Hello Grinell, welcome to BrandEducation! Why do you think your book resonates with your audience?
“Saving KC” is a historical fiction. Karen Carpenter fans have always wanted to know how she could have been saved and what that would look like. The musical brother-sister duo group still has tens of thousands of fans worldwide who still enjoy their music and the talent shown by both. Richard was the musical genius and arranger, while Karen’s voice was always the centerpiece of their recordings and live shows. Karen’s eating disorder has been a mystery to all her fans and always has remained a source of disagreement and confusion. The Native American storyline interests some people, both Native and non-Native. I think it is because it is written from an authentic perspective, as I have lived these things in my life: the horse culture and struggles of Native Americans living in two worlds. The scenes about life in Montana are set in my real family’s cultural stomping grounds, again something I know of. Lastly, the story surrounding recovery issues is also very important and essential and could be personal to many readers.
What was your favorite book before becoming a writer?
There are many. However, I most recently found Craig Johnson’s Longmire series to be fun to read. I enjoy the Native American storylines and character development. I like all of Dean Koontz’s writings; there is always great suspense, and I love his heroes and heroines. Taylor Jenkins Ried is another favorite. Her character portraits are always great, and her plots are always enjoyable. I particularly like “Daisy Jones and the Six,” which contains many ironies in the characters’ lives. And for all time writing Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” War, love, lost love, good friends, and, of course, death. He had a good way of saying something without saying it.
What is your favorite quote or excerpt in the book?
Chapter Nine, “The voice.” I wrote this chapter first. I needed to know how the two protagonists would interact at their first meeting. It is the emotional centerpiece of the story, and both are in the midst of their struggles. I could then write from the story’s beginning to the meeting at nine. Then, I wrote from nine out to the end. I know that’s probably weird, but strange things like that could happen because it is my first novel.
What challenges did you encounter while writing Saving KC?
This writing was a spiritual experience. I became interested in Karen Carpenter a couple of years ago because she was my first crush in 1970. We were the same age. I hadn’t thought of her in years, and I had forgotten what had happened to her—something about starving to death. I was incredibly intoxicated for many years, and I missed all that. As I explored the many YouTube videos with Carpenter’s music, I realized I needed to learn more. I read all the books about her and realized that it was the saddest story about a single human I had experienced. This stirred emotions and feelings in me that I had never experienced before. I was at loose ends, agitated, frustrated. I had this overwhelming feeling that my only relief would be trying to write about how I could save her. So, I started to write. On many late nights and early mornings, I would wander into my kitchen and have an emotional breakdown. I still can’t explain that experience. Before this, I had never written anything. The first rough manuscript was produced in about three months.
Is there another book coming?
I am exploring the life and death of a troubled Native American man who kills himself, goes to the in-between place, and meets his relations that have gone on before. It is about his reincarnation and returning to live another life to learn the lessons he knows he needs to develop and move forward in his spiritual growth—pain, karma, forgiveness, and love.
There will also be some short stories that will be stitched together in an anthology about someone like me.
Find out more at: https://www.savingkcthestory.com/blog
