Blog Tour: Karen Arnpriester - Anessia's Quest

Please welcome Karen Arnpriester to the blog today for the stop on her tour for Anessia's Quest!! I had the pleasure of doing an interview with her, and you can also read up on her book here. I haven't read the book, but it has many good reviews on Amazon and Goodreads!! Enjoy!

Genre: Christian, Drama, Suspense,Adult
Publisher: Self-published
Pub Date: January 18, 2011

Anessia’s Quest follows the life of a woman born into dysfunction and neglect. The story takes you on her journey. A journey that begins with abandonment, abuse, and physical injury. Pagne (Pain) believes she is all alone, thrown away, but soon discovers that she is protected and guided by her guardian angel. A powerful relationship develops between this lost child and her loving protector that manifests as a unique method of communication.

Pagne encounters other broken people that become her family, friends and community. Her grace and compassion alter their destructive paths. She moves through her life unaware of the impact she creates, her purpose on Earth.

Her life is filled with tears, laughter, joy and heartbreak. She faces challenges that include ultimate betrayal, loss and shame. Challenges that are only bearable due to her trust and faith in heaven’s love and value for her. Love that is reinforced by her angel. She discovers the events that led to her mother’s indifference and neglect, and must decide how much grace she
can extend to a woman she has hated for most of her life. The ultimate test of forgiveness.

When she faces her death, Pagne discovers the true value and power of forgiveness and love. She is shown how her life created ripples that spread into waves of glorious influence. She was not an accident, she was placed on Earth with divine intent.

Mickey: Hi there, Karen! Welcome to the blog! Please introduce yourself.
Karen: Hello, I am the author of Anessia’s Quest and very excited to be here.

Mickey: Your novel, Anessia's Quest, has received a lot of 5 star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. How important is it to find the right readers to get rave reviews like that?
Karen: I’m not sure how you find readers that will give rave reviews. I am very pleased with the reviews I am receiving, but I am sure that not all reviews will be 5 stars. My main focus is to touch hearts and give the reader a memorable experience that impacts their life. Reviews are helpful if genuine, otherwise they do not give the author or potential readers an honest representation of the book.

Mickey: There seems to be a religious theme to your novel. How might a non-religious person react to the book?
Karen: Several of my reviews are from people who do not read Christian fiction. They said that they got caught up in the story and identified with the characters, even though they did not have a similar belief structure. I think the story line is strong and represents the challenges we all face, whether we are Christian or not. The message is about love, compassion and healing. Humanity in general can relate, acceptance and love is universal.

Mickey: How long did it take you to write Anessia's Quest?
Karen: The first draft took four months. Once the foundation was written, it took another year for revisions, edits, and rewrites. Several characters were dropped and new characters and events brought in. Part of the time was working with editor’s schedules.

Mickey: I'm a big fan of audio books. Any plans for an audio book version? Who would you cast as the reader?
Karen: I love audio books. I work on a computer all day, and the idea of resting my eyes, putting my feet up and being read to is wonderful. I have been told that I have a good speaking voice, so I probably would cast myself first and see if I was good enough. As the author, I would have a clear understanding of the nuances of the story and dialogue. But, could be much harder than I think and I might need a professional to bail me out. If I had placed this story in the south, I would love to listen to Reba McIntire read my book aloud.

Mickey: When writing the novel, did you base the characters off anyone? Personal friends or famous celebrities?
Karen: Only a few. I did create a character, Bree, based on my granddaughter. Pastor Tim, was a recreation of my own Pastor Tim. He was flattered that he was a character. When I read the finished book, I realized that Ophelia Buttonhook was me. She represented my biggest fear and that is memory loss. Richie was inspired by my son who struggled with drugs for many years. Brent presented the hope and vulnerabilities that I felt as a parent. I have to admit that I see similarities to other people in my life, but I did not select people to be specific characters.

Mickey: Did you set out to write a novel like this, or did this story come to you this way? Any plans to write outside this genre/age range?
Karen: I only had an idea for a beginning and the end. The story unfolded as I wrote it. I did not have an outline. I found myself on a journey and totally surprised myself at where the story went. My heart is for Christian based books. Time is very precious and empty entertainment is available everywhere. I want to know that my efforts can bring the subject of faith, hope, joy and love to the reader. To encourage them to evaluate their beliefs.
There are several more adult books sloshing around in my head but I would like to write children’s books or young teen at some point. Now that I have foster children, I would love to write books to help their healing and self-image.

Mickey: What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
Karen: Almost embarrassed to admit that I love dance movies. Step Up I, II and 3D. Vampire movies, not the romantic ones, but the edgy, scary ones. The Underworld series are awesome, but my all-time favorite is Lost Boys, the original. The most surprising to people who know me would be The Walking Dead series in it’s second season.

Mickey: I have a ton of well-loved pets in my house. Are you a pet person? If so, what pets do you have?
Karen: My life has been filled with wonderful pets. We had to euthanize two of our sweet dogs in the same week recently. They were both fifteen years old. We felt their loss so deeply, the house was empty. We weren’t going to get any more dogs. We still had Barney, our little party pom, but he was lost without them too. We came across a pound puppy that looks like Cookie, our terrier/wolfhound mix and the color of Missy, our cocker mix. We named her Mookie to honor our beloved girls. She has helped our family deal with the incredible loss.
Other pets over the years have included snakes, lizards, frogs, chickens, a wild turkey, prairie dog, spiders, stick bugs, birds, turtles, horses, ducks, dogs, cats and a gigantic toad.

Mickey: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Karen: My husband and I talk about winning the lotto at times. First thing I would do is buy a home facing a beautiful beach, a green belt of forest behind us and a pond or stream on the property. I want it all.

Mickey: Karen, thanks so much for being here today! Any final thoughts for the readers?
Karen: I first want to thank you for allowing me to present myself and my book. I feel like an excited kid waving my first drawing for everyone to see. I believe that my book is really good. I know that sounds rather egotistical, but I really do. It has drama, heart, hope, laughter and truth. I went back after some time and reread it. I sat there in amazement that I wrote it, thinking, how did this come from me?

Karen Slimick Arnpriester is a creative, passionate and adventuresome woman. She raised her two children, adores her seven grandchildren and is now a foster mom of two young ladies. She has been a self-taught graphic designer for twenty five years and started her own business twenty years ago. Her faith in God is strong and she believes that we are Christ’s hands, feet, arms and wallet. This translates into her involvement in youth ministries, local women’s shelter, street ministry, the elderly, as well as many other outreaches over the years. Her home has been available to single moms and their children, allowing them to get a fresh start.

ANESSIA’S QUEST is her first novel. The desire to write began two years ago as a hobby. She had an idea for a beginning and the end. The rest of the story flowed and took Karen on a journey. She cried and laughed as she followed the twists and turns of the characters. Once friends read the book, she was strongly encouraged to share her story with others.

RAIDER’S VENDETTA is Karen’s second novel. It will be released in October 2011. It is a psychological thriller between the main characters,Charley and Raider. Charley’s faith and ability to survive is challenged by
the rage of a shattered man.

Her third book, which addresses bullying, is in the works and should be released in 2012. The tentative title is HEY! LEADBOTTOM!

This author wants to take her reader to a place where they can evaluate their beliefs and who God is in their life. When asked why she limits herself to Christian fiction, she simply explains that it is where her heart is. If she commits her precious time to writing, it needs to be of value and have God’s ultimate purpose in mind. Bringing his children home to him. Karen welcomes God’s influence in her writing and prays that she is fulfilling His destiny for her life.

Find Karen:
website | goodreads | amazon