Saturday 27 June 2020

20 Questions with Authors : Karen O'Connor

Karen O'Connor writes across a range of fictional genres, including young adult paranormal romance and adventure and paranormal cozy mysteries. She has a number of series already complete, with several in development.  They include:   

The Crypt Witch Cozy Paranormal mystery series with 8 books (so far) in that series and they are :

Luck of the Witch
Hell of a Witch
Revenge of the Witch
Curse of the Witch
Son of A Witch
Framing of the Witch
Trickery of the Witch
Harmony of the Witch

The Lorna Shadows Cozy Ghost Mystery series has 12 books (so far) and they are :

Ghostly Manners
Ghostly Secrets
Ghostly Games
Ghostly Affairs
Ghostly Business
Ghostly Rules
Ghostly Waves
Ghostly Play
Ghostly Proposal
Ghostly Vows
Ghostly Fright
Ghostly Hunt

The Old Sarum Witch Cozy Mystery series has 3 books (so far) and they are :

Witch Kissed
Witch Rose
Witch Guy

The Zee Town Series has 6 books in that series (so far) and they are :

Dangerous Tails
Murder Daze
Hearts & Murder
Murder Fling
Candyfloss & Murder
Furballs & Murder

The Ghost Academy series has 4 books (so far) and they are :

Chosen
Recall
Shield
Exile

The School of Exorcists is a 6 book set and can be purchased together or seperately.  They are :

Initiation
Revelations
Awakening
Conversions
Subversion
Vanquishing

The Holly Holmes Cozy Culinary Mystery series has 6 books (so far) and they are :

Cream Caramel and Murder
Chocolate Swirls and Murder
Vanilla Whip and Murder
Cherry Cream and Murder
Blueberry Blast and Murder
Mocha Cream and Murder

NOW.....we know all about her MANY book, let's get to know her personally as well.....



1.  What is your favorite color ?  I love black, but it makes me look like the walking dead when I wear it. I love black cats. I’ll go for red. It’s a bit foxy.

2.  Sunset or sunrise ?   Sunset. I live by the coast, and watching the sun lower over the sea is spectacular.

3.  Coffee, tea or soda ?   Tea all the way. Herbal and black tea. I subscribe to a service called Bird and Blend and they do amazing teas, including one called Birthday Cake. I never drink soda. I used to work as an usherette at the cinema. I got free soda and popcorn. You’d think it was a dream, but after drinking too much soda, it just tastes gross and so sweet. I hadn’t drunk soda since I was 18 – my teeth thank me.

4.  What is your favorite movie ?  I love Gremlins. It’s my go to festive movie. Cute critters, not so cute critters, love, humor, HEA, a hint of the paranormal, and Christmas. Genius

5.  What are your favorite toppings on pizza ?  Pineapple. I know, lead me to the firing squad. It’s a controversial answer, but I love fruit pizza. Never tried it? Get a pizza base, use jam/jelly as your base and cover in fruit. Sticky, gut plumping heaven.

6.  Cake or pie ? What is your favorite ?   Cake. Love it. My waistline doesn’t. Favorite cake… carrot cake with frosting (mainly for the frosting.)

7.  Favorite author (besides yourself) ?  What a mean question. Only one? Really? Harlan Coben writes page turning thrillers. He’s ace.

8.  Horror movie or chick flick ??  Hmmmm, at a push chick flick. But, I love an action movie, something over the top like Fast and the Furious and I love a period drama like Pride and Prejudice.

9.  Cat or dog person ? Do you have any ? If so, what and names please.... ALL ANIMALS (I’m shouting.) I love them. All of them. Fur, feathers, scales, snouts, claws, paws, trotters, beaks. Animals are amazing. They make life better. I’d love to own some pigs, but my apartment won’t fit them. I used to have three beautiful black cats, John, Janet, Cassie. Over the years, they left me due to old age and heartbreaking accidents, but they have a huge place in my heart. I had a portrait commissioned of John and Cassie and it sits next to my desk.

10.  Ideal vacation ?   I plan to stay in Gladstone’s Library in Chester. You get to live in a library!! Dream come true. There are 150,000 books. All they’d need to do is add cats and a never ending supply of cake, and it would be perfect. You can check it out here - https://www.gladstoneslibrary.org/accommodation/sleeping-with-books


11.  Camping or 5 star hotel ?   Hmmmm, I’d like to pick a 3 star hotel. May I? I like a comfy bed and no ants in my sleeping bag, but too much luxury makes me squirm.

12.  Favorite season and why ?   In the UK, we have summer for about three weeks, spring for about four months, which is usually chilly with a side order of damp, and then lots of long, gray cold days that blur into autumn and winter. I’ll go for Spring, but the seasons blur on this chilly little island.

13.  Name ONE thing you are afraid of ....  Losing my passion for writing. It makes me so thrilled that I get to offer these fab portals for people to jump into. If I woke up one day and thought nope, hate writing, I’m not sure what I’d do. Probably eat some cake.

14.  Name ONE thing you cannot live without....  putting aside the things we all need to survive (water, warmth, cake etc) I’d go for the classic: books. Book have gotten me through dark times. I see books as glorious escape portals you can fling yourself into and revel in the mystery or love story, or whatever it is you enjoy. Without books, I would be bereft.

15.  What was your favorite subject in school ?   I didn’t have a favorite subject. I didn’t love school. I’m a huge introvert, so being stuffed in a class with 30 other teenagers was painful. I didn’t mind history and geography. I studied English at A-Level, along with politics and geography, but I was sooooo glad to get out of there (and then spent four years at university - lol.)

16.  What was your least favorite subject in school ?   Maths. Yuck. It was mainly the mean teacher, but I didn’t see the point of all those dry equations.

17.  What movie have you seen more than once ?   I re-watch tons of movies. I’ve seen Sense and Sensibility about 50 fifty times. I love Emma Thomson’s speech when she’s trying to say how she feels about Hugh Grant – ‘I like him. I think very highly of him.’ ‘Like him? Like him!’ It’s so much fun.

18.  What is your guilty pleasure ?  (Can't be an answer already given...)  snooping on my neighbors. I’m a mystery writer. I need a source of inspiration! I shall leave it at that

19.  Who is your celebrity crush ?  James Purefoy. It’s his voice. It’s so delicious. I was also partial to the late Alan Rickman (again, his voice was dreamy, especially when he played Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility.) I can be totally seduced by a lovely male voice. If he plays the guitar, I’m lost.

20.  Tell us something we don't know that you would like people to know about you ......   I look like an innocent book nerd, but I’m a secret rock chick. I have a passionate love of rock and metal. A guy with a gravelly voice (there’s that voice things again) yelling into a mic accompanied by some finger shredding guitar action, gives me the chills – I’m listening to Iron Maiden as I type this answer.



You can learn more about Karen and her books at :  https://keoconnor.com/




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