Karen A. Romanko, Author, Editor, and Publisher

Karen A. Romanko writes poetry and short stories in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. A former professional librarian, Karen began her writing career in 1986 with a "My Say" column in Publishers Weekly. She has since seen over 100 of her works published in venues such as Strange Horizons, Ideomancer, The Pedestal Magazine, and Lone Star Stories.

When she switches literary hats, Karen edits and publishes fiction and poetry anthologies under the Raven Electrick Ink imprint. Karen's first foray into editing came with the speculative fiction and mystery e-zine Raven Electrick, which ran for nine years. In 2007, she dipped a toe into the pond of print publishing with the 42-author anthology Sporty Spec: Games of the Fantastic. She followed up with Cinema Spec: Tales of Hollywood and Fantasy in 2009 and Retro Spec: Tales of Fantasy and Nostalgia in 2010. Look for Jack-o'-Spec: Tales of Halloween and Fantasy, a 26-author anthology featuring the many faces of science fiction, fantasy, and horror Halloweens, in September 2011.

When not hunched at the computer, Karen enjoys the sun of Southern California with her biologist husband, Bob Desharnais. A long-time movie buff, she loves the proximity to Tinseltown, but misses the fall foliage of her native Boston and always roots for the Red Sox. See Karen's Photo Album for personal photos and her LiveJournal or Facebook page for more pix and up-to-the-minute news.