Who I’m Karen Guzman, and I write fiction and essays primarily. My first novel was published in 2014, and my new novel is forthcoming this fall.
 
Interests My faith and my family are at the heart of my life. I’ve been writing fiction since childhood. My tastes run toward literary fiction and upmarket women’s titles. I’m also an animal lover and an avid horseback rider with a special interest in dressage training.  I also love to hike and swim.
 
 
Network I’m lucky to have my MFA program roommate, Cathy Cruise, as the number one reader of my works-in-progress. Besides being an amazing writer, Cathy is a truly gifted editor. I also trade chunks of manuscripts with a group of writer friends. This summer I am fortunate to have received a 10-day Fellowship from the Collegeville Institute, where I will work one-on-one with author and editor Michael N. McGregor.
 
 
Desk I wish I had just one. With a busy household and a 12-year-old son, my writing desk is a very mobile laptop, fully charged, and ready whenever—and wherever—I am. I do work as much as possible in a little wooden cabin at the edge of our backyard.
 
Other talents I’m a budding pastry chef. I’m taking my first class at a cooking school this month, focusing on eclairs and crème puffs. Yum!
 
Window  Our backyard just outside my window, lovely at the height of summer.

​When the recipe for a new life is bittersweet…
 
Ellen Cahill’s financial future rides on the success of her new pastry shop. A bruising divorce has drained her bank account, along with her spirit. A man enters her life promising love, but Ellen, haunted by the past, questions whether she can pull off this new beginning.
 
College student Rosa Escamilla has her own culinary dreams—and a difficult mother who’s dead set against them. Rosa won’t be deterred. She scrapes up the money to enroll at a prestigious culinary school, setting out to prove everyone wrong.
 
When hidden betrayals by the people they love most surface for both Ellen and Rosa, can they overcome the blows they never saw coming on the road to where they want to go?