Interview With Karynn Heckler

This week we have the promised second interview - just four days before the official launch of Tell Me You Love Me!!!! And I am just as excited about this interview!

I've known Karynn for quite some time - like two years maybe? - through The Young Writers Workshop, and she is just such a fun, bubbly amazingly talented young woman and I can not WAIT to share her thoughts and advice with you!

Her story fits so perfectly and beautifully in the Tell Me You Love Me anthology (which you can pre-order or order it depending on when you read this, here!) and has such a gorgeous theme and message.

So, let's hear what Karynn has to say!

The Interview

Ahhh so excited to have you here Karyn!! So, first of all, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you first got into writing,

Hello! Where to begin? I’m a young author who loves diving headfirst into the very adventures that scare me. I have an obsession for dogs, glitter, flowers, the color pink, music, and books. I’m a firm believer that life would be seriously dull without any of these.

I primarily write fantasy stories, but contemporary is another genre very close to my heart that I love working with. My motto for my writing is “to pen clean stories that glorify God and shed light into this broken world.” And I hope that my stories will always fulfill this goal.

I began writing in late 2019 after receiving compliments for a scene I wrote for a school project. The scene I’d written mirrored the style and genre of one of my favorite series at the time, “Ranger’s Apprentice” by John Flanagan. I was quite desperate for a hobby and on a whim decided to turn it into a story.

It wasn’t an easy process, but something ignited in me as I spent many nights tucked away in my dad’s office and letting my fingers dance along my keyboard. The story was far from perfect, I knew nothing of grammar, suspense, writing realistic injuries, how to world build, and the list goes on! But I had never been more proud of myself as I typed the words “The End” to my first WIP. Many more stories later, some finished and some unfinished, and here I am!

Ahhh that is so awesome Karynn! I love that you can look back on your writing and know it's not perfect, but still find joy in the fact that you were taking that first step toward this new dream!

So, were there any books or other authors that inspired you to get into writing? Or perhaps a mentor in your life? And who has been one of your biggest cheerleaders along this writing and storytelling journey?

One book that changed my life was without a doubt “Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris. That book got me off my couch and onto the path of discovering my voice and my passion. While it didn’t first lead me to writing, I still very much credit it to sending me on that journey. It was also through The Rebelution that I found The Young Writer’s Workshop. An online community I was blessed to join after only a month or so of writing, there I found the support and encouragement to help me keep pushing on.

My biggest cheerleaders were most definitely my family. It was my parent’s encouragement in the first place that made me feel like my words had value. They were there to tell me I could do this as I began writing and they were the ones who were always willing to listen to my bookish rants or let me stay up an extra 30 minutes to write. They also helped me make sure I didn’t lock myself away in a room with a desk and encouraged me to stay plugged into the real world. My siblings were always willing to support me and celebrate every win with me even when half the writer slang that I spoke sounded like pure gibberish to them.

Aww I love that, Do Hard Things is such a beautiful, inspiring book! And I love that your siblings were an encouragement and support to you! How would you recommend other starting-up authors to build support among their friends and family? How did you go about finding support there?

My advice is to be open and honest. Your family and friends can’t read your mind. You need to share your dreams and goals with them. Just because your parents haven’t walked the same path you are going down doesn’t mean that they can’t help. I know I’d be severely lost without the wisdom and oversight of my parents.

You may be the one writing your book(s), but writing is never a one-player game. You need a community around you. Your community is those people who love you through the good and bad. If you haven’t yet, I highly suggest sitting down with your family and talking about your goals with your writing. If they have questions about what the future holds, don’t be afraid to share!

Even something as simple as bouncing a story idea off a friend or family member or sharing something you wrote and are proud of speaks measures. It can be scary to be vulnerable enough to share writing or be honest with your goals, but it’s those vulnerable moments that help build your community. Also, make sure that you are feeding back into those relationships.

Ahhh so true, love how you said writing is never a one-player game! Now I would love to hear a little more about the anthology you’re in, Tell Me You Love Me!

Ah! Tell Me You Love Me was an unexpected and beautiful blessing. To offer a brief description. It’s a Christ-centered, diverse collection of 12 short stories. The themes in the story all centered around portraying love in a way that honors God. The short stories were chosen and will be published by Grace A. Johnson and were edited by Issabelle Perry.

What was the inspiration and story behind TMYLM? And what made you decide to be a part of that anthology, instead of something else?

The inspiration behind the anthology was to release into the world a collection of short stories that portray love as how it should be. We live in a world tainted by darkness and lies. All around us the media offers cheap imitations of what real love is. Grace A. Johnson’s vision was to bring together a group of stories that are diverse in genre, but connected by purpose. She wanted to warm readers’ hearts as well as fill them with hope.

I heard about the story through The Young Writer’s Workshop. A couple of friends shared about a short story contest Grace was running on her blog where the winners would be published! I honestly didn’t think I’d have the time to join in on the exciting opportunity as amazing and perfect as it sounded. But God had other plans and well I was beyond blessed to be featured in this anthology.

Ahhhh that is so cool - YWWs has been such a blessing and a beautiful opportunity for so many people, and Grace is such a fun, inspiring author!

A little more specifically, what inspired you to write your story, As Beautiful As The Stars?

I found inspiration from a small piece of flash fiction I’d written an entire year before. It was a cute little fairytale moment about love and the true meaning of beauty. I was quite in love with it and decided that my spring break was the perfect timeline to write my short story. I spent that entire week writing multiple drafts, getting feedback, and editing it. It was far from easy, but I was beyond excited and inspired.

My main goal was to write a fairytale without insta-love. I wanted to show that love requires time and it’s okay if there is uncertainty. I am a strong lover of Hallmark movies, it’s my guilty pleasure, but the romance portrayed there is typically shallow and lacking in true depth. I wanted to give readers a story that offered depth, meaning, and yet still offered the same heartwarming sensation as they read.

Ahhh love that about a fairytale without insta-love!! The fact that you can like Hallmark movies, but want your stories to be a step above is so so cool too. As Beautiful As The Stars has a really beautiful, strong theme, was there something or someone specifically that brought this message and story into your heart?

There were plenty of inspirations. One of the main things that I really focused on with my story was diversity. I come from a beautifully blended family. I have relatives of so many different colors and cultures. I wanted to make sure that I wrote a story that honors that part of my life I love so much.

I also wrote this story for me. Growing up I’ve struggled with insecurity about the way I looked. I had times when I struggled to call myself beautiful because I didn’t look like what the world praised as beautiful. It’s taken me a long time to love myself for who God created to be and understand that I have worth and beauty.

I wrote this story for girls like me who look in the mirror and see their flaws glaring back at them. Just because you are different does not mean you are not beautiful. The world likes to praise whoever fits their standard of perfection, but it’s our differences that should make us shine. We are wonderfully and beautifully created and marked with God’s mark of beauty. And so many girls need to hear that.

Ah girl I feel that so so much, actually one of the reasons this story really stuck out to me and blessed my heart. What a beautiful way you can take the truths God has shown and taught you and encourage other girls! I can definitely tell that this story comes straight from your soul and has a really strong heart message, and I love it with all my heart.

Now, if you could sum up your mission for As Beautiful As The Stars in one sentence, what would it be? And if you could sum up your mission for writing in general, what would it be?

What a wonderful question! For my short story, my mission is to offer a story that highlights diversity, defines beauty, glows with love, and reflects God. And my mission for writing is as I said earlier “to pen clean stories that glorify God and shed light into this broken world.”

LOVE THAT!!! So so beautiful and such a strong message Karynn!! I just love As Beautiful As The Stars so so much, but now let’s talk a bit more about you. If you could go back two or three years, and tell your younger writing self one thing, what would you tell her? And why?

Ah! I’d simply promise her that all this time she’s investing into her stories will be worth it and that comparison kills. She deserves to know that her words have value and will to this day inspire future her to keep going. I wasted a lot of time wondering if I was doing all this for nothing, and there was a lot of insecurity and comparison that kept me back from fully committing myself to writing.

Were there ever times when you just wanted to give up? And what would be your advice to young writers who feel like giving up?

Oh absolutely! There were millions of times I wanted to trash my doc, delete pages, quit a story I loved, or simply give up on my dream. My writing journey was marked with insecurity, comparisons, and fears that this will never work out. I spent way too long envying other amazing writers I knew and shaming my own stories or experience because it didn’t match my standards.

This is to all my fellow writers out there: you are not the stories you create. Sometimes the stories we are writing just don’t work, or sometimes they don’t turn out the way we want them to. But that doesn’t mean your words are less important or that you are not a good writer. Your mistakes and imperfections shouldn’t be things to look down, but things to learn from.

I make it a rule to never delete my work. I did that once (attempting to rewrite it) and I still regret it to this day. You never know what story you might reread and find the gold in, or what you might look back on and use as a marker of how far you come. When you come against burnout, don’t just give up or overwork yourself. There are seasons to take a break and replenish your creative well and there are seasons where consistency is key. You need both to stay balanced and healthy. And whether you see it or not, you are growing every time you put words on a paper or choose to learn. Don’t give up just because you aren’t where you want to be.

Everyone’s path is different, everyone has their own speeds they write at, unique writing styles, and special stories to tell. Yours is just as important and God will work things out in His timing. Make sure you listen to Him because He is wanting to write with you. He is the ultimate Storyteller and He is so proud of you.

Girl, I can not WAIT for your newsletter like.... wow XD that was gold!!! As I'm in the middle of writing a very rough first draft right now, that is SO so encouraging for me to hear and such a good reminder. He is with us, so so true.

And, for our final question, though I don't want this to end!! what is one thing you wish you had known before you started writing As Beautiful As The Stars? What would you tell authors who are starting a book, or who are wanting to start a book?

That’s another amazing question! Honestly, I’m not sure, but I do have one thing I wish I’d kept in mind for most if not all of my writing projects. It’s that I need to remember that I love writing and when it starts becoming a chore, I need to figure out why.

Writers don’t write because we happen to write words fast or we know big words. We do it because our heart longs and beats for stories. We do it because ink is in our blood and our fingers ache to let words pour from mind to page. Even if the writing process requires discipline and hard work, that doesn’t mean you should lose your passion for writing.

When you find your purpose, there should always be a kindling of excitement in your heart when you think about it. That doesn’t mean there won’t be times when it is like a chore, but it does mean that you shouldn’t let go of that passion you first felt when beginning this journey.

Write for an audience of two, you and God. If other people happen to like it, then that’s amazing. But your focus should be in the fact that writing is a calling God placed on your life and imprinted inside of you. He gave you your gifts and ideas so that you can draw closer to Him when bringing them to life. Your words have the ability to touch others' hearts and it’s always important to remember what God wants you to say to them.

Thank you so much for this opportunity to speak and share, Lillianna!

Of course friend, thank you!! This has been such a joy and a blessing to me, and I hope it is just as inspiring to everyone reading this! If you want to see more of Karynn, check out her INSTAGRAM or sign up for her very new and exciting and I CAN NOT WAIT FO RIT newsletter!!!

Next Week...

I'll have some sort of encouragement or advice for you, like always XP or... I might just have a full-blown review for Tell Me You Love Me. I guess we'll just see where the Lord leads!

I would love to know, do you like these author interviews? Should I do more of them?? Or do you prefer book reviews? Or maybe just some encouragement? Let me know what you would like to read!!

Praying for you all - go out there, keep keeping on, and write, and live, outside the lines.