Karen L. Moran

About the Author

KAREN MORAN spent thirty years as a psychologist and has studied art, anthropology, and archetypal psychology. She has also traveled worldwide. Karen lives with her husband and a small menagerie of animals in Topanga Canyon, California, where she grew up. Besides writing, she continues her creative endeavors in painting, poetry, and songwriting.

About the Book

In a bohemian mountain village in southern California, Karen grows up surrounded by free spirits and dissidents. The child of artists, her natural path is to become one, but her dreams call her out into the unfamiliar and dangerous world.

One day, while playing in a river, Karen suffers severe trauma. Panther, a dark figure, enters her dream life. Unseen, it stalks her cross country as young love carries her away to an old mansion in Key West, home of the colorful Elias family. Pregnancy, marriage, and an uncomfortable confinement follow, and the archetypal image of Panther continues to haunt her life. Will this mountain girl survive the larger world? Left alone in the old Victorian while her husband and his family pursue their various enterprises, she discovers a secret room in the attic—a ship’s galley full of old books and maps. Here, a new dream figure—a native woman—emerges, revealing the story and secrets of the mansion and guiding Karen through the perils of Hurricane Betsy, an island murder, and her husband’s disappearance.

Weaving together startling events and vivid dreams, Forever Tourmaline tells the story of Karen’s unimaginable odyssey and its surprising conclusion.

Watch Book Video Trailer: Forever Tourmaline

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Reviews

"An intimate history of a California woman’s life. Karen’s brave voice weaves together remembrance and myth. She reveals both the beauty and the hardships of the times she and her ancestors lived through."

—Vicki Routs

"Karen and I grew up a mile apart under very similar demographics, including being dirt poor with independent and creative parents. Her story prompted me to fully realize that circumstances which shape our lives, do not necessarily pre-ordain its trajectory. She has knit her memories into a cohesive history and an engaging tale. Her story is a reminder that with attentive awareness of our interpersonal world, we can actively shape and integrate our experiences to nurture and support our connections to the life we are given."

—Germaine Stehelin Burke, Artist

"I was thoroughly captivated about early Topanga and Karen’s amazing journey both geographically and spiritually, and most of all personally. We all know people around us, but little of what they have endured and what has formed their being."

—Ken McClung, Master Craftsman

"Karen’s fascinating life story and her conclusive thoughts about continuous wars are a wakeup call for all of humanity. Time to put on your armor and fight for peace. Be Warriors Now!"

—Kate Geer, Actor
Shakespeare Survival School