| Karen Schaler | Karen Schaler | <div class="ExternalClassB615CE44C29F4C1FA555C266E28ABEA6"><h2><a href="https://phoenix.overdrive.com/phoenix-phoenixpl/content/media/5701865" target="_blank">Christmas Ever After</a> by Karen Schaler<br></h2><p><br></p><div>Karen Schaler is a three-time Emmy award-winning storyteller, author, screenwriter, journalist, and national TV host. Karen worked as a reporter and fill-in anchor at ABC15 in Phoenix. In 2007, Karen was the first journalist in the world ever embedded with an Apache helicopter unit in Afghanistan, and that unit was the Arizona National Guard’s 285th Aviation Unit. In just the last three years Karen has written original Christmas movies for Netflix, Hallmark, and Lifetime, including the Netflix sensation <em>A Christmas Prince</em>, and four Christmas books, <em>Christmas Ever After</em>, <em>Christmas Camp</em>, <em>Christmas Camp Wedding</em> and <em>Finding Christmas</em>, earning her the nickname in the press "Christmas Karen." After Karen wrote the <em>Christmas Camp</em> movie for Hallmark, and her <em>Christmas Camp </em>books, she created a real-life Christmas Camp® for grown-ups at The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, where she carefully curates and hosts magical Christmas activities from her movies and books. Karen is now doing virtual Christmas Camps all around the world, to help share some holiday joy and happiness during this challenging time. All of Karen's stories are uplifting and filled with heart and hope. </div><div> </div><h3>What prompted you to write this book? <br></h3><div>After I wrote the Hallmark original movie <em>Christmas Camp </em>in 2018, I then wrote my books, <em>Christmas Camp</em> and <em>Christmas Camp Wedding</em>. I know that’s different from what most people expect as usually books are adapted to movies. I loved the <em>Christmas Camp </em>concept so much I created real-life Christmas Camps for adults, my first one at The Phoenician resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. At last year’s Christmas Camp I told my Christmas Campers about writing this book and in one of my Christmas Karen Chats my campers helped give me great ideas for romantic dates and Christmas actives that I could include in the novel. I did this as fun, festive research because I do the same thing in <em>Christmas Ever After</em> where Riley has the Christmas Campers help her come up with ideas. The only difference is I love all things Christmas and Riley has a journey to go on before she can let Christmas back into her heart. </div><div><br></div><h3>What attracted you to this genre: romance, mystery, non-fiction, etc.? </h3><div>My earliest memory is of my mom and grandma reading sweet romance novels, so it was the first thing I started reading as well. My whole family has always loved heartwarming, uplifting stories. My grandma is also the one who taught me to love libraries. She got all her book at the library and read every single day. She lived to be a 104 and reading was her favorite pastime. She also volunteered at a local library well into her 90s. </div><div><br></div><h3>Are any of the characters in your book based on real people and if so, who? </h3><div>Of all my books, <em>Christmas Ever After</em> is the one that is most inspired by people in my own life, especially when I write about Riley’s three ex-boyfriends. I drew inspiration from some of the special men who have been in my life. While all the details were changed, the idea was there that like my past loves all the ex-boyfriends in <em>Christmas Ever After</em> were very unique, special, and very lovable in their own way. </div><div><br></div><h3>What type of research did you do to write your book? </h3><div>In <em>Christmas Ever After</em> I wanted to have an eco-friendly component so that’s something I researched and then my recipes and activities I always research and experiment with first before including in all my books. My Christmas cookie recipes are always my favorite kind of research! </div><div><br></div><h3>What book are you currently reading? <br></h3><div>While I usually enjoy reading the same kinds of books that I wrote, uplifting romance I’ve been reading a lot of screenplays as I’m writing my next feature film and it’s the best way to learn. I’m also reading <em>Aristotle’s Poetics</em>, written around 330 BC, after I heard legendary screenwriter Aaron Sorkin recommend it to help with screenwriting. He was right! If you’re a writer this can help with any kind of storytelling and could be the best 60 pages you ever read. </div><div><br></div><h3>Are you writing anything now? If so, when will it come out? </h3><div>I write every single day. I’m currently working on my next Christmas novel that will come out in 2021, next Christmas. I’m also in development for my next Christmas movie also slated to come out in 2021, and I’m working on two spec scripts, a Christmas feature and a Summer romcom, that I’ll also write the novels for. This is in addition to writing my ongoing Travel Therapy TV segments that air nationally and internationally. </div><div><br></div><h3>If you weren't a writer, what would you do? </h3><div>I honestly can’t imagine not being a writer, but if I had to do something else I think I would be a movie director because I would still be telling stories, and also a photographer because I do some photography now and love it. </div><div><br></div><h3>Do you use your local library? If so, which library is it and what do you do there? </h3><div>I’ve been traveling with my travel show for the last ten years to more than 68 countries so I haven’t had the pleasure to have a library I call home. I’ve been living in New York City and Scottsdale, Arizona, but honestly I say my home is wherever I put my suitcase. I hope to someday have a library to call home ,but right now I visit any library I can, no matter where I go, as that has become part of my travel tradition. <br></div><p><br></p><p><br></p></div> |
