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Our special Book Lover's Haven featured author this month is Karen E. Osborne. Karen E. Osborne has loved stories for as long as she can remember. She began writing at twelve, but life—academia, marriage, motherhood, and leading The Osborne Group, an international consulting and training firm—temporarily pushed fiction aside.
That changed while she was traveling and the first draft of Getting It Right took shape. Since then, Karen has written Tangled Lies, Reckonings, True Grace, and her most recent, award-winning murder mystery, Justice for Emerson.
Karen E. Osborne writes character-driven suspense and mystery novels that explore social issues, moral complexity, and the secrets people keep. Learn more at https://www.kareneosborne.com/.
BLH: Who or what inspired your love for writing books?
Like many of the villains in my novels, my father was a complex mix of darkness and generosity. Once I forgave him (without absolving him), I was able to appreciate the gifts he gave me: curiosity, a love of reading, and the courage to write.
He wrote poetry and encouraged my first short story. Those three forces—inquisitiveness, reading, and storytelling—never left me. They shape every book I write.
BLH: Has your work in academia influenced your writing?
Absolutely. Justice for Emerson is the first novel where I fully drew on my professional life.
My protagonist, Aria Wright, is the CEO of a nonprofit serving the unhoused and marginalized—roles I know well after years working with presidents, CEOs, boards, and CFOs. Her best friend is a Director of Development and Marketing, a position I once held before becoming a vice president at Trinity College.
Readers from higher education and the nonprofit world consistently tell me how authentic those dynamics feel—and how much they enjoyed seeing them woven into a murder mystery.
BLH: Please give us an overview of Justice for Emerson.
When fifty-year-old Aria Wright arrives at work, she finds a beloved volunteer murdered in the basement of her nonprofit. She sees the masked killer—and he sees her.
The present-day timeline unfolds over three tense weeks as Aria tries to protect her family, her organization, and herself while uncovering who killed seventy-seven-year-old Vietnam veteran Cal Emerson—and why money is quietly disappearing from her nonprofit.
The second timeline begins in 1968, as twenty-year-old Emerson heads to Vietnam on the day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated. What happened then that led to his murder decades later?
With short chapters, multiple suspects, complex characters, and a touch of romance, Justice for Emerson is a fast-paced dual-timeline mystery. The novel won 2025 Best Mystery of the Year (BestThrillers.com) and a 2025 American Fiction Award.
BLH: Why did you decide to create Justice for Emerson with a dual timeline?
My stories always begin with characters speaking to me. Aria arrived first, pulling me back to the murder mystery genre after Reckonings and True Grace. I also wanted to explore the modern crisis of homelessness.
The historical timeline came from a deeply personal place. My husband served in Vietnam, and I vividly remember sitting with his family, night after night, watching casualty lists scroll by on television, terrified of seeing familiar names. Like Emerson, many young men had no deferments and no protection when they returned home.
That story stayed with me. The dual timeline let me tell it—and challenge myself as a writer.
BLH: Please give us a brief bio on Emerson.
Alcohol was cheap and plentiful in the service, and over-drinking was often encouraged. Cal Emerson, a Black airman devastated by Dr. King’s assassination, faced racism abroad and at home while fighting for his country.
Across his life, readers watch him battle addiction, search for belonging, and try to love despite repeated loss. Many tell me they rooted for Emerson deeply—even though they met him dead on the first page.
BLH: Why did you set the story in 1968? How much research did you do?
I used to think I hated research. I preferred making things up—until history changed my mind.
Writing True Grace gave me the research bug, and Justice for Emerson deepened it. I drew from long conversations with my husband and brother-in-law, personal memories, novels set in the same era, and deep online research.
I loved uncovering details that made the period feel lived-in—and I’m certain I’ll return to historical timelines again.
BLH: Tell us about other characters who move the story forward.
Jax is a reader favorite. He’s fallen hard for Aria, but she insists he’s too tall, too young, too wealthy—and too white. And it feels too soon since her husband dies only two years earlier. Jax is kind, generous, and persistent, and readers root for him.
Aria’s lifelong best friends, Lacy and Joy, keep her grounded and honest. MJ, Emerson’s stepson, anchors the historical timeline with a relationship both tender and heartbreaking.
Add a detective with a crush, a fiercely loyal son, a sharp-tongued girlfriend, a cast of villains—and poor Wally. My pastor called me mid-read and said, “Elder Karen… what???” You’ll have to read to find out why.
BLH: Love the book cover! Who designed it?
I’m traditionally published by Black Rose Writing, a small press that actively collaborates with its authors on cover design. I had input throughout the process, and I couldn’t be happier with how Justice for Emerson looks on the shelf.
BLH: What writing process do you follow?
I never know what’s going to happen next.
Halfway through Justice for Emerson, my husband—my first reader—said, “I still don’t know who killed Emerson."
I told him, “Neither do I.”
I follow the characters, work with a developmental editor, share pages with my writing group every two weeks, and revise constantly. It’s unpredictable—and exhilarating.
BLH: Are you working on any new books?
This fall, I’m releasing a complete re-imagining of my debut novel, Getting It Right, followed by its sequel, Getting It Wrong, in 2027.
Rewriting a first novel years later has been freeing and thrilling. I’m still figuring out how to introduce it to new readers while welcoming back longtime ones—but I know readers will enjoy the ride.
BLH: Writing teaches us a lot about ourselves. What have you learned about yourself while writing your books?
Three things surprised me. First, I love research. Second, I always fear I don’t have another story—until characters start talking. Third, balance is possible.
I can write, market, speak, volunteer, stay active in my church, nurture relationships, and still read widely. It’s a full life—and a grateful one.
BLH: Please share three to four marketing strategies for authors.
First, podcasts and interviews like this one—authors are generous, and hosts want to help.
Second, in-person events beyond bookstores: libraries, conferences, coffee shops, and community gatherings.
Third, giveaways—both sponsored (like Goodreads and BookBub) and collaborative with other authors.
Finally, if your budget allows, a publicist can make a real difference.
BLH: What final words of encouragement would you like to leave with our subscribers?
Readers—tell authors when you love their books. Reviews, messages, and follows matter more than you know.
Writers—keep going. Persistence works. Your voice is needed.
And everyone: stay curious, grateful, kind—and forgiving.
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