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Karen Tucker

Goodreads Author

Born

Nottingham, The United Kingdom

Website

http://www.karentucker.me.uk

Twitter

KarenTWriter

Genre

Crime, Fantasy, Nonfiction

Influences

Barbara Erskine, Kathy Reichs, JRR Tolkein and many more!

Member Since

October 2013

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As a child, stories, poems etc fascinated me. I used to listen avidly to my mother as she read to me, even learning some of the pieces by heart and 'reading' along with her, long before I understood what the squiggles on the page meant. The one I remember with most fondness is a poem about 'coat of blue and red sou-wester'. Perhaps because of this attention from my mother, I was able to read and write before I started school, and by the age of 7, my parents were told I had a reading age of 14. This is probably why, when my teacher bought Topsy and Tim books for all her class, I alone was given something different - a magical children's novel by Noel Langley, entitled The Land of Green Ginger.

For as long as I can remember, I have made up my As a child, stories, poems etc fascinated me. I used to listen avidly to my mother as she read to me, even learning some of the pieces by heart and 'reading' along with her, long before I understood what the squiggles on the page meant. The one I remember with most fondness is a poem about 'coat of blue and red sou-wester'. Perhaps because of this attention from my mother, I was able to read and write before I started school, and by the age of 7, my parents were told I had a reading age of 14. This is probably why, when my teacher bought Topsy and Tim books for all her class, I alone was given something different - a magical children's novel by Noel Langley, entitled The Land of Green Ginger.

For as long as I can remember, I have made up my own stories. Recently, my mother found an old 'book' I had made - a tiny scrap, a few pages long, into which I had transcribed several (very!) short stories. I can't have been more than about 9 when I wrote that! Even back then, writing was something I longed to do for a career.

But I had no knowledge or experience I could really write about back then. This was forcibly borne in upon me when I signed up for a writing course and found myself stuck on the first assignment, which was to write an article for a magazine or newspaper. I couldn't think of a single thing I felt competent enough to comment on! And while I was still contemplation what I might be able to write about, the company went bust and I lost my money. But I never lost the desire to write.

I joined a local writers' group, The Write Idea, after becoming aware of them through means I no longer remember. We had plans to publish a magazine/book of short stories with some of our work, but somehow it never happened.

Subscription to Writing Magazine and Writers' News helped me develop in many ways, not least by entering their monthly and annual short story competitions. I was shortlisted a couple of times, which boosted my confidence that I had some writing talent, but I never achieved the highest prize and got my work in print in their publications.

Through one of these magazines, however, I did get my first publication. The New Writers competition, advertised in their pages, finally accepted my short story, Full Circle, after rejecting it twice, with very helpful comments on how I could improve it. I had written the original version of this story for a competition to celebrate an anniversary of Robert Louis Stevenson, and had tried to write in imitation of his style. I was somewhat surprised, therefore, to find that my old-fashioned ghost story had been seen by the publishers as being written in a style similar to that of Jane Austen!

My first publication in a non-fiction context was nearly the end of me! I had written to a new cross-stitch magazine and finding my letter published in the next edition, I stopped in amazement to relish the moment. Unfortunately, I happened to be in the middle of Queen Victoria Street in Blackfriars, and the traffic lights were just about to change! Fortunately, I noticed in time to reach the pavement before the first car arrived.

Further success came in 2003, when my paranormal crime novel, Past Sins, was shortlisted for the Debut Dagger Award by the Crime Writers' Association. It didn't win, but on attending the awards dinner I sat at table with several big names in the crime-writing world, all of whom were delighted to hear that I was hoping to join their ranks, and generously wished me luck. That novel is now completed in first draft, and part-way through the editing process, and I have several ideas for follow-up novels, so it could turn into a whole series one day. In the meantime, a collection of short stories starring the heroine of Past Sins is now available on Amazon (Kindle version only), under the title of Liberty Gibbens, Paranormal Investigator - Volume 1.

Some of the Liberty Gibbens stories have been inspired by the short stories in my first two collections, Horri ...more

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Average rating: 4.36 · 14 ratings · 3 reviews · 8 distinct works

	Healing the Wounds really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Horripilations Volume 1 (Bite-Sized Books) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Horripilations Volume 2 (Bite-Sized Books) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Stories to Warm Your Heart really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Liberty Gibbens, Ghost Whisperer - Volume 1 liked it 3.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sandals in the Snow (Lindy and the Fairies Book 1) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Liberty Gibbens, Ghost Whisperer - Volume 2 it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Departing Souls Volume 1: An Omnibus of Ghostly Stories it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Karen Tucker's Blog

New Book Offering Online!

I'm so excited! At long last, after a year of writing, and six months of waiting on tenterhooks for it to be available, the new subscription website for my collaborative spiritual novel is up and running!

The story takes place in modern times, and we focus on the lives of a special couple who have long been engaged in spiritual work. When the book opens, they are on one of their regular public tour Read more of this blog post »

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Published on January 31, 2016 01:11 • Tags: crystal-skulls, joshua-shapiro, new-book, spiritual-novel, subscription

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Karen is Currently Reading

Karen Tucker is currently reading

Mary Bennet and the Shades of Pemberley (Regency Mage #4)

by Joyce Harmon (Goodreads Author)

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Karen Tucker rated a book it was amazing

Sandals in the Snow (Lindy and the Fairies Book 1)

by Karen Tucker (Goodreads Author)

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Karen Tucker said: " Here's a sneak preview of the introductory section of the book, especially for you!

Wednesday 5 April 1977

‘Oooh, Nanna!’

‘What, love?’

‘Look at this!’ I dive into the ‘sale’ basket and drag out a purple book with fairies on it. Two of my favourite thing ...more "

Mar 10, 2023 01:33PM · see review

Karen Tucker is currently reading

Saved by a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words

by Kim Rosen

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Mar 15, 2023 03:06AM

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Karen Tucker is currently reading Mary Bennet and the Shades of Pemberley (Regency Mage #4) by Joyce Harmon (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10 hours, 30 min ago · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Mary Bennet and the Shades of Pemberley by Joyce Harmon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Mary Bennet and the Shades of Pemberley by Joyce Harmon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen Tucker liked Joe Mayall's review of It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism: "As someone who is very political and a fan of Senator Sanders, I'm hoping for something very specific from this book. Let's face it, Sanders is old. He's been through the wringer, both politically and physically. My assumption is that after he lost th" Read more of this review »
Mar 30, 2023 05:22AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism by Bernie Sanders. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism by Bernie Sanders <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen Tucker is starting Sandals in the Snow: Well, it seems that my request to Amazon for a pre-order period and publication date of 5 April has gone missing somewhere. So the paperback is already available to order! Not sure I can change the date of the ebook by now, so that goes ahead on the due date as expected. Fill your boots, folks! Sandals in the Snow (Lindy and the Fairies Book 1) by Karen Tucker (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 30, 2023 05:21AM · like · see status
Karen Tucker wants to read Amelia Gray Is Almost Okay by Jessica Brody (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Karen Tucker wants to read The Egyptian Book of the Dead by Anonymous	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Karen Tucker is currently reading Saved by a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words by Kim Rosen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 15, 2023 03:06AM · like
Karen Tucker rated a book it was amazing The Heretics of De'Ath (The Chronicles of Brother Hermitage, #1) by Howard of Warwick (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Very funny and convoluted This book made me laugh out loud too many times to count. Earthy without being too offensive, with convincing caricatures of characters and a wide-eyed innocent as protagonist. The reader grasps the situation much more clear ...more
Mar 15, 2023 03:02AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Heretics of De'Ath by Howard of Warwick. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Heretics of De'Ath by Howard of Warwick <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen Tucker finished reading The Obesity Code: the bestselling guide to unlocking the secrets of weight loss by Jason Fung (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 11, 2023 09:03AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Obesity Code by Jason Fung. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Obesity Code by Jason Fung <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen Tucker rated a book it was amazing Sandals in the Snow (Lindy and the Fairies Book 1) by Karen Tucker (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Here's a sneak preview of the introductory section of the book, especially for you! Wednesday 5 April 1977 ‘Oooh, Nanna!’ ‘What, love?’ ‘Look at this!’ I dive into the ‘sale’ basket and drag out a purple book with fairies on it. Two of my favourite thing ...more
Mar 10, 2023 01:33PM · like · see review
Karen Tucker is now following JD's reviews
Mar 08, 2023 06:23AM · like

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Karen’s Quotes

“But what if I make a mistake?' Will asked.

Gilan threw back his head and laughed. 'A mistake? One mistake? You should be so lucky. You'll make dozens! I made four or five on my first day alone! Of course you'll make mistakes. Just don't make any of them twice. If you do mess things up, don't try to hide it. Don't try to rationalize it. Recognize it and admit it and learn from it. We never stop learning, none of us.”
― John Flanagan, Erak's Ransom

tags: learning, mistakes, wisdom

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Karen’s Year In Books

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Karen’s Friends (18)

Karen Tucker

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