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Interview with a Traveling Mama: Author Karen Quinn
By DesertMama | June 16, 2008
We Traveling Mamas are jumping with joy to have author Karen Quinn with us today. Her third book, Holly Would Dream, came out this month, just in time for summer reading. When you read it, keep an eye out for the saucy character Beth Blair (does that name sound familiar?). During the promotion of Karen’s last book Wife in the Fast Lane I entered her contest and ended up the grand prize winner of a Canyon Ranch gift certificate and a character in her next book (Holly Would Dream) named after me. My mom (who had met Karen at her Denver book signing) and I met Karen and her mom at Canyon Ranch last September and what fun we had. Now that you know our history, let’s chat with Karen about Holly Would Dream…
1. What a fabulous idea to write a book with an Audrey Hepburn slant, what inspired you to do so?
I just adore Audrey Hepburn and I know that so many other women do as well. One night, I happened to be watching Sabrina and I thought how nice it would be to live in that world. It seemed so much simpler and more elegant. That gave me the idea of creating a character (Holly) who wished her life was like a 1950’s romantic comedy. She is so obsessed with Audrey that she convinces her fashion museum to have a retrospective of the costumes she wore in all her movies. Later, she borrows some of those costumes and that’s when the trouble begins. Ultimately, my goal was to write a book that felt like an Audrey Hepburn-Cary Grant caper from the 1950’s.
2. What locations did you personally travel to researching the book?
A big part of the story takes place on a cruise ship — this segment parallels An Affair to Remember. So, I made my husband go with me on four cruises to research that. I am committed to truth in fiction, you see. We went on the Crystal, Silverseas, and Princess lines. Crystal was my favorite. We visited all of the ports that my characters visit — Athens, Istanbul, Ephesus, Santorini, Naples (for Pompeii), and Rome. When I wrote about Rome, I looked up all the hotels and restaurants my characters visited on the internet. Then I went there to make sure that what I wrote made sense. I had put my characters at the Hassler, a wonderful hotel at the top of the Spanish Steps. When we arrived, we learned that this is where Audrey Hepburn stayed while making Roman Holiday. I had set a dinner and dancing scene on a river barge on the Tiber (like in Roman Holiday), but when I saw the Tiber, it was a marsh that didn’t smell too good so I had to move that scene. One of my favorite spots I researched was Ephesus, an ancient town in Turkey.
3. Did you have any memorable moments along your “research journey”?
I experienced many moments myself that inspired scenes in the book. My mother had told me a story about a woman who was doing the world cruise on Crystal one year. At the beginning of the journey, she was with her husband. There were pictures of the two of them up near the photo gallery (you know how they photograph you constantly on cruises). Anyway, he died a few days into the trip. But his wife refused to get off the cruise. She insisted they keep him in the morgue while she completed her trip. My mom said that this woman met another man on the cruise and by the end of the trip, there were photos of the two of them at the photo gallery! This incident inspires something kind of similar in Holly Would Dream. I told this story at my reading last week. A young woman came up to me and said that the man who died was her grandfather! It was her step-grandmother who continued cruising. This other man “comforted” her during the trip because of her husband’s death. Anyway, they ended up getting married. The young woman said it caused a terrible family scandal.
4. What is your favorite place on the planet to escape to?
I like nothing better than to take a European cruise on a Crystal ship. To me, that is the perfect vacation. Every day you end up in a different, interesting port. The service is amazing. I’m not the kind of person who likes to rough it while traveling. Here is something interesting I learned about cruises. We took the expensive Crystal cruise and the less expensive Princess cruise on one of those giant ships. The Princess cruise nickels and dimes you over everything. We even had to pay extra to sit on a less crowded deck. In the end, the less expensive Princess cruise cost the same as the expensive Crystal cruise. You have to be careful about those hidden extra charges.
5. Now that your kids are older is there a special destination you hope to take them one day?
Every year my mother and I spend a week together at Canyon Ranch in Tucson. I look forward to doing that with my daughter someday.
Thanks, Karen! Good luck with the book!
Topics: Mama Interviews, The Cookie Jar |
TravelMuse
June 16th, 2008 at
I’ve always had a fascination with Audrey Hepburn movies. She is such a fashion icon of her day.
Karen - Thanks for sharing the stories with us. I can’t wait to read the book.
June 16th, 2008 at
Oooh. Now I want to take a Crystal cruise. And read this book! I love knowing the backstory… thanks for your time, Karen!
June 17th, 2008 at
Karen’s book is such fun reading! I’m going to her book signing in Denver tonight, dressed as one of her Audrey Hepburn groupies (black dress, pearls, sunglasses, long black gloves)! Will love seeing her again! Her books are so fun I read them more than once!