Thriller author Karen Charles chats with me today about her new psychological thriller, A Glimpse Too Far.
Bio:
Karen Charles transforms real-life narratives into gripping fiction thrillers. Her novels intricately weave the threads of truth into a tapestry of suspense, intrigue, and riveting storytelling. She is the author of Freeman Earns a Bike, a children’s book, and three thrillers based on true stories. Fateful Connections takes place in the aftermath of 9/11, and Blazing Upheaval takes place during the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles and the Northridge earthquake. A Glimpse Too Far promises all the mystery and heart-pounding suspense of a psychological thriller, also based on a true story. Karen Charles has two businesses: a global company that trains international teachers to teach American English, and an Airbnb on a beautiful bay in Washington State, where she resides with her husband.
Welcome, Karen. Please tell us about your current release.
A terrifying gift. A government cover-up. And a past that won’t stay buried.
Elouise thought she had left the past behind. After a tragic accident, she woke with a chilling ability to see glimpses of people’s pasts and futures. She’s spent years trying to live a normal life. But when a powerful senator pulls her into a high-stakes game of deception and control, she realizes her gift is no longer a secret—it’s a weapon. And he intends to use it.
She must make an impossible choice: play his deadly game or risk everything to expose the truth.
Danger closes in. Now, Elouise is running for her life, hunted by those who will do anything to silence her.
Who can she trust? The boyfriend who swore to protect her? Or the man who wants to own her gift—at any cost?
A Glimpse Too Far is a pulse-pounding thriller filled with menace, betrayal, and a race against time. Will the truth be uncovered before it’s too late?
What inspired you to write this book?
The inspiration came straight from my own life. The final chapter of A Glimpse Too Far mirrors a profoundly personal experience my husband and I went through, though fictionalized in the broader context of the novel. We had gone to a summer gathering hosted by our mortgage broker at a beautiful lavender farm, an event that had always been lighthearted and joyful. That year, though, a moment of unexpected mystery changed everything.
There was a palm reader at the party, someone we approached more for fun than belief. But what she told us stayed with me, details she couldn’t possibly have known, and predictions that seemed too specific to ignore. We brushed it off at the time, but when one of her forewarnings came true two years later, our world turned upside down.
What followed was a harrowing season of surgeries, setbacks, and learning to survive in ways we never imagined. I had to become a nurse, a caretaker, a source of strength when everything inside me was unraveling. But through it all, my husband and I held onto each other, our bond becoming something deeper and more resilient than it had ever been.
That’s where the heart of the story came from, not just the palm reading, but the journey that followed. The mystery. The endurance. The love that refused to let go. A Glimpse Too Far was born from that combination of strange coincidence and raw, lived experience.
It’s fiction, yes, but its soul is real. Writing the book became a way to process, reflect, and ultimately share a story about the unseen forces that shape our lives and the courage it takes to face them together.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I am working on a thriller based on the true story of a girl who grew up in San Salvador, where once girls reached a certain age, they were obligated to become the “girlfriend” of a member of whatever gang controlled that area. The story is about her escape and harrowing trip through Guatemala and Mexico, as she desperately seeks her father in Los Angeles.
Excerpt from A Glimpse Too Far:
The drive home was tense. The roads were slick with fresh snow, and the wipers worked overtime to clear the windshield. Edward kept a firm grip on the wheel, navigating cautiously around the bends. Elouise sat in the back, still humming the songs from the musical, her voice soft as the snow that continued to fall heavily around them.
Suddenly, headlights pierced the snowy darkness. From around the bend, an oncoming car swerved out of control. Everything happened in a blur: metal scraping, tires screeching, and the world flipping upside down. The car rolled once or twice before coming to a crushing halt.
Sirens filled the air as firemen and paramedics swarmed the scene, pulling them from the wreckage. Elouise lay motionless, her eyes closed, her curls tangled and limp. The paramedics worked frantically as they loaded her into the ambulance.
On the way to the hospital, her heart stopped.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I was eight years old, I lived in Africa. I was enamored with the crown bird and wrote a poem about it. My poem was published in the Jack and Jill children’s magazine. I’ve been writing ever since.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I own an Airbnb on a bay in Washington State and also occasionally teach American English reading by referral. Late fall and winter are slower months, so that leaves time for writing.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I take true stories and weave them into exciting thrillers.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a nurse until I worked in a clinic as a teenager. I watched a minor surgery and passed out cold!
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
My Best Advice to Aspiring Authors: The best advice I can give to aspiring authors is to stop waiting for permission to write. Don’t wait until you feel ready, qualified, or confident that your story is ‘good enough.’ Write anyway. Trust your voice. Write the messy first draft, let your characters surprise you, and know that rewriting is where the real magic happens. Also, remember that doubt is part of the process. It shows you care. But don’t let it silence you. Keep showing up on the page, because the only way to become a writer is to write.
Links:
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