Happy 25th Harlequin American--Author Memories

Hi, I'm Michele Dunaway, and this month and next I'll be turning over my blog space to introduce you to some current and former HAR authors and share some of their memories. I was excited to do this, because these people are my heroes. I was reading their books while dreaming of some day seeing my own. So let me get going and introduce....

Karen Toller Whittenburg

Wrote for HAR from 1987-2004
30 books (give or take a couple)
First HAR title: Summer Charade
Latest HAR title: The Matchmaker's Plan
Favorites: A Matched Set; Perfect Pair; Nanny Angel; Baby By Midnight; The Braddock series

Bio:

Karen has lived on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, but prefers to reside in the Green Country of Northeastern Oklahoma, where she grew up. She enjoys the changing seasons in Tulsa, where she lives with her photographer husband and their floppy-eared schnauzer, A.J.
An avid reader from an early age, she wrote stories as a child and began seriously pursuing a career in publishing in 1981. A writing class convinced her that writing a novel wasn't as easy as it looked, but she finished her first manuscript in a few months and began work on another...and then another. Her first book was published by Dell in 1984, and after writing eight novels under the pseudonym of Karen Whittenburg, she became a Harlequin American Romance author and began publishing as Karen Toller Whittenburg in 1987. Karen credits her love of daydreaming as the catalyst for her life as a writer. She is currently at work on her next novel.

Karen's thoughts:

I have great memories of writing for HAR. It's been a great ride -- working with wonderful editors (Debbie Mattuecci, Tahti Carter, Bonnie Crisalli, Huntley Fitzpatrick, Melissa Jeglinski...just to name a few!) and writing books that centered on the themes of family, small-town values, and (of course) romance. From the beginning of the line -- when the books were more realistic -- through the fanciful times when angels, ghosts, and unexplained mysteries were allowed, I've always felt that Harlequin American was the place my voice belonged. HAR wasn't my first publisher, but the line offered me the opportunity to grow as a writer and develop my career. I will always be grateful for that opportunity.