Karen Hawkins (born Tennessee) is a best-selling American author of sixteen historical romance novels.
Hawkins was raised in Tennessee, where she lived with her parents, biological brother and sister, an adopted sister, numerous foster siblings and a number of foreign exchange students.
She studied writing by joining the Romance Writers of America and attending their workshops and conferences.
Before she was published, she won RWA chapter and national contests for her work, allowing her to gain feedback and critiques from actual editors.
Hawkins was also the driving force behind the two Lady Whistledown anthologies, developing the idea, gaining a publisher, and organizing the intertwined parts of the books.