Q&A with Author, Karin Eaton

Karin Eaton – Author Bio

Karin Eaton is a writer, traveller and student of Ancient Egypt. Since retirement as an Arts Manager in Toronto, Ontario, she is enjoying the tranquility of country living, where she delights in observing the changing seasons. She particularly appreciates the metamorphosis of monarch butterflies in her garden and the migration of birds across the lake. When she is not indulging her love of travel and adventure, she spends her time experimenting with memoir, travel and poetry writing. She has won awards for her poetry and her work has been featured in a variety of publications including Common Tread – an online motorcycle magazine, the Persimmon Tree Short Takes and six Quillkeepers Press Anthologies.

Q&A

What is it about dragons that you love so much?

Over thousands of years, dragons have been depicted in mythology and legends in a wide range of cultures across the world. Dragons bridge time and space; stretching from ancient times until today. Within the broad spectrum of cultures, the aspect of dragons are manifested in hundreds of different ways – from fierce and ruthless, to protective and wise; regal creatures with fiery breath and glorious wings, shapeshifters and snakes. I choose the wise, kind aspect of a dragon to be my “guardian angel” with enfolding protective wings.

Why do you enjoy writing about dragons?

Although I have written several poems about mythological of Ancient Egypt, the poem that I wrote for the Dragon Dreams anthology is my first time writing about a dragon. I would like to claim credit for the writing, but I think “my” dragon planted the story in my mind and all I had to do was some formatting.

What are some of your favorite books to read featuring dragons?

I have only skimmed the surface of reading about dragons and that is through my study of
Ancient Egypt, where the dragon is depicted as Apep, the snake god of the underworld,
devourer of souls and adversary of the sun god Re. Dragons are also featured in many different forms in the stories of the ancient Greek myths that I have read over the years. Stephen Fry’s book Mythos is an excellent source. Mostly dragons get a bad rap.

What got you into writing?

I was very young when I discovered writing, first poetry to explore and experiment with ideas and ideology during the angst of childhood. I also liked to tell my friends outrageous stories. I was fortunate to be born into a family of readers and to attend a school where creative writing was encouraged, so that became a big part of my youth. After immigrating to Canada, I continued to write and dabble in freelance writing. After a dismal failure trying to write a romance novel, I was invited to write blurbs for the backs of Harlequin Romances. This was extremely good discipline in writing. My attempt to write a play, led me to get heavily absorbed in community theatre and my creative writing was put aside until my retirement. At the start of the pandemic lockdown, I started a poem a day personal challenge COVID 19 ISOLATION SERIES which I posted for my friends on Facebook. This led to a fresh start in my writing journey.

If there was one piece of advice you could give to other writers, what would it be?

Go with your gut but stay alert to distracting detours. On a more practical side, I find deadlines for entries for publications and contests are great motivators. Also, don’t be afraid of rejections or critiques, I find these help me see new perspectives to edit and refine the work. Write on.

Where can readers follow your writer platform?

I share my work on my blog WORDS OF CHANGE https://monkeystale-karin.blogspot.com/
Please note: I only post writing there that has either been published or I have no plans to submit for publication.

How do you stay motivated?

Writing can be a lonely business. I have found a number of likeminded writers with whom I meet, either online or in person, to share our work in progress and give and receive constructive criticism. We update each other about opportunities of courses, contests and publications. Sometimes we challenge each other with writing prompts. Being a lazy person by nature who would be happy to read or gaze at the sunset, this really helps keep me motivated to put pen to paper, or in my case, fingers to keyboard.

Additional Fun Fact

In September 2023 I had the exhilarating experience of riding, as a passenger on a motorcycle, on the famous Tail of the Dragon. This is a twisty section of US129 in the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. If you ride the 11 miles with 318 curves without mishap, you are said to have Slain the Dragon. We slew the dragon three times. Ride on.