Intimate Interviews

Coffee breaks with Karma

[Madhu, After Dark] Before we get started on your books, would you mind telling us a little about yourself and who you are outside of Wattpad?

[Karma, Featured Author] Hmm, a little about me... I have a dog and a brother and I love them equally. I buy wine in bulk-- and drink it in bulk, if I'm being honest. My best friend sends me paper letters because I'm terrible with Facebook and the like.

I suppose who I am outside of Wattpad is the same as who I am inside of Wattpad: unfiltered, a little clique-ish and inappropriate more often than not.

[M] I'm sure we could relate a lot to the inappropriate part, but it's nice to know at least some of us are trying to keep the old traditions intact. Personally, I've never written a letter to anyone unless you count the one's we've all done in grade and middle school.
But talking about writing, I would love to know how did you first get into the writing field?

[K] I've always been imaginative. When I was younger I used to make up stories about how I had older siblings but my mother killed them to make me a leader...I suppose I've always had mommy issues too.

When I was a teenager, I went through the angsty poetry era. And then around twenty-two or twenty-three, I started writing a little bit more seriously, reading writing blogs and books on writing, and I kind of just threw my whole self into it. Now, it's a part of who I am. Writer has definitely become one of the words that define me.

[M] Well, we are super glad that you decided to go down that path which ultimately led you here.
Your book 'Runner' has been featured in our reading lists and after reading it, it made me super curious to know how you got into writing racy novels and a large variety of them. *sighs dreamily thinking about Alex and Axwell*

[K] Well, I got into writing racy novels because that's what I've always read...well, steamy and fantasy, but I haven't quite grasped putting together fantasy novels just yet.

As for Runner, I've just always been intrigued by power play novels but I've never liked that one person always had to give up ALL of their power to the other. So, Runner is sort of built into the concept of power play but where both characters have sort of unbending personalities. So instead of having a high character and a low character, everything sort of meets at a slant.

[M] Well, that's a great difference between your books and the other's I read and I loved it, I'm sure most of our other readers did too! But, what were the initial results when you first posted the book?

[K] Posting Runner was kind of like starting from scratch. My followers and most loyal readers were used to me writing lesbian literature, and honestly, so was I. I had no idea how Runner was going to turn out. It was completely out of my comfort zone. But, I totally fell in love with the characters and the story became something that I just had to see all of the way through. And slowly, new readers trickled in and then about halfway through the book, Runner had a sweet little fan base. So, initially it was a slow start but towards the end came the boom.

[M] We're super happy for you that you've managed to great with something out of your league. Could we look forward to more such 'out-of-the-box' stories from you in the near future?

[K] Always. I'm always pushing the boundaries of what I think I can do. I mean, the worst that can happen is I fail. And what is success without a little failure?

[M] Well, we're eagerly waiting to read them and I hope people would take inspiration from your positivity. But, what is the thing inspires you the most? Is it the same thing that inspired you to start writing in the first place?

[K] I take inspiration from a lot of things, my life experiences, TV shows, books, things I see people do at Walmart...Inspiration is everywhere.

I also take motivation from a Maya Angelou quote: "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, compassion, some humor and some style."

That's pretty much how I approach writing. I don't want to just write. I want to put everything I have into it and be great.

[M] It's awesome how the little things from anyone's daily life can inspire and motivate you. I guess that being a writer, observing people and their mannerisms becomes a little thing you do subconsciously. 

I stalked you enough (:P) to know that you talked a lot about your dog 'The Animal' as you mentioned in your description, *random? I know!* you have any other pets? And which breed is your Animal?

[K] Haha. I talk about my dog a lot. He's my only animal. He's a miniature schnauzer and he's the most handsome boy in the world. He's a bit overweight, so I make sure to tell him he's beautiful every day to make sure he doesn't have any confidence issues.

[M] That's so sweet! I love dogs too, but my mom's allergic to them, so never got to get one. But there's always a tomorrow right? :P
So, before we wrap this up, I'd like to thank you for the time you've spent answering the questions and we hope that you keep coming out with more great books.

[K] It's too bad they don't make hypoallergenic dogs. haha.

Thank you for taking the time to ask them. And for taking the time to read Runner. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it :)