Karen, in her natural habitat
Short and Sweet Bio, professional edition:
A shameless nerd and lover of snark, Karen lives in western Washington, where she recently graduated from The Evergreen State College. She ripped off her hometown of Snohomish, WA for the fictional locale of Klikamuks, where Other takes place. When she’s not at her computer, writing, she’s probably out in the forest with her notebook, writing, or on a photography expedition with her trusty digital camera. She likes to imagine werewolves lurking among the trees.
Karen is represented by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger, Inc. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Long and Rambling Bio, casual style:
I’m dropping into first-person for this bio. Okay. I grew up in Snohomish, Washington, running around in the big-leaf maples and ferns with my two sisters and pretending to be werewolves or some other creatures. Yes, we howled at the moon. We also crowed in the daytime to annoy neighboring roosters. Anyway, the three of us were homeschooled by my lovely mom (Hi, mom!)–and believe me, this novel was made possible in part by… homeschooling. I wouldn’t have had the time or inclination otherwise.
I started wanting to be a novelist at age 13. Well, it may have been sooner, but I really only tried at 13. Before that, I stuck to quirky illustrated stories about anthropomorphic candies living in Candy Land. (I believe I wrote that one one in first grade.) The first two novels I can remember starting: Jamvthund, an unpronouncably titled novel about a dragon mother running from hunters–lots of flying scenes and flowery descriptions–and Chameleon Changers, about an intelligent, telepathic chameleon who was being studied by a group of scientists. I believe this may have been inspired by the Animorphs books, which I adored and still get a kick out of.
Karen, mysterious
Did I finish these novels? Nope. The first novel I really consider Novel Number One would be Ravelda. A high fantasy starring a werewolf girl named, well, Ravelda, it featured lots of Viking-inspired culture, warring clans of werewolves, several gory werewolf fight scenes, and a rather convoluted plot involving a cave of magic crystals (inspired by one in the Sierra computer game King’s Quest V, which I loved as a kid). Oh, and I learned a lot about swords and wolves for that one, which was fun.
Did I sell Ravelda? Obviously not, as evidenced by this website. After two years of figuring out how to write a novel, I finished it around the age of 18, then set off on the perilous Quest of Querying Agents. Battle-scarred by rejections, I emerged triumphant with about a dozen requests and a lot of lovely feedback from agents. And no agent.
Karen, professional
Undaunted, I continued onward with my novel writing endeavors, until I hit upon Other. This one recieved even more requests, so I slogged through the Quicksands of Despair and the Lava Fields of Frustration and finally made it to Mount Hope. There, I saw ahead of me, a shining beacon… Flux, the publishing imprint that would eventually become the home of Other. With the help of my fab agent, I negotiated the last twisty bit of the path and became a Published Author.
I’m honored that real live readers can now hold my writing in their hands and smell the fresh ink and paper. And I hope you like it.
