












About Me
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. I
also used to work in a bookstore before I moved to the mountains with my
husband and our dog. Nowadays I tutor at a nearby elementary school and
yes, I continue write.
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 just finished 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
now working on a book about "Fantastic Flying Beasts".
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 intrests 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 optimisim." 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. Soon another exciting thing will happen to me for the first
time: I'll become a grandmother.
I hope you enjoy reading. Give my books a try - or check out some of my
favorites.
-- Karen
PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Writing for and about children is something Karen Miller is truly passionate
about. Turning everyday calamities and mishaps into humor inspired
Karen Miller to write stories for the Chicago Tribune and special interest
magazines. Funny stories of her family, edited and embellished, have
appeared in several children's magazines. Her children's interest in Nature
sparked nonfiction pieces in magazines like National Geographic
World.
A former school teacher and bookseller, Karen has never strayed far from
her childhood love of books. Currently Karen is a tutor for the Yancey
County Literacy Council, a member of the Author’s Guild, American
Library Association, National Council of Teachers of English, Society of
Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the North Carolina Writer’s
Network.
She serves as the Children's Literature Coordinator for the Carolina
Mountains Literary Festival (Burnsville, NC). She has also been a judge for
the Writer's Digest Annual Writing Contest (the self-published picture book
category) and the Rebecca Caudhill Award (an award given by the
children of Illinois for the best in Children’s Literature.)
me on my
brother's birthday
a very bad hair day!
Oscar!