I AM A WRITER

If you want to be famous then run for office and be a politician.

If you want to be rich then become a plastic surgeon.

If you want to have people know your name then be a teacher.

If you want to make a difference in someone’s life then have children.

But if you want to work alone, feel like a freak, be misunderstood, wonder what the point is, always come up short of time and money, while writing stories that bubble up from within about characters you have never met but are strangely in love with, then be a writer.

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I grew up the daughter of a Methodist minister in central Illinois. My two most hated nicknames were “Jonesey” and “preacher’s kid.” I took care of that by getting married. If Bruce Gowen’s last name had been Jones, he wouldn’t have stood a chance. Now I’m proud to be called a Jones girl!

Bruce and I have lived in Illinois, California, Washington and now Utah. We have ten children, eight boys and two girls. Later in life I went back to complete my degree in English and American literature from Brigham Young University. In my last year, I took a folklore class that inspired me to record the memories of my then-90-year old mother about her experiences growing up on a 1920′s Nebraska farm. This led to the publication of Farm Girl.

I love to read and I believe in the power of books to change lives, for they have changed mine. After raising my very large family, it’s a joy and privilege to have time to write books. My published works are Farm Girl, Uncut Diamonds, House of Diamonds and Lighting Candles in the Snow. I write about families.

I am currently working on a cookbook, “Farm Girl Cookbook: Hearty Meals for the Active Family,” scheduled for 2013 release by WiDo Publishing.

Contact me: karenjonesgowen@gmail.com.