Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZKc6lv3I8s
Reviewed by Natalie Soine for Readers’ Favorite:
Dargo, Eco Hero! by Karina McRoberts is by far one of the best and most unique books I have ever read, with a vitally important message.
Reviewed by Thomas Anderson for Literary Titan:
Dargo, Eco Hero! by Karina McRoberts gives me the best kind of Wizard of Oz vibes. The author has nailed the same type of warmth as L. Frank Baum but puts her own unique spin on main character Dargo and his band of merry cohorts. I was especially impressed with the mixture of personification and metaphors found throughout the writing. The imagery she creates leaves readers breathless at times. Her writing is timely and gives voice to the environment in a way no other writer I have seen has been able to do.
Excerpt:
She threw Dargo more scowls and turned to go, when she was met by the office alpha male; he of the hot and handsome variety.
"There you are, Lucinda,” the man said; his baritone deeper than the Grand Canyon. "C'mon, let's get back to work on this layout."
Her frown did a rapid 180. "Give me a minute, Jake. I'll be right back."
Jake leaned languidly on Dargo's cubicle wall, staring after Lucinda as she made her way to the ladies' room.
"Hi, Jake," Dargo greeted brightly.
Startled, Jake turned around. His face cinched as he took in the Mad poster, now complete with tear.
"You need some new décor, pal."
"Guess so," Dargo replied weakly, not catching the ridicule in Jake’s tone; Dargo was most unhappy about the damage to his cherished Alfred E Neuman poster.
"What's your name again?"
"Dargo."
"Oh yeah. How could I forget? Hey, why weren't you with the guys last night at paintball?"
"Well, I had something to do. But thanks for inviting me."
"I don't think we'll bother anymore. You never come. Just as well. You'd probably get wiped out pronto."
"Really?"
God, this guy is a dweeb, Jake mused. Aloud, he replied, "It's supposed to be a challenge, you know? Real man's stuff." Jake inhaled deeply, his fine physique expanding.
"OK, I'm back," Lucinda said cheerily. She had very obviously 'freshened' her makeup. "I'm ready."
Jake whispered something in Lucinda's ear. Her face reddened to match her lipstick, then she sauntered back to her cubicle; Mister 'tall, dark, and extremely handsome' in tow.
Interview:
1 What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I
take this to mean trips to places where I can research for my writing. My favourite trip was to Egypt, so I could
write my thriller novel, the Last Rays of Ra. I know I am lucky to have travelled there,
and safely. Other trips have included China, England, and Scotland.
Closer
to home in Australia, I have travelled to places where my historical fiction
novels (the Love, Magic, and Mystery trilogy) are set, and because these
involve some paranormal elements (ghosts, magic, and time travel), I try to
“pick up vibes” as my characters would.
So, that means, just staying still in a particular location and
‘absorbing’, whether it be in an old music hall theatre, a replica Stonehenge,
a hot-air balloon, an underground mine, a magician’s club, etc.
2
What is the first book that made you cry?
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry.
3
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Both. I find conceptualizing most
exhilarating. Changing back-and-forth
between thought processes is exhausting.
For example, projecting my imagination is one thing, attending to detail
quite another.
4 As a writer, what would you choose as your
mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
I
have a pair of wild Australian ravens who visit me. I started feeding them when we were hit by a
drought and the ground was so dry there was nothing for them to dig up. They had a youngster with them. I know I helped them through, but now I’m
trying to wean them off their afternoon snack.
They are soooooooooooo smart. My
goddesses! They have inspired me to
write about them.
5 How many unpublished and half-finished books
do you have?
At
the moment, four. 1) a gothic thriller,
2) anepic fantasy novel — it will be 4th in my Courage, Cunning,
and Craftseries, 3) an historical fiction novel about a time-travelling
musician, and 4) a thriller (sequel to The Last Rays of Ra, featuring
rogue Egyptologist Vahlona Selket Faralay and her colleague,empathic English
detectiveJackson Randolph.
Dargo — Eco-Hero!
The Classic Tale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZKc6lv3I8s
Chelandra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfh21Dm_T9s
The Last Rays of Ra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhepyFUS4wg
The Palace of the Stars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsUsd3UepYo
6 What did you edit out of
this book?
ForDargo
-Eco Hero! The Classic Tale, I cut some of his back story. I thought it might be too upsetting for some readers,
and I wanted to keep the book’s tone fairly light.
7 What is your favorite childhood book?
The Hobbit
by JRR Tolkien
8 Do you want each book to stand on its own,
or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
I
write in many genres — epic fantasy, urban fantasy,
historical fiction, mystery/thriller, comedy fiction, eco fiction, ghost
stories, and gothic fiction.
Some of these fit together into
sets —I have three urban fantasy/comedy titles published in one volume, Tales
of Darkness and Light. They included
Dargo, Eco Hero! The Classic Tale, A
Man for All Seasons, and Kahnilla the Dragon. These stories include
social themes and are written in the same style —light-hearted, but dealing
with serious subjects (environmental destruction, bullying, substance abuse,
and death with dignity). Dargo has won
prizes. All books have received
excellent reviews.
My work is very character-driven,
so the characters determine if I can create sequels. Therefore, I was able to
create my classic fantasy trilogy Courage, Cunning and Craft and my time-travel/
historical fiction trilogy Love, Magic, and Mystery. Other titles are stand-alone at this
stage, but sequels may develop. For example, I have in
mind a 4th book in the fantasy trilogy. A young scientist
driven to (justifiable) patricide was a minor character in an earlier book, but
these days I’m often thinking about writing his full story. It will be very in-depth — how he overcomes
what happened to him, how he deals with people who think he’s useless, how he
learns to navigate life. He needs to be very clever, very wise. These Chelandra
stories are high fantasy, but they are very rooted in everyday themes and
modern dilemmas. What would we do? They’re mainly about people, their
challenges and relationships.
I have leftmy Egyptian thriller, The Last Rays of
Ra, open to further stories involving the two main characters, rogue
Egyptologist Vahlona Selket Faralay and her colleague, empathic English
detective Jackson Randolph.
9 What authors did you dislike at first but
grew into?
William
Shakespeare! Oh my goddesses, he’s so
good! But, you have to understand the
language first. I found this hard, but
kept at it, using a guide to help me.
Once I got, it, WOW!!!
10 If you didn’t write, what would you do for
work?
Well,
there’s always plenty to do! I worked
for some years as a conservation biologist, but became very ill and had to
stop. Perhaps my greatest achievement was the banning of lead shot in my home
state of Western Australia. I see
England is hoping to achieve this by 2029!
When
I’m not writing I sometimes give workshops.
I teach music. I create community
theatre events based on my books (see photo) and I’m working with my husband re-wilding
degraded farmland to bring back wildlife.
It’s working!Carnaby’s White-Tailed Cockatoo is endangered and now a
regular visitor to our property near York, Western Australia.
Thanks
everyone for reading. Happy to answer
any questions.
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