Karen Jeffery,
Author, Photographer
I majored in Art and English Literature because I loved art…and writing. It prepped me for a creative life. As it turned out I did not paint or sculpt or teach English but ended up a passionate entrepreneur, creating several business ventures on the US mainland, in Hawaii, and throughout the South Pacific islands. Establishing several companies over 35 years, I directed and managed dance studios, a tropical farm, restaurant & catering business, arts company, international brokerage, investment, development, management, and consulting firms. Most were successes, but there was one distinctive failure…and there were lots of learning curves.
My wealth of experience inspires writing about nearly everything: business, island and family life, intention, motivation, environmental and cultural issues, carving out niches, growing your business, islands and islanders, fathers and daughters, travel to lots of wild and wonderful places around the globe. A neosomaniac, I’m mad about islands! And loved working in the islands amongst island characters, hydroplaning to remote villages, drinking kava with chiefs, crunching numbers on sparkling beaches…lured and charmed, as were Gauguin, Stevenson, Brando and other artists.
Traveling to over 90 islands, doing business in many, I have a pretty extensive knowledge, not to mention an enviable photo library…and of course, tales to tell. Stories from magical places – Bora Bora, Port Vila, Fiji, Rarotonga, Samoa, Maui, St. Honorat…and more, pepper my writings. And my poems, short stories and novels are autobiographically inspired and informed. Visit One Foot Island, Aitutaki Lagoon, Saturday markets and hidden beaches. Watch quick-hipped dancers, hear tribal drums, feast on coconut cuisine and taste the essence of island places, island lives.
In 2002 I was living and working overseas when I took a sabbatical and re-discovered my life-long passion for photography and writing, resurrecting a body of work reaching further back than my professional career. I completed my writing degree and published several photography books and a novel, graduating summa cum laude from Southern Oregon University. Following my bliss, I now photograph everything and write novels, short stories and poems, magazine and newspaper articles, websites and content…and more from my island home in the heart of paradise.
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you need a writer or editor.
