Illinois Authors

AuthorHouse, Bloomington, IN : 2008.

Have you ever wondered if your lost loved ones can look down on you from Heaven? Annie Langdon can. And what she sees is a family falling apart. It's been a year since her tragic death and still her husband and three children can't seem to get it together. Help comes when three kooky blonde bombshells move in next door and turn their lives upside down. In her latest novel, Annie's Heaven, Karla Clark intimately explores the themes of life and afterlife, family secrets, sibling rivalry, and death-defying love.

1st Books Library, Bloomington, IN : 2003.

Karla Clark's delicious first novel takes on the enduring themes of family, food and love. Filled with dozens of rustic Italian recipes, this funny and touching love story offers a peek into the lives of a spirited Italian-American family of "foodies." Sabina Giovanotti, waitress by day and aunt extraordinaire by night, is forty, single, and still living above her family's folksy café in Chicago's Little Italy. Sandwiched between four sisters, all happily married with children, and her mother and aunt, both cooks at the café, Sabina is trying to come to terms with the fact that her life didn't turn out as planned. She was supposed to marry her childhood sweetheart Vito Salina and run her family's café with him. But a tragic accident ripped Vito from her life...one week before their wedding...leaving Sabina stuck in neutral, waiting for the next course of her life. Eighteen years later, it's brash, red-headed Aunt Lina who propels Sabina into overdrive and helps her to discover all the wonderful life there is between appetizers and dessert. Pull up a stool, tuck in your napkin, and enjoy!

Authorhouse 2017.

When her father dies, May Dearborne and her three older brothers all ask the same question: who is going to take care of Kipp? Kipp being their forty-five-year-old autistic brother. Who are they kidding? Since May is widowed, childless, and Kipps twin to boot, of course it will be her. May, an art professor at the University of Chicago, gives up her comfortable, independent life to move back into the family home with Kipp. But living with her quirky twin isnt easy. He makes grilled cheese sandwiches in a sideways-turned toaster, sings in an Alvin-and-the-Chipmunks falsetto, and pesters May relentlessly for a dog and a girlfriend. As May juggles teaching and preparing for the gallery show she hopes will lead to a coveted promotion, she finds herself besieged by men. Theres her narcissistic brother Sal who moves in when his wife kicks him out.And her teenage nephew who needs some space from his infatuated father. Theres Dilly, her smitten childhood friend who shows his love for her through gourmet cupcakes. And then theres Mr. Do-It-Right, the flirty painter she hires to renovate the old house. Throw in a mystery woman, a puppy, and a girlfriend for Kipp, and now everybody and their brother is clamoring for Mays attention. At its heart, Karla Clarks third novel is an endearing story about the connectedness of adult siblings and how they inextricably link each other to the world long after their parents are gone.

AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Ind. : ©2004.

The thirteen stories in this new collection by Karla Clark feature characters adrift . . . pearls of people facing knotty situations. A father away on a business trip who misses his wife and daughters more than they miss him. A newly married woman whose husband "grandmothers" her to death. A garbage man who refuses to define himself by his occupation. A college student who discovers her own beauty. An elderly woman who hasn't spoken to her best friend in twenty years. A Christmas tree grower searching for his trees. Combining humor with grace, Clark teases out issues of the heart in the everyday lives of everyday people. You'll recognize the characters . . . they are people we all know and love.

Manarchy LLC 2017

NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO DREAM follows Lula and her Dream Bunny on a sleepy time adventure into a world that sparkles and gleams. Like the children's classic GOODNIGHT MOON, the gentle spoken lullaby and whimsical drawings make this a perfect book to rock your child to sleep.

Main Course Books 2024

From the acclaimed author of the YOU BE series, comes a delightful tale about fibbing. Greta Maloney has a big imagination. HUGE! But on the first day of school Greta lets her imagination go wild and she tells her classmates that she has twelve brothers, fourteen sisters, a pet dinosaur, and has flown to the moon. Her classmates think she is full of phony baloney. Is Greta a fantastic fibber or a sensational storyteller?

Three stories of triumph combine to empower young readers to look inward for strength and create their own definition of bravery. Told in gentle, rhyming couplets, this collection of stories presents relatable moments of unease and the strength found in conquering fears. A roaring nighttime thunderstorm, the first day of preschool, and a doctor's visit, in turn, encourage young readers to forge their own paths of strength in times of distress. Illustrated in rich, emotional scenes that depict vignettes of daily life, this book provides comfort and empowerment for resilience and resolution.

A tired daddy lets his son have a turn being the parent at bedtime in Karla Clark'sYou Be Daddy, a humorously charming companion picture book to You Be Mommy, featuring illustrations by Steph Lew. Daddy’s too tired to be Daddy tonight. Can you be Daddy and hug me tight? In this clever, rhyming picture book, a father tells his child that he's simply too tired to be Daddy tonight and asks his son to take over for him. An utterly relatable theme told with humor and heart provides a story parents and children will delight in reading together at bedtime.

Feiwel & Friends 2023

Karla Clark's You Be series continues with You Be Grandma, all about a grandma being just too tired to do the bedtime routine and asks her granddaughter to take over for her. Can you be Grandma and turn off the light? Grandma’s too tired to be Grandma tonight. She played dress-up and drank afternoon tea. Helped you climb up the Sycamore tree. Took a hike and went for a dip. Now she’s exhausted! There’s an ache in her hip. In this clever, rhyming picture book, a grandma tells her granddaughter that she's simply too tired to be Grandma tonight and asks her granddaughter to take over for her. An utterly relatable theme told with humor and heart provides a story parents, grandparents, and children will delight in reading together at bedtime.

Feiwel & Friends 2024

Karla Clark's You Be series continues with You Be Grandpa, all about a grandpa who is just too tired to do the bedtime routine after a long day of activities and asks his grandson to take over for him. Grandpa’s too tired to be Grandpa tonight. Can you be Grandpa, just for the night? Pick out my pjs and snuggle up close? Read me the book I love the most? In this clever, rhyming picture book, a grandpa tells his grandson that after a long day of playing pirates, gardening, skateboarding and more―he’s simply too tired to be Grandpa at bedtime and asks that the grandson take over for him. An utterly relatable theme told with humor and heart provides a story parents, grandparents, and children will delight in reading together at bedtime.

A tired mommy lets her daughter have a turn being the parent at bedtime in You Be Mommy, a humorously charming debut picture book from writer Karla Clark and illustrator Zoe Persico. Mommy's too tired to be Mommy tonight. Can you be Mommy and hold me tight? In this clever, rhyming picture book, a mother tells her child that she's simply too tired to be Mommy tonight and asks her daughter to take over for her. An utterly relatable theme told with humor and heart provides a story parents and children will delight in reading together at bedtime.

Feiwel & Friends [S.l.] : 2025

Karla Clark's You Be series continues with You Be Teacher, a humorous and tender story about educators and all they do for their students. Teacher is simply too tired to be Teacher today! She taught the seasons, then got splattered with paint and smeared with glue. She even bandaged a student’s boo-boo. All this before noon?! This exhausted teacher playfully tries to convince her students to fill her shoes for the day so she can take a much-needed break. In a story with notes of tenderness and some very relatable humor, a devoted teacher knows what really matters at the end of the day: the care and well-being of her students. Now more than ever, we're aware of all that teachers do for us and future generations, receiving very little in return. You Be Teacher embodies the true giving nature of educators, with a heartfelt thank-you in its conclusion.