Friendly Friday - Karen E. Hoover

Karen E. Hoover was born in California and spent her growing up years in Washington, Oklahoma, and Utah. She was raised in rural areas for much of that time with no one to play with but her little brother. She spent her summers reading and playing "space" with her brother, which consisted of anything from aliens invading our planet to creating swords and shields with the jigsaw.

Currently she lives in the west with her husband of fifteen years, her two sons, and a multitude of animals. She loves music, nature, great friends, and good food.

Learning to Juggle

I've always wanted to juggle. My little brother was pretty good at it growing up, tossing those balls and bean bags up in the air and somehow always managing to get his hand under each one just in time to send it sailing skyward again. I can juggle one bean bag really well, I mean REALLY well. I get two in my hands and I do mostly okay. But give me three bags and I'm done. I can toss them up maybe three or four times, but then I'll toss one out a little too far and to compensate I'll lean out to catch it, getting me out of the path of another bag tumbling on the other side and before I know it they're all on the ground. Eventually I came to realize something.

I am a TERRIBLE juggler.

This poor brain of mine was meant to handle one or two bean bags at a time. It just can't seem to make those minute adjustments that will keep all the balls or bags in the air. I have found this to apply to every aspect of my life. I can't seem to write and keep a clean house at the same time. I tend to neglect people I love dearly when I'm hyper-focused on a task--usually writing--and my kids end up eating fruit, toast, and cheese or ramen noodles with veggies for dinner. My friends will text me, wondering where I've disappeared to, and usually the simple answer is I've been visiting other worlds.

I'm a fantasy writer. That means I daydream a lot and come up with characters who make the impossible seem real. It's a fun way to live and think. I like my job and love being a writer, though I do wish I could juggle a little better. Over the years I have just come to realize that I am who I am and make the best of it. So my dishes don't get done regularly and my kids have more than their fair share of leftover dinners, but you know what? They don't mind. They've shown me how supportive they are of my writing. They know what passion is and are beginning to find it in their own lives, and if I can do one thing in my life, I would want it to be to teach them the lesson my mother taught me--that anything is possible. That they can accomplish anything in this life if they want it bad enough and are willing to put in the effort.

That, I believe with all my heart, is a gift we are all given. Any single one of us can do anything if we aren't afraid to try. We can write those books or build those shelves. We can sing, or dance, or speak in public. We can play the guitar and piano, we can be a good friend. We can do anything.

Even juggling.

Thanks for being my guest today, Karen. I think you'll find that you're not alone in the world of writing or juggling. It's not easy trying to be the perfect mother, wife, daughter, teacher, musician, or writer. Even harder to make sacrifices to achieve our life-long dreams. Personally, I think you're doing a fabulous job.

You can read more about Karen on her blog HERE.

She also has a debut novel coming out in March. "The Sapphire Flute" can be pre-ordered HERE.

Launch Party Details:

Tuesday - 16 March 2010 - 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
The Gateway
6 N Rio Grande Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1184
(801) 456-0100



My guest next week will be Daron D. Fraley,
author of "The Thorn", also due to be released at the above launch party.