Book Launch! Jennifer Howard and “The Steps to Karma”
I’m thrilled to welcome back a great indie author, Jennifer Howard. I hosted her back in April, and she’s got a new book out TODAY, so I’ve got her back…
Jennifer Howard grew up in Athens, West Virginia, graduated from the former Athens High School, and received a BS in History from Concord College, now Concord University. She currently resides in Peterstown, West Virginia, with her husband, their daughter, and the star of the show–their crazy little dog, Lucky.
Jennifer has loved to write for as long as she can remember. As a child, she used to improvise poetry and recite it to her parents. Her very first short story, How the Hippo Lost His Snowshoes, did not garner any awards, but it did receive an A from her elementary school teacher and a coveted spot on the family refrigerator for too many years to recount! During her youth, Jennifer attended many creative writing workshops in the neighboring town of Princeton, West Virginia. It was through these that her spark for writing was truly fanned into a flame.
When not writing, Jennifer enjoys being a wife and mom, reading, cooking–especially the sweet stuff, and traveling. She self-published a children’s book, entitled Lucy and the Land of Lost Socks in 2009. The Healing Heart is her first true endeavor into the “adult” world, and she hopes to pen many more novels in the future.
You can follow Jen at her website, on Facebook, on Twitter and on Goodreads.
Her new book is called “The Steps to Karma”
Have you ever fantasized about walking away from your life? Just walking away–no looking back, no regrets, just freedom? Well, I did it. It didn’t happen easily; after all, there’s always got to be at least a little drama in every good backstory. But I walked away all the same. Am I better off for doing it? Why don’t you be the judge of that? ~~Karma Clark
Karma Clark is a big time D.C. divorce attorney. She’s also an emotionally detached, drunken burnout. After one case too many, one drink too many, and almost one step too many off an interstate overpass, the realization dawns that her life has to change. Dramatically.
In the course of a solitary weekend, Karma chooses to ditch her emotional baggage and walk away from the life that she knows. Spontaneously, she relocates to St. John, USVI. Almost immediately she finds herself intertwined with innocently quirky Jae Jourdain, gorgeous yet arrogant Tyler Jenkins, and equally gorgeous loner Will Jameson. Suddenly, Karma’s life is far from what it once was.
Does Karma dive into her island paradise for good? Or when disaster strikes back in D.C., does she realize that there are some things that you just can’t walk away from?
The book is out TODAY, and you can buy it on Amazon right here!
And, also, Jen is donating a portion of the proceeds from every sale today and throughout September to a 9/11 based charity, Tuesday’s Children – please visit their website to learn more about them at http://www.tuesdayschildren.org.
I’ve also got an interview with Jen…
Who is your favorite author? Oh wow! That’s like identifying my favorite molecule of water. (haha) A sampling of my favorites would be: C.S. Lewis, Jules Verne, William Shakespeare, Michael Crichton, Edgar Allan Poe, and J.R.R. Tolkien.
How do you describe your writing style? To me, my writing style is quirky, smart assedy everyday life with a splash of fairytale romance for good measure! I love to write in 1st person narrative style about real life scenarios and feelings. I want my readers to be able to say, “Wow! I’ve dealt with/felt like that before!”
Use no more than two sentences. Why should we read your book? You should read The Steps to Karma because who doesn’t occasionally want to just walk away from their chaotic or mundane lives and jump into an island paradise replete with sun, fun, and romance? (I know I surely do!)
Have any of your characters been modeled after yourself? Yes, bits and pieces of my characters have been modeled after myself (my own likes, dislikes, thoughts, feelings), as well as those I am especially close to. I’m also a hardcore “people watcher,” so I tend to throw in unknowns that I find exceptionally interesting. Who knows, YOU might just be a part of my next story! *be afraid, be very afraid* 😛
If you could exchange lives with any of your characters for a day which character would you choose and why? Most certainly Jae Jourdain from The Steps to Karma. She’s blissfully naive, trusting, and innocent. She always chooses to see the best in people, which is a beautiful quality only present in a few. She grew up around New Orleans, LA, a place that I love. And she lives in St. John, USVI, another place that I adore. Who wouldn’t want to trade places with her?
What books have most influenced your life? This is another tough question, because so many books are like my treasured, dearest friends. Having to choose though, I would say: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. That series is beautifully, deeply, and richly layered, and has meant a lot to me throughout my life. Another HUGE one for me is The Shack by William Paul Young. Reading that book changed my perspective on life, for sure!
If you could select one book that you could rewrite and add your own unique twist on, which book would that be and why? I would choose Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express or And Then There Were None. Either of those titles would be FANTASTIC as one of those “pick your path” books that I used to love as a youth! That is the twist that I would add. And I would read every possible combination, just for fun!
Beatles or Monkees? Why? Beatles–what fun songs! John Lennon and Paul McCartney are amazing!
Who should play you in a film of your life? Betty White or Lucille Ball. (in her I Love Lucy days, that is!) I would be thrilled with either one. What sassy, spunky ladies!!
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