Compline received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Karyn M. Bruce.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Compline, December, 2023
What’s the book’s first line?
Eyes closed. Fingers entwined.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
“Karyn Bruce’s collection of Compline is a visitation to that space of prayer and body that unites the duality of the sacred life and the everyday. The magic of this book is that it is one extended prayer to the body and the heart…This is a book that embraces the power of the heart and spirit…one quiet note at a time.” Matthew Lippman
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
My inspiration to write this book came from my own life with God and nature as a child, and then as a teenager, and then a adult.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
I want my book to reach out to the readers’ souls and give them the beauty that I have found in nature and all living things.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I first became an author when I was in middle school and I entered a contest and won. But after that, I just wanted to reach out to others who might be suffering from the secrets and pain of living in an abusive household as I did as in my first book, I Will Write Loudly So You Can Hear Me, to help them know that they are not alone.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
No. My first book is I Will Write Loudly So You Can Hear Me
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
When I’m not writing I spent time with my husband and cocker Spaniels, my granddaughter, and I teach part-time in a school for children with learning difficulties.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part of being an “indie” is having a place for to publish a book without the stigma of having people say “that’s not really publishing” or “your book can’t be very good if you have to publish it yourself.” I don’t think, at least for me, there is a “hard” part of being an “indie.” I needed a place to give my poems to others, to reach out to others, and let them know they are not alone.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
My advice to fellow indie writers is always believe in yourself.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
If a traditional publisher came to me, I don’t think I would let him/her publish my work. There are so many tricky organizations that are not legitimate, and I don’t want to find myself in that position.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
What motivates me is God. I grew up believing that He gives each person a special gift, and that gift should not be left under a bushel basket.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
I most admire Lawrence Ferlinghetti. He is loud and fearless. He wrote with his whole mind and body. He gave me the courage to do the same.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
I have written the books I have wanted to write. Anyone else’s books would not be mine.