Karen McKibbin
Karen McKibbin
Karen McKibbin
Blog
What inspires my writing and catches my eye in everyday life...
My debut novel is out now. Here's a taster
Prologue
Belfast 1972
They walk from the city centre, following the bus route home, her arm linked through his.
‘Wait,’ she says, stopping suddenly. ‘I can’t walk another inch in these friggin’ things.’ She leans against him for support as she pulls her shoes off swollen feet. She touches ...
As a teenager living in Northern Ireland at the height of the conflict, I spent my days desperately wishing for peace. By the time I finished university, and with the violence showing no signs of ending, I left. A cop out, some might say when others stayed.
Perhaps that’s why I made the main character in my book a young peace campaigner, determined to change things for the better. My alter ...
It’s been an exciting few months since my last update. The door that’s been hanging off its hinges since Storm Arwen has finally been fixed; on my first try at aerial yoga I didn’t break a limb; and I notched up a new top speed of 31mph on my cycle route (all right, it was downhill). I’m also delighted to say that my first novel, Soldier Doll, was placed in the top 10% in the Cheshire Novel Prize. ...
The models are tall, willowy, blonde, sun-kissed fantasy cowgirls. Uma isn’t any of those things but she’s sure she can carry off his signature look.
The shirt is her mum’s. Uma has trimmed the collar with rhinestones, the sleeves with fringing. The sleeves drag. Uma turns them up. Better. She combs her fringe flat. It’s too short but she likes the wavy edge her mum’s pinking scissors have ...
I could grow to hate books. A strange thing for a writer to say but hear me out.
Most of the time I love them. Of course I do. It’s only during the weekly house clean that love turns to hate. Books are heavy, especially the gargantuan tomes bought by my husband. Constantly lifting them off the floor, so that I can run a hoover over the carpet, is a pain. Literally.
There are numerous ...
Are we there yet?
When my husband emerged from the Ísafjördur tourist office waving a detailed hiking map of the Westfjords, my heart sank. When it comes to choosing a walk, we have very different views. I believe in knowing your limits and sticking to them; my husband (the one I vowed NEVER to go walking with again!) prefers to push the limits.
We studied the map ...
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Taking writing classes. I knew there was a process to writing a book. If I thought it would miraculously reveal itself to me as I went along, I was wrong. I need a basic framework because that's the sort of person I am. The classes have introduced me to tried and tested techniques, helped me discover my writer’s voice and provided early, all-important feedback.
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Reading ...