I began my literary journey in 2010, writing purely to see where it would lead, hence my first novel ‘An Ordinary Life’ that was published in 2014, under a different name. The work was biographical, written in the third person using a fictional character, which I found incredibly grounding and therapeutic, fueling my desire to continue.

I was born and bred in Sheffield - a ‘true Yorkshire lass’, as they say, and raised amid shop-keeping and a tight-knit community by parents who were both articulate and creative, and as such, inherited many skills with which to occupy my time.

I can clearly remember a love of reading from an early age through to my teens, with a passion for poems and limericks, evident in a recent discovery of a piece I wrote about my father when I was only ten years old, which demonstrates an early talent for rhyme and phrasing. As I grew older, among my favourite authors were Fay Weldon and Martin Amis.

As a versatile creative, I am also a successful digital artist and is commissioned by an art licensing agency based in Florida. My work as a musician spans more than twenty years in the entertainment business, performing solo and in various bands and collaborations.

Still in Sheffield, I live with my husband and ‘puss-cat’, busy pursuing my love of writing.

1. Website: www.kestokes.com

2. Facebook: Karen E Stokes 

3. Twitter: @KEStokes2

4. Youtube: The Healing book trailer