This is Ink & Intrigue—the blog where romance ignites, secrets simmer, and every love story hides a twist. I’m your blog host, Sheila Kell, romance author and lover of plot twists, slow burns, and morally questionable book boyfriends.
Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you—Karen Hulene Bartell, an author whose stories immerse you in the chemistry between Dare and Clay, the suspense of supernatural elements, and the drama of a hurricane! If you love romantic suspense with a spine-tingling touch of the supernatural, you’re in for a treat.
Karen Hulene Bartell is known for fast-moving yet slow-burn love stories with a heart-thumping dose of the paranormal. Her latest release, Blue Dog, is a steamy romance that will have you rooting for the couple from page one.
In this spotlight, Karen Hulene Bartell shares how shapeshifting creatures and the environment shaped her latest suspense romance, and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Blue Dog.
Whether you write love stories, devour them, or dream of doing both, you’re in the right place. Let’s get into it and give a warm welcome to Karen Hulene Bartell! 💖
Let’s get straight to the questions. What part of writing romance do you enjoy most—the meet-cute, the conflict, or the happily ever after?
Ultimately, I like HEA, or at least HFN, but throughout the course of writing the plot, I love multiple subplots and red herrings that keep the characters (and readers) guessing.
Can you tell us about your latest suspense romance and what inspired the story?
Besides loving the spine-tingling chills of a good scare and the excitement of a new romance, I became concerned with the ecological issues surrounding the Atchafalaya Basin several years ago. I started by researching the environmental impacts online, found references to rougarous, then attended the Rougarou Festival in Houma, Louisiana. My firsthand experiences and the spooky tales from the Cajun locals I chatted with gave me far more insight than Googling. What evolved is (I hope) an entertaining story that highlights the plight of Louisiana’s bayous and its residents—as well as keeps you up at night reading about rougarous and romance 😉
Are your characters based on real people, or entirely fictional?
I never write about any particular person. Instead, my characters are an amalgamation of traits that I’ve observed in various people…the way a person laughs or the way a woman chews (and spits) tobacco or the expression that glimmers in a man’s eyes when he’s interested.
Was there a particular scene or emotional arc that was difficult (or fun!) to write?
Describing how characters prepare for and live through a hurricane (realistically) was one of my most challenging scenes to write.
How has your writing evolved since your first book?
My first published book was a cookbook—no story, no characters. Since then, I’ve learned to plot, build characters, establish worlds, help protagonists meet and fall in love, and introduce cryptids as believable personalities.
How did you find your agent or publisher (if applicable)?
I first approached The Wild Rose Press in 2017 with my manuscript Wild Rose Pass. Honestly, it was the similarity of the names that caught my attention. But after nine years and six books with TWRP, they’ve become my publishing home.
Which books or authors have influenced you the most?
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life?
I don’t sleep…well, barely…4-5 hours a night is all I seem to need. But that’s all right—early mornings (kickstarted by caffeine) are when my imagination seems to work best.
What are you working on next?
My WIP is tentatively entitled Once in a Blue Moon. This suspense romance is the third in the Cryptid Charisma series and is set near Caddo Lake, along the North Texas/Louisiana border, where sightings of wood apes and Bigfoot are regularly reported—and I kid you not!
Are there any genres you’d like to explore that you haven’t yet?
Yes, I’d like to try my hand at cozy mysteries.
This has been fun. Let’s get to Karen’s bio and links.
KAREN’S BIO:
Karen Hulene Bartell is a best-selling author, motivational keynote speaker, 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, she 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. 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 Piney Woods with her husband and “mews”—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.
I hope you loved getting to know Karen Hulene Bartell and her novel, Blue Dog. If you haven’t added her books to your TBR yet, now’s the time—trust me, you won’t want to miss them. 💖
You can connect with Karen Hulene Bartell here:
🌐 Website: http://www.KarenHuleneBartell.com/
📩 Email: info@KarenHuleneBartell.com
📱 Socials: Facebook | MeWe | X | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub | LinkedIn | AUTHORSdb
🛒 Grab her books: Universal Link
Thank you for joining me in spotlighting a fellow author who’s giving us all the feels. Stay tuned for more author features, book talks, and behind-the-scenes romance goodness.
Until next time—keep reading, keep swooning! 💖