She was pushing a broom, picking up litter left by inconsiderate customers. I'm sorry if I'm in your way, she said. Not at all, I replied, scooting my chair to make room for her. I read her name tag and thought it said Stacey, so[..]
I grew up in a household full of frightened women waiting on that telegram in World War II - Joseph Galloway. On the day Joe Galloway died, I bought a wind-chime and hung it outside my office window. It had to be a certain kind[..]
We had not anticipated encountering such an outpouring of love and affection when we rounded a corner in search of tapas and wine. It had already been a very full day, what with a bus trip to Segovia, a visit with new friends there, a[..]
I've been working through the topic of forgiveness all year. It is the theme of the upcoming book - Christian Bend (Fall 2017, Mercer University Press). It's one of those God poetry things. I knew when I began writing this Appalachian tale that takes place in Tennessee[..]
She was standing under the trees at the Southeast gate just off Alexander Hamilton Street. The button picture of her son stood in stark contrast to the all white dress and wrap she was wearing. Her hair was perfectly coiffed. Her make-up was fresh[..]
I spoke with a soldier friend of mine today. He's an active-duty soldier who has served several tours of duty in Iraq. He is also somebody who grew up in war-torn Sudan. He remembers when he was a child how his homeland was[..]
Author/Journalist Karen Spears Zacharias is a Gold Star daughter and an alumna of Oregon State University, Shepherd University and University of West Scotland.
Karen's work has been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, National Public Radio, and Good Morning America.
Her debut novel, Mother of Rain (Mercer University Press), received the Weatherford Award for Best in Appalachian Fiction from Berea College and was adapted for the stage by Georgia's Historic State Theater, The Springer. In 2018, Karen was named Appalachian Heritage Writer by Shepherd University, and Mother of Rain was chosen as the One Book One West Virginia Read.
Her first true crime book A Silence of Mockingbirds was chosen by the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as the One City Read.
The Murder Gene is her second true crime work.
Karen and her husband, Tim, make their home in Deschutes County, Oregon.
For more information on Karen and her books, click here