Mystical stories, curious kids, and sharing the magic of words

Karen Hughes is the author of the popular Kalika Magic series for kids 9+, exploring themes of courage, adventure, and the power of the imagination. Karen grew up on a cattle station on the Liverpool Plains, where she spent her childhood climbing trees, riding horses, and reading Narnia books. She attended a primary school with only six pupils, before being packed off to boarding school at age twelve. Karen has been a lawyer, a herbalist and a web designer, but being a storyteller is her favourite job. She now lives in the Hunter Valley.

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What does this year hold?

I'm glad you asked. As usual, I'm drifting wherever the river takes me, but here are a few ideas:

  1. I've just completed a creative PhD in English at Newcastle uni, so it's time to edit my new adult novel and find the right publisher. My PhD was about myth, mystical experiences, speculative fiction and the re-enchantment of the world.
  2. I'll be delivering talks and workshops through Hunter Valley Writers, with lots of kids joining me to unleash their creativity and experience the magic of writing their own stories.
  3. Book 5, the final book in my Kalika Magic series, is well overdue. Sorry! I've written the first draft and I'm busting to finish it – I just need to hide away in a rainforest somewhere for a few months.
  4. I'm hoping to take a research trip to the faerie mounds at Cúil Irra in Ireland, because I have a few things to discuss with the Tuatha de Danann, but I'm so busy with Hunter Valley Writers at the moment that I might have to zoom with them instead.

Look forward to sharing my adventures with you,

Karen xx