After city life rural home was the write choice for Karen
| Published date | 19 March 2021 |
| Date | 19 March 2021 |
| Publication title | Dumfries & Galloway Standard |
The 53-year-old former PC and husband Dougie - now SNP councillor for Dee and Glenkens - moved to Galloway from Glasgow in 2016.
The big flit came about completely by chance as the couple hunted a new home following their retiral.
Rural living was always in Karen's mind as she and Dougie checked out the east coast and Perthshire.
Then Galloway came on the radar - and the future was sealed there and then.
Karen said: "We decided that when the girls went away to uni maybe it was time for a wee adventure.
"By one of those happy circumstances, we looked down this way and found a house at Gatehouse we really liked.
"We looked at each other and thought, 'do we just go for this?'
"The lady was moving out the same day we were so it seemed like serendipity.
"We decided to grab the opportunity and see what happens.
"And the longer we have been in Gatehouse the more we like it."
Karen had no connection with Galloway at all apart from coming here twice on holiday.
She said: "I remember staying at Kennedy Cottage in Borgue when I was wee girl.
"We brought the cat with us as well."
"It had a garden with a stream and was just magical."
As a writer, Karen had some misgivings that a small Galloway town might not match up to
Glasgow's vibrant literary scene.
But soon she discovered t hat t h e re was more to Ga t e h o u s e t h a n m e t the eye, including their cosy arts venue.
Karen said: "Finding The Bakehouse was lovely.
"It gave me the chance to get to know other authors and artists. It was like finding a wee hidden door."
Karen's seventh book, The Sound of the Hours, involved detailed historical research and took four years to complete Set in the final stages of World War Two, the novel is based around Barga, the most Scottish town in Italy.
Countless families from the Tuscan town near Florence moved to Scotland down the generations.
Many came back either permanently or for part of the year, leaving Barga with a peculiar linguistic legacy.
Karen said: "When you go to Barga the local folk speak English with Glasgow accent.
"Their mum might come from Paisley or Glasgow - and there's saltires flying everywhere.
"I got a lovely review from Allan Massie in the Scotsman for The Sound of the Hours.
"It was so nice to get because I was so far out of my comfort zone researching and writing it."
Karen's growing reputation as an author saw her appointed Writer in Residence at Dumfries and...
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