BIO

Karen Wester Newton writes science fiction and fantasy stories. Currently her agent is marketing a YA fantasy novel called Bag of Tricks (formerly known as The Talisman Bag), about a lonely young magician and a very unlucky pilgrim, and Kruegger's World, a paranormal romance set in a religious dystopia, and Turnabout, a YA urban fantasy.

Like so many writers, Karen read a lot as a child. She was born in Honolulu, the third child of a U.S. Navy officer and his wife. After a peripatetic and bicoastal childhood as a Navy brat, she later became a teacher, a librarian, a project manager, a wife, and a mother, although not in that order.

She currently lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. By day she works as an IT manager at a legal publishing company. She is a long-time and active member of The Writer’s Group from Hell, a surprisingly fun and helpful bunch of readers, writers, and critiquers. She often attends conventions such as Capclave, Philcon, Balticon, Worldcon and the World Fantasy Convention.

Karen is represented by Susan Gleason of the Susan Gleason Literary Agency.

AWARDS & HONORS

2008 Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest, 3^rd Place, Romance Category, for her novel Kruegger's World.

2006 Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest, 2^nd Place, YA Category, for her novel Nomads

2005 Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest, 3^rd Place, Science Fiction & Fantasy Category, for her novel Tribes

Editor’s Choice, Science Fiction chapter, for chapters from two different books, awarded by the Del Rey Online Writing Workshop (now the Online Writing Workshop)