlds for other people. At first I was long on ideas, but short on writing skills. I improved over time, with help from teachers and writer friends.

If you could give advice to aspiring authors, what would you say?

Write the book you’d love to read. Perseverance counts for a lot, so stay at it, even when you feel like giving up. Books are written one page at a time, and first drafts are never perfect. Keep the faith.

When you completed your work what was your most difficult roadblock to being published?

Over the course of nearly ten years, I wrote numerous books and submitted widely, but was rejected everywhere. When I finally found an agent, my books got compliments from editors, but no offers of publication. It wasn’t until I self-published on Kindle that I succeeded in getting my novels in front of readers. Based on my books’ incredible sales and great reviews, I landed a book contract with Amazon’s new publishing company, AmazonEncore. So I got my happy ending after all. 

Where can people go to get more information about you and your book?


You can find me online at: http://www.karenmcquestion.com/ and http://www.mcquestionablemusings.blogspot.com/

The drawing for these books will be April 6th. I will need an email addy so that I can forward it to Karen and she will forward the books to you. These two books would be an awsome addition to your library. Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing.