Karen Dustman is a historian, author, speaker, and storyteller whose work explores forgotten history, Western and Southern communities, family memory, and atmospheric character-driven small-town mysteries.
Over the course of her career, she has written about subjects ranging from vanished mining towns to hurricanes, and from memoir to traditional plant knowledge. Her nonfiction work focuses especially on California, Nevada, and Florida history, while her fiction — written under the pen name Abby Rice — weaves tales of Southern secrets resilence.
Karen is the founder of Clairitage Press, an independent publishing imprint devoted to preserving regional history and overlooked lives. Her research has included reconstructing lost townsites, collecting oral histories from longtime residents, transcribing large collections of historic letters and documents, and preserving traditional knowledge connected to the landscapes of Nevada and the Sierra.
Her books and research have led to frequent speaking appearances at museums, historical organizations, libraries, and community events. She especially enjoys bringing history alive in her presentations through personal stories, rare photographs, and little-known accounts from the past.
Earlier in her career, Karen authored freelance articles for a variety of national magazines including Ladies’ Home Journal, Family Circle, Natural Health, and Westways, and appeared on television programs including HGTV, Discovery Channel, and Today Show.
When she isn’t chasing historical mysteries or working on her next fiction book, she can often be found hunting for another good story along forgotten back roads or enjoying a favorite spot on Florida’s Gulf coast.
You can also follow Karen’s ongoing historical work and creative adventures through her Clairitage history blog and her Abby Rice Substack.