Kid’s Biography

(remember BIO = life & GRAPHY = writing)

Hi! My name is Karen.

I used to be a school teacher, but I gave it up to concentrate on writing. For a long time, I lived in the mountains with one mountain lion, lots of bear, and Larry (See dog to the right.) Now I’m in Iowa and am a reading tutor.

In fact, it was my students that got me started writing my first book. They complained, “There’s nothing to read!” Well, I knew that wasn’t true, but maybe there was something more to what they said. “Everyone likes monsters,” kids told me. That began my seven year search for monsters that were “real.”  The result is Monsters and Water Creatures (Henry Holt, May 2007).

I also wrote a book about bogeymen around the world. It tells “what they are, where they are, and whether you should believe in them or not.” I’m am working on a third book in a trilogy about Hilde, who discovers she’s part troll on her 12^th birthday when she suddenly sprouts a cow tail.

I really wrote my first “book” when I was six years old. Funny, that book was about the water monster we call a mermaid. (Sometimes what interests you as a kid sticks with you your whole life.) I have always liked reading and writing kids stories and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

When I was young everyone used to tease me about two things: my hair and my “incurable optimism.” My brother used to call me Mop Head! Nevertheless, I was most often in a good mood and always looked at the bright side of things. That’s still true of me now even though I’m an adult.

I raised three boys, and one girl, who have grown up and moved to different parts of the world. And another exciting thing has happened to me: I’ve become a grandmother!

I hope you enjoy reading. Give my books a try – or check out some of my favorites.

— Karen