35 Years of Show Biz.
One Envelope of Joy.
Hi, I'm Karen, a multiple Emmy-nominated writer and producer turned artist, storyteller, recipe collector, and professional finder-of-happy-things. After decades in the writers' room, I traded it all for watercolors and snail mail.
That's me on the front row next to Fr. Mulcahy. I am the only woman staff writer the show ever had. I'm sure you recognize the cast members. The man in the suit was a studio executive and all the other men are my fellow writers and producers. I'll tell you stories about them in my monthly show biz stories.
How We Came to Be Here
For thirty-five years I lived inside the beautiful chaos of show business as a multiple Emmy-nominated writer and producer. All-night rewrites, impossible deadlines, table reads that went completely sideways, and friendships forged while we ate takeout straight from those little styrofoam containers in the writers' room — every single day was an adventure. I still remember one night at 3 a.m. when one of the writers was eating leftover dinner from a styrofoam container balanced on top of an overturned trash can. He looked at all of us and said, “Here we are. Living the dream.” I remember so many show-biz stories that still make me laugh, and you'll get one in your envelope every time!
When I finally stepped away from that world, I realized all that creative energy still had to go somewhere. So I started painting watercolors. Then I dug out my grandmother's handwritten recipes. Pretty soon I was jotting down obscure cocktails, snarky one-liners, and little life hacks on scraps of paper.
One day I looked at the happy mess on my craft table and thought, “What if I just stuffed all of this into an envelope and mailed it to somebody?” And that's how Karen's Art Mart was born — a monthly envelope of eclectic happiness, straight from my heart to your mailbox.
What Goes Into Every Envelope
More than paper and ink — every envelope carries a little piece of my soul.
Handmade, Not Mass-Produced
Every watercolor is painted by me. Every envelope is assembled by hand. No factories, no algorithms — just Karen.
Real Stories, Real Recipes
The family recipes are from my actual family. The show biz stories really happened. Nothing is made up or generic.
Eclectic by Design
A cocktail recipe next to an inspirational quote next to a snarky zinger. Life is eclectic. Your mail should be too.
Surprise & Delight
You'll never know exactly what's coming, but you'll know it'll make you smile. That's the whole point.
A Peek at the Creative Process
From watercolor palette to sealed envelope — every step is filled with love.
My Books
Stories that started in my head, made it to paper, and now live on bookshelves. Each one a little piece of my heart.
Dark Debts
First Edition (Hardcover, 1996)
A pulse-pounding supernatural thriller about a Jesuit priest who must journey into the heart of a Southern family tormented by an unspeakable curse.
Read more
Dark Debts: A Novel
Revised Edition (Paperback, 2016)
The revised and updated edition of the acclaimed supernatural thriller. Three generations of secrets, a family curse, and dark forces.
Read more
The Sound of Silence
The Life and Cancelling of a Heroic Jesuit Priest
The true story of a heroic Jesuit priest — a gripping work of nonfiction exploring faith, courage, and institutional silence.
Read moreArticles by Karen
Faith, conversion, and the stories that need to be told — in my own words.
The Unknown Jesuit
Karen writes about an extraordinary Jesuit priest whose story deserves to be told — a companion piece to The Sound of Silence.
Radical Catholicism
An essay on what it truly means to live out the Catholic faith radically — not in the way the world expects, but in the way the saints modeled.
How Becoming Catholic Saved My Life and Soul, But Cost Me a Career
Karen’s personal testimony of her conversion journey — from a Methodist childhood, to agnosticism, to finding her way into the Catholic Church halfway through a Hollywood career, and the price she paid for it.
Interviews & Features
Conversations, profiles, and features where I share the stories behind the stories.
Author Alters Hit Novel in a New Edition 20 Years Later
Twenty years after Dark Debts was first published, I had grown and changed a great deal — both as a writer and in my own faith journey. I wanted the story to more accurately reflect who I am now and the deeper understanding I had gained. Revising the book gave me the chance to tone down some of the violence and create a much stronger, more emotionally true ending that finally felt right to me.
New Book Details the Silencing of a Brilliant, Outspoken Jesuit
A review of The Sound of Silence that presents the real Fr. Mankowski through his correspondence, his tense relationship with Jesuit superiors, and decades of suppressed writings — told through Karen’s memoir of friendship.
Screenwriter Karen Hall
Karen discusses her career writing for classic TV shows like M*A*S*H, Hill Street Blues, and Moonlighting, her novel Dark Debts, and her journey from Hollywood to faith and nonfiction.
Videos
Watch interviews about The Sound of Silence and more.
The World Over: Heroism of Fr. Mankowski
Karen joins Raymond Arroyo to talk about her career writing for classic TV shows like M*A*S*H and Hill Street Blues, and shares the story behind The Sound of Silence: The Life & Cancelling of a Heroic Jesuit Priest.
Ready for Your First Envelope?
Ten happy things. One envelope. Every month. Subscribe today and let me bring a little eclectic joy to your mailbox.
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