Writing by Karen Heard
I write literary fiction with a dark fantasy sensibility: psychological, exploratory, and occasionally funny. My stories take abstract questions seriously enough to build characters and worlds around them.
The short fiction below gives a sense of the range, tone and territory of my work.
Short Fiction by Karen Heard
Here is an example of some of my past short story work.
The Cold Face of the Mountain
Winner of the Toasted Cheese Literary Journal Dead of Winter competiton
The Lighthouse
A young girl trapped in a flooding Lighthouse begins to wonder why her parents left.
Out of Order
What do you do when the lights go out and the screaming starts?
Read here
Books
A selection of books featuring my work. If you read any of these works, please remember to leave a review so that I can hear what you think.
It’s Dark Inside
Short Stories by Karen Heard
These six tales span the genres of ghost story, mystery, horror, and suspense. Some look back on dark times, others look forward to an apocalyptic future, and still others dwell on a terrible present – but they have one thing in common: they are all dark. Don’t expect happy endings or pleasant characters here, for there is something dark lurking in the shadows of each tale waiting to get out.
Scared: Ten Tales of Horror
Edited by Rayne Hall
Ten stories of spine-tingling suspense, edited by Rayne Hall.
In this collection, you’ll find scary stories for almost every taste, each penned by a different author with a different writing style and a different taste in horror.
Featuring Out Of Order by Karen Heard.
The Lighthouse
Short Story by Karen Heard
A young girl trapped in a flooding Lighthouse begins to wonder why her parents left.
A short story by Karen Heard
Currently free on Amazon.
Twisted 50
by Create 50
Twisted 50 is a deliciously dark slice of contemporary horror literature. Reading it is like attending a late night secret banquet where you know each course will serve up something unexpected and unforgettably chilling.
Featuring Itch by Karen Heard.
Beltane: Ten Tales of Witchcraft
Edited by Rayne Hall
In this book, all the witches are real. They practice different kinds of witchcraft: Some are good, some are evil, and others are in between, so beware of jumping to early conclusions.
Ten authors share their visions of witches and witchcraft.
Featuring Alba by Karen Heard.
The Haunted Train
Edited by Rayne Hall
In this volume, editor Rayne Hall has collected twenty of the finest– and creepiest – railway tales. The book features the works of established writers, classic authors and fresh voices. Some stories are spooky, some downright scary, while others pose a puzzling mystery.
Featuring Out Of Order by Karen Heard.
Magazine Articles
A few of my favourite magazine articles from my journalism days.
Exposing the Face of War
Philip Jones Griffith’s Retrospective
I interview the curator of the National Library of Wales about the impact of Griffith’s images on the sentiment surrounding the Vietnam war.
California Girl
Rare Marylin Monroe Images
I speak to Cassandra Johnson from the Steven Kasher Gallery about these rare early images of Marylin and about the discovery of new images buried for years in her fiance’s garden.
Behind the Scenes
Major New Retropsective
I speak to Lydia Yee, Curator of the Whitechapel Gallery, to find out more about Williams and the exhibition: The Production Line of Happiness.
Motion Capture
Capturing Movement
I interview photographer Lois Greenfield about how she captures her beautiful images of dancers in-flux and about her new book: Moving Still.