Karen Kingsbury Answers The Faithful Fifteen
August 2004
Faithfulreader.com: What kind of testimony to your faith are you demonstrating in this book? If you are writing fiction, do you write fiction that is based upon your faith, or that has a message for the reader? Is your goal to demonstrate your faith in your writing?
Karen Kingsbury: REUNION is the final book in the Redemption Series, a series that follows the Baxter family and their tragedies and triumphs. Faith plays an integral part in the Baxter family, though it is demonstrated in a realistic manner. Some characters struggle with God, others are apathetic, and others are very devoted. The combination has a way of touching all readers, wherever they are with their personal walk of faith. One of the most common statements from readers is that the Baxters are very real people. They struggle and get sick, they make mistakes, but always they know that there is Redemption through faith in Christ.
Not every one of my books is evangelistic, with faith as the central theme. Instead, faith is an element of the stories the way it is with all people because we are spiritual beings. Whether we are running from faith, ignorant of it or devoted to God, faith is an element. That's the way it comes across in my books.
FR: When did you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus? Where are you today in your walk? Is your faith an important part of what you do?
KK: I was raised in a denominational faith, where belief in God was a major part of my life. However, I didn't have a relationship with Christ until my mid-twenties when I met the man who would later become my husband. It was during that time that I fell in love with God's word. Since then, He has been the driving focal point of my life. I treasure the idea of writing to the glory of God.
My faith is the strong point in my life, and the lives of my husband and children. We hold devotions every morning during the school year, and try to live out the truths we hold onto from Scripture.
FR: Tell us about your church experiences, how you grew up (or maybe didn't grow up) in the church, where you attend now, your involvement in your local assembly, etc.
KK: I grew up in a denominational church and didn't have any understanding of Scripture. Now, though, the Bible is my source of wisdom and guidance for life. My husband and I read it as often as possible, and do our best to base our lives on it. We attend a non-denominational church in Washington State, a place where our children are learning about God's word and the joy of serving Jesus Christ. Our house is furnished with Scriptural pictures and artwork, so that the Bible is alive and active in our home. At our local church, we substitute teach in Sunday School and help with big community events. I've also had the privilege of speaking to the various women's groups on several occasions.
FR: Tell us about your current church family/fellowship. How does it influence your work?
KK: Our pastor is a dynamic, passionate man who brings the stories of the Bible to life. I am touched and moved by his messages week after week, and many times something he tells us will influence a book I'm writing, or a character I'm developing. I love our church because it is a picture of God's love at work --- the body of Christ the way it is supposed to be.
FR: Who are your spiritual mentors? Your professional mentors?
KK: My spiritual mentors are two wonderful prayer partners whom God brought into my life over the last two years. These two were, at one time, readers. Separately, they felt compelled to contact me because God had placed it on their hearts to pray for me. To this day, they contact me regularly and offer prayers for my family, and my writing ministry. I also have many other readers who pray for me and my family. I feel their prayer support constantly.
As for professional mentors, Karen Ball has long been one of mine. She was my editor from the time I entered the world of inspirational fiction, and she has helped me take my writing to a new level with every book. Randy Alcorn is also one of my professional mentors, in that his viewpoint of life is so focused on eternity. I love his perspective, and after spending time with him I am more certain that the reason I'm here is to serve and love God.
FR: Discuss your calling/mission --- as a writer and as a Christian.
KK: I feel called to write Life-Changing Fiction (tm), stories that touch on real-life issues that meet people where they are at today. My fiction is always emotional, and always has a relational element. Readers tell me that their marriages have been helped and sometimes healed, and their other relationships have improved after reading the books I write. This, then, is what God has called me to do --- to be honest and tell stories of how faith in Christ makes a difference in all of our relationships.
FR: What are your Scripture reading habits?
KK: I try to be in God's word every day. Usually I read a chapter at a time, and try to spend time detailing my thoughts and observations afterwards. I also try to spend time memorizing Scripture --- sometimes an entire chapter. Scripture is the strongest part of our faith. Every other element is defensive --- meant to protect us. Scripture is the only weapon we are given from God as a way of fighting the battles of life.
FR: What books have most influenced your work?
KK: Francine Rivers's REDEEMING LOVE was very influential because it convinced me that I could, indeed, write Christian fiction. Before that I thought my type of stories wouldn't fit into this genre. Also, Randy Alcorn's DEADLINE and DOMINION. These books opened my eyes to the value of heaven, and the importance a faith-based novel can have in changing or increasing a person's faith.
FR: Do you read secular fiction at all? If so, who are your favorite authors, and why?
KK: Favorite fictional authors include Francine Rivers, Randy Alcorn, John Grisham, Sydney Sheldon, and Nicholas Sparks. I enjoy their books because they include intricate, relational storylines that are careful to pay attention to the emotions of the characters.
FR: What are your other media habits --- television, movies, music, etc.?
KK: I don't watch much television, except for sporting events with my kids and husband. I enjoy watching movies when they deal with subject matters I might write about. I love Christian praise music --- Casting Crowns, Third Day, Mercy Me, Mark Schultz. And I love country music because of the stories that are told through it. Favorites include Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill, and anyone who tells a story through music.
FR: Do you and your family have any special faith-based traditions?
KK: Yes, we start our day with devotions, and several times a week we end our day with my husband playing the guitar and the eight of us singing praise songs in the peaceful darkened room of our four youngest boys. We take turns praying, and it makes for a very sweet time of family and faith.
FR: Tell us about your prayer life and habits.
KK: I wake up praying, and try to keep that dialogue going on all day long. I believe that prayer moves mountains, and that God wants us to ask for the things on our hearts. I also believe that praying prayers of gratefulness is crucial, letting God know you are thankful for all situations, even the tough ones. And thanking Him in advance for all He's doing through your life and your situations.
FR: Describe what you believe the role of writing in religion is.
KK: People are four-dimensional. They are physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. The secular world can only write about the first three. When I write a book, I bring in the fourth dimension. Sometimes that is only to say that the character doesn't believe, or is angry with God. But always that dimension is there, the way it is in real life --- whether we want to acknowledge it or not. Therefore, I believe inspirational fiction is the fastest growing genre in the United States because people are hungry for stories that make them feel complete. Writing about people as four-dimensional, makes characters feel complete --- and in turn, readers feel complete. The hunger will continue to grow as readers discover this phenomenon.
FR: Tell us about one or more of your favorite encounters with readers.
KK: I love the story of a young girl who wrote to me about her parents. They were getting divorced, and nothing was going to change their mind. This girl, Laura, asked me if I'd write to her mom and suggest to her mom that she read my book, A TIME TO DANCE.
"I think this book could bring about a miracle in my parents' lives, if only they'd read it," Laura wrote to me. "But they won't listen to me. They think I'm too young to understand what they're going through. But maybe if you wrote to them..."
I wrote to the mother and told her that maybe reading A TIME TO DANCE would validate her daughter's feelings at this difficult time. The woman wrote back and said she would consider the idea, but that the marriage was beyond repair.
A few weeks later, Laura wrote again and asked me to pray hard. "Both my parents are reading your book, Ms. Kingsbury," she wrote to me.
Months went by, and finally I received another letter from Laura. She wrote in the subject line: "Praise God!" The letter said, "Ms. Kingsbury, I wanted to tell you first --- my parents are renewing their wedding vows this weekend, and I'm going to be the maid-of-honor! Thank you for letting God use you and your book to save our family!"
I receive hundreds of letters every week --- but that one will always stand out. In addition, many letters from FDNY firefighters touched my heart after my book, ONE TUESDAY MORNING. They told me that my book had helped bring about healing and peace in their lives. The letters I receive regularly move me to get choked up or shed tears --- the readers are truly being changed by what God is doing in my fiction.
FR: Would you share a story about someone you've brought to Christ or share how your writing has helped someone?
KK: It is every Christian's call to bring people to Christ. It is the reason we are here on earth. That said, from the time I gave my entire life over to Christ in my mid-twenties, my husband and I have staged Bible studies with friends or acquaintances who wanted to know more about Jesus. In the process, countless people have come to Christ. However, now that I am very busy writing fiction, God is using my heart's desire to evangelize in other ways. Now, I regularly hear from readers that God used my book to restore their faith, renew their faith, or bring them to a first-time relationship with the Lord. Currently I am in discussion with a 21-year-old young woman who wants to know Christ, but hasn't a clue how to go about it. I'm sending her a Bible with highlighted sections, and directing her to her nearest Bible-believing church. This is the thrill of being a believer --- knowing that you can be used to affect someone for eternity.
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