Interview Karen Hulene Bartell Author of The Keys: Voice of the Turtle
Give a warm welcome to Karen Hulene Bartell author of The Keys: Voice of the Turtle. Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Karen and The Keys: Voice of the Turtle!
What inspired you to write?
I always had a creative imagination. (My childhood dolls were never baby dolls—always lady dolls, who went on exciting adventures.) But what inspired me to write? In a word, reading. In second grade, my mother took me to the library and helped me choose books. By third grade, I had my own library card, walked to the library alone, and chose my own books. All during my childhood, my mother let me stay up as late as I wanted—if I read. As a result, I became a voracious reader, and in my case, writing was simply a natural progression.
Do you see yourself in your characters?
I see a little piece of me in all my protagonists, but in Christmas in Catalonia and my current release, The Keys: Voice of the Turtle, I see a lot of Karen. To be honest, I excise all but my flavor, saving the juicier details for future books 😉
Where do your story ideas come from? If they come to you in the middle of the night, do you get up and write them all down?
Where do story ideas come from? Heaven? What do you call inspiration? God? I could be arrogant and say, nope, all my ideas come from me and me alone, but I don’t think so. Many ideas come when I wake each morning. So what do you call that? Genies of the mind as Napoleon Hill and Andrew Carnegie named them—invisible elves somehow manufacturing stories and whispering in my ear? I don’t think so. I’m going to call inspiration Godsent.
But when? Ideas come to me either in the morning, when I wake, or while I’m traveling. I’ve written some of my best concepts sitting in airports or hotel bathrooms at midnight (so I don’t wake my husband with the light). Being out of my element and in new environments stimulates my imagination. Traveling inspires me.
If writing is your first passion, what is your second?
Traveling, hands down. Nothing ignites my passion for life as much as traveling to provocative places, encountering new experiences, sampling different ethnic foods, and meeting stimulating people, I’m inspired. Ideas flow. (I should’ve been a travel correspondent.) Traveling that takes me out of my rut and propels me into new realms of possibility.
SPEED ROUND FOR A LITTLE ADDED FUN:
Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer!<evil laugh>
Favorite movie: GIANT
Favorite book: 1984
Last book read: MALINCHE
Favorite color: BLUE
Stilettos or flipflops: FLIPFLOPS
Coffee or tea: COFFEE
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: EBOOK
Pencil or pen: PEN
Favorite song: MAGIC
Streak or not: NOT
Favorite dessert: SOFTSERVE
Favorite junk food: PRETZELS
Favorite thing to do to relax: MASSAGE
Champagne or gin: CHAMPAGNE
Paranormal or Historical: PARANORMAL
Wonder Woman or Top Model: WONDER WOMAN
Favorite TV show: MASH
Hot or cold: HOT
POV: THIRD [PERSON]
I’d die if I don’t have: FREEDOM
Review or Not: REVIEW
Tell us a little about THE KEYS: VOICE OF THE TURTLE:
and not one, but two apparitions—Maita, the angry victim’s spirit, and Bart, a swashbuckling ghost. Ruth’s curious ability to connect with the ghosts may help them move on, but how?
Keya is in a probate battle over her turtle-nesting beach. Land-hungry relatives want it bulldozed and developed. Like Ruth, she has a special gift—she can talk to animals. Between Ruth’s help and Keya’s unique ability, they work to save the property, but is it too late?
Can Keya save her beloved turtles? Can Ruth find Maita’s murderer or help Bart solve his 400-year-old mystery? There’s more than meets the eye to Keya’s land. Add in a dashing sailor who believes in her, and Keya may have more than she bargained for…
Sneak peek between the pages of THE KEYS: VOICE OF THE TURTLE:
“Conveying this land to the turtles would be my way of leaving the world a better place.” She turned toward Ruth. “Does that make sense?”
Ruth nodded and gazed at Keya as if for the first time. Her cousin’s intentions were clear. “But legally, how can you will the property to the turtles?”
“Easy. I leave it to the Turtle Refuge.” Keya laughed inwardly as they meandered along the beach. “And this is where you come in. When you’re writing the brochure, add a few paragraphs about planned giving and charitable bequests…” Her words broke off as Keya stared as if in a trance.
Ruth looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
Her hand shaking, Keya pointed to a shady patch of beach half hidden by sand dunes. A lifeless hand lay tangled in seaweed, its fingernails broken and bloodied.
Racing behind the sandbanks to help, Ruth skidded to a halt, her heels digging into the sand. A woman’s bloated body lay staring at the sun, her eyes opaque and unseeing. “Do you recognize her?”
“No.” Keya shook her head as the cat gingerly approached, sniffing and meowing. “But Earnestine said she smells familiar.”
THE KEYS: VOICE OF THE TURTLE BUY LINKS:
Amazon eBook: https://amzn.to/2XV2wO1
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2yfSB7b
Barnes & Noble NOOK Book: https://bit.ly/2YFHWgQ
Barnes & Noble Paperback: https://bit.ly/2yuBEWO
About the Author:
Author of the Sacred Emblem, Sacred Journey, and Sacred Messenger series, Karen is a best-selling author, motivational keynote speaker, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life. She writes multicultural, offbeat love stories steeped in the supernatural that lift the spirit. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved annually, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Wanderlust inherent, Karen enjoyed traveling, although loathed changing schools. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Hill Country with her husband Peter and her “mews”—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenHuleneBartell
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarenHuleneBart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/karenhulenebartell/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/611950.Karen_Hulene_Bartell
Website: http://www.KarenHuleneBartell.com/
Email: info@KarenHuleneBartell.com
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with The Keys: Voice of the Turtle.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged ghosts, Karen Hulene Bartell, Paranormal, The Keys: Voice of the Turtle, Urban Fantasy by Tena Stetler with 18 comments.
Glad you stopped by Karen!
Thank you so much for hosting me, Tena! It was a pleasure <3
Good luck with your new release. It sounds very intriguing, Karen.
Thanks for stopping by Sandra! I’ve started the book and it’s great.
Thank you so much, Sandra! Appreciate your stopping by!
Enjoyed the interview, ladies! How wonderful to have a mother let you stay up and read, Karen. This brought back memories of finding my son’s flashlight tucked in the corner (or under) his bed. He’d stay up reading late into the “wee” hours. Wishing you all the best with your new release!
Mary, thank you for stopping by. Hah – the “secrets” we had about reading 🙂 Yes, my mother could not cook, cared nothing for housework, and was an “old-maid schoolteacher” [her words], but she instilled a love of reading (and writing) in me. Sounds like you were a wonderful mother, too. Thanks so much for your good wishes!
Thanks Mary for stopping by! Reading my flash light was one of my favorite things to do, felt like you were getting away with something! LOL
Mary, thank you for stopping by. Hah – the “secrets” we had about reading 🙂 Yes, my mother could not cook, cared nothing for housework, and was an “old-maid schoolteacher” [her words], but she instilled a love of reading (and writing) in me. Sounds like you were a wonderful mother, too. Thanks so much for your good wishes!
I too am inspired by travel Karen. I always read by flashlight as a kid much to my sister’s annoyance as we shared a bed. Best of luck with your release.
Yes, there’s something about travel (wanderlust) that gets the creative juices flowing. Hah – had to laugh out loud at your reading by flashlight 😉 Thanks for stopping by, Charlotte!
Yes, there’s something about travel (wanderlust) that gets the creative juices flowing. Hah – had to laugh out loud at your reading by flashlight 😉 Thanks again for stopping by, Charlotte!
Hey Charlotte. Glad you were able to stop by. Yep flashlight reading was in my past too. Now the ipad negates the need for flashlights. LOL
Sounds like a great book Karen! Best wishes for many sales!
Hey Karilyn thanks for stopping by!
Thank you so much, Karilyn – really appreciate your good wishes! And best of luck with your featured film!
Great interview! Loved the premise of your book. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your kind words, CB Clark – and thank you for stopping by – I appreciate it <3