{"id":78001,"date":"2026-04-15T07:21:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T12:21:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicbard\/?p=78001"},"modified":"2026-04-15T07:21:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T12:21:47","slug":"meet-trained-soprano-editor-and-vampire-writer-karen-ullo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicbard\/2026\/04\/meet-trained-soprano-editor-and-vampire-writer-karen-ullo\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Trained Soprano, Editor and Vampire Writer Karen Ullo"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><p>Karen is a unique author as she is also an editor, a trained soprano who has written a vampire novel, a modern telling of a classic fairy tale, a historical novel about Marie Antoinette and has something in common with a rabbit. In the world of writing she is like a red rubber ball or a Gummi bear bouncing here and there and everywhere in the world of writing.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-79640 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2026\/04\/Gummi-Bears-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\"><\/p>\n<p>If your a writer or a lover of books I think your going to want to\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Meet Trained Soprano, Editor and Vampire Writer Karen Ullo<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-78016 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2026\/03\/K-headshot-240x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p>1. <strong>Tell something interesting about yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a classically trained soprano with a master\u2019s degree in screenwriting. I can also wiggle my nose like a rabbit.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/media1.tenor.com\/images\/0741de741be6abf973458825997f91df\/tenor.gif?itemid=10573079\" alt=\"Bunny Nose GIF - Bunny Nose Wiggles - Discover &amp; Share GIFs\" width=\"295\" height=\"295\"><\/p>\n<p>2. <strong>What makes a good Catholic writer?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It may seem obvious, but a good Catholic writer is both a good Catholic and a good writer\u2014that is, someone who makes a real effort to grow in both holiness and the writing craft, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Just as faith should inform one\u2019s writing, the act of writing\u2014especially writing fiction\u2014should inform one\u2019s faith because fiction probes the depths of the human soul and its capacities for good and evil. The first person the Spirit touches with a story is the author, and being open to what He wants to share\u2014how he wants <em>you <\/em>to grow through the work\u2014is as essential as learning how to write good dialogue or craft a good scene.<\/p>\n<p>3. <strong>What do you like about being a Catholic\/Christian Writer?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>God allows us to participate in His creativity in myriad ways. While the most powerful is the marital union that produces children, I\u2019m so grateful that He also gives us the ability to create entire worlds, universes, and human beings through stories. God spoke the world into being; storytellers do the same. When we do it in participation with God\u2019s holy will, then despite our human frailty and the work\u2019s inevitable imperfections, the result will be something we can look upon and say, \u201cIt is good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>4. <strong>What is the main focus of your particular writing or what do you like to write about?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I have three award-winning novels in three different genres (<a href=\"https:\/\/karenullo.com\/jennifer-the-damned\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Jennifer the Damned<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/karenullo.com\/cinder-allia\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Cinder Allia<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em>and <a href=\"https:\/\/karenullo.com\/to-crown-with-liberty\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>To Crown with Liberty<\/em><\/a>), plus screenplays and short stories. I\u2019ve also published dozens of articles, essays, and reviews across multiple outlets in multiple countries. I\u2019m the editorial director of <a href=\"https:\/\/chrismpress.com\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Chrism Press<\/a> and former managing editor of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dappledthings.org\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Dappled Things Magazine<\/em><\/a>. To say that my interests are wide-ranging is a bit of an understatement, but I\u2019m best known for speculative and historical fiction.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Vampires are supposed to be beautiful. In novels they are always sleek and elegant, with cold but perfect ivory skin, comporting themselves with ease among the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me, their piercing eyes seducing victims with a glance. In novels, vampires do not have acne \u2013 which goes to show how much novelists know.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-79624 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2026\/04\/jennifer_the_damned_cover-scaled-1-188x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"188\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p>5. <strong>How does your Catholic Faith influence your writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is difficult to answer because the two are so intimately connected, it\u2019s like asking, \u201cHow does oxygen affect your body?\u201d Without my faith, my writing would shrivel and die. Oxygen has obvious effects that the non-medical person can name, like enabling metabolism and organ function. Similarly, I can point to obvious Catholic elements in some of my work, like the depiction of the Holy September Martyrs in <a href=\"https:\/\/karenullo.com\/to-crown-with-liberty\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>To Crown with Liberty<\/em><\/a>. But just as I don\u2019t fully understand the biochemistry of oxygen, I don\u2019t fully understand how my faith and writing interact. I sometimes write stories with no overtly Catholic elements at all\u2014but I still know that without faith, I could not write them. Faith is oxygen. You don\u2019t have to be conscious of it at every moment for it to do its work within you. At the same time, it\u2019s important to be aware that it <em>is <\/em>at work so you don\u2019t cut off the supply.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/media1.tenor.com\/images\/4e3c02ec0d480fabc0cc59fef121ec58\/tenor.gif?itemid=18078515\" alt=\"Sweet Love Is Like Oxygen GIF - Sweet LoveIsLikeOxygen GlamRock ...\" width=\"427\" height=\"362\"><\/p>\n<p>6. <strong>What\u2019s your favorite article\/Post\/book\/story you have written?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My favorite novel is <a href=\"https:\/\/karenullo.com\/to-crown-with-liberty\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>To Crown with Liberty<\/em><\/a>, which is the story of a former lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette who flees the Terror for the bayous of Spanish colonial Louisiana, where she fights to find a home in a hostile New World. It takes place on both sides of the Atlantic and represents more than four years of writing and meticulous research.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-79627 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2026\/04\/To-Crown-with-Liberty-FRONT-final-for-real-scaled-1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p>My Favorite article\u2014which is still the most-visited page on my website even though I wrote it in 2018\u2014is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/karenullo.com\/2018\/11\/28\/horror-abuse-scandals-and-the-hunchback-of-notre-dame\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Horror, Abuse Scandals, and the Hunchback of Notre-Dame<\/a>,\u201d originally published by <em>Dappled Things<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I have gone on record many times (most recently\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2018\/10\/25\/monster-stories-can-good-souls\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">here<\/a>) to promote the particular genius of the horror genre as a tool through which Christians can confront the realities of evil and (when the genre is at its best) defy them through Christ\u2019s love, either explicitly or implicitly. So, when I read the article\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/imagejournal.org\/2018\/11\/19\/now-is-the-perfect-time-for-catholic-horror\/?fbclid=IwAR3hd5ihKt2k_N6n-c___x8iYRQE0FBYIhY3G6L2rlJCQud1bSHgAuX2VzI\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cNow is a Perfect Time for Catholic Horror\u201d<\/a>\u00a0by Stephen Wingate, in which he calls for a revival of the Catholic horror novel as a means of confronting the recent abuse scandals, I naturally agreed that he was on to something. But until such time as modern writers are able to produce work that engages the \u201cdifficult literary interrogation between Catholicism and evil\u2026 [and] provides a necessary look into how the church has become the horror for some,\u201d we would do well to remember that Victor Hugo already gave us such a novel. More and more, it seems to me that\u00a0<em>The Hunchback of Notre Dame\u00a0<\/em>is a book for our times.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>7. <strong>What is your favorite topic\/subject to write about?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I bounce all over the place but always come back to the intersection of faith and fiction. My current soap box is about the metaphysics of Catholic and Christian storytelling.<\/p>\n<p>8. <strong>Favorite scripture verse.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I have two. They\u2019re both from St. Paul.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.\u201d Romans 12:2<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTest everything; retain what is good.\u201d 1 Thessalonians 5:21<\/p>\n<p>9. <strong>What are you currently working on?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m always looking for a new challenge, and one thing I\u2019ve never written is a sequel. So I\u2019m working on a sequel to my second novel, <a href=\"https:\/\/karenullo.com\/cinder-allia\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Cinder Allia<\/em><\/a>, a Cinderella retelling in which Prince Charming dies in battle on page 1. The sequel is called <em>Waking Beauty<\/em>, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but instead of a spell that puts a princess to sleep, the princess accidentally casts a spell that puts everyone else in the palace to sleep, leaving her to try to save them.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-79634 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2026\/04\/cinderalliafinal-scaled-1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p>10.<strong> Name a favorite saint or Catholic or some other figure who inspires you in your life.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My confirmation saint, sister, and heavenly best friend is St. Maria Goretti. I wear her medal, which is also a third-class relic, nearly every day. I\u2019m a firm believer that our saint friends choose us, not the other way around, and Maria has made this abundantly clear in my life. She chose me, then ushered in a lot of her friends\u2014and I\u2019m forever grateful.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-62663 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2025\/09\/Vise_Maria_Goretti-121x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"121\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p>11. <strong>Who is your favorite living writer?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not a fair question since I\u2019m an editor. If I pick one of the authors from <a href=\"https:\/\/chrismpress.com\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Chrism Press<\/a>, all the others will be mad at me. But if you want a whole collection of living writers whose work I love, just head over to <a href=\"https:\/\/chrismpress.com\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">our website<\/a>. I have personally worked on every project in some capacity, and I can vouch for the beauty and quality of every single book. I don\u2019t love them because they\u2019re Chrism Press books\u2014they\u2019re Chrism Press books because I and the other editors loved them, and we chose to publish them.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-79637 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2026\/04\/Chrism-Press-Logo-Color-with-tagline-1-256x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"256\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p>12. <strong>If you could have lunch with any deceased writer, who would it be, what would you eat, and what would you talk about?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>St. John the Evangelist. We\u2019d have fresh fish (maybe Peter and Andrew caught it) with bread, and I\u2019d ask every possible question about Jesus\u2019 life on earth\u2014and also what Lazarus said about being dead after he was raised. In other words, Editor Karen would ask him to add the scenes and details he left out of his manuscript. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_48123\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48123\" style=\"width: 239px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-48123\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2024\/10\/RaisingofLazarusBloch-239x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"239\" height=\"300\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-48123\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raising Lazarus, Oil on Copper Plate, 1875, Carl Heinrich Bloch (Hope Gallery, Salt Lake City)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>13. <strong>Name a favorite movie\/tv show or music you find worth sharing with others.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The most recent <em>Knives Out <\/em>movie, <em>Wake Up, Dead Man<\/em>, was not only a good mystery but a surprisingly fair and sympathetic portrayal of faith\u2014both false faith that seeks to manipulate and true faith that seeks to serve. A few scenes are over the top with graphic descriptions of lewd acts, so it\u2019s not for sensitive audiences, but overall, very good.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-78787 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2026\/03\/WakeUpDeadMan_poster.jpg-202x300.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p>14. <strong>Can you see one of your books being made into a movie or tv series?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a screenwriter, so yes. All my books draw heavily on that training, and I\u2019ve sold the film rights to <a href=\"https:\/\/karenullo.com\/cinder-allia\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Cinder Allia<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>15. <strong>Favorite historical event.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I have to say the French Revolution, considering how deeply I researched it for <a href=\"https:\/\/karenullo.com\/to-crown-with-liberty\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>To Crown with Liberty<\/em><\/a>. Most Americans know very little about it, which is greatly to our detriment, not only because it represents a pivotal moment in the history of Western civilization, but because the same heresies and idolatries that led to the Terror are alive and thriving in our own society\u2014and sometimes our own hearts. But if you asked me to go back in time, I would not choose Revolutionary France. I\u2019d watch the Wright Brothers take off from Kittyhawk, or become a fly on the wall while Mozart is composing, or something more fun than seeing the jaws of the guillotine consume a nation.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_44538\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-44538\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-44538\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2024\/09\/Wright_1901_glider_landing-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-44538\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wilbur just after landing the 1901 glider. Glider skid marks are visible behind it, and marks from a previous landing are seen in front; Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">This interview was published on April 15, 2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The day these events took place<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1755\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">1755<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a title=\"Samuel Johnson\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Samuel_Johnson\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Samuel Johnson<\/a>\u2018s\u00a0<i><a title=\"A Dictionary of the English Language\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/A_Dictionary_of_the_English_Language\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">A Dictionary of the English Language<\/a><\/i>\u00a0is published in London.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-79646 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2026\/04\/JohnsonDictionary.png-188x300.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"188\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1865\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">1865<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 President Abraham Lincoln dies after being\u00a0<a title=\"Assassination of Abraham Lincoln\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">shot<\/a>\u00a0the previous evening by actor\u00a0<a title=\"John Wilkes Booth\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_Wilkes_Booth\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">John Wilkes Booth<\/a>.<sup id=\"cite_ref-13\" class=\"reference\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/April_15#cite_note-13\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"cite-bracket\">[<\/span>13<span class=\"cite-bracket\">]<\/span><\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Three hours later, Vice President\u00a0<a title=\"Andrew Johnson\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Andrew_Johnson\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Andrew Johnson<\/a>\u00a0is sworn in as president.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-64913 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2025\/10\/Abraham_Lincoln_Vampire_Hunter_Cover-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1912\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">1912<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 The British passenger liner\u00a0<a title=\"Titanic\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Titanic\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">RMS\u00a0<i>Titanic<\/i><\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"mw-redirect decorated-link\" title=\"Sinking of the RMS Titanic\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sinking_of_the_RMS_Titanic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">sinks<\/a>\u00a0in the\u00a0<a title=\"Atlantic Ocean\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Atlantic_Ocean\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">North Atlantic<\/a>\u00a0at 2:20\u00a0a.m., two hours and forty minutes after hitting an\u00a0<a title=\"Iceberg\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Iceberg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">iceberg<\/a>. Only 710 of 2,224 passengers and crew on board survive.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12608 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2021\/06\/priests-titanic-300x243.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"243\"><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"1947\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1947\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">1947<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a title=\"Jackie Robinson\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jackie_Robinson\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Jackie Robinson<\/a>\u00a0debuts for the\u00a0<a class=\"mw-redirect decorated-link\" title=\"History of the Brooklyn Dodgers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/History_of_the_Brooklyn_Dodgers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Brooklyn Dodgers<\/a>, breaking\u00a0<a title=\"Baseball color line\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Baseball_color_line\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">baseball\u2019s color line<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_57106\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57106\" style=\"width: 233px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57106\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2025\/04\/Jackie_Robinson_NPG_97_135-233x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"233\" height=\"300\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-57106\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jackie Robinson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a title=\"1955\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1955\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">1955<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a title=\"McDonald's\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/McDonald%27s\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">McDonald\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0restaurant dates its founding to the opening of a franchised restaurant by\u00a0<a title=\"Ray Kroc\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ray_Kroc\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Ray Kroc<\/a>, in\u00a0<a title=\"Des Plaines, Illinois\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Des_Plaines,_Illinois\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Des Plaines, Illinois<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_79649\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-79649\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-79649\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2026\/04\/McDonalds_Museum-1-300x191.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"191\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-79649\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ray Kroc\u2019s first (McDonald\u2019s ninth) restaurant, which opened April 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>16. <strong>What else do you want people to know about anything?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I love hearing from readers! Please come hang out with me online, whether that\u2019s through my <a href=\"https:\/\/karenullo.com\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">website<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/@karenullo\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Substack<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/karenulloauthor\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/karenullo\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Instagram<\/a>, and\/ or <a href=\"https:\/\/chrismpress.com\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Chrism Press<\/a>, which has a <a href=\"https:\/\/chrismpress.com\/newsletter\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">newsletter<\/a> and socials too.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Want to Be Interviewed Also?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicbard\/2026\/02\/the-catholic-bard-wants-to-interview-you\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">The Catholic Bard Wants To Interview You! |<br>\nInterview Questions For My Catholic Blog<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-77491 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2026\/02\/Citizen-Kane-Newspapers-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"219\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicbard\/2026\/03\/meet-the-catholic-writers\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Meet The Catholic Writers |<br>\nA Link List To The Catholic Bard\u2019s Meet The Writer Series<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_63626\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63626\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-63626\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2025\/10\/File_-Saint_Paul_Writing_His_Epistles__by_Valentin_de_Boulogne-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-63626\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul the Apostle depicted in Saint Paul Writing His Epistles, a c.\u20091619 portrait by Valentin de Boulogne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicbard\/2026\/03\/a-list-of-catholic-fiction-authors\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">A List Of Catholic Fiction Authors |<br>\nA List Of Catholic Authors Who Write Fiction With A Few Exceptions.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-78385 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1316\/2026\/03\/pilgrims-tales-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Karen is a unique author as she is also an editor, a trained soprano who has written a vampire novel, a modern telling of a classic fairy tale, a historical novel about Marie Antoinette and has something in common with a rabbit. In the world of writing she is like a red rubber ball or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4354,"featured_media":78016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,10,748,263],"tags":[414,751],"class_list":["post-78001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-catholic-authors","category-meet-the-author","category-writing","tag-books","tag-meet-the-writer"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Meet Trained Soprano, Editor and Vampire Writer Karen Ullo - Catholic Bard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicbard\/2026\/04\/meet-trained-soprano-editor-and-vampire-writer-karen-ullo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet Trained Soprano, Editor and Vampire Writer Karen Ullo - Catholic Bard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Karen is a unique author as she is also an editor, a trained soprano who has written a vampire novel, a modern telling of a classic fairy tale, a historical novel about Marie Antoinette and has something in common with a rabbit. 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