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I am thrilled to welcome author Karen McCoy to the Mixed-Up Files to discuss her debut novel, The Etiquette of Voles (Artemesia Publishing), available June 10th. I first met Karen when she interviewed me about my debut novel, OLLIE OXLEY AND THE GHOST, for her blog. She has always been such a huge supporter of mine and the writing community, so interviewing and celebrating Karen feels especially poignant. This is truly a full-circle moment, and I could not be more delighted. 

Summary: The Etiquette of Voles

Life is lonely in Queen Victoria’s London, especially for a talking vole. Chains may be the equal of any human detective, but there’s one case he can’t solve: where he came from and why he can speak.

Luckily, he has the help of Eldridge, the retired investigator he lives with. Their latest job–a shipload of missing fish destined for experimentation–might provide some needed answers. But when Eldridge is kidnapped, Chains is left without sanctuary at a time he badly needs friends. Especially with profiteers, scientists, and pirates from London’s mad scientific underbelly after his hide.

The more clues Chains unearths, the more certain he is that finding Eldridge will also unlock the mystery of how Chains originally came to be, and might even offer him a place to truly belong. But someone he thought he could trust doesn’t want that to happen. A talking vole may offer a significant breakthrough, but a silenced one is preferred.

Lisa: Tell us about The Etiquette of Voles. 

Karen: The Etiquette of Voles centers on a talking vole named Chains who solves mysteries to figure out why he can talk. His story takes place in Victorian London, in the mid-1890s. After Eldridge, the man he lives with, is kidnapped, Chains searches for clues that end up leading toward information about his past. He befriends an orphan boy who agrees to help, and even has a run-in with some pirates! The more clues Chains unearths, the more certain he is that finding Eldridge will also unlock the mystery of how Chains originally came to be, and might even offer him a place to truly belong. But someone he thought he could trust doesn’t want that to happen.  

Lisa: How did you come up with the idea? 

Karen: The vole came to me very clearly one day, demanding to be written down. I knew that he called himself “Chains” because of Charles Darwin’s misinterpreted “missing link” theory (and because he was made this way, and not a result of evolution). I also knew that part of Chains’s journey would involve him figuring out the mystery of his origins, and the story kind of grew legs from there. The Victorian London setting was inspired by my annual trips to The Great Dickens Christmas Fair, which is held in Daly City, CA every year during the holidays. 

Lisa: Did you base any characters on people you know? If yes, spill the beans! 

Karen: The fact that Eldridge has problems with his memory is actually inspired by my interactions with my older family members who are starting to struggle with this kind of thing. It’s really tough to see someone you care about experience this first-hand. Most everyone else was pretty much found on the page as I wrote them. Though a few names came from people I know. Eldridge is the last name of a friend of mine, for example. 

Lisa: How much of your real-life experiences play a role in the stories you tell? 

Karen: A lot of my stories contain characters who end up learning about lives, places, and worlds they’ve been shielded from. I think this is because I was pretty over-protected as a kid and teen. As a result, I learned a lot of things late, and all at once. I firmly believe that kids can handle most kinds of information, as long as it’s presented in a kid-friendly way. I was also kind of a late bloomer, and I had trouble with social skills for a long time. As a result, it was often hard for me to make and keep friends, at least until I got to college. This is why, I think, a lot of my writing also involves found families; in particular, characters finding a community where they can be themselves, and people who understand and accept them for who they are. 

Lisa: What books did you like to read when you were a kid? Do those books influence your writing? 

Karen: I loved books so much as a kid, and I was a very avid reader! Books were the perfect escape. I really enjoyed The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary, Matilda by Roald Dahl and The Babysitters Club series by Ann M. Martin. Authors like these continually influence my writing, and I love stories with wit, snark, and adventure!

Lisa: Do you have a favorite chapter? If yes, why? 

Karen: The chapter, “A Parcel of Pirates” was a lot of fun! I had a great time coming up with quirky characters for my vole to interact with.   

Lisa: What was the hardest part about writing this book?

Karen: Same chapter with the pirates, ha. Battle scenes have a lot of logistics that require an attention to detail and attention to the space the characters are in. I often struggle with spatial relations stuff, both in real life, and in the stories I write. 

Lisa: Why did you choose to write children’s books? 

Karen: I remember as a seven-year-old, pointing to the middle of a Babysitters Club book and thinking, “I want to do this.” Even though that was as much as my kid self could comprehend at that point. Some of my first fully drafted novels were YA, or at least I thought they were, until I discovered that my voice was a lot more suited to the middle-grade space. I am most passionate about writing books for children who feel invisible. 

Lisa: What is your writing process? Are you a plotter or a pantser? 

Karen: Um…a plantser? Definitely some of both. I was a shameless pantser for a long time…until I revised for five years in the wrong direction on a project. Yikes. I took outlines a lot more seriously after that, but they’re still pretty loose, since I still discover a lot on the page. I tend to follow a three-act structure model, like the one found in Save the Cat, and I like to at least know general benchmarks of where the plot is going before I get started.

Lisa: What advice would you give 12 year-old Karen? 

Karen: That people’s perceptions aren’t necessarily an accurate depiction of who she really is. That she has good instincts she can trust. And yes, even though those essays she has to write in history class are hard, they will serve her very well going forward, and that same history teacher will be instrumental in her life journey. And, most importantly, that being different can be a good thing, and she should be proud of the healthy sense of empathy she is developing.

Lisa: Thanks for visiting the Mixed-Up Files to discuss your debut novel. I can hardly wait to celebrate your launch on Sunday, June 15th, from 1:00 to 2:30 at Ruby’s Books, where we will be in conversation!  To all our readers, be sure to add The Etiquette of Voles to your Goodreads list and pre-order at your favorite local indie. 

About Karen McCoy:

Karen is an author, librarian, and tea enthusiast. She maintains a blog, The Writer Librarian, where she interviews other authors. She has also reviewed books for Library Journal and Children’s Literature, wrote a feature article for School Library Journal and contributed a chapter to Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. She currently lives in Northern California with her husband and two very opinionated cats. This is her first published novel. Lena has been drawing since childhood and filled her school notebooks with doodles. But life took me Lena in other directions, and she stopped drawing for many years. She moved to beautiful British Columbia from Saint-Petersburg, Russia, in 2017, and was so inspired by that beautiful place that she started drawing again and fell in love with art even more and in a completely different way. She loves spending her creative days inventing characters and worlds for them. She’s addicted to children’s book illustrations and loves to give warmth and joy to children through her illustrations. For more information, please visit her website.

“Rich in intrigue and adventure, The Etiquette of Voles is a heart-pounding mystery about identity, belonging, and what it means to have a voice—even from one so small but mighty!” ~Lisa Schmid

u Writing regularly is one of the best ways to improve as a writer. Doing the same thing over and over, however, can be a prime recipe for writer’s block. Regardless of what season of writing life you are in at the moment, flexibility and exploration are key. With that in mind, below are five ideas for ways to bring some play into your own writing and that of the young writers in your life.

1. Switch up the genre or form

We all tend to have genres and forms with which we feel more comfortable writing. That doesn’t mean, however, that you always need to or ought to write in that vein. Do you typically write prose? Try a form of poetry. Do you typically write fiction? Spend 20 minutes writing creative non-fiction or journaling. Writing the inverse of what you usually do can freshen up your practice. It can also help you acquire and strengthen skills that you can use in your main work. For example, even though I write primarily in prose, I spent years studying and practicing poetry. As a result, I employ poetic techniques in almost everything I write.

2. Try out a new craft element

Take a look at your current read, or an inspiration for your writing project and pick one or two writing techniques the author employs that you admire. Study how the author goes about using the technique in the work.  Then try it out in your draft or current project somehow—maybe in just one scene or on just one page. Emulation is a great way to break through a writing rut and to expand your writing prowess.

3. Re-read your favorites

Whether they are your favorites in the genre in which you’re writing or just your overall favorite books, revisiting books that have shaped you as a writer and reader is important. Spend time taking notes as a reader and as a writer and really sit with the books. What techniques do you find especially effective in connecting with you as a reader?  How can you emulate those techniques in your own work? This is an especially useful practice for grounding yourself as a writer if you’re feeling lost or stuck.

4. Do some observation adventures

Pulling from lived experiences, overheard conversations, and other observations is a classic writing tip, but maybe it’s been some time since you let yourself take in your surroundings with your writer’s eye. With this in mind, go outside to a park, a mall, a restaurant or wherever is most appealing and take a notebook with you. Write down as many observations as possible, no matter how obvious or random. Even ten minutes in your neighborhood is enough to fuel an abundance of ideas. This is great to jumpstart your creativity on days when you’re feeling restless or uninspired.

5. Change point of view

No matter what genre in which you’re writing, perceptive is key. Try rewriting your current project (or a part of it) from a different perspective—or even more than one. If you’re feeling as if you need to get to know a character more, rewriting a scene from a different perspective can reveal new things about that character. You may be feeling like the structure of the scene isn’t working. In that case, this exercise can break it into new directions. If you’re feeling like the tone of your piece is flat or ineffective, a new perspective can drastically change that. In other words, don’t be afraid to try playing with this core element—it can help you with numerous issues.

Wherever your writing is taking you right now, I hope this list can bring some exploration and fun into your process. And, maybe it’ll inspire you to come up with other writing exercises too!