Karen Deans started her writing career as a journalist. She’s authored of 2 picture books that have both been published by Holiday House. The books feature women who defied and stood against gender and racial discrimination to become stars in their respective fields. During her research, she got inspiration from the determination of the women, despite the challenges they faced dealing with sexism and racism, they were able to transcend discrimination through music and friendship. Karen is both an artist as well as an author, and the two skills complement each other so well in her work. Since she was a child, she’s always loved to write and draw. She says it’s quite funny how certain things never change. As she started her writing career as a journalist, she was also working on a novel. So she tried to get the novel published, but after lots of frustration and many failed attempts, she put it on a shelf.
Karen needed a break from writing, so she turned to painting just for fun and distraction. However, her interest in painting progressed without her noticing, and before long, she started getting hired to paint murals and also illustrate educational curricula. And yes, she was getting paid to do it. From then on, Karen was hooked to painting and illustration. However, she’s not stopped writing. She writes and illustrated children’s books and is a member of the SCBWI and the Children's Book Guild of Washington, DC. Karen has also worked for Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo, Maryland as the head scenic painter.
