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| Photo by Jenna Davis |
Karma has always loved the written word. As a kid she could usually be found with her face buried in a book, or writing stories about ice-skating elephants. Now that she’s (mostly) grown up, she’s a bestselling author.
A National Magazine Award winning journalist, Karma has been published in a variety of publications, including SELF, Redbook, Today’s Parent, Best Health, Canadian Living and Chatelaine.
Karma lives just outside Toronto, Canada with her husband, daughter, and a labradoodle named Fred. When not crafting copy or mulling plot lines, she is typically running or working on her downward dog, hanging out with her family, making a mess in the kitchen and checking items off her bucket list. Karma is currently wearing down her laptop’s keyboard writing her next novel.
Visit Karma online:
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One woman is about to discover everything she believes—knows—to be true about her life…isn’t.
After hitting her head, Lucy Sparks awakens in the hospital to a shocking revelation: the man she’s known and loved for years—the man she recently married—is not actually her husband. In fact, they haven’t even spoken since their breakup four years earlier. The happily-ever-after she remembers in vivid detail—right down to the dress she wore to their wedding—is only one example of what her doctors call a false memory: recollections Lucy’s mind made up to fill in the blanks from the coma.
Her psychologist explains the condition as honest lying, because while Lucy’s memories are false, they still feel incredibly real. Now she has no idea which memories she can trust—a devastating experience not only for Lucy, but also for her family, friends and especially her devoted boyfriend, Matt, whom Lucy remembers merely as a work colleague.
When the life Lucy believes she had slams against the reality she’s been living for the past four years, she must make a difficult choice about which life she wants to lead, and who she really is. (Courtesy of Amazon.)
What is a memorable compliment you've received for any of your books?
I’ve received many memorable, amazing compliments over the past few years and books, which has been so lovely! However, the one that sticks with me is also the most recent: at a library event a couple of weeks ago I met a woman my age whose husband died suddenly a few years back. She told me her coworkers had been suggesting she read my debut, COME AWAY WITH ME, and while it took her a few tries to open the book, once she read it she said the story resonated deeply and was a great comfort to her. There is nothing better than readers reaching out to tell you how your words, characters and stories have impacted them.
What is a piece of reader feedback you've used while writing The Life Lucy Knew?
I received a letter once—typed out on fancy stationary--from a woman who was upset with me because of a certain word I’d used in my sophomore book, THE CHOICES WE MAKE. I’m not sure what the word was (she never repeated it), but she was quite offended by it apparently. She closed the letter saying that as a writer I must have an excellent grasp of language and therefore, she added, “…you can do better.” I had a chuckle, wondering what the word was (I have some idea), and wrote her back to let her know I would most certainly think of her while writing future books. And you know what? While writing LUCY I would pause before using a curse word, asking myself if I really needed it or if a less dramatic word would do. Sometimes the curse word had to stay, but other times I found the character actually could get by with something a tad less, well, offensive.
If you could cast The Life Lucy Knew as a movie, who would play the lead roles?
I am terrible at this game, because I honestly don’t have crystal clear physical pictures of my characters, as strange as that may sound. However, if I were casting the book to movie, I could imagine Cobie Smulders as Lucy, Matt Bomer as Daniel, and Anders Holm as Matt.
Which piece of clothing have you owned the longest?
I have a jean jacket from when I was five years old—my parents were hippies, I was raised in the 1970s, and so the jacket is awesome and retro and covered in smiley face buttons and my mom’s hand-sewn patches—that I passed down to my daughter. She’s outgrown it now, but it hangs in her closet, ready to pass to her child many, many years from now.
What is your favorite way to escape?
Reading! Or going for a run or hike or doing a yoga class or walking a shell-laden beach. So, books and exercise, basically. I am happiest and most centered when I’m moving my body outside, or curled up in front of a fire with a coffee and a great book.
Which TV show are you currently binge watching?
We are a Netflix-only house, so I’ve binge watched a lot of programs in the past couple of years. We’ve been re-watching THE OFFICE and THE MINDY PROJECT—two shows guaranteed to make me laugh—and recently finished the first season of MINDHUNTER, which is about the early FBI profiling of serial killers in the 1970s. It was dark and disturbing and highly addictive!
Thanks to Karma for visiting with us and sharing her book with our readers!
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27 comments:
One of my first memories would probably be about cats.
Another great giveaway!
I have a memory of almost drowning as a toddler when my babysitter took her eye off me at the beach.
Probably one of my first real memories is walking to kindergarten with my mom.
I remember my first day of Kindergarten and hugging my Mom and crying.
I remember going to a restaurant and then being carried out of the place. I was young (3-4) and asking when we were going to eat. I had apparently fallen asleep during the meal.
My first memory is not very clear since I don't remember much from when I was very young. Playing at a park when I was visiting my grandmother.
Looking out the little port hole window in our house and watching my godfather (a police officer) leave for work around the age of 2?
My first day of kindgarten.
I remember going to Idora Park. It was close to where my grandparents lived. A small amusement park now torn down.
My first memory is riding my tricycle on my front sidewalk at my parents farm. I remember getting so mad because the hose went over the sidewalk and I could never quite get the tricycles tires over the hose without falling off.
I remember being at a funeral and not wanting to approach the coffin. Scared me silly!
I guess my first memory would be playing with my toys and having books read to me.
Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
I remember my parents having a 2nd story put on our house. I can remember standing outside watching them work being so fascinated by it. I was 4 and my sister was 2. I just remember a clip of that!
playing with older siblings
My parents had a greenhouse full of lovely plants. My mom let me plant some for myself, I was about four years old. I'm still a big fan of flowers.
One of my first memories is being "Chicken Little" in our kindergarten play. I had a yellow dress with a scratchy net underskirt and I had fallen on my walk to school and had a bloody knee. We gave the play for some of the older kids and my nickname became "Chicken Little."
After dating from junior high and nearly 50 years of marriage, sometimes it's hard to remember where the memory started, him or me.
In my earliest memory, I'm climbing on a playground monkey bar thing to get away from a dog that scared me.
Reading books with my older sister, and we are still reading books!!!!
I vaguely remember preschool at the green school in Palo Alto. I was receiving speech therapy because of my hearing-impairment. There was this doll house in the lobby which was a gorgeous one.
I can remember my father putting the swing set together in the back yard. I was 4.
I remember riding on the bus with my Mom.
"What is a memory you've had that you're not sure you trust to be real?"
WHOOOoooo. Okurrr!
You see, in my training to be a Clinical Psychologist I somehow found myself with more than a few (very nice! yes! all very nice!!! wonderful people!!! great experience!!!1) supervisors who were reeeeally rooted in classic [Freudian] psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic theory.
So, this question terrifies me to no end.
I can't think of a memory/"memory" that would fit the bill for this question. But I do remember being at the park with my dad when I was about 5. I flew off the merry-go-round, and into the mud. AND IT RUINED ME FOREVER.
:)
--Ann B.
going to school
My Mum told me that she had me all dressed up to attend a clinic as a small child, when I stepped back and fell into the plastic bath fully clothed. I feel like I remember it, but it could be that I've just heard the story.
My first memory was moving into our house. I don't remember much about it, but I do remember seeing my room and new bed all set up!
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