Karen McMillan
McMillan, Karen was born in Dannevirke, before moving away at the age of three. She lived in the Hutt Valley until 1999. In 1998 she completed her Diploma in Professional Writing at Whitireia Polytechnic and her Advanced Diploma of Applied Arts (Writing) at Whitireia in 2001. She moved to Auckland to live in 2000 and worked with Hachette New Zealand in a variety of roles in marketing, publicity and international rights until 2013. Since then, Karen has been a senior publicist at Lighthouse PR.
In 2003, Karen published her first book, Unbreakable Spirit: Facing the challenge of cancer in New Zealand, with Tandem Press. It was also translated and published in Poland by Swiety Pawel, and a revised edition was published in 2015 by McKenzie Publishing.
She published her second non-fiction book, Love in Aotearoa, with Random House in 2005. It was short-listed for the Ashton Wylie Book Award. Love in Aotearoa was published in the UK as Love Bytes.
In 2007, Karen published Feast or Famine: A New Zealand guide to understanding eating disorders, with Random House. In the same year, she published Watching Over Me with Whiskey Creek Press in the United States.
From 2013 to 2017, Karen published a variety of works with McKenzie Publishing. These include the non-fiction Unleash Your Inner Seductress in 2013, historical fictions The Paris of the East and The Paris of the West in 2014 and 2016 respectively, From the Blitz to the Burmese Jungle and Beyond, a Memoir by Brian Hennessy in 2017 and the contemporary fiction novel Brushstrokes of Memory in 2017. The Paris of the East spent four weeks on the New Zealand bestseller list, while The Paris of the West and Brushstrokes of Memory both made it onto the New Zealand bestseller lists when published.
Everyday Strength: Recipes and Wellbeing Tips for Cancer Patients was published in New Zealand, Australia and the UK by Beatnik Publishing. It waswritten with chef Sam Mannering and was the New Zealand finalist in the Gourmand World Awards 2018 in the health and nutrition category. A German edition published in 2019.
Karen is the author of the Elastic Island Adventures series, which began publishing in 2018 through Duckling Publishing. The children’s fiction series has been published in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, and currently has three installments. The first book, Elastic Island Adventures: Jewel Lagoon, released in 2018, followed by Elastic Island Adventures: Port Mugaloo also in 2018 and Elastic Island Adventures: Rainbow Cove in 2019. Elastic Island Adventures: Alphabet Resort is due out in 2020.
North & South Magazine called the Elastic Island Adventures series, “A fast-paced, original story aimed at readers eight to 12.” While Grownups said, “Her stories about four children going off on holiday on their own and having adventures are reminiscent of the Famous Five but these are more fantastical and told with a quirky sense of humour.”
Karen’s cat, Blong, features in the series, and also in Karen’s 2019 publication, Blong the Cat’s Costume Caper, a New Zealand and Australian release from Duckling Publishing.
Karen did volunteer work writing articles for North Shore Hospice from 2001 to 2013. She adapted a South African book for the New Zealand market, Dying: A New Zealand guide to the journey for Calico Publishing.She provided assistance on the manuscript of Retire Right: A New Zealand guide to planning for financial security and prosperity in your retirement, a New Holland title.Karen has written book notes on a variety of titles for the Book Discussion Scheme, for use by book clubs around New Zealand. Karen received the NZ International Promotion Fund in 2018, to assist with her trip to Brisbane for Book Week. Karen is a regular speaker for cancer organisations, rotary, libraries, women's groups, book festivals and school events. Karen is also the Director of NZ Booklovers, has instigated the NZ Booklovers Awards, and she is a regular reviewer on The Café TV3 and various radio shows.
LINKS
Karen’s NZSA page
Karen’s website
Karen’s Facebook
Karen’s Twitter
