The pastor’s wife who fell in love with a woman 

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, August 2020 — After working with author and publisher, Melinda Ferguson, Karen Petersen finally released her memoir, Coming Out Coming Home during the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa. Forced to stay home during the pandemic reiterated the true meaning of home. The memoir highlights her passage from childhood to middle age with many daring twists and turns. Karen hopes to disrupt the status quo for women who find themselves trapped in society’s so-called norms.

Born in Durban, Karen’s average white suburban childhood disintegrated with her parents’ divorce and ensuing traumas. A spiritual experience during college caused her to throw herself into the church, introducing her to many adventures including working in Alexandra Township during the riots, smuggling Bibles into China, and much more. After starting a church in KwaZulu Natal, she struggled to fit into the role of the pastor's wife. Chaos ensued when she fell in love with a woman. The book is currently available on Amazon as well as Pixies and Foxes Online Book Store.

“From the first page of "Coming Out Coming Home" I found myself entangled in the emotions and psyche of the drama of human dynamics at play. This is the story of a courageous woman who is vulnerable enough to share her truth of the situations she found on her journey or experience of becoming a woman. More than that, her journey of being a beacon for other women and a connection to those women who needed shelter and deserved a place of safety to call home for certain periods of their lives.

Karen tells her story as the pastor's wife who fell in love with a woman with the ease that comes from having known that intuitively this was her desired destiny. She never gave up on creating a space in her life to love fully regardless of the unkind hurtful views of people she felt were her friends.

This book crosses continents as Karen tells the story of how she was a firebrand when necessary to empower others. Reading this book allowed me to experience all my senses and I found myself wanting to step into the pages and embrace this woman of substance who is Karen Petersen."  Jenny Schmal – Author of "Finally find the Love of Your Life... at any Age"

Boilerplate: Karen is a fifty-something woman with a diverse background, including training, non-profit projects, entrepreneurial ventures, and digital marketing. She studied at Johannesburg College of Education, Gordon’s Institute of Business Science, and Blue Magnet Digital Academy. She is currently a Board Member of the Pakistan Social Media Forum and founder of Network Explosion, a channel marketing company. Her passions include writing, travel, plant-based cooking, and living life fully. She is married to Tracey and lives in Johannesburg with a dream to have a home beside the sea on the West Coast. This is her first book. She has since written a self-help book entitled “It’s Never Too Late: Life Lessons in Overcoming Obstacles” and is planning her next venture, a fictional novel.