Karen Robbins has a new Mystery book out!

I'm happy to introduce Karen Robbins and her new book: Pickle Dilly. I think you'll enjoy her writing and the fun and delightful characters that grace her pages! Now, check out the interview with TOMMY MADISON of the Annie Pickels story. Enjoy! 

Oh, and don't forget to click on the "Links to buy"!

Welcome Tommy Madison. I understand you are in the pickle business. What do you do?

I am one of the officers of the newly incorporated Annie Pickels Pickles. I’m actually in charge of production. Mrs. A, that is Mrs. Annie Pickels who is the president and originator of the business, taught me how to can her special dill pickles. I helped her out with some problems she had in making a profit and together along with a couple of others, Arnie Forrester and Elma Thompson, we begun to do pretty well.

That’s not your only job though, is it?

No. I work full time actually for Tinkers Tavern wherever the proprietor, Bill Barker, needs me to help out. He’s a great guy and lets me arrange my hours so that I can help out with the pickle business as well.

This Annie Pickels and you got into a little trouble a while back I hear. Can you tell us anything about that?

It’s not something I’m proud of. I was growing marijuana on a plot of land that Mrs. Pickels rented me. You see I have some physical problems with my legs from an accident when I was much younger. The marijuana gave me some relief from the pain. Annie got in some trouble along with me when she mistook it for marjoram and put it into her pickle recipe. That’s kinda how I got involved with the pickle business. I’m working off some fines Mrs. A paid for me. I’ve also found help with the pain instead of the marijuana—lots of prayer and visits to a pain clinic.

What is the latest on the relationship between Arnie and Annie?

Well, if Elma had her way, they’d be walking down the aisle as soon as she could get Annie into a wedding dress. Annie is a deep thinker and she takes relationships seriously. She was married quite a few years ago to a fellow that she really loved and she’s had a hard time getting over his death. I think Arnie would like to be very special in Annie’s life but that’s for the two of them to work out. They don’t need any pressure from me. They have enough from Elma.

Tell me more about Elma.

Elma is a hoot. Annie made her VP of marketing and she has taken it very seriously. She has grand ideas of making our business international. But she also has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She and Annie have been best friends for many years. They live across the street from each other.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about Annie or Arnie or Elma?

Arnie is a great lawyer. He’s only doing it part time now that he’s retired but he certainly has helped us all out a lot. We all suspect that Elma may have a new someone special in her life but I really couldn’t tell you yet for sure. And Annie? Well Annie, in addition to her kindness and grace and love for all of us and her pickle expertise, she makes the greatest cinnamon rolls in the world. Hands down!

How can we get to know more about all these wonderful people?

There are two books by Karen Robbins that tell pretty much the whole story. In A Pickle was the first and now she’s finished the Annie Pickels story in a new book, Pickle Dilly. Here’s the teaser as they say:

Annie Pickels, a widowed pickle entrepreneur, and her best friend Elma are off to London for a little holiday. While in London things are happening back home that threaten to cause the loss of Annie’s farm property. Once again she will rely on Arnie, her friend who is a lawyer but who wants to be so much more in her life, to help her out of trouble.

A trip to Alaska and a meeting with her deceased husband’s family solves some of her problems but there are still questions to be answered. How far will the people who want her property go to get it? And, is there room in her heart for Arnie, the one Elma keeps telling her is the “man of her dreams”?

It’s a dilly of a pickle Annie finds herself in but with friends, family and faith the answers become clear.

Thanks for joining us today. Where are you off to next?

I’m off to Mrs. A’s kitchen to get a cup of coffee and the best cinnamon roll around.

KAREN ROBBINS is a writer, author, and speaker. She and her husband are travel addicts and many of her stories are enriched by their adventures in different parts of the world. She has written six novels, collaborated on two non-fiction books and contributed often to Chicken Soup For The Soul books. She is currently working on a Christmas novella, A Pocketful Of Christmas. While the world is fun to explore, Karen most likes to spend time with her grandchildren. They offer the greatest adventures of all.

Catch up with Karen at her blog, Wandering Writer (www.karenrobbins.com), Twitter (https://twitter.com/writerwandering), Facebook (www.facebook.com/KarenRobbinsAuthor) or Amazon (www.amazon.com/author/karenrobbins)

Links to purchase books:

In A Pickle:

https://www.amazon.com/Pickle-Annie-Pickels-Story-Pickes/dp/1974391868/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Pickle Dilly:

https://www.amazon.com/Pickle-Dilly-Annie-Pickels-Story/dp/1974397092/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

A Warm Welcome to Karen Robbins

FREE DOWNLOAD of Murder Among the Orchids (see instructions below)

Make sure you leave a comment and your email address for a chance to win Death Among the Deckchairs.


Welcome, Karen! How long have you known that you were a writer? Did you receive a clear “call?” Or have you just
 loved writing all your life? 

Back in the mid 1980s my kids challenged me to learn to learn the computer we had. Those of you using computers for a long time remember the Tandy. Come on, admit it! Well, the only thing that was within my grasp of knowledge was the word processing program and I began working on a journal of the adoption of our two youngest children. I got a bit wordy and ended up with a book that was lost when the Tandy left. No one told me or showed me how to back it up! But it was enough to whet my appetite and I took several courses through Writers Digest and began attending writers conferences to learn more. My first published article was for a Sunday School take home paper and netted me ten dollars. Of course I think I spent more than that sending it out (snail mail then) to editors for their review.



What is the genre you write in? Would you explain what it is?

I’m a bit eclectic when it comes to genre. I think it reflects my reading preferences. I like variety. While I know that’s not exactly the protocol for authors, I have not really stuck to one genre. My cozy Casey Stengel Mystery series is probably the most I’ve written in one genre. A cozy mystery is a lighter mystery/detective/sleuth story—think Agatha Christie. In A Pickle and Divide The Child are more general fiction books.



How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel?

I would love to say that I have a set time during the day to write but the truth is that since we travel so much, I have to catch time wherever I can. Sometimes it’s in an airport or the library of a ship or at the desk in the hotel room. If I know we will be home for an extended period of time, I will try to set aside more time to write. My only goal for word count is to make sure I write something. Whether it’s 250 words or 2500 words, it still takes me further to the end. A novel takes me any where from five months to well. . .I’m still working on one I started ten years ago.



What is the spiritual message in your latest book? What can readers expect to get from reading it?

In Death Among The Deckchairs, while Casey is busy solving a crime during her cruise vacation, she is also confronted by some very personal issues. The underlying spiritual message is that you need to include God in all your decisions and look to him for answers to your questions whether they be of a personal nature or just trying to solve a mystery.



You recently had another book published. Would you take this time to describe it to us? How and where can readers buy your books?
Death Among The Deckchairs is the second in the Casey Stengel Mystery series. The first book was Murder Among The Orchids. Here’s the teaser: A cruise. A bikini clad body. What next? All Casey wanted was a relaxing cruise where she could visit with her daughter, the cruise director, but suddenly she finds herself in the middle of a murder at sea. Who would have guessed the beautiful young woman dead in the deckchair next to her had an enemy who would use her love of the sun to end her life? When Max joins Casey, what she thought would be a romantic ending to her cruise becomes an intense search for evidence. Somewhere among all the dermatologists holding a conference on board ship is a killer. Is it the victim’s doctor husband? Or one of his co-workers? And how does the shark expert fit into the puzzle?



Available at:

Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Among-Deckchairs-Stengel-Mystery/dp/1490365907/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371130769&sr=8-1&keywords=death+among+the+deckchairs


Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Deckchairs-Stengel-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00DF3T528/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372342100&sr=1-1&keywords=death+among+the+deckchairs


Barnes & Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-among-the-deckchairs-karen-robbins/1115655383?ean=2940044576490


Smashwords for all e-formats: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/323673
(Use coupon code MX52W for 50% off)

　


Where do you get ideas? Character names? Do you find your characters similar to you in any way?

There is never a lack of ideas. Only a lack of time to write them all. I usually see something or hear something and that takes me off on an imaginary what-if trip. I think my most recent characters, Annie Pickels and Casey Stengel, are probably similar to me in that I like to look at problems with a bit of humor. And in Casey’s case, I’m a big lover of baseball.


Do you ever feel like giving up? Most people don’t understand the stress, the work, and the joy of being a writer. How tenuous becoming a writer is. Do you care to share how it feels, what discouraging/encouraging times you’ve gone through? Who’s inspired you the most?

I used to feel a lot of stress over it but at this stage in my life I’ve set some priorities and put the writing into perspective. I may never be a best selling author but my stories have touched lives by entertaining readers. I enjoy the process and now that my husband has retired, I don’t put the pressure on myself like I used to. This is our time to spend together. The publishing just flavors life a bit.



Would you roughly explain how you “chose” (or was chosen) a publisher? Do you just go “inny, minny, miny, moe?” Grin. Now, that you’re published, can you sit back and relax from the success you’ve experienced?

Several of my books are self-pubbed. My two coauthored non-fiction books were published by a small press, Leafwood. Martin Sisters, who pubbed In A Pickle, is what is called an Independent Publisher. While they operate like a mainstream publisher, editing, making covers, sending out press releases, etc. the paperback books are print-on-demand which means they are printed as they are ordered. It makes it tough but not impossible to get into bookstores because the distributors charge a bookstore more for POD books. But if you look at the way so many buy their books online now, it isn’t hard to reach readers with a little online marketing.



Do you mind telling us some of your likes and dislikes? Hobbies, interests? Where would you like to travel if you could? Etc.

My suitcase is always at the ready and now with hubby retired, we can take advantage of last minute deals. We have been to all seven continents and by the middle of the year 2015 we will have circumnavigated the globe. There is still lots of God’s beautiful world to see. I like photography although I’m not terribly professional and I enjoy crocheting. Seems if I don’t have my hands busy on a keyboard, they are with a crochet hook. And did I mention I’m an avid reader?



Would you give us your blog or webpage so everyone can check it out? Anything else you’d like to share? Promotional information?

My blog is mainly a travel journal and you can find lots of interesting information on travel and places to go. It’s called Writer’s Wanderings : http://karenrobbins.blogspot.com . Also, I just revised my very first novel, Divide The Child, updating it and reissuing it (a lot of things have changed since 1990). It’s available on Amazon. You can get most of my books as well in any e-format at Smashwords.com.

　LOOK!!
Free download of Murder Among The Orchids at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82884

enter coupon code: BX36W



Author Bio:
As a full time mom, a teacher, a businesswoman, a paralegal student, a travel addict, and　diver, Karen Robbins has had a wealth of experiences that contribute to her story ideas and speaking topics. In 1987, she sold her first written piece for publication in Standard, a Sunday School take-home paper. Since then she has published numerous articles and essays in a variety of publications including several regional and national magazines and written columns for a local newspaper and an online women’s magazine. Karen has been a contributing author to many compilation books including the Chicken Soup For The Soul series. She coauthored A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts and A Scrapbook of Motherhood Firsts. Earlier novels include Divide The Child, In A Pickle, and Murder Among The Orchids, (book one of the Casey Stengel mystery series).


Connect with me at:
Writer’s Wanderings: http://karenrobbins.blogspot.com

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KarenRobbinsAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenrobbins

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/wanderingwriter/boards/




Don't forget to leave a comment and your email address for a chance to win a paperback copy of Death Among the DeckChairs.

Blessings!

OH! I'm Totally Thrilled to Have Karen Robbins On My Blog!

She is Such a Talented Wonderful Person with an interesting blog filled with tidbits of her traveling adventures.

Enough gushing. Now on to the interview!
Tell us about your latest release. The cover looks fantastic!

Thanks for the compliment! Murder Among The Orchids is a cozy mystery with one of my favorite characters, Casey. She is a professional Household Manager, not a housekeeper, and one morning discovers her boss among his beloved orchids. Mr. Popelmayer lay as if he'd gone down swinging. Casey and her detective friend, Max, discover more than one bizarre and exotic turn to the mystery of Mr. Pop's death. Did his daughter, Cattelya, or his son, Garo, want an early inheritance? Or perhaps his first wife has had her revenge. The answer lies in the Costa Rican Forest of Orchids. It was a lot of fun to write and I hear from readers that it’s just as much fun to read. Casey is a fun sleuth.

What was the hardest part to write?

Probably the hardest part was trying to keep from giving away too much too soon in the mystery. You want to drop hints. The fun part of reading a mystery is trying to figure out the who-done-it but you don’t want the readers to discover that too soon. But this ending surprised me. When I got there, I suddenly discovered something that even I didn’t know about my characters. That’s where I credit God. I wouldn’t have thought it up on my own.

That is so true. I love mysteries! We all have choices of items that help us write. What’s yours? Can you give the readers a glimpse into your writing space? What’s your favorite writing reference tool?

Yikes! A writing space? As you know, Carole, my husband and I travel a lot so my “writing space” is anywhere I can plug in my laptop for a few minutes or hours, if I’m lucky. As a matter of fact, a good part of Murder Among the Orchids was written while we were in Hawaii during the whale season. I didn’t adjust well to the time and was waking up really early. I used the time to write.

As for items that help me write, I’d have to say my old worn dictionary and my thesaurus. When I know there’s a better word and just can’t seem to come up with it on my own, I turn to those references. I’ve never been able to figure out any of those programs that are supposed to help you plot, build characters, etc. Although I do use Word Excel to set up a spreadsheet where I can make notes about my characters as they develop in the story. That way I don’t start out with one being blonde and making her a brunette later without the help of Clairol.

I hope I don't show my jealousy in you writing a book in Hawaii! lol. If you had to choose one person to go with you for encouragement to a secluded cabin, who would that be?

If I were going to a secluded cabin, it would be for writing and reflecting and spiritual refreshment. I don’t know that I would take someone with me. I would want to enjoy the quiet, leave myself open to God’s whispers, and pour my thoughts out in words on a page.

What are you working on now?

My coauthors of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts and I have just finished a new book, A Scrapbook of Motherhood Firsts, due to be released in April 2012. I’m also working on several other novels in various stages of completion. I have a historical that takes place during the Great Depression that has been a work of several years now. Another novel is being rewritten and hopefully will be ready for ebook release soon. Of course the next book in the Casey Stengel Mystery Series is cooking as well.

You're a busy woman! Loved your Christmas First books (Run out to buy it now, readers!) What is one of the happiest moments of your life or an accomplishment that you’re especially proud of?

The happiest moments of my life have been as a wife, mother, and grandmother. I’ve been married to the love of my life for 43 years now. We have five kids, three wonderful daughters-in-law, and eight grandkids who continually bless our lives with giggles, hugs, and lots and lots of crayon drawings. With all of that, it’s hard to pick out just one moment.

Sounds lovely. How could anyone wish for more? How do you choose names for your characters? Do you do a lot of research on them?

Choosing names for characters is kind of like going shopping for new clothes for a special event. I try them on. Knowing what the storyline is helps. Or the time period. Or the setting. Some names are more popular in certain areas of the country or world and fit better. Or sometimes the name needs to fit the picture of the character you have in mind. Just like when you find the right outfit and try it on, you know if it fits. Casey was like that. Her married name was Stengel. Putting the two together, made her a quirky kind of baseball fan even though there was no relationship to the baseball Stengel. That’s what makes the cozy mystery so much fun to write.

Love your explanation. Choosing character names is one of my favorite things to do. Can you tell us some of your favorite books or characters that you cherish?

I grew up loving Scarlett O’Hara. I still think she is a fascinating character. She had courage to stand up to what would have destroyed so many others. Her creativity in dealing with adversity was amazing (I’m thinking drapes to dress). Yet there was a sympathetic side to her—wanting to love and be loved however misdirected it may have been. She wanted to be strong and yet she wanted to be taken care of. She struggled to be the kind of person Melanie was in theory yet she couldn’t because her independent spirit and her fighting Irish spirit made her impatient with her circumstances. She was complex. That’s why she’s iconic.

And fun things about yourself that the readers might enjoy knowing?

I’ve already mentioned our traveling. We have touched foot on all seven continents including Antarctica! And have almost circumnavigated the globe. We are also scuba divers and have been diving in the Caribbean, the Great Barrier Reef, Papua New Guinea, and Tahiti to name a few places. And I am excited about being an elf this Christmas season! We have volunteered for our local Polar Express on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. I’ll be the one with the red apron that says “believe” serving hot chocolate and cookies to wide-eyed kids (and adults) as they travel to the “North Pole.”

What fun! Is there one piece of advice that’s been especially valuable to you?

A few years back, I went to a CLASSeminar where we were taught some ways to improve our speaking talents and our small group instructor handed out scripture verses to each of us. She said she had prayed over them and asked God to put the right scripture in the right hand to meet the need of each of us since she didn’t really know us all that well. The scripture she handed me is one I continually remind myself of especially when life just seems to get complicated and I need to focus. It’s Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Please share information where readers can check out and buy your books:

Murder Among The Orchids is available in all ebook formats at http://www.smashwords.com/; also at Barnes and Noble for the Nook and in the Sony Online bookstore for the Sony reader.

A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts (and in April, A Scrapbook of Motherhood Firsts) is available at online bookstores such as Amazon, B& N, Christian Books, etc., or ask for it at your local bookstore.


There you have it, folks. A delightful interview with my friend, Karen. Hope you enjoy her book as much as I did.

Smiles and blessings!

I'm Excited to Have My Favorite Traveling Writer With Me on My Blog Today!

Please make sure to check out her blog here:
http://karenrobbins.blogspot.com
And look for her interview on November 23, right here!

Welcome, Karen . . .

The Wandering Writer

If I were to brand myself, it would be The Wandering Writer. My husband and I have been blessed to be able to travel the world. It started out as business trips but it wasn’t long before we were hooked—addicted to be precise. We have been able to set foot on all seven continents. Yes, even Antarctica! And we have almost completely circumnavigated the globe.


Along the way, God has given me much to write about. We have met people who have inspired us and been to places where God has seen fit to bring to light lessons that have drawn me closer to Him. I thought I might take this opportunity as Carole’s guest blogger to share a couple of those with you.

A few years ago, we were in a beautiful place called Cinque Terre on Italy’s west coast. The area has five little towns built along Italy’s rugged coastline, each nestled into or on top of the cliffs. Along the narrow path in one of the towns, we were able to see the base of a few homes built on the cliff’s edge. The solid rock cliff met with the base of the house and was secured with mortar. There was no digging into the earth. The base of the home sat on a rock-solid foundation.

Later, we visited Pisa and of course, the famous leaning bell tower. The foundations of the building there are somewhat precarious and the tower is not the only building that leans. It is just much more dramatic because its base is not as large and therefore the weight is not distributed as evenly as other buildings. Sighting down the exterior wall of the cathedral there you can see where a part of it also has sagged. The reason: a mushy clay base beneath it. Not necessarily a sandy foundation but one just as unstable.

Within a few days, we had two great examples of what it says in the Bible about a man who builds upon rock versus one who builds upon sand. The rock foundation stands through centuries. The other leans and threatens to collapse without continual reconstruction. While the less than solid based foundation may boost the tourist industry, it’s not a good philosophy of life.

The next year, we toured a large part of Australia. The Red Center of Australia is a desert area similar to our Southwest in landscape. It usually receives a bare minimum of rainfall as you can imagine but the days preceding our visit and during our time there, rain poured down. The area experienced horrible flooding and roads were blocked with red mud.

We were unable to get to the resort we were to stay at along the way between Ayers Rock and Alice Springs. The resort was about 3 ½ hours from either place and when we were finally turned away with no hope of the road being cleared enough for us to get through, we did the only thing we could we drove on to our next stop, Alice Springs.

Picture miles and miles of nothing, the sun quickly setting behind us, no lights on the two lane highway, and no moonlight. All we could see was what our headlights picked up in front of us.

I heard Bob say, “I wonder how dark it is?” And in the next instant, I was plunged into total darkness. HE’D TURNED OFF THE HEADLIGHTS!

We’re tooling along at 120 kilometers/hour (about 65 mph) and he turns off the lights! It was only for a second but it seemed an eternity. I’m not a screamer but I screamed. It was the blackest black I have ever experienced. I’ve worked in a darkroom developing pictures but that was not even as dark as this. I could literally not see my hands in front of my face. It was as though I had no body and there was just this consciousness of me.

When the lights came on, my heart was pounding. I tried to shake off the sensation of being in total darkness.

Separation from God is said to be total darkness—an eternity if you have never accepted Jesus as Savior. I can certainly see now why Jesus’ words were so important: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

God enriches my life with each new travel adventure, each new personality met along the way, each new wonder revealed. Wandering the path He has set before me keeps me writing.

***

Karen writes of her travel adventures at the Wandering Writer (http://karenrobbins.blogspot.com/). She is the coauthor of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts (Leafwood, 2008) and A Scrapbook of Motherhood Firsts (available April, 2012). Murder Among The Orchids is her first ebook novel and is available for download at http://smashwords.com/.

Writers Who've Influenced Me



Liz Curtis Higgs: cause I saw her in person and saw her humbleness in giving God the praise for her success.

Deb Vogts: cause I saw Deb face rejection not only from publishers but from an agent, and then come forth with victory.

Catherine Marshall: cause I love the book Christy!

Jan Karon: cause I love her Father Tim books!!

Karen Robbins, Cathy Messecar, Terra Hangen, Trish Berg, Leslie Wilson and Brenda Nixon: cause they wrote the best little Christmas book. I love this nonfiction book.

Mary, Stephanie, and Ro: best critique buddies a person could want. AND one's already pubbed. How great is that?

Lindsay and Jamin: critique friends who've accepted all my criticisms for their own work, worked and learned so much that they're invaluable to me now!

Just a few, but, wow, these people are awesome!



Quote:

Lord, grant that I can always desire more than I can accomplish. --Michelangelo



Blessings