Meet AKA teammate: Karen Cane

Here’s another one of my awesome AKA Literary teammates. Hope you check her out.

Name: Karen Cane

Lives in: Watsonville, CA (officially, but actually in a place
called Freedom, CA, not far from that Beach and Boardwalk town, Santa Cruz! (I
miss the East, though, all you easterners!)

Family: husband, Bill; son usually called Cricket and daughter Midori, though these 2 have been adults for a fair while; grandchildren Walt, 14, Dexter, 7, and Greta, 6. I couldn't be more fortunate with all of them!

Writes: Children's stories and haiku

Day job: You could call it retired, though I help out as I can with the
nonprofit that my husband started 35 years ago and is now retired executive
director of. Given my particular talents, which don't include organization. I
have written articles for his quarterly publication, and I usually act as art
editor for the publication, Integrities.

Titles of books you've written: MISS MARKLE'S HORRIBLE HAIR, JOHN ANDREW AND THE BLACK MONSTER OF DOOM, ANYARA'S WHEEL ... The only one I've sold is THE CHRISTMAS GIFT THAT WOULDN'T BE, but it was to a rather unknown magazine. Others are in anthologies.

Website: Coming soon, I hope!

Favorite book: How could I possibly have a favorite book from all the fantastic books out there? I will say, however, that my daughter and I have both waited with great anticipation for every book written by Barbara Kingsolver, fiction and nonfiction alike, starting with THE BEAN TREES. We both also love all the nonfiction by ANNE LAMOTT. Not too long ago I read THE WOLF AT TWILIGHT by Kent
Nerburn and loved it. I have LITTLE BEE in my hands, have read five pages, and
just know I'm going to love her.

Favorite book character: We might have a 4-way tie here between Zorba, Enzo in THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN, the title character in LITTLE BEE, and all the
Native people in THE WOLF AT TWILIGHT, though Dan, the elder, would be my
favorite there.

Book you've learned the most from: How about author I've learned the most from? Right now I'd choose Kazantzakis.

If you could have dinner with any author, who would it be and what would you ask
him/her? I think I'd choose Barbara Kingsolver, and I'd be happy to just let her talk.

What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received: Writing is 90%
rewriting. Because of that, don't overthink the first draft. Just keep going.

Finish these sentences:

I wish I could see at least a couple of my stories in book form, with great
illustrations and see kids reading them.

If I knew by birth how great Indian and Thai food were (and Vietnamese and
Burmese, Afghan, Turkish, you name it), maybe I should have arranged to born in
South or West or Southeast Asia.

Other AKA profiles:

Aaron Tate
Louise Caiola
Katie Lee
Lee Richmond
Robert Spiller
Edward A. Iannuccilli
Tasha Cotter
Gilda Evans
Luis Cruz
Penny Fletcher
Matthew Porter Dyer
Carrie Filetti
Jessica Robinson
Krista Krueger