I write short and long fiction. My first novel Place of Shells was shortlisted for the 2019 Queensland Literary Award for emerging writers. My second novel This Is Who We Are is on the way.
I have had short stories shortlisted in national and international awards, including the 2023 Bournemouth Writing Prize and the 2021 Stuart Hadow Short Story Award.
You’ll find some of my stories here and my interview series with other writers here.
Place of Shells
Place of Shells is an historical/literary novel that begins in 1944 when fifteen-year-old Matilda is diagnosed with Leprosy and sent to live at the Peel Island Lazaret in Queensland.
This is Who We Are
My current work in progress is a novel about seventy-year-old Karl who lives on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Karl is finding ways to deal with an estranged daughter, a son he fears, and his wife, who has betrayed him. On top of that, memories of a traumatic event from Karl’s childhood will not leave him alone.
On the blog
A series of interviews with writers that explores what drives them to seek publication, what avenues they have pursued, and strategies for keeping going in the face of rejection.
Awards & Publication
Karen has been shortlisted and awarded places in several awards and programs including the Queensland Literary Awards Glendower Emerging Writer Award, the QWC/Hachette Manuscript Development Program and the ACT Writers Centre HARDCOPY Program. You can read Karen’s short story in The Saturday Paper and her non-fiction memoir piece in Kill Your Darlings.