Karen Hand Allen

Award-Winning Nurse, Educator, and Author

Current Series: Bon Voyage: A Winter Abroad

Step into a season of travel, reflection, and discovery as we journey through London and Paris in the heart of winter. Bon Voyage: A Winter Abroad captures the quiet beauty of shorter days, bustling markets, historic streets, and the small moments that make travel memorable. This series blends thoughtful itineraries, favorite places, and personal observations—offering a slower, story-driven look at experiencing Europe.

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@karenhandallen

About

HI, MY NAME IS KAREN!

I'm a nurse, author, educator, creator, and voice behind my blog. I love writing and am

passionate about storytelling. I am an avid fan of mysteries and adore domestic thrillers

with a twist, they are just my style, hence my debut novel, Orphan Girl!

My Blog includes my inspiration behind my novel, Orphan Girl, my own journey

from an Orphan Girl myself, to becoming a writer, a nurse and an educator.

I am also often inspired by everyday life and wish to share cooking, recipes, gardening,

travel, lifestyle and Cat kid, all areas in the blog from slices of my life with photos and

videos.

On my blog I enjoy writing about:

Cooking, my favorite pastime, brings joy and unrequited happiness.

Gardening, I love to dig in the dirt, we have fruit trees, a spring and fall raised garden bring hours of utter contentment. We grow some of what we eat in our small island home garden with fall and spring plantings and are often surprised and amazed when we cook them in delicious recipes. We want to share them with you.

Travel, going around the block, or on an international trip satisfies in a most delightful way.

Lifestyle, family, entertaining, holidays all welcome us home.

Pets, our pets never disappoint, their enchanting antics warm our hearts.

Don't forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and TikTok!

Learn More

London to Paris by Train: Eurostar Travel Day

Well goodbye London, Hello Paris, Bonjour! Once again, I find myself awake at four AM, ready to explore. I burrowed into my covers, adjusting them to keep warm while reflecting on yesterday’s great adventure. From the moment we woke, we were on the move, visiting countless amazing landmarks. Here are a few highlights: a few highlights: (references from Wikipedia). The Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is a masterpiece of dramatic spires and pointed arches. Know

London Travel Itinerary: Big Ben, Harrods & Buckingham Palace

Well, hello again London! I woke slowly, realizing we were still in London, its pageantry and grace charming us everywhere we looked. Yesterday we explored Paddington Station, its glamour, neighborhood spirit and transportation history stamped in time, opening in 1854 and designed by Isambard Brunel. It was also the home of a most adorable bear, Paddington, featured in numerous books and movies. Our visit to Notting Hill was just as memorable with storybook streets, candy

London Travel: Notting Hill, Portobello Road & a Cold January Stroll

Well, hello London! I woke up hours before my family, it was dark outside, the booming fireworks from the night before settled in over me, we were celebrating the New Year in Europe! After arriving the day before, and an all-night flight, jet lag yanked the rug out from under us as we stayed up, not napping from our 7:30 AM flight on New Year’s Eve. That morning, we had been all in for visiting the world famous Borough Market, tasting, window-shopping and soaking up the w

Bon Voyage: A Winter Abroad: London Trip Heathrow Arrival to Borough Market

Our family yearned for a London/Paris trip as long as I can remember, but there’s something about being outside, sitting in quiet, listening to waves, stargazing, and dreaming that made it happen. We were home, planning, gathered round a roaring fire with crisp winter evening’s faint bite of cold brushing our cheeks. Voices carried our dreams across our back yard, across the water to London Bridge, The Eiffel Tower and beyond as tides moved gently under fading sky to make mag

New Year’s Resolutions That Matter: Reflection, Traditions, and a Fresh Start

New Year’s resolutions have long been meaningful traditions, offering time to pause, reflect, and look ahead. With the blog being developed these past few months, we’ve considered where we’ve been and where we hope to go, with a desire for growth, balance, and purpose. I’ve had so much fun working with our team, writing, gardening and cooking, which have dominated time. My favorite pics: Some of my resolutions concern health and choices I make every day. Like many people, I a

New Year’s Eve Traditions: How Celebrations and Meaning Have Changed

It seems like New Year’s Eve has always been with us, and it kind of has, at least since the 1800’s, where Americans gathered and celebrated, often influenced by European traditions of partying and merrymaking. By 1907, Americans welcomed and anticipated fireworks and feasts on the eve of the new year, and the resulting New York Times Square Waterford crystal LED ball drop in Manhattan has become a mainstay that we enjoy to this day. By the late 19 th century, drinking cham

Currently...

Last updated: February 1, 2026

Reading:

Tveten’s The Birds of Texas

Bold’s Not Now

Gardening:

Planting Bougainvillea.

Harvesting: Frozen limes from garden! Checking Fall Garden after freezing.

Cooking:

Frying big daddy, oysters!

Comfort chicken and fresh vegetables.

Triple chocolate brownies.

Writing:

New European Series: Bon Voyage, A Winter Abroad

My blog: “A Winter Abroad-London & Paris”

Watching:

PBS’s Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen– Cat Among the Pigeons.

Karen Hand Allen's Debut Novel

Orphan Girl

ELLA, nurse and founder of DONATE, a nearly billion-dollar Women Owned Endeavor

has it all, respect, prestige, and wealth. DONATE becomes a global phenomenon that everyone

wants in on, then Ella’s world is capsized after she receives a blackmail letter demanding

millions for something she did as a child, forcing her to delve into past trauma that marked her in

the Spring of 1963, when she was just eight. Ella’s parents abandoned her and three-year-old

brother Donnie, leaving them to fend for themselves on Galveston Island.

Hidden secrets in Ella’s childhood threaten to upend her picture-perfect life and carefully

crafted façade. All those years ago, she did the unthinkable, a fact she has buried in her

subconscious. The blackmailer sends her increasingly menacing letters and taunting emails,

upping the payment demand. She is desperate, hiring Private Investigator Brian Nickson, a

retired cop who quickly recognizes Ella for the cunning liar that she is.

PI Nickson gets the FBI involved and meets one roadblock after another in the decade’s

old mystery to untangle a past that has more questions than answers. Ella suffers haunting

dreams and flashbacks and again relies on her own childhood Psychiatrist, famed Dr. David

Siegfried to help uncover a web of deceit to unlock answers in this twisty domestic thriller.

Contact for Manuscript

Karen Hand Allen

Karen Hand Allen

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About

London to Paris by Train: Eurostar Travel Day

London Travel Itinerary: Big Ben, Harrods & Buckingham Palace

London Travel: Notting Hill, Portobello Road & a Cold January Stroll

Bon Voyage: A Winter Abroad: London Trip Heathrow Arrival to Borough Market

New Year’s Resolutions That Matter: Reflection, Traditions, and a Fresh Start

New Year’s Eve Traditions: How Celebrations and Meaning Have Changed

Currently...

Karen Hand Allen's Debut Novel

Orphan Girl