Hello.
I’m Karen Richards, a writer living in Northern California with my husband and two teenage children. We share our home with Poppy, an Australian Shepherd and Beau, our miniature Schnoodle “pandemic pup.” Our seven heirloom chickens free-range in the backyard and bless us daily with blue, green, pale pink and dark brown speckled eggs.
During the year of lockdown, I wrote a memoir, You Are Here, about my journey as the mother of a child with mental health challenges and my family’s experiences of sheltering in place during the pandemic.
My other projects include a coming-of-age novel written between diaper changes and naps when my children were small, and a poetry collection celebrating the ordinary moments and milestones of family life and motherhood. I’m also writing a new novel about a mother’s rough journey from grief to acceptance when she loses her young son to a sudden catastrophic illness.
Recently, I joined the Z-Cares Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting youth mental health and wellness, as an Executive Board Member and Director of Communications.
When I’m not writing, I enjoy family time, tending our flock of hens, long hikes in the hills, and daily yoga and meditation.
As I’ve done since childhood, I end each day with reading (though these days I’m not forced to use a flashlight under the covers). There’s always a tilting stack of books on my bedside table from novels and memoir, to inspirational nonfiction and poetry. I often fall asleep mid-sentence, dreaming of words.
I’m looking forward to this phase of my life as my children leave the nest. My fondest wish is to live by the ocean, my favorite place to be.
I hope you’ll join me on this path.
Namaste.