About Karyn Good

I grew up on a farm in the middle of Canada's breadbasket. Under the canopy of crisp blue prairie skies I read books. Lots and lots of books. Occasionally, I picked up a pen and paper or tapped out a few meagre pages of a story on a keyboard and dreamed of becoming a writer when I grew up. One day the inevitable happened and I knew without question the time was right. What to write was never the issue - romance and the gut wrenching journey towards forever.

On Katniss and Other Opinions

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Karyn Good

I was one of those annoy girly girls as a teenager. I was also clumsy and scared of grasshoppers. I wouldn’t have lasted three seconds in a Hunger Games arena. Which is probably why I loved the book so much, and the main character, Katniss Everdeen. To busy surviving to worry about being likable, she’s gutsy and loyal and a bunch of other things.

For me she’s the epitome of one of my absolute favorite sayings!

“You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have.” Unknown

For Katniss Everdeen it’s not about being likable, or even being the best. It’s certainly not about choosing between Boy A or Boy B. It’s about survival. It’s about winning. And it’s about clinging to your humanity while forced to do the unspeakable.

It looks like it’s going to be a terrific movie! It’s already a damn good book. So, if you haven’t read it, reconsider. Katniss Everdeen is a hero worth knowing.

In other news, I’m reading Any Known Blood by Lawrence Hill for our April book club pick. It’s about five generations of men named Langston Cane. I just hope I can stay awake long enough to finish it. And the thing about ereaders? You can’t gauge where you are in a book. I was sure I had to be at least halfway through because I’d been reading for like ever. But no, 19% read. I don’t know if I can survive another 80% worth of Langston Cane’s. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a poignant story told by a masterful storyteller. It’s just meandering and taking it’s time to the end.

What I was doing while I should have been reading or writing. Watching Swamp People! One gator jumped right in da boat! I don’t why but this show fascinates me. Maybe it’s the need for subtitles! I don’t know…Also Battle Castle. Six mighty castles; six epic seiges. My new love – the History channel.

Any new loves? Going to see The Hunger Games? What are you reading?

Questionable Plotting

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Karyn Good

Teachers create lesson plans. Coaches put together plays. You keep careful track of your finances, plan for retirement, your children’s education, emergencies.Not to mention holidays, ’cause no normal person shows up at the airport on a random Tuesday, looks at the available flights and says, “I’ll pick that one.” No matter how much you may want to chuck everything and get the heck out of Dodge.

I love plotters and don’t they make the best villains! I mean it takes an awful lot of malicious forethought to be the proper kind of evil. Think Regina Mills/Evil Queen, the relentlessly plotting Mayor of Storybrook from TV’s Once Upon a Time. Now there’s Queen with a plan. Or not so evil. How about Charlie Eppes from the now defunct TV show Numb3rs? Employing mathematical equations and using statistical analyses is kind of like plotting. I think. I didn’t really understand half of what he said, I just liked to listen to him talk. It certainly takes a great deal of thought. Guaranteed neither of them would plop themselves down in front of a blank computer screen and wing it.

Then again maybe you apply more of a pantsing approach to life. A free spirited come what may type of thinker. Like Kaylee from Joss Wheadon’s Firefly. Remember the one where’s she’s all dressed up in her pink ballgown talking mechanics with all the boys. But not so stereotypically free spirited you wonder how she managed to dress herself that morning or find her way to work. Or Phoebe Buffay from the show Friends.

Phoebe: (On the phone) Hi, it’s Phoebe. Someone needs to take my 9:00, because it’s like, 9:15, and I’m not there.

Definitely pantsers. Not a bad way to go. After all, activity beats non-activity any day of the week.

For me most of life requires a plan. A way to get from point A to point B. How much detail you include is up to you. Especially, if you’re like me and are weird about that kind of stuff. So for the love of Mike, why would I pants my way through writing an entire novel?

“Books choose their authors; the act of creating is not entirely a rational and conscious one.” Benjamin Franklin

I don’t know. I guess I’m still looking for that magic formula for creating that first draft. I guess because writing the first draft is not my favorite part of novel writing. I love revising. Using the computer program, Scrivener, has helped me be more of a plotter without losing that pantsing feeling that seems to stimulate creativity. I’m making progress.

With it’s cork board, recipe cards, and other project management tools it’s a system that works for me, even though I’m only utilizing half it’s potential right now. Hopefully I’ll be taking a class in the fall. See, I have a plan.

There are so many different kinds of writing and so many ways to work that the only rule is this: do what works. Almost everything has been tried and found to succeed for somebody. The methods, even the ideas of successful writers contradict each other in a most heartening way, and the only element I find common to all successful writers is persistence-an overwhelming determination to succeed. Sophy Burnham

Such is life. Life or writing, are you a pantser or a plotter? Have a favorite character that’s a plotter? Maybe a pantser?

Friday Fantasy

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Karyn Good

If life were like that I’d be sitting out in the middle of the wilderness today on this beautiful deck reading and relaxing. Or maybe I’m on a mini writing retreat – yeah, that’s more like it – I’ll be busy revising my novella, Off The Grid. Surrounded by all that glorious nature, I’m sure to be inspired. Oh, I know, I’ll have someone come in and give me a massage right there on the deck after a particularly grueling scene. Because obviously money’s no object! Sounds good, no?

Instead, I’ll be cleaning.

No, no, you say? Go for option number one? If you could see the state of my poor house you’d agree – it has to be done.

So, while I dream of wooded decks I’ll be mopping and scrubbing and doing the necessary. Because that’s what life is all about here at Camp Good today. What’s your Friday fantasy? What’s your reality?

What Scent Attracts You?

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Karyn Good

I love perfume. You’d think I’d have a particular scent that I wear. But at the moment I’m scent free. In fact, I haven’t worn perfume for some time. Unless Pledge counts, or Pine-Sol. I didn’t worry about spritzing on perfume to do arts and crafts or car pool. Also, there were so many scent free places that it hardly seemed worth it. But, gosh, I’m finding that I miss the sense of comfort and beauty that comes from dabbing on your favorite perfume. Maybe because I shy away from any other kind of scented product, I miss having a much loved perfume. Or two.

In my twenties Opium was one of my favorites.

A legendary fragrance for the woman who adores Yves Saint Laurent. An oriental and spicy harmony. Sheer sensuality, a voluptuous, provocative and controversial fragrance with notes of Mandarin, Jasmine, Lily of the Valley and Vanilla.

The other was Cinnabar.

Cinnabar Perfume by Estee Lauder, Launched by the design house of estee lauder in 1978, cinnabar is classified as a refined, subtle, oriental fragrance. This feminine scent possesses a blend of incense, flowers, spice and amber. It is recommended for evening wear.

Then I had children and I don’t know…things changed. Something about that time in my life changed what scents I was attracted to and suddenly my favorites didn’t have the desired effect. Hum. Maybe my hormone levels altered my skin’s chemistry. I don’t know. Now, years later, I’m back in the market for perfume.

Choosing a perfume might seem like a daunting decision given the range of choices. But this is one choice that’s completely visceral. While so many of our choices are governed by reason, it’s refreshing to have to make a choice that is purely emotional. Governed by nothing more than, “I don’t know why, but I love it!”

Perfumes have ‘families’. You can start by deciding what family attracts you. Maybe you’re target family has more of a Florals personality – feminine and fun-loving. Could be, like me, you’re drawn to those Orientals scents – exotic and mysterious. Then there’s Fresh and Clean – invigorating and dynamic. Citrus makes me think summer and sunny days – fresh squeezed and sharp. Woody – a power scent – mossy with shades of romantic.

Keep in mind this is not a decision to be hurried. You can’t smell a strip of scented paper and decide it’s the one for you. Or pick one because you fell in love with the packaging. Don’t you adore those pretty bottles? Not to mention the commercials. They’re enough to make you run out on the spot and buy it. Risque, sexy, romantic, bold – perfume commercials definitely invite a reaction.

No. You need to test it out on your skin. Decide on a ‘family’ and start sampling. Note that perfumes have top notes, middle notes, and base notes. Top notes last for the first 5 minutes to half an hour, by then the middle notes of the perfume’s ‘family’ emerge. Finally base notes show themselves. They give the scent weight or holding power. So dab a little on your skin in a couple of different places and wait it out. We all know about pulse points.

Smell equals memory. Our ability to remember a smell is greater than our ability to remember what we’ve seen. Whether it’s your grandmother’s perchance for Chanel No. 5 or her chocolate chip cookies, those scents pull you in, bring back memories. Memories are how we pick the right family fragrance, choose what attracts us. So why not choose a perfume to help create memories.

A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting. Christian Dior

So how about it? Do you wear perfume? What’s your signature fragrance? Or do you prefer to go sans scent? How about a favorite memory centered around smell? What scents attract you?

I Do Love a Man in a Suit

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Karyn Good

You know how they say a suit is to women what lingerie to is men?

You won’t get an argument out of me!

After all, The Suit walks out our door every morning on his way to work. After twenty-two years, it still works for me.

What about you? To shy to share? What about your favorite hero? What would he leave the house in: Three Piece Suit, Head to Toe Leather, Uniform all the Way, or Cape and Spandex, Baby?

My New Home and Other News

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Karyn Good

Welcome to my new website! I’m so thrilled to finally show it off. Huge thanks to Jo at Glass Slipper WebDesign for doing all the work. She is wonderful to work with and very helpful, especially if you’re a luddite like me. I’m learning the ropes here at wordpress, like I said I’m not tech savy, but I’ll get the hang of it. Eventually. So, please, take a moment and have a look around. Let me know what you think.

In case you’re interested, a little bit about the color purple, one of my favorite colors. A rare color in nature, it lends itself to mystery and intrigue. Often associated with royalty, of which my characters are definitely not, it is also the color of passion and romance. And I’m a huge fan of those two things! Which leads to the sexy couple in the corner. Hot, yes? They’re having fun over there wrapped up in each other? I think so.

How about you? What’s your favorite color?

Other NEWS

I’ve signed on to do a reading at our local Chapters. I’ll be reading from our anthology Love, Loss and Other Oddities: Tales from Saskatchewan. Look for us there on Saturday, April 21. More details to follow.

Saskatchewan Romance Writers Anthology

Timing is everything isn’t it? Or ask and the universe will provide? The March edition of the Romance Writers Report arrived with the following handy article: The Art of Reading Aloud by Janet Mullany. I need all the help I can get! I’m grateful not to be doing this alone, but with fellow members of my writing group, The Saskatchewan Romance Writers.

I’m also busy booking my first Virtual Blog Tour with the help of the wonderful ladies at Goddess Fish Promotions. My first one ever! There will be prizes and everything. So excited. And just a little bit nervous.