About Karen

Karen Wasson is an award winning children’s author based in Melbourne, Australia on lands belonging to the Boonwurrung people of the Kulin nation. 

Karen’s manuscript Inked was the first ever graphic novel shortlisted for Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing’s Ampersand Prize. Inked was the best selling Australian graphic novel for 2025 and was the winner of the 2026 CBCA Book of the Year Awards for younger readers! It was also shortlisted for the 2026 ABIA Book Awards and the 2026 ABDA Book Design Awards.

Her non-fiction picture book Drop into the Ocean – a tour of the world’s oceans and seas was well received across Australia, NZ, America and the UK. In 2023, Karen was awarded an ASA/CA mentorship for a nonfiction picture book manuscript. She has also had numerous works of fiction and nonfiction published in The School Magazine, Double Helix and The Toy.

Karen has received accolades for her fiction for grown ups, being shortlisted for the Australian Writers’ Centre June 2022 Furious Fiction and shortlisted for the 2021 Wyndham Writing Awards.

Karen is a member of SCBWI, and the ASA and part of the Author Pen Pals and Ardoch Writers in Residence programs. She has also been a judge for the CYA writing competition

Previously in her life, Karen has done many things including working in film and television production and as a freelance copywriter.

Karen lives with her husband and their three children where she writes in the cracks, acts as chief librarian of a ‘Kids Only’ street library and volunteers for the Story Dogs program with Henry, the Cairn Terrier.

Quick fascinating facts about Karen Wasson**
– Karen once had the opportunity to star in Doctor Who. However she sadly broke her big toe just before filming and her role was given to Karen Gillan.
– All of Karen’s books feature a little something about the time she spent in deepest darkest Peru whilst searching for Paddington Bear’s Aunt Lucy.
– Karen is the youngest of 9 children. All of her siblings names start with the letter ‘K’!

Inked a graphic novel and Drop into the Ocean – a tour of the world’s oceans and seas — are available now!

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**For the benefit of all humans, this section has been entirely fictionalised in the hopes of catching out bots, scams and those who wield them. It’s a bit of fun though, isn’t it?!