Bookish Lifestyle: Interview with Karen A.Wyle, the author of Twin-Bred

I'm joined today by Karen A. Wyle, the author Twin-Bred. She is here with us to talk about her book, her passion for writing and some of her favorite Valentine's-Day-related stuff! Enjoy the interview and don't forget: WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR COMMENTS! :)

Twin-Bred

ebook, 343 pages
Published October 15th 2011 by Karen A. Wyle

Can interspecies diplomacy begin in the womb?

In Twin-Bred, the human colony on Tofarn and the indigenous Tofa have great difficulty communicating with and basically comprehending each other. Scientist Mara Cadell, who lost a fraternal twin in utero, proposes that host mothers of either or both species carry twins, one human and one Tofa, in the hope that the bond between twins can bridge the gap between species. Mara has secretly kept her own twin, Levi, alive in her mind as a companion and collaborator.

Mara succeeds in obtaining governmental backing for her project – but both the human and Tofa establishments have their own agendas. Mara must shepherd the Twin-Bred through dangers she anticipated and others that even the canny Levi could not foresee. Will the Twin-Bred bring peace, war, or something else entirely?

About the author:

Karen A. Wyle was born a Connecticut Yankee, but eventually settled in Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University. She now considers herself a Hoosier. Wyle's childhood ambition was to be the youngest ever published novelist. While writing her first novel at age 10, she was mortified to learn that some British upstart had beaten her to the goal at age 9.

Wyle is an appellate attorney, photographer, political junkie, and mother of two daughters. Her voice is the product of almost five decades of reading both literary and genre fiction. It is no doubt also influenced, although she hopes not fatally tainted, by her years of law practice. Her personal history has led her to focus on often-intertwined themes of family, communication, the impossibility of controlling events, and the persistence of unfinished business.

E: Evie
KW: Karen A. Wyle

E: Welcome to Bookish, Karen! Thank you so much for joining us for the Valentine's Day event! Can you please tell us a bit about your novel, Twin-Bred?

KW: Can interspecies diplomacy begin in the womb? In Twin-Bred, the human colony on Tofarn and the indigenous Tofa have great difficulty communicating with and basically comprehending each other. Scientist Mara Cadell proposes that host mothers of either or both species carry twins, one human and one Tofa, in the hope that the bond between twins can bridge the gap between species. Mara lost her own twin, Levi, in utero, but she has secretly kept Levi alive in her mind as a companion and collaborator.

Mara succeeds in obtaining governmental backing for her project – but both the human and Tofa establishments have their own agendas. Mara must shepherd the Twin-Bred through dangers she anticipated and others that even the canny Levi could not foresee. Will the Twin-Bred bring peace, war, or something else entirely?

E: Who or what inspired you to write it?

KW: When I decided – at the end of October 2010 -- to take part in National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo) that November, I needed a story to tell. As I sat down to come up with some book ideas, science fiction kept happening. At about the same time, I read an article about amazing interactions between twins in utero, captured on video. The researchers had found synchronized movement, touching, even kissing. Either the article or a comment on the article mentioned the traumatic, often devastating, impact on those whose twin -- identical or fraternal -- had died in utero or shortly after birth.

Straining this information through the science fiction filter in my mind, I imagined a scientist seeking to overcome the comprehension gap between two intelligent species by way of the bond between twins. It would be natural for the scientist who conceived this idea to be a twin. It would add emotional depth to the story if she were a twin survivor. And for added strangeness and interest, what if she had somehow kept her lost twin alive as a companion, who could be a character in the story?...

I have always been fascinated by communication issues and the struggle to understand what is different. I also find myself returning constantly to the themes of family relationships, unintended consequences, and unfinished business. All these threads wove together to form the story of Twin-Bred.

E: How would you describe your book in 5 words?

KW: Aliens, communication issues, and twins.

E: Are any of your characters inspired by people in your own life? Which one of them would you say is the most like you?

KW: The child Melly has some traits in common with my younger daughter. My main character Mara Cadell's artistic talents are borrowed from my older daughter, who is an art student and my cover artist.

Mara is probably the character who resembles me most. Like Mara, I'm impatient, though less likely to explode as a result. I am no scientist, but I have an inquiring mind. I'm persistent and stubborn, like Mara. Finally, neither Mara nor I have a great track record at forming and maintaining social connections, although both of us are getting better at it.

E: Have you always wanted to be a writer? At what point in your life did you decide that writing is something you want to do?

KW: From early childhood, I considered myself a writer. I had a poem (not a very good one) published in the local paper when I was in 3rd grade. When I was ten years old, it was my ambition to be the youngest published author ever, and I was somewhat crestfallen to learn that a nine-year-old British girl had claimed that honor. (I did finish a novel that year, a bizarre picaresque tale of a boy and his dragon.) For the next ten years, I tried to find the right form for my writing: novels? poetry? short stories? Nothing seemed right, and I gave up for a long time: about 30 years, in fact. During this long fallow period, I became an appellate attorney and learned to turn out prose in quantity. (By way of contrast, when I had a 3-page paper to write in college, I would spend hours banging my head on the wall and complaining to all and sundry.)

When I started having children in my mid-thirties, I also started writing picture book manuscripts. When my older daughter (the artist) was eight or so, she would do drawings and I would write silly poems to accompany them. Ten years later, she took part in NaNoWriMo for the first time. When she did it again the following year, I joined her – and produced the rough draft of my first novel, Twin-Bred (available as a paperback and ebook on Amazon and elsewhere). I’ve since used NaNoWriMo and its summertime version, Camp Nano, to write rough drafts of two more novels.

E: If your book had a soundtrack to accompany it, what songs would be on it?

KW: That is the perfect question -- because I'm running a promotion asking readers that same question. The first reader to suggest a particular song that I agree belongs on a Twin-Bred playlist will be mentioned, with their selection, in an appendix to a future edition of Twin-Bred. I'll post updates on the book's Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/TwinBred (no hyphen).

E: Valentine's Day is here! Could you share with us your three favorite romantic books?

KW: The three that currently come to mind (after some decades of reading, I can't swear these would be my all-time favorites) are all over the map as far as genres go:

--Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. This 19th century Gothic romance has two very different characters with very different types of personal strength. There's plenty of drama and excitement, and an eventual satisfying resolution.

--Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers. This is the last novel Sayers wrote in her Peter Wimsey detective series (which has recently been continued by another author). SPOILER ALERT:
>
>
>
>
>
>
Busman's Honeymoon begins with the engagement -- finally -- of aristocrat and amateur detective Peter Wimsey to mystery writer Harriet Vane. Their dialogue is wonderful, their relationship inspiring and completely credible.

--The Host by Stephenie Meyer. This science fiction novel involves a unique love triangle, with fascinating and sympathetic characters, and the very romantic notion that love can transcend even the differences between species (once certain obstacles are overcome).

E: What's the ultimate Valentine's Day date you would like to experience?

KW: While we're fantasizing, I'm going to suspend certain physical laws. My husband and I would be somewhat younger, in the best shape either of us has ever attained, and temporarily immune to weight gain . . . .

We'd go on an overnight trip (all logistics involving offspring and dog handed off to other appropriate parties) to some physically lovely location with terrific restaurants and plenty of used bookstores. We'd have a long, leisurely dinner with French food, wine, and some incredibly chocolate dessert. Then we'd go for a long walk, along riverbanks and over bridges, stopping off in the bookstores now and then. We'd stay in a comfortable cottage with a great collection of movies on Blu-Ray (for my husband, who can tell the difference), a just-the-right-firmness king-sized bed, and soundproofed walls. :)

E: Who is your favorite book couple?

KW: Possibly Sherlock Holmes and his apprentice-and-more Mary Russell in the Sherlockiana series by Laurie R. King

E: If you could act in any romantic movie, what would it be?

KW: Threshold dealbreaker issue: if I could act!

Karen, thank you so much for joining us today!

I'm looking forward to reading your book!

I hope you guys enjoyed the interview, for more information about Karen A. Wyle and her book, please visit her website.
Facebook pages (www.facebook.com/KarenAWyle and www.facebook.com/TwinBred)

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

About the Author
Evie is the Blogger behind Bookish. She enjoys reading many different genres, especially YA, Paranormal, Contemporary Fiction and Fantasy.
She loves talking to authors and is always happy to welcome them for interviews, and guest posts. She also likes spreading the love for awesome books and chatting with fellow book-worms.