Aloha to Karen Glick and QUESTIONS IN THE SILENCE

On this date in 1941, President Roosevelt gave his State of the Union Address and proposed four fundamental freedoms:


1.  Freedom of speech and expression
2.  Freedom of worship
3.  Freedom from want
4.  Freedom from fear.


Note the year and what would happen 11 months later.  Continuing this theme of values, I spotlight Karen Glick's debut novel, QUESTIONS IN THE SILENCE:


Ari Rothman, born with psychic abilities, has a lifelong fascination with spiritual issues. Her childhood experiences and desire to help others make her a natural psychotherapist. However, the conflict between her intuitive abilities and a more rational approach to the human psyche intensifies when her first long-term client disappears.

From Karen's bio,


Karen Glick lives outside of Philadelphia. She is a clinical psychologist whose other interests include writing, painting, and acting. When not feverishly engaged in these pursuits, she enjoys spending time with her four children, husband, Cavalier King Charles spaniels and cats.


Please join me in welcoming Karen Glick!


Kim:  We love to travel at SOS Aloha - tell us your favorite sight, sound, and smell of Philadelphia.


Karen:  Here is my sensory tour of Philadelphia. My favorite sight is the view while I am driving down the Schuylkill Express in the early morning, watching the sunlight glitter on the water as I pass Boat House Row and the Art Museum. My favorite sounds are the performances of young musicians either at the World Café or at Milk boy. As for my favorite smell, that’s easy as I am a foodie! I love walking past restaurants either in Old City or in Chinatown, sampling the aromas of dinners to come.

Boathouse Row
dguides.com

Kim:  Can you share your passion for art with us - what art form and/or artist interests you the most?


Karen:  Of course, I am a voracious reader. Always have been! I mostly read novels, but I also love to read all types of spiritual writings. Some of my favorites are Thich Nhat Hanh, Ram Daas, and Adin Steinsaltz.


I also love to paint. Painting lets me stretch the right side of my brain and helps me to really see the beauty of the world and people around me. Whenever I visit the art museum, I almost feel like it is a religious experience because I am overwhelmed by the way the artists have shown their reactions to life.

Thich Nhat Hanh meets the Dalai Lama
interbeing.org.uk

Kim:  What aspects of being a clinical psychologist have been helpful in your writing?


Karen:  As a psychologist, I really strive to listen to my clients with an open mind and to understand their points of view. This has developed my ability to imagine characters who have multi-faceted personalities and relationships that inform their actions in my writing. I believe the strength of my characters is the primary creative force for all of my stories.

Silence as the sun sets over Pearl Harbor

Kim:  What inspired QUESTIONS IN THE SILENCE?


Karen:  I guess I have always questioned the meaning or purpose behind my life. I feel that growing up in a fairly materialistic culture has made it necessary for me to constantly renew and acknowledge my core spiritual values. One of my key values has always been the recognition of the eternal in every person who enters my life. In my novel, I wanted to explore the life of a female character who would embody that spiritual striving while pursuing a career that I have found meaningful. So, Ari Rothman is both a seeker and a psychologist. At the same time, I wanted her to have to navigate the difficulties she would face in her own life, in spite of her spiritual search, because I feel that is the task we all face.

Peace as the sun sets over Waikiki Beach

Kim:  What's next for Karen Glick?


Karen:  Personally, more spiritual growth, I hope! As a writer, I am working on a second novel. It’s really in an embryonic stage right now, but I hope it will explore issues facing mothers and their children from conception onward. My characters will confront how the fast pace of careers and communication interferes, at times, with their hopes of being good parents, and in the book there will be a variety of ways that the mothers use to cope. Some will even work! Since I love flirting with other-worldly phenomena and contrasting them with stark reality, one of my characters is a driven young corporate lawyer while another is a mom who works as a phone psychic.

Byodo In Temple

Mahalo, Karen, for joining us at SOS Aloha!  I, too, look forward to more spiritual growth in 2012!  In honor of spiritual growth, I am giving away a small decorative picture frame from the Byodo In Temple on Oahu.  To enter the giveaway,


1.  Leave a comment about art - what form do you enjoy?


2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.


3.  Comments are open through Saturday, January 7, 10 pm in Hawaii.   I'll post the winner on Sunday, January 8.


Mahalo,


Kim in Hawaii


Questions in the Silence is available at these outlets.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble


To learn more about the Byodo In Temple, check out my post at ALOHA ON MY MIND at this link.