Karen Kanouse
Karen Kanouse is an award-winning author and watercolor artist whose creativity is matched only by her love for animals and birds.
Retiring from family practice medicine in Wyoming, she turned to writing and returned to watercolor painting, infusing her story telling and artwork with the charm of her furry and feathered friends.
With a love for reading science fiction and fantasy, Karen's writing transports readers to realms of wonder. She’s always had a vivid imagination and now uses that to create new worlds for you to explore along with alien civilizations.
Karen is a cat and dog and horse and bunny lover but will run screaming from a spider. She’s fluffy enough to be a cat but not a cat burglar.
A soul-deep bond. A winged horse and a mischievous dragon. A kingdom in peril.
Zia has no war skills, no army, and no choice. When her world is torn apart, she somehow forms a forbidden, unbreakable bond with Starwind, a royal winged horse. Together, they ignite a resistance against the growing shadow devouring the realm.
Hunted by a ruthless rebel army and burdened with the lives of rescued children, Zia must disguise herself, fight back with wit and steel, and uncover the long-buried secrets of her past. Alongside a variety of animal companions, fiercely loyal allies, and a soulbond with a horse and a dragon, she’ll face the ultimate choice: run from destiny—or rise to meet it.
By the Horse’s Wings: A Coming of Age Epic Fantasy Magical Adventure (Wings of Destiny series Book 1)
In a world where magic is both feared and revered, meet Zia, a young woman with a secret even she doesn’t know: she possesses suppressed extraordinary magical abilities and an uncanny connection to animals.
The rebel army sweeps through their farm while Zia is away in the village, killing her father and kidnapping her two brothers and...
Wings of Magic: Book Two of the Wings of Destiny Series
A Coming of Age Epic Fantasy Magical Adventure Book #2 from the series: Wings of Destiny
Zia has the rare gift of communicating with animals but doesn't know it yet When a rebel army kidnaps her siblings, she sets out to rescue them with a sword she barely knows how to use. Joined by Starwind, a winged horse, and Keniv, a master swordsman, Zia faces perilous landscapes and adversaries.
As she unlocks her hidden powers and forms...
Wings of Crystal: Book Three of the Wings of Destiny series
An epic fantasy action adventure coming of age book.
Book #3 from the series: Wings of Destiny
Raising a baby dragon in secret is no easy task, especially with danger crowding in from every direction.
In a world where magic and danger intertwine, Zia and her magician companion, Jakari, face an impossible task: raising the only baby dragon in a thousand years—in secret. As they leave their companions to find a sanctuary for Evandar’s...
Wings of Splendor: Book Four of the Wings of Destiny series
A Coming of Age Epic Fantasy Magical Adventure Book #4 from the series: Wings of Destiny
In the fourth installment of the captivating “Wings of Destiny” series, Zia's journey takes an even more perilous turn. The rebel army, led by the sinister black magic wielding Squires, continues its devastating campaign across the land, leaving destruction and despair in its wake.
NEW SERIES by Kara Ellison
But...it's still me...
A brand-new series starts...
If you love books about Academies for Magic, female teenage lead, and rabbits, then you’ll love mine!
April never wanted magic, and she doesn’t believe it exists. She never asked to feel others’ souls, either.
But when she’s accepted into a prestigious academy, her secret can’t stay hidden. She can sense when a soul is broken… and heal it—at the cost of her own, despite not knowing how.
The only way to restore herself is by taking from others, a dangerous ability she keeps hidden, even from herself.
When a ruthless enemy begins stealing souls, April’s fragile gift might be the only thing standing between her classmates and eternal ruin. But every sip, every sacrifice, brings her closer to shattering.
Her power could save them all… or destroy her.
Whispers and Wisps:
The Tattered Souls Series Prequel Novella
FREE!
Click the button to tell me where to send your free gift!
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Some books don’t just tell stories—they take them.
A cursed grimoire. A dying experiment. A stolen child.
When three-month-old April is kidnapped, she isn’t taken for ransom.
She’s chosen for a dangerous experiment.
A magical tome is home to shattered souls that clamor for escape from its pages—and April is the vessel. The book has its own desires, but the doctor wielding its power has an agenda of her own.
In this prequel to the Tattered Soul Series, uncover the hidden origins of April’s gift and the terrible price of forbidden knowledge.
If you love magical academies, hidden powers, and secrets that whisper long after the last page, you’ll be captivated by Whispers and Wisps.
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Fantasy recommendations
Books I Recommend (in no particular order)
(Epic Fantasy, Inventive Magic & Stories with Soul)
Fantasy, for me, is about rich worlds, strong characters, and stories that linger long after the last page. It’s about stepping into worlds where I feel like I’m really there. It’s about the characters in the books feeling so real that I want to invite them over for dinner (maybe not the villains, though). It’s about magical systems that are real and natural in the worlds offered in the pages of really good books.
These books have done exactly that.
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
This series has been a long-time absolute favorite of mine and has withstood the test of time. Although I don’t write with this level of detailed descriptions, Jordan did so with a flair I could probably never match. It’s a series I’ve reread more than once and always discover something more in it. It’s a world in which I can truly envision and feel around me as I read these books.
Born in Fire by K. F. Breene
Clever, fast-paced fantasy that blends humor with strong storytelling.
Why I loved this: these books feature strong female leads and fascinating characters, and they’re beautifully written.
Magical Midlife, Leveling Up series by K. F. Breene
Funny, heartfelt, and refreshingly original, proving fantasy can be both meaningful and playful. Why I loved this: it’s joyful, smart, and never talks down to the reader.
Charlaine Harris
An author whose entire body of work is worth exploring, with strong voices and compelling characters throughout. Why I loved her books: she makes the fantastical feel personal and grounded every time.
The Seventh Swordsman series by Dave Duncan
Classic fantasy adventure with clever twists and satisfying character arcs.
Why I loved this: intelligent storytelling paired with great pacing and heart.
The King's Blades
by Dave Duncan
Elegant, thoughtful fantasy focused on loyalty, duty, and power.
Why I loved this: the writing is clean, precise, and emotionally resonant.
Web Shifters by Julie Czerneda
Inventive, imaginative, and deeply engaging speculative fiction. One of the first shapeshifter series I read and it really sparked my own imagination on the subject. I love, no, love, this series and I think you will, too! Why I loved this: the originality and warmth of the storytelling make it a joy to read.
These recommendations reflect my personal taste and the kinds of stories I love to read and write. I’m an eclectic reader, by the way, so I also enjoy well written horse stories (because, well, they’re horses!), cozy mysteries, detective books (think Michael Connolly and Harry Bosch series), and the occasional romance (yes, I require a happily-ever-after in them).
If anyone asks, Genevieve McKay writes terrific horse books that I really enjoy (because, yes, I was born horse crazy and loved the Black Stallion series, My Friend Flicka series, and any other horse story I could get my hands on, such as those by Marguerite Henry.)
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