On her profile it says Karen Duvall likes Dan Fogelberg and Evanescence. Dude, right there, I gotta talk to her. And she is a Native Californian who lived for a while in Colorado and now lives in Bend, Oregon. Dude, I’m a Native Coloradoan who lived for a while in California and I’ve been in Bend, Oregon. Coincidence? I think not. She has children, I have children. She has grandchildren, I might get dogs. She is a graphic artist. I like pretty things. See? See? Weird.

Anyway, for Karen’s complete profile, click here.

Her new book, Darkest Knight, just came out from Harlequin Luna. It is the sequel to Knight’s Curse. Here is the scoop on the sequel:

Now free of the curse that enslaved her, Chalice pledges to join her sister knights in The Order of the Hatchet. But someone—or something—is murdering her sisters in their sleep, provoking fear and suspicion among the order. Meanwhile, Aydin, unable to stay away, starts haunting Chalice’s dreams, urging her onward. Ultimately, Chalice will be faced with an agonizing choice— one that will tear away at her newfound identity and force her to choose between duty and desire…

I chatted with Karen Duvall at the airport. It was very dramatic. I mean, I was at the Denver airport and she was at home in Oregon. The coincidences just don’t stop. Here is the interview. Beware, your spine will tingle.

Aaron: Let’s start out slow. Evanescence. Did you like their albums post Fallen? Fallen was brilliant, but what about The Open Door? Or their new one from 2011?

Karen: Amy is fabulous! There’s not a single song of hers that I don’t like. Her voice, her style, her lyrics, it’s all amazing. As a matter of fact, Evanescence’s music personifies Chalice, the main character in my Knight’s Curse books. I can’t listen to music while I’m writing, but I’m inspired by music when I prewrite, and I listened to Evanescence as I developed Chalice’s character. That album was Fallen. I think I may have memorized every song. Based on the looks I got from people while I sang along in my car, I think I got it down pretty darn good.

Aaron: Okay, got that out of the way. You’ve been doing cover art for writers and I find this fascinating. A novelist who does covers for other novelists. It’s so meta. How does being a writer help you with doing covers for other writers? Do you ever let your own ideas of the book effect what you do with the cover?

Karen: I’ve been a graphic designer for over 30 years, so I understand my clients and the commercial viability of pleasing aesthetics. 🙂 I understand what authors want because I am one. I KNOW how important a cover is, and I know authors have a specific image in mind of how they want their cover to look. I can help them get as close as possible to achieving that image. I’m a card-carrying member of Photoshop Professionals, so I have the expertise.

As for letting my own ideas of the book affect what I do with the cover, I’d have to say no. Most of the time I’ve never read the book and rely on the author to feed me information. I read the blurb, I have them fill out a questionnaire, I ask them what covers they’ve seen that use a style they like. Then I work toward creating a book cover they can be proud of.

Aaron: Okay, time machine question. Are you ready? A time machine takes you back to 1977. George Lucas asks you to do the movie poster for Star Wars. What would you do?

Karen: Considering I stood in a line that wound around two blocks when the movie first came out, I know exactly what I’d have done with the poster. I was in art school at the time and the poster was an excellent example of the collage/montage trend for movie posters. So back in 1977, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. But today is a totally different matter. Busy posters are out, a more editorial approach is in. So if you’d asked how I’d design that poster today, I’d probably single out an image indicative of the movie’s theme. You’re not going to make me watch that movie again, are you? It’s not that I don’t love Star Wars, I have the boxed set on VHS, but… 🙂

Aaron: You have had the writer’s journey of heartbreak, hope, and hernias. You said something interesting. You said with every rejection, you felt a little relieved. Why is that? In what ways is rejection good?

Karen: Ah, yes. A lot of relief comes with rejection, and I’ll explain why. Let’s say you have your heart set on someone you have decided is your “dream agent.” You’ve done your due diligence, established that he or she represents authors with books similar to yours in genre or theme, learned that this agent has made some big publishing deals, and you just know the two of you are a match made in heaven. Then the crushing rejection arrives. You have every right to feel disappointed, but please realize the match you imagined is one-sided. Do you really want an agent representing you who isn’t behind you or your book? What if that agent had said yes, I’ll sign you right now, and it turns out they just aren’t into you? They’re not enthusiastic about your book, which translates as lukewarm interest to the editors they approach on your behalf. You don’t want that agent. You want an agent who wants YOU. One who will champion your book and your career. So take heart when that rejection arrives because that’s when you know you’ve dodged a dangerous bullet. Your dream agent is still out there. You just haven’t found him yet. Keep looking.

Aaron: Which is more overwhelming? Writing books or trying to market and sell books? Why is that? Extra points for explaining your answer fully. And in verse. Kidding. Unless you are feeling poetic.

Karen: Writing books is fun. Marketing them is a pain in the ass because it takes time away from writing them, which is what you’d rather be doing. So the whole marketing/promo thing is a double-edged sword: You need to sell the books you write. Unless you’re just writing for yourself, but that’s another issue altogether. I’m talking about writing as a viable, income-generating career.

Now we have more options for how we choose to publish, which is great, but there’s a lot of self-promotion work to be done no matter what option you choose. Being published with one of the Big 6 by no means guarantees great sales right off the bat. That’s up to you, unless you’re a NYT bestseller, then they’ll make the effort to get your name out there. Until then, you’re on your own, and it’s a time-consuming venture.

Aaron: You are published through Harlequin Luna. Romance-y? Urban Fantasy? Not your mother’s harlequin—killer clowns, yeah? Talk a little bit about your publisher.

Karen: Romantic killer clowns disguised as Cupid. Hahaha, kidding. Well, Luna is Harlequin’s fantasy imprint, which means the books have strong romantic elements and are set in a fantasy world, but they’re by no means romance. The books all have a strong female heroine who dominates the story, and she has a love interest that helps and hinders her efforts at reaching her goal. Gotta have that conflict!

Harlequin is a global publisher that’s been a leader of publishing books for women since 1949. I love the company’s team approach to working with authors. You don’t just get an editor, you also get a copy editor, assistant, marketing department, and regularly scheduled workshops on social networking that are presented via webinar every month. Harlequin is a very focused company that knows the business of books.

Aaron: Knight’s Curse came out in 2011. Book two of the series, Darkest Knight, is just out. Your brand new baby. What central idea or strong vision did you have for Darkest Knight? Kinda’ like your pitch, but the central idea doesn’t have to be so market-y. What was the burning image that led you through the book?

Karen: In the last book, I’d left Chalice happy to have her curse broken, but the consequences of her good fortune turned the man she loves into a monster. She needs to fix it, which is what she attempts to do in the second book. But that’s not her only problem. Chalice’s internal drive is to belong, and to join her sister knights so she can finally be part of a real family. Just when she’s in a position to connect with her fellow Hatchet Knights, she learns that almost all of them are dead. And she’s indirectly responsible for their murder. Not only must she find a way to change the man she loves back into a man, she must also find who murdered her sisters.

Aaron: If you had to choose, which character in your book would make the best wedding planner? Your heroine, your hero, or your villain? Why?

Karen: Oh, hands down it has to be my villainess. Yep, she became quite the expert when she planned the wedding for Chalice and her guardian angel, who is not the man she’s in love with. My villainess has her own special brand of wedding protocol, and it ain’t pretty.

Aaron: When we talked, you said that writing helps you work out your personal issues and exercise some of your demons. What demons did you soothe with Knight’s Curse? Did you work out different issues with the sequel, Darkest Knight? You can answer in a general way unless the skeletons in the closet are battering down the door. Then free the skeletons and give us every little detail.

Karen: I have no problem talking about my personal demons. If you read my blog, you’ll see I regularly post rather quirky yet personal stories that reveal more about me than my books do. As for Knight’s Curse, Chalice is adopted, and so am I. So I pulled some of those emotions from my own experience and my need to belong. I had trouble connecting emotionally as a child and it was something I’ve had to work hard to overcome. Allowing myself to write out the issues I’m not always capable of acting out has been cathartic for me over the years. Fiction is a great way to exorcise demons from the psyche. Though “exercising” may be more appropriate since my demons, as well as myself, could use more treadmill action. Too much BICHOK (Butt In Chair Hands On Keyboard).

Thanks Karen!

Knight’s Curse website
Karen’s blog
Amazon author page
Karen on Facebook
Follow her on twitter