Meet Karen L West
The Stories Behind the Books
Welcome! I’m Karen L West, a retired U.S. Navy veteran and an author who loves exploring courage, belonging, and new beginnings.
In this self-authored Q&A, I’m sharing a little about my life and the inspiration behind two very different books: Jubrozan Dragon Riders and Katie and Patch.
I hope you enjoy discovering the stories behind the stories.
Q: How has my Navy experience influenced the stories the I write?
A: When I first considered joining the military, it came down to the Army or the Navy. To be honest, I chose the Navy because I felt it offered the best opportunity to travel. The Navy had ships and bases, but I wanted ships. Deployments offered the possibility of visiting far more places than I imagined I could through the Army. I wanted to see what was beyond the world I already knew.
That curiosity still influences my writing. I love imagining what might be beyond the next mountain, inside an unfamiliar house, or on the other side of a mysterious door. Sometimes my characters travel to places we can visit ourselves. Other times, they find worlds that exist only in my imagination.
My Navy experience also shaped how I think about responsibility, teamwork, and helping others. Those ideas appear throughout my books. My characters often find themselves in unfamiliar situations where they must learn, adapt, and decide who they can trust. They bring their experiences with them, even when they are starting over.
In Jubrozan Dragon Riders, that connection appears through Rani, whose experience from an earlier life still matters in a new world. In Katie and Patch, it appears through the emotions of a child whose family is affected by military deployment. The settings are very different, but both explore courage, companionship, and finding where you belong.
I joined the Navy hoping to see more of the world. Now, through writing, I get to keep exploring and invite readers along.
Q: Why did I write Jubrozan Dragon Riders?
A: Part of the inspiration came from my love of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern. The connection between dragons and their riders captured my imagination. There is something wonderful about imagining a dragon as an intelligent companion, with a personality of its own and a bond built on trust.
My love of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains also played a part. Looking at those towering peaks, I could imagine dragons making their homes high above the valleys, in places people could barely reach. Those mountains helped me picture the world of Jubrozan.
Then there was the question behind Rani’s story: What if someone who had already lived a full life received another chance at adventure? What if she could carry everything she had learned into that new beginning?
I wanted Rani’s experience to matter. She may awaken in a younger body, but she still carries the memories, losses, and lessons of her earlier life. And having Kula beside her gives her something familiar and beloved as she faces an unfamiliar world.
Writing Jubrozan Dragon Riders let me bring those ideas together: dragons, mountains, a loyal companion, and the possibility that life still has surprises waiting for us. I wanted to write an adventure that offered hope, especially to anyone who has ever wondered whether their best chapters were already behind them.
Q: Why did I write Katie and Patch?
A: When people talk about military deployments, they often focus on the sailor far from home: the holidays missed, the family milestones, and the loneliness. Those feelings matter. But I also want people to think about the family waiting at home: spouses, partners, children, parents, and siblings.
For Katie and Patch, I wanted to focus on the children. A parent’s absence can affect so many parts of a child’s everyday life. There may be sadness, worry, confusion, or even anger, and children don’t always know how to explain what they are feeling.
Sometimes people say, “They signed up for it. They knew what to expect.” But a child didn’t make that choice. Knowing that a parent serves in the military doesn’t mean understanding why that parent has to leave, or making it easier to miss them.
I wanted to give those feelings a place in a story. Through Katie and her companionship with Patch, I wanted to show how much comfort a dependable presence can bring when life feels uncertain.
My hope is that Katie and Patch reaches military children and helps them feel understood. Their feelings matter. They aren’t alone, and there are people who care and want to help.
Q: What do I hope readers take away from these two books?
A: At first glance, Jubrozan Dragon Riders and Katie and Patch might seem to have little in common. One takes readers to a world of dragons and new beginnings. The other explores a child’s feelings when military service takes a parent away from home. But both grew from things that matter to me: companionship, understanding, and the hope that we can find our way through change.
Rani brings a lifetime of experience into an unfamiliar world. Katie faces feelings she may not yet know how to explain. Neither has all the answers, but both discover the comfort of having someone beside them.
I hope readers come away feeling that their experiences and emotions matter. Growing older doesn’t mean there are no adventures left. Being young doesn’t make your worries any less important. We all deserve to be heard, understood, and encouraged.
Most of all, I hope these stories offer a little comfort and a reason to keep looking forward. Sometimes courage means exploring a new world. Sometimes it means getting through another day while missing someone you love. Both kinds of courage matter to me.
Thank you for joining me for The Stories Behind the Books. I’ll share a new feature at the beginning of each quarter, exploring more of my books and the inspirations behind them. The next feature arrives January 1, 2027. I hope you’ll join me!