Drawing attention to the quality of writing, realistic characters, and page-turning excitement, Lez Review Books has given As the Crow Flies a stellar review!
5-Star Review for Cupid’s Bow
…the perfect story to read on a lazy morning in bed!
Les Rêveur just gave Karen’s most recent story, Cupid’s Bow, five stars!
Read the review.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
I hope you enjoy Cupid’s Bow. And by the way, the title comes not from the cherubic archer, but from the shape of…well, you’ll have to read to find out.
Those of you familiar with my books know that my romances are along the lines of magical realism. I have a penchant for juxtaposing fact and fantasy, the ordinary and extraordinary, the magical and mundane. So devising a plot for this “regular romance” (however short) was admittedly a challenge. It felt odd not having a supernatural character set to barge in on my leading lady. All I had were two ordinary women, sitting in the ordinary bar of an ordinary hotel on a snowy February night. No magic, nothing extraordinary, just an intellectual sparring session between an English teacher and an academic.
It wasn’t until later, while editing Cupid’s Bow to Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa’s One Kiss (yes, I have a habit of writing with songs on repeat for hours) that I realized I hadn’t quite met the challenge of avoiding magical elements central to my other stories. The Golden Mean, the rule of three, love at first sight—these things are the “magic” of real life; the extraordinary wonders that underlie the ordinary world, waiting at every corner to influence our thoughts and perceptions.
So if you’re a curious sort, interested in what makes the universe and the human heart tick, then you’ll turn that corner with me—turn the page, as it were—and come in from the snow. We can warm up at the bar with a drink and eavesdrop on these two women meeting for the first time.
Unfortunately, they’re off to a bad start…
Cupid’s Bow is available from Bold Strokes Books and Amazon.
New short story: Cupid’s Bow
A speed-dating mathematician and a romance novelist English teacher meet in a bar…
No, it’s not the set up to a joke, it’s a charming new romantic short story that will seduce you with intelligence and wit.
Available from Amazon and Bold Strokes Books.
As the Crow Flies Now Available as Audiobook
Just in time for Christmas!
As the Crow Flies is now available as an audiobook from Amazon, Audible, and Bold Strokes Books.
Happy Halloween
A country veterinarian meets a woman dressed as a witch on Halloween morning. I admit that I’ve always had a thing for a woman in black (conical hats a welcome accessory) but what also inspired this novel was my childhood fascination with the biblical race of giants—demigods who were said to be the offspring of “the sons of God and daughters of men.” Angels that mated with humans? Their misuse of superpowers got them in trouble and they were driven deep into the earth and sealed in caves forever. Hmm… While the other children in Sunday school (yes, my grandfather was a minister so there was no escaping Sunday school) loved the more popular “Noah’s Ark” and “Jonah and the Whale” stories, my interests bordered more on the esoteric, even as a kid. Those “giants” found a home in the dark caves of my imagination, and years later dug their way out and onto the pages of this contemporary Halloween love story. A fun October romance set against a fall landscape, it’s a light read with a touch of spooky, but for you armchair philosophers, there are some deeper ideas to ponder.
Report from Women’s Week, Provincetown
Provincetown was wonderful, in spite of rain half the week. I rent a house there every summer, but my dream has always been to go in October for Women’s Week. Not only did it work out this year, but the trip coincided with the release of my new book, As the Crow Flies.
Turned out to be a busy week, what with readings and book signings, but it was an absolute pleasure meeting both old and new fans and enjoying drinks with many of them at the Harbor Lounge, Vixen and Boatslip on rainy nights.
And, of course, I enjoyed doing readings at Gabriel’s and the public library in the company of other authors whose work I love.
I’m happy to report that The Crow sold out at Recovering Hearts, and I hope those who bought a copy won’t be disappointed. While there is a paranormal subplot (don’t want to give up the ghost here) the romance is paramount. In fact there are two romances; that between two middle aged women (the professor and the writer) and another between two young women (Liz, the interior designer, and Isabel, heir to the family’s paper company). To those reading it, please share your thoughts.
Book reading and signing today!
Karen will be reading selections from her new book, As the Crow Flies, at the Provincetown Public Library, 356 Commercial Street, at 1 p.m. today. You can also catch her for a book signing at Recovering Hearts Bookstore from 3:15-4:00 p.m.
Hope to see you there!
