Interview with Karen E. Osborne

Karen E. Osborne is an author I've known for a while. She interviewed me in June 2021 for her YouTube series, What Are You Reading? What Are You Writing? The roles are now reversed as I talk to Karen about writing, interviewing, and her latest novel Reckonings, which is coming out June 16 from Black Rose Writing. We also talk about PTSD, starting a writing career later in life, and the generosity of creative people.

What have you learned from your interviews with other authors and publishing professionals?

Creatives are such generous people. I’ve interviewed visual artists, a musician, illustrator, voice actor, and authors of every genre. They share ideas, tips, leads. It’s been such a wonderful journey. Plus, exposure to books I might never have heard about. The downside is my “to read pile” is a mile high.

Is there something someone said in an interview that stood out for you?

When I interviewed Mike Titlebaum, professor of jazz at Ithaca College in upstate NY, he brought his sax and keyboard, and the backdrop was an amazing mural of some of the greatest jazz musicians and singers. He wrote a textbook for teaching jazz. Could have been dull, but it was super fun!

Let’s talk about your background. You said you started writing when you were twelve and started making up stories long before that. Is there a story you made up in your childhood you would love to go back and write today?

Noooo. LOL. They were not memorable. But I’d like to take another stab at some of the bad poetry I wrote as a teenager. I’ve kept them all and I think some have promise. Novels are what I love writing the most, but plays, short stories, screenplays, and poems all interest me.

You’ve worked as an academic administrator and a consultant and trainer. How have these experiences shaped your writing career?

I believe in the power of philanthropy and nonprofits to improve the lives of the people they serve. My career, centered around philanthropy, allowed me to travel the US and the world, meet extraordinary individuals, learn about other cultures, have unique experiences. But the biggest impact from a writing perspective is the confidence my career gave me. I spoke to audiences as large as nine hundred people from…