About Karen S. Gordon
Karen’s fascination with the twenty-six black and white symbols began when she embarked on her first major writing project at age three: to copy the entire Los Angeles phone directory into her older brothers’ school notebooks.
She’s led an eclectic life. Karen got her first job at age twelve as a groom for a top polo player in Los Angeles. She was shipped off to a private boarding school in Scottsdale, and later worked as a dough-roller at a major pizza parlor chain while attending the University of Arizona. Later she moved to Coconut Grove, Florida, to be closer to her father, a practicing psychoanalyst.
That’s where he helped her get a job in 1979 when she unwittingly went to work at the Hotel Mutiny. The Mutiny Girl is inspired by her experiences working inside the hotel’s luxury private club while it doubled as the epicenter of Miami’s multi-billion-dollar cocaine trade.
Since 1982 Karen has made a living in the commercial film/video production business as an award-winning producer, writer and editor.
She is the author of an action/adventure/mystery series, Gold & Courage. The first book, The Mutiny Girl, was released early 2019. The next installment, Killer Deal (our review), published in January 2020.
She lives in Texas with her rescue poodle-mashup, Dexter, and is an avid equestrian.
BOOKS:
The Mutiny Girl (2019)
Killer Deal (2020)
Your biggest literary influences:
Richard Russo, Carl Hiaasen, Michael Crichton, Philip Roth, John Kennedy Toole, Carlos Castaneda, John Grisham
Last book read:
The book that changed your life:
A Doll’s House by Ibsen. I didn’t particularly like the play yet took exception to my lit professor believing he could get inside Ibsen’s head and tell his students what underlying message Ibsen meant to symbolize. I disagreed so adamantly that I unwisely dropped the class and proceeded to drop out of college altogether. That was a life-altering decision.
Your favorite literary character:
Ignatius J. Reilly (A Confederacy of Dunces) who represents different characters in the minds of readers (which is what makes him great). He’s a peg who won’t fit in any hole.
Currently working on:
The third installment of the Gold & Courage series
Words to live by:
When in doubt, do nothing.
Advice for aspiring authors:
Harlan Coben said it best (but I can’t find the exact quote at the moment, so here’s my adaptation): “If you’re not filled with self-loathing every minute you’re not writing, you should be doing something else.”
Reviews:
Testimonials
” Praise for The Mutiny Girl "An outstanding debut thriller that has it all: misdirection, intrigue, murder and family. Captivating and engrossing."
- — The BookLife Prize
” "A taut, thrilling drama told exceptionally well."
- — Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author
” "An engagingly written series starter with a bounty of plot twists and Miami vices."
- — Kirkus Reviews