Karen E. Osborne on Writing Without an Outline, Creating Strong Women, and Never Giving Up

What happens when a mystery writer doesn't know who committed the murder?

Award-winning novelist Karen E. Osborne joins the hosts of Authors Talking Bookish for a lively conversation about writing psychological thrillers, creating strong but flawed female characters, and finding time to write while living a full, purpose-driven life.

Karen has published a book every year since 2021. How does she manage it while remaining active with her family, church, community volunteering, and her continuing work in philanthropy?

She shares the story of a character who began speaking to her while she and her husband were delivering food to people experiencing homelessness. Before driving to their next stop, Karen jumped into the car to capture the character's words in her notebook.

That's how her creative process works. Karen doesn't outline her novels. She follows her characters, sometimes discovering the identity of the murderer only when she's three-quarters of the way through the manuscript.

The conversation also explores Getting It Right: A Psychological Thriller, how Karen approaches social issues through her characters, her flexible research methods, and the stories behind her book covers.

Karen explains why she launched her award-winning podcast, What Are You Reading? What Are You Writing?, during the pandemic and why a supportive writing community matters.

And she shares an unforgettable lesson in perseverance: after 78 rejections, her son encouraged her to aim for 100. Her 79th submission resulted in a publishing contract.

Plus, a few personal revelations involving English tea, her British grandmother, and why Karen reserves her evenings for her husband, Bob.

Discover what happens behind the scenes when Karen E. Osborne creates her suspenseful novels—and why she believes there's no single right way to become a writer.

Watch or listen to her conversation on Authors Talking Bookish, then explore her novels, including Getting It Right: A Psychological Thriller.