I’m Karen Rose Smith. I write mystery, romance and women’s fiction. I earned a B.S. degree in education—English and French. My 113th published novel, Close The Book on Murder, will be released in March by Kensington Books. I have made the USA Today Bestseller list with both mystery and romance. Families are a strong theme in all my novels. One of the highlights of my career was to see my romance turned into a movie—A Very Country Christmas on UPTV. Besides writing, my passion is caring for our five rescued cats. I garden and my patio is my happy place. In the winter I cook. And year round I spend most of my time with my husband of 55 years, as well as my cats who are purrfect companions.