Karyn Monk is a Canadian author of historical romance novels. Her books have appeared on the ''USA Today'' Bestseller List, and have won numerous awards.

Biography

Personal life

Monk is the fourth child of John and Lorraine (Spurrell) Monk. Because her parents had expected a boy, they had not chosen a girl's name, and decided to name their new daughter after the delivery room nurse. Neither parent was sure how to spell the name "Karen," though, leading to the unique spelling they chose. Monk graduated from university with a degree in history. She planned to work in

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

and in her spare time perform in local musicals. While auditioning for a part in an original musical called "Last Tango in Fargo North Dakota," she met her future husband, Philip, who was that show's music director. The marriage produced three children: Genevieve (b 1998), Carson (b 2001), and Adelaide (b 2005). The family lives in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Writing career

With her husband's support, Monk soon left her job in fashion advertising to pursue her dream of writing. After two years of work on her first manuscript, she obtained an agent, who eventually sold her book, "Surrender to a Stranger," to Bantam. The novel was later nominated for Best First Book by ''Romantic Times''. A ''USAToday'' bestselling author, Monk has received critical acclaim for her sensual, powerful novels. She has been awarded many honors, including the Aspen Gold, Barclay Gold, the National Readers' Choice Award, and a ''Romantic Times'' Career Achievement Award. Monk took a break from writing, beginning in 2005, to spend time with her three young children.

Awards and recognition

*1995 - Romantic Times nominee for Best First Historical Romance, ''Surrender to a Stranger'' *1998 - Romantic times nominee for ''The Witch and the Warrior'' *2003 - Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Historical Adventure *2004 - Daphne du Maurier Award winner for Mystery/Suspense for ''My Favorite Thief'' *2004 - Second place in the Barclay Gold Award for ''My Favorite Thief'' *2004 -

Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by incr ...

RITA Award finalist for ''My Favorite Thief'' *2004 - Golden Quill Award finalist for ''My Favorite Thief'' *2004 - Aspen Gold Award finalist for ''My Favorite Thief'' *2004 - Orange Rose Award finalist for ''My Favorite Thief'' *2004 - Booksellers' Best Award finalist for ''My Favorite Thief'' *2005 - Aspen Gold Award winner for ''Every Whispered Word'' *2005 - Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense winner for ''Every Whispered Word'' *2005 - Romantic Times Nominee, ''Every Whispered Word''

Bibliography

Single novels

*''Surrender to a Stranger'', 1994 *''The Rebel and the Redcoat'', 1996

Warriors Series

#''Once a Warrior'', 1997 #''The Witch and the Warrior'', 1998 #''The Rose and the Warrior'', 2000

Kent Family Saga Series

#''The Prisoner'', 2001 #''The Wedding Escape'', 2003 #''My Favorite Thief'', 2004 #''Every Whispered Word'', 2005

Anthologies in collaboration

*"Saving Celeste" in the anthology ''MY GUARDIAN ANGEL'', 1995 (with Sandra Chastain,

Kay Hooper Kay Hooper (born 1957) is a ''New York Times'' bestselling American author of more than 60 books. Biography Kay Hooper was born in Merced County, California to Martha and James Hooper. Her father, an Air Force employee, was stationed in the b ...

Susan Krinard Susan Krinard is an author of paranormal romance, science fiction, and fantasy. Krinard received a BFA in Illustration from the California College of Arts and Crafts. She became inspired to become an author when a close friend of hers read a ro ...

and

Elizabeth Thornton Mary Forrest George, née Baxter (24 January 1940 – 12 July 2010), well known as Elizabeth Thornton (her mother's name) is a British-Canadian writer of 31 historical romance novels from 1986 to 2010. Biography Born Mary Forrest Baxter on 24 J ...

)

References

External links

Karyn Monk Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monk, Karyn Living people Canadian women novelists Canadian romantic fiction writers Place of birth missing (living people) Women romantic fiction writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers 1960 births