Authors at Home: Karen Winn; “Our Little World”
We are pleased to feature debut author, Karen Winn, and her riveting coming-of-age novel, Our Little World. Set in a small New Jersey town, Our Little World tells the story of a community in the wake of a young girl’s disappearance. As everything changes, two sisters’ already-fraught relationship is pushed to the limit as they grow up — and apart — in the wake of an innocence lost too soon. Read on to learn more about Karen Winn and Our Little World!
What are you currently reading, watching, listening to? Anything you wholly recommend as being inspiring, uplifting or just really fun?
I’m currently on vacation at the moment, so I’m devouring books. I recently finished The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand, This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub, and The Guest List by Lucy Foley. I just started reading Namrata Patel’s fabulous debut, The Candid Life of Meena Dave. I highly recommend all of these!
Can you take us through the day in the life of Karen Winn? What’s your day-to-day routine like — when you’re writing a book, and when you’re not?
When I’m writing a book, I become very much immersed in it. I wake up early to write, before my two kids get up, even before sunrise. I usually don’t write in the evenings, but I’ll still be thinking about the book constantly, while eating dinner, while taking a shower. It starts to seep into my consciousness. When I’m not writing, I work as a health care consultant, which is project dependent and also fairly immersive. I feel like I bounce between these two worlds.
You mention your work as a health care consultant and you have a nursing degree — how did your nursing background inform the telling of this story?
My nursing background influenced this story tremendously. I like to think of my characters like patients: complex and holistic beings with medical conditions. Some, like Audrina, might be born with an autoimmune disease, whereas others, like Bee, may develop a health condition in response to something (like a traumatic experience). To me, illness is simply part of the human experience.
Can you share about your research into the details of the mid-1980s, when the book is set?
I dove deep into ’80s pop culture, watching ’80s flicks, listening to music of that decade and studying ’80s fashion. I also googled house renovation projects to look at the “before” images of dated ’80s kitchens and living rooms! One not-so-lighthearted topic I researched was missing kids of the ’80s. When Sally Baker went missing in 1985, stranger danger was sweeping through the nation and milk cartoons were featuring missing kids, and the local police were sluggish to respond and react — and likely without the FBI’s assistance. The Missing Children’s Act had only recently been passed. It was an interesting time to set my novel. Finally, I also researched specific medical conditions in the ’80s to determine what would have been the appropriate and available treatments.
What is it about the sisters relationship in particular that inspired you to write the novel?
I’m fascinated by the relationships between sisters. It’s such a special relationship due to the shared intimacy of childhood. I wanted to capitalize on this closeness — and I wanted to simultaneously poke at it, to create drama and see what happens. Ultimately, I wanted to recognize that sibling relationships should not be taken for granted.
Our Little World does such a wonderful job of capturing the mindset of children and young adults. What was it like to write the narrative voice?
Thank you. I definitely had to get myself into that mindset. I thought about how the world of one’s childhood is literally small — contained. I thought about how these young characters were both constrained and defined by the parameters of their homes, their neighborhood, their sheltered town.
Can you share a little preview of your next book?
I’m excited to be back in the writing trenches, in the creative mindset. I can’t say too much about my next novel, but it takes place in present-day Boston and revolves around three women friends. Similar to Our Little World, there will be secrets that become revealed and relationships that unravel and a tragedy that sets everything in motion.
Book Summary:
July 1985. It’s a normal, sweltering New Jersey summer for soon-to-be seventh grader Bee Kocsis. Her thoughts center only on sunny days spent at Deer Chase Lake, on evenings chasing fireflies around her cul-de-sac with the neighborhood kids, and on Max, the boy who just moved in across the street. There’s also the burgeoning worry that she’ll never be as special as her younger sister, Audrina, who seems to effortlessly dazzle wherever she goes.
But when Max’s little sister, Sally, goes missing at the lake, Bee’s long-held illusion of stability is shattered in an instant. As the families in her close-knit community turn inward, suspicious and protective, things in Bee’s own home become increasingly strained, most of all with Audrina, when a shameful secret surfaces. With everything changed, Bee and Audrina’s already-fraught sisterhood is pushed to the limit as they grow up — and apart — in the wake of an innocence lost too soon.
Perfect for readers of Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You, Our Little World is a powerful and lyrical coming-of-age story that examines the complicated bond of sisterhood, the corrosive power of envy, and how the traumas of our youths can shape our identities for a lifetime.
About Karen Winn:
Karen Winn received her MFA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She also holds a doctoral degree in nursing. Born and raised in New Jersey, Karen now lives in Boston with her husband and two children. Our Little World is her first novel.
Connect with Karen:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Read more Authors at Home:
Erica Ferencik: Girl in Ice
Elle Marr: Strangers We Know
Lara Elena Donnelly: Base Notes
Yasmin Angoe: Her Name is Knight
Lynne Reeves: The Dangers of an Ordinary Night
Gabrielle St. George: How to Murder a Marriage
Cai Emmons: Sinking Islands
Emily Giffin: The Lies that Bind
Jeanette Escudero: The Apology Project
