Our interview subject today? Margaret Karmazin, of course!
First off, please tell us a bit about yourself. Have any super powers or secret talents?
Hmmmm. Well, once a psychic healer told me that I “have the power to make things change around me.” I don’t wear a cape though.
Can you tell us a bit about what inspired your story in the anthology?
Sometimes I go off on tangents in my mind about how to hide if I had to run away, like from the Mafia or some other scary organization. I have written more than one story incorporating the hiding idea. It gets more challenging as technology keeps growing more intrusive.
What have you been up to lately? Do you have any books out right now? Are you working on anything new?
I am always writing short stories. Anyone can google my name and see some of them. Some of the old ones were in print magazines and anthologies and not available online, but many of them are.
I’m always fascinated by where and how people work. What is your writing setup like? Any tools you enjoy using?
I am at the computer off and on all day, usually up until around 4:00 pm. I may go out, but when I come back, I am back on there, writing, goofing off on Facebook, emailing or looking up information for my stories. When the rough drafts are finished, I read the stories to my husband, then go back for several edits before sending them out on rounds.
Most writers are lifelong readers and books tend to be important to them. What books or stories have most influenced your life (genre stories or otherwise)?
Lately, I am crazy about Haruki Murakami and am reading several of his books. At the moment, my favorite is IQ84 – a fantastic mix of fantasy, sci-fi and literary. His incredible imagination will hopefully inspire me to go off on some tangents of my own. In general, though I like to write sci-fi, I don’t necessarily like to read it. There are exceptions. Mostly, I enjoy modern and 20th century literary novels and some nonfiction in areas of psychology, anthropology and medical subjects. A major interest for me is the paranormal. I have read probably hundreds of books on these subjects: UFOs, NDEs, OOBEs, unexplained phenomena, etc.
Where can we learn more about you and your writing?
My blog page: http://margaretkarmazin.blogspot.com/ and by googling Margaret Karmazin.
ThanksMargaret! We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for your stories!
If you’re intrigued by the inspiration behind “Hijacked”, consider getting yourself a copy of “The Best of Luna Station Quarterly: The First Five Years” and read it for yourself, along with the other forty-nine awesome stories and gorgeous cover art by Julie Dillon.