Author of the Trans-Pecos, Sacred Emblem, Sacred Journey, and Sacred Messenger series, as well as Wild Rose Pass, The Keys: Voice of the Turtle, Christmas in Cahokia: Song of the Owl, Holy Water: Rule of Capture, Lone Star Christmas, Christmas in Cahokia, Sovereignty of the Dragons, Christmas in Catalonia, Angels from Ashes, Untimely Partners, and Belize Navidad, Karen is a best-selling author, motivational keynote speaker, IT technical editor, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life. She writes multicultural, offbeat love stories steeped in the supernatural that lift the spirit. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved annually, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night–reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Wanderlust inherent, Karen enjoyed traveling, although loathed changing schools. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Hill Country with her husband Peter and her mews–three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.
Wild Rose Pass is a beautifully crafted story with exceptional historical authenticity in which two delightful and utterly believable characters play out their lives in a vividly painted setting. I was deeply impressed by the author’s skill as a tale weaver and even more with her meticulous adherence to historical accuracy and deft avoidance of allowing modern sensibilities to twist the reality of the period. This is a wonderful beefy novel in the old tradition. I recommend it without reservation.
