Born and raised in the rolling hills and country of southeastern Iowa, near Mt. Pleasant, she holds a deep appreciation for the land and the sturdy people who work and live there. 

Her love of family and history prompted Karen to preserve and honor her brother's memory, and that of the men from the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, who served with him during the Vietnam War in 1969 in her first book, With Love Stan: A Soldier's Letters From Vietnam To The World. 

This primary source has made it's way into many high school history departments and classrooms as part of the study of this unpopular war. As a result of her book the Sullivan Brother's Iowa Military Museum in Waterloo, Iowa chose her brother, SP4 Stanley D. Ross, to represent the Vietnam Soldier in their new wing which was dedicated on November 15th, 2008. The museum displays artifacts and stories of all Iowa Veterans from the Civil War through the current conflict in Iraq.

Karen was deeply influenced by authors, Bernard Edelman, Dear America, Tim O'Brian, The Things They Carried, and Michael L. Lanning, The Only War We Had. 
Karen explains,"Edelman's book was inspiring to me because he used personal letters from Vietnam soldiers in the field. I was rivited as I read each letter and wondered...'Will he or she make it home?'" 

Edelman, like O'Brian and Lanning had experienced, first-hand, the Vietnam War.

Karen is currently working on a historical fiction novel which she hopes to publish in the near future. It will be a story woven with characters and events from her beloved heartland, Iowa.