Featured Speaker: KAREN BASS 

Karen's third teen novel, Drummer Girl, was released in September 2011. It follows Summer of Fire (2009) and Run Like Jäger (2008). (All from Coteau Books.) 

Deborah Kerbel, author of Under the Moon and Girl on the Other Side, says of Summer of Fire: “Karen Bass has written a compelling tale for young adults with Summer of Fire. In this book, two teenage girls from vastly different backgrounds tell their stories from alternating points of view. For me, Garda’s story was especially poignant, as she comes to symbolize the desperation, helplessness and social ostracism felt by millions during World War II. Powerful, haunting, and evocative – I recommend this book!” 

 

Karen says, “First drafts consume me and I tend to lock myself away until they’re done. My family is very patient. One of the challenges of writing is how isolating it can be, so I am a member of several writing organizations: the Writers Guild of Alberta, TWUC (Writers’ Union of Canada), YABS (Young Alberta Book Society), TWUC (Writers’ Union) and the CAA (Canadian Authors’ Assoc.).”

Karen lives in northwest Alberta and for sixteen years she managed a local library.