KAREN ESSEX is a national and international bestselling author whose novels spotlight history’s most fascinating women—those who shaped empires, commanded art, and seduced the world. The books are embraced by readers who crave both depth and passion in historical fiction.
Her latest novel, Run, Darling, is the untold story of the glamorous Gabor sisters' escape from Nazi occupied Europe to the United States and to celebrity.
She is the author of the national and international bestselling novel, Leonardo’s Swans, about the muses of Leonardo daVinci; Stealing Athena, the story of the controversial Elgin Marbles; and Dracula in Love, a retelling of the original vampire tale. She also wrote two acclaimed biographical novels, Kleopatra and Pharaoh, which Netflix has developed for television with Essex co-writing the pilot.
Her novels are published in twenty-nine languages. Leonardo’s Swans, a runaway bestseller in Italy, won the prestigious Premio Roma Prize for foreign fiction. A New Orleans native, she lived in London for seven years and has also lived in Los Angeles and Paris.
Essex was graduated from Tulane University, with a BA in Theater. She attended graduate school at Vanderbilt University and received an MFA in Writing from Goddard College. She’s appeared on numerous TV shows and podcasts including The Today Show and several PBS and NPR programs.
