Karen Harper

Photo Credit: Jeffrey A. Rycus

Blogging at Fresh Fiction

Karen Harper | A Novel Idea Takes Root
June 10, 2009
Every writer needs a 'hook for the book.' By this I don’t mean only a grabber beginning, but something unique about the theme or  Read More...

Karen Harper | RESEARCHING THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
December 11, 2008
No, I don’t write vampire novels, but I do write both contemporary and historical fiction. For the last ten years of my twenty-five  Read More...

Karen Harper taught both college level (at Ohio State University) and high school English (in Columbus, Ohio) before leaving teaching to write full-time. She is the author of 40 novels, including historical romance, contemporary suspense (for MIRA), and a historical mystery series, Queen Elizabeth I Mystery Series.

Karen and her husband, Don, divide their time between Columbus and Naples, Florida, where they have wintered for 20 years. It's so beautiful there, the author says, that it's hard to find the discipline to sit inside and write.

Their immediate family consists of three children, Sharon, a middle-school teacher; son Bill and his wife Sunny, who own a nautical gifts store in the historic district of St. Augustine, FL; and Nancy, who recently blessed the Harpers with their first grandchild, Sean Patrick. Babysitting Sean has become Karen's favorite hobby.

The Harpers love to travel for pure enjoyment, for research, and for romance and mystery writers' conferences. The most exotic places she's been are Morocco and Turkey; the most moving, Israel, though she says England is her all- time favorite destination. She also loves the Greek Islands and Santa Fe, N.M., where she went horseback riding and whitewater rafting.

Those endeavors, along with her discovery of snorkeling, have opened new interests to add to tracing her family heritage, reading, and growing African violets. Karen adores cats but is still in mourning from losing her gray and white longhair after 13 years. Thought "catless in Columbus," she admits that traveling is much easier without worrying about leaving her best friend behind in the house.

Karen's books have been published in a variety of foreign languages including most recently Japanese and Greek. Two have appeared in Good Housekeeping Magazine, and many are in large print and audio books. Her MIRA novel, The Baby Farm, about a midwife in Appalachian Kentucky, has been nominated for a RITA Award as best romantic suspense of 1999 by the Romance Writers of America. Karen is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of her romantic suspense novels. She is very excited about her Feb. 2009 release MISTRESS SHAKESPEARE, a historical novel.

Though she is now a full-time writer, Karen still loves to teach by giving writing workshops and talks about getting published.

Author Note

Enjoy an Interview with Karen Harper

* * *

Books: