Karen Harvey has been a resident of St. Augustine since 1978. She is an author with a long list of nonfiction books to her name.
Harvey recently released her first novel titled “Amanita’s Sin.” The novel highlights the history of St. Augustine as Amanita saw it at the turn of the century and then through Phoebe’s eyes in 1985.
“Amanita’s Sin is a haunting and emotionally resonant narrative that weaves together generational trauma, memory and healing the interacting lives of young Phoebe King, her adoptive family and the lingering spirit of Amanita, who lived more than a century earlier,” said Harvey’s publisher.
Harvey has spent time working with the St. Augustine Record’s arts and entertainment section and she is a member of the St. Augustine Historical Society. In 1989 while working at The St. Augustine Record, her feature story about Lewis Sanks’s black history tales won third place in a statewide competition sponsored by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors.
She is actively involved with the Florida Heritage Book Festival, and she has also served on local citizens’ boards including the Historic Architecture Review Board and the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee.
Harvey has appeared on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel and in numerous documentaries about spiritual activity in St. Augustine.
In 2008, Harvey won the Tourism Employee of the Year Award.
Harvey was also one of the original winners of the ROWITA award. ROWITA (Recognizing Outstanding Women In The Arts) represents lifetime achievement and is awarded to women who have made significant contributions to the St. Johns County arts community.
