Dear Friends & Readers,
When I first submitted Run, Darling, the story of the glamorous Gabor sisters’ near-death escape from Nazi-occupied Europe, I was told the market wasn’t interested in a Jewish story. Ouch!
I refused to take no for an answer, and I published it myself.
Here’s what happened: Actually, thousands of readers were interested in the story. In an Amazon marketplace of nearly four million books, Run, Darling has consistently ranked in the top 30 of its Historical Biographical Fiction category, often in the top 15.
Readers showed up. Book clubs showed up. Organizations invited me to speak about these women’s courage, survival, and reinvention.
The lesson? The Gabors survived a world war, reinvented themselves, and refused to be told who they were allowed to be.
I suppose I learned from the best. Powerful women have always rewritten the rules. I just followed their example.
Here’s what utterly iconic writers are saying about Run, Darling:
“Karen Essex has a gift for humanizing the so-called bad girls of history, and she does it again in this fascinating, untold story of the Gabor sisters during World War II.” —Stephanie Dray, NYT bestselling author of Becoming Madam Secretary, etc. @stephanie.dray on instagram.
“Loved this book! @karenessex is one of my auto-buy authors. This story was hard to put down. I read it in two days. ❤️” —Trisha R. Thomas, bestelling author of the groundbreaking Nappily Ever After, etc. Trisha R. Thomas mas on instagram.
“RUN, DARLING is a splashy soap opera romp of a good time, with surprisingly serious themes of sisterhood, family, and the danger of being a woman who knows her own mind.” —Kate Quinn, NYT bestselling author of The Astral Library, etc. @katequinn5975 on instagram.
So don’t listen to gatekeepers and experts. Be your own!
As ever,
Karen
