Karen Harper Books

Description /Buy link takes you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.

Karen Harper was an American author who wrote historical fiction. Born in 1945 in Toledo, Ohio, to an engineer (and draftsman) and a teacher, Harper attended DeVilbiss High School, Ohio University (Bachelor’s Degree) and Ohio State University (Graduate Degree).

Before making her mark on the publishing landscape, she taught English at Westerville North High School and The Ohio State University. Even as a child, she couldn’t get enough of the written word.

The voracious reader spent many an hour at her local library consuming biographies and histories. At the time, she had no intention of writing fiction for a living. Instead, she expected to teach English in high school, a goal she eventually achieved.

Initially, she tried to juggle teaching and writing. But eventually, the author was forced to make a choice. She chose publishing and became a full-time writer. Following the publication of her debut book (Island Ecstasy), she added more than seventy novels to her bibliography during a career that spanned decades.

She tried her hand at various genres, including mystery, romantic suspense, and historical fiction. She stood out because of the intricate plotting in her books, not to mention Harper’s penchant for adding dangerous intrigue.

Her critics praised the author for telling historically accurate stories without sacrificing their entertainment value. Harper wanted her readers to have a good time.

She would start by figuring out the historical components. Harper refused to change historical details to fit her story. Once she identified a fascinating historical focus, she would add elements of mystery, murder, and romance to the equation.

In previous interviews, Harper described history as the skeleton of each novel. The plot and characters were the flesh that brought the skeleton to life. Harper approached the royals in her books as ordinary people with distinct goals and motives.

This allowed her to tell compelling stories about their lives. It is worth noting that Harper never stopped teaching. After cementing her place in publishing, she began giving talks at conventions and workshops in the hopes of encouraging other aspiring writers to pursue their dreams the way she did.

She kept telling her students to believe in themselves and to trust their unique voices. She also told them to expect trouble. After all, most aspiring authors honed their skills by writing, which meant exposing their work to skeptical agents and publishers and accumulating rejection letters.

They only reaped the rewards by persevering. Harper hoped that every aspiring writer she tutored at a workshop would manifest the same strength of will. The author died in 2020 at the age of 75.

Karen Harper Awards

Harper won the Mary Higgins Clark Award.

Best Karen Harper Books

The author counts Jan Cox Spears, Anya Seton, and Jan Westcott among her favorite writers. Harper’s best books include:

The Last Boleyn: Everyone knows Anne and her brother George. They were both executed. History has also highlighted the role Thomas, their father, played in the tragedy that unfolded. But they occasionally forget Mary, unaware of the work she did to elevate her family.

Mary was incredibly young when she migrated to France. Unprepared for the dangerous waters of court politics, Mary quickly realized that life in France wasn’t quite what everyone said it was. The beauty was a facade hiding a world of sex, lies, intrigue, jealousy, and religious posturing.

From the moment she arrived, Mary became a target. Everyone was watching her, looking for an opportunity to manipulate Mary in a game she barely understood. But Mary’s naivete wouldn’t last.

As she matured, the Boleyn girl made it her mission to find a place for herself and the love she deeply desired.

American Duchess: Consuelo Vanderbilt was a beautiful 18-year-old bride on her way to marry the Duke of Marlborough in 1895. Large crowds thronged St. Thomas Episcopal Church, hoping to catch a glimpse of the heiress, unaware of the pain she carried.

Consuelo was in love with someone else. But her family had struck a deal that granted them access to a title and prestige in exchange for a potion of the family’s vast wealth. Consuelo had no choice. She was expected to obey.

Anyone else may have wilted under the weight of the duties she was expected to carry. But Consuelo rose to the occasion and vowed to use her power to fight for women’s suffrage.

When Does The Next Karen Harper book come out?

Karen Harper doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Under the Alaskan Ice and was released on December, 29th 2020. It is the newest book in the Alaska Wild Series.

Home » Author » Karen Harper

BookSeries.org