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Karen Cantwell

Karen Cantwell

About

I have been writing plays and short stories for many years, some of which were published in various college literary magazines.  More recently, my short story “The Recollections of Rosabelle Raines,” was published in the mystery anthology Chesapeake Crimes: They Had it Comin’ available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, or directly from the publisher, Wildside Press.

But I had always wanted to write a novel.  I found that more difficult.  Finally, a few years ago I became inspired to write my first novel, Take the Monkeys and Run, a comedy-mystery, inspired, to some degree by a true monkey sighting.   Because I love to laugh as well as make other people laugh, I have the most fun imagineable writing the character Barbara Marr as well as her friends and adversaries.  When I set out to write this book, I knew I wanted to write something that readers would say, “Now that was FUN.”  I HOPE I have achieved that goal.  And if I did, please feel free to drop me a line at and let me know!  I love to hear from readers.  (especially if they LIKE the book!)

These days, I can be found pecking away at my laptop, conjuring the second Barbara Marr novel, Citizen Insane or hanging out with my kids while they're still not embarrassed to be seen with me.

The Accursed King

The Accursed King

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Description

<p><span style="color:rgb(15,17,17);font-family:'Amazon Ember', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">What happens when a king loses his prowess? The day Henry IV could finally declare he had vanquished his enemies, he threw it all away with an infamous deed. No English king had executed an archbishop before. And divine judgment was quick to follow. Many thought he was struck with leprosy—God's greatest punishment for sinners. From that point on, Henry's health was cursed and he fought doggedly on as his body continued to betray him—reducing this once great warrior to an invalid. Fortunately for England, his heir was ready and eager to take over. But Henry wasn't willing to relinquish what he had worked so hard to preserve. No one was going to take away his royal prerogative—not even Prince Hal. But Henry didn't count on Hal's dauntless nature, which threatened to tear the royal family apart.</span></p>

Story Behind The Book

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Reviews

<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;">From Publishers Weekly</span></strong><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;"><br /> This fun if light novel’s quippy, hilarious narrator, Barbara Marr, has so much warmth and genuine gumption, you’d certainly want her on your criminal investigative team. The spunky Virginia housewife and mother of three is almost at the end of her rope — her hunky husband, Howard, has left her; it’s her 45th birthday; and she’s just discovered three monkeys living in the trees in front of her house. “Life was pretty sucky” as she puts it. But while investigating the curious case of these monkeys, a bit of unexpected adventure shakes things up just the right amount. In a warm-hearted, deftly observed comic-farce-meets-mobster mystery, Barbara and her friends from her quiet suburban neighborhood, Peggy and Roz, stick their noses into the business of a deserted house down the street and find themselves caught up in some off-the-wall FBI business that hits way closer to home than they could have imagined. Perhaps a bit goofy at times, this is nevertheless an outright treat: diverting, funny and fast-moving. </span></p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><em>This text refers to the manuscript reviewed as a part of the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest.</em></p>