Karen Kingsbury

Last updated
Karen Kingsbury
Born (1963-06-08) June 8, 1963 (age 61)
Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.
OccupationNovelist
Alma mater California State University, Northridge
Spouse
Don Russell
(m. 1989)
Children3 biological, 3 adopted
ParentsTed Kingsbury
Anne Kingsbury
Website
www.karenkingsbury.com

Karen Kingsbury (born June 8, 1963) is an American Christian novelist born in Fairfax, Virginia.

Contents

She was a sports writer for the Los Angeles Times and later wrote for the Los Angeles Daily News . Her first book, Missy's Murder (1991), was based on a murder story that she covered in Los Angeles. During this time, she had an article published in People Magazine .

She has written or co-written almost 100 novels or short stories, and (as of 2008) has nearly 13 million copies of her novels in print. [1] [2] She is a #1 New York Times and USA Today [3] best selling novelist with the last dozen books published topping bestseller lists. Some of her novels are being developed into movies by The Hallmark Channel, [4] including The Bridge, A Time to Dance (2015), [5] and Maggie's Christmas Miracle (2017). Her Baxter Family series was adapted into a television series. [6] Lightworkers Media and Roma Downey have the rights to develop the series. [7]

Kingsbury also does public speaking, and through national events she reaches more than 100,000 people each year. [4]

Personal life

Karen Kingsbury is the oldest of five children born to Ted and Anne Kingsbury. Her family moved around a lot because of her father's job with IBM; ultimately the family would finally settle down in the San Fernando Valley (relocating from Michigan) when Karen was ten.

She graduated with a degree in journalism from California State University Northridge in 1986. After she graduated she worked for the Los Angeles Times as a sports writer [8] and also reported on the crime beat. She lost on the September 4, 1985 episode of the $25,000 Pyramid

She married her husband, Don Russell, on July 23, 1989. They have three children and later adopted three boys from Haiti.

In conjunction with Kingsbury, Liberty University announced in November 2017 the opening of the Karen Kingsbury Center for Creative Writing as part of its College of Arts and Sciences, where students can obtain a minor in Creative Writing. Kingsbury herself will teach several of the courses, both in residence at Liberty and online. [9]

Karen Kingsbury's father died due to complications from diabetes. She chose to start eating healthier and to cut out sugar and as a result lost 70 pounds between January and November in 2007. [10]

Books

(*) denotes a book that is not yet released (if known the release date is shown). [11]

Series involving the Baxter Family

These sets of series is by far her most popular, and comprise nearly a quarter of her work. The Baxters are either the main characters, or play key roles, in each of the books. The series is set mainly in and around Bloomington, Indiana (where the Baxters grew up and some of them still live in the series).

Redemption series (with Gary Smalley)

  • Redemption (2002)
  • Remember (2003)
  • Return (2003)
  • Rejoice (2004)
  • Reunion (2004)

Firstborn series

  • Fame (2005)
  • Forgiven (2005)
  • Found (2006)
  • Family (2006)
  • Forever (2007)

Sunrise series

  • Sunrise (2007)
  • Summer (2007)
  • Someday (2008)
  • Sunset (2008)

Above the Line series

  • Take One (2009)
  • Take Two (2009)
  • Take Three (2010)
  • Take Four (2010)

Bailey Flanigan series

  • Leaving (2011)
  • Learning (2011)
  • Longing (2011)
  • Loving (2012)

Coming Home, The Baxter Family (a standalone work originally planned to end the series)

  • Coming Home (2012)

Baxter Family Collection

  • A Baxter Family Christmas (2016)
  • Love Story (2017)
  • In This Moment (2017)
  • To the Moon and Back (2018)
  • When We Were Young (2018)
  • Two Weeks (2019)
  • Someone Like You (2020)
  • Truly, Madly, Deeply (2020)

Baxter Family Children series (with Tyler Russell, for ages 8-12)

  • Best Family Ever (2019)
  • Finding Home (2021)
  • Never Grow Up
  • Adventure Awaits
  • Being Baxters

Other series

Angels Walking series

  • Angels Walking (2014)
  • Chasing Sunsets (2015)
  • Brush of Wings (2016)
  • Always and Forever (*)

Heart of the Story Series

  • The Family of Jesus (2014)
  • The Friends of Jesus (2015)
  • The Followers of Jesus (*)
  • First Hand Encounters of Jesus (*)

9/11 Series

  • One Tuesday Morning (2003)
  • Beyond Tuesday Morning (2004)
  • Remember Tuesday Morning (2008) [12]

Lost Love series

  • Even Now (2005)
  • Ever After (2006)

Red Gloves series

  • Gideon's Gift (2002) [13]
  • Maggie's Miracle (2003) [14]
  • Sarah's Song (2004)
  • Hannah's Hope (2005)

Forever Faithful series

  • Waiting for Morning (1999)
  • A Moment of Weakness (2000)
  • Halfway to Forever (2002)

Timeless Love series

  • A Time to Dance (2001) [15]
  • A Time to Embrace (2002)

Cody Gunner series

Treasury of Miracles Books

Source: [16]

  • A Treasury of Christmas Miracles (2001)
  • A Treasury of Miracles for Women (2002)
  • A Treasury of Miracles for Teens (2003)
  • A Treasury of Miracles for Friends (2004)
  • A Treasury of Adoption Miracles (2005)
  • Miracles - A 52 Week Devotional (2009)

Other works

True crime

  • Missy's Murder (1991)
  • Final Vows (1992)
  • Deadly Pretender: The Double Life of David Miller (1993)
  • The Snake and the Spider (1995)

These four books were Kingsbury's first novels. They were re-released in 2014 and included a letter from Kingsbury to her readers, explaining how writing these types of stories became too much for her to handle emotionally due to the darkness associated with them, and thus she changed genres to writing more general fiction with a Christian emphasis (which she titled, and has trademarked, as "Life-Changing Fiction").

Standalone novels

Source: [17]

  • On Every Side (2001)
  • Oceans Apart (2004)
  • Divine (2006)
  • Like Dandelion Dust (2006) [18]
  • When Joy Came to Stay (2000)
  • Where Yesterday Lives (2006)
  • Between Sundays (2007)
  • Shades of Blue (2008)
  • This Side of Heaven (2009)
  • Unlocked (2010)
  • The Bridge (2012) [19]
  • The Chance (2013)
  • Fifteen Minutes (2013)
  • A Distant Shore (2021)
  • Just Once (2023)
    • Although not part of any of her Baxter Family series, one of the characters (Ashley) is briefly portrayed as the manager of an adult care home where the main character resides in the latter stages of her life. (In a "bonus chapter" sent to those who subscribe to Kingsbury's regular emails, Ashley is featured as the recipient of a pre-release copy of a book written by the granddaughter of the main character.)

Children's books

  • Let Me Hold You Longer (2004)
  • Let's Go On a Mommy Date (2008)
  • We Believe In Christmas (2008)
  • The Princess and the Three Knights (2009)
  • Let's Have a Daddy Day (2010)
  • The Brave Young Knight (2011)
  • Far Flutterby (2012)
  • Always Daddy's Princess (2013)
  • Go Ahead and Dream (with Alex Smith) (2013)
  • Whatever You Grow Up To Be (2014)

Gift books

  • Forever Young (with Pat Williams) (2005)
  • Be Safe Little Boy (2006)
  • Stay Close Little Girl (2006)
  • Forever My Little Boy (2016)
  • Forever My Little Girl (2016)

E-shorts

  • The Beginning (prequel to The Bridge) (2012) [20]
  • I Can Only Imagine (2013)
  • Elizabeth Baxter's 10 Secrets to a Happy Marriage (2015) [21]
  • Once Upon A Campus (2016, expanded 2018) [22]

Music

Karen Kingsbury co-wrote her first song, "Walls" with Gary Baker and Richie McDonald; it appeared on McDonald's inspirational album, I Turn to You and hit Christian and Country radio in January 2009.

She wrote the song, "Tell Me to Breathe", that was included on the album I Can Do This by Marie Osmond. [23]

Kingsbury also wrote "Miracles Happen", a Christmas song sung by country musician Richie McDonald, which now appears on McDonald's CD, If Every Day Could Be Christmas.

Filmography

YearTitleBased on a novel/book by Writer ProducerNotes
2009 Like Dandelion Dust YesNoCo-producertheatrical film
2015Karen Kingsbury's The Bridge - Part 1YesNoExecutive Hallmark Channel TV Movie
2016Karen Kingsbury's The Bridge - Part 2YesNoExecutive Hallmark Movies & Mysteries TV Movie
2016Karen Kingsbury's A Time to DanceYesNoExecutiveHallmark Movies & Mysteries TV Movie
2017Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas MiracleYesNoExecutiveHallmark Movies & Mysteries TV Movie
2023 Karen Kingsbury's A Thousand Tomorrows YesYesExecutive Pure Flix original series
2024–present The Baxters YesNoConsultingTV series
2024 Someone Like You YesNoExecutiveTheatrical Film

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lacey Chabert</span> American actress (born 1982)

Lacey Nicole Chabert is an American actress. One of her first roles as a child actress was the part of Bianca Montgomery, the daughter of Erica Kane, on All My Children from 1992 to 1993. She gained further prominence for her portrayal of Claudia Salinger in the Fox television drama Party of Five (1994–2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Boston</span> American actress

Rachel Boston is an American actress. She has had leading roles in a number of independent films, and was a regular cast member in several television series. She starred in the NBC drama series, American Dreams as Beth Mason from 2002 to 2005, in the short-lived CBS sitcom The Ex List in 2008, and on the USA Network series In Plain Sight from 2011 to 2012. From 2013 to 2014, Boston starred as Ingrid Beauchamp in the Lifetime fantasy-drama series, Witches of East End.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teryl Rothery</span> Canadian actress

Teryl Rothery is a Canadian actress of stage, television, and film. She is best known for portraying Dr. Janet Fraiser in the TV series Stargate SG-1. She co-starred as Grace Sherman in Cedar Cove, and has had major roles as Muriel in Virgin River, Jean Loring in Arrow and Celia Hudson in Nancy Drew. She has been involved in a number of television movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallmark Media</span> U.S. media production company

Hallmark Media is an American media production company with corporate headquarters located in Studio City, California, and is a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallmark Channel</span> American cable television network

Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erica Durance</span> Canadian actress

Erica Durance is a Canadian actress known for her roles as Lois Lane in the superhero television series Smallville (2004–2011) and as Dr. Alex Reid in the medical drama series Saving Hope (2012–2017). She has also appeared in films such as The Untold (2002), The Butterfly Effect 2 (2006), Final Verdict (2009) and Painkillers (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torrey DeVitto</span> American actress (born 1984)

Torrey Joël DeVitto is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and former fashion model. Her first starring role was as Karen Kerr on the ABC Family drama series Beautiful People (2005–2006). She followed this up with recurring roles as Carrie in The CW drama series One Tree Hill (2008–2009), as Melissa Hastings in the ABC Family/Freeform mystery drama series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017), and as Dr. Meredith Fell in The CW fantasy drama series The Vampire Diaries (2012–2013). DeVitto went on to star as Maggie Hall in the final season of Lifetime's drama series Army Wives (2013) and as Dr. Natalie Manning in the NBC medical drama series Chicago Med (2015–2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallmark Mystery</span> American cable television network

Hallmark Mystery is an American digital cable and satellite television channel owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel was spun off from sister network Hallmark Channel, and airs family-oriented feature and television films along with a limited number of murder- and mystery-themed television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Jones Gunn</span> American writer

Robin Jones Gunn is the best-selling, award-winning Christian author of over 100 books, including the Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen series for teen girls as well as the Glenbrooke series and the Sisterchicks series. Robin's non-fiction titles are "Praying For Your Future Husband", "Spoken For" and "Victim of Grace". Her books have sold over 5.5 million copies worldwide. She is best known for the characters in the Christy Miller series that now continue in '"Christy &Todd: The College Years", "Christy & Todd: The Married Years", "Christy & Todd: The Baby Years" and the "Katie Weldon" series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debbie Macomber</span> American writer

Debbie Macomber is an American author of romance novels and contemporary women's fiction. Six of her novels have become made-for-TV movies and her Cedar Cove series of novels was adapted into a television series of the same name. Macomber was the inaugural winner of the fan-voted Quill Award for romance in 2005 and has been awarded both a RITA Award and a lifetime achievement award by the Romance Writers of America.

Peter Sullivan is an American screenwriter, film director, and film producer. He has more than 150 producing credits and directed more than 40 movies, most of them was made-for-television.

Dana Cameron is an American archaeologist, and author of award-winning crime fiction and urban fantasy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candace Cameron Bure</span> American actress (born 1976)

Candace Helaine Cameron Bure is an American actress and talk show panelist. She is known for portraying D.J. Tanner on Full House and its sequel series Fuller House, and a number of roles in Hallmark Channel original productions—including the title character in their adaptations of the Aurora Teagarden novel series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurora Teagarden</span> Fictional character created by Charlaine Harris

Aurora Teagarden is a fictional character created by author Charlaine Harris. She is the protagonist of a series of eleven crime novels written from 1990 to 2017. Hallmark Movies & Mysteries began adapting the novels in 2014 for their original film series The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries with Candace Cameron Bure in the title role, part of the network’s "Mystery Wheel" umbrella series.

Cindy Busby is a Canadian actress and singer. She portrayed Ashley Stanton on Heartland, and has played many roles in Hallmark movies, including Marrying Mr. Darcy, Follow Me to Daisy Hills, and Warming Up to You.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Findlay</span> Canadian actress

Katie Findlay is a Canadian actor known for portraying Rosie Larsen in the American crime drama television series The Killing. From 2013 to 2014, Findlay portrayed Maggie Landers in The CW's teen drama The Carrie Diaries. From 2014 to 2015, Findlay starred as Rebecca Sutter in the first two seasons of the ABC series How to Get Away with Murder. In 2017, they joined the cast of FXX comedy series Man Seeking Woman in the show's third season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Niven</span> American actress (born 1953)

Barbara Lee Niven is an American actress, writer, and producer, best known for her performances in Hallmark and Lifetime movies, and for television roles in Pensacola: Wings of Gold, One Life to Live, Cedar Cove, and Chesapeake Shores. Niven had the leading role in the independent film A Perfect Ending (2012). She is also a motivational speaker, media trainer and animal rights activist, and a National Ambassador for American Humane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Krakow</span> American actress

Erin Krakow is an American actress and producer. She appeared in the Lifetime TV series Army Wives, and stars as Elizabeth Thatcher in the Hallmark TV series When Calls the Heart.

Garage Sale Mystery is an American/Canadian mystery film series starring Lori Loughlin as Jennifer Shannon. It is based on the Garage Sale Mystery book series written by Suzi Weinert. The Hallmark series aired on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries in the US, Bravo in Canada and Channel 5 in the UK occasionally as part of the weekday films. Fifteen films aired from the 2013 pilot film, until the series was cancelled in 2019 after Loughlin was fired from Hallmark.

<i>Father Christmas</i> (film series) Film series

The Father Christmas film series is an American/Canadian trilogy, starring Erin Krakow and Niall Matter, based on the novels of Robin Jones Gunn. The films were originally broadcast in the USA on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, as part of the channels' "Miracles of Christmas" seasonal programming.

References

  1. Mike Bailey, staff writer for The Columbian, February 5, 2008. The Columbian: Arts & Living feature Archived 2008-04-23 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Christian Women's Conferences". Ewomen.net. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  3. "About Karen Kingsbury | Karen Kingsbury's The Bridge | Hallmark Movies and Mysteries". Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  4. 1 2 "Karen Kingsbury". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  5. "Hallmark Channel Developing Pair of Karen Kingsbury Adaptations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  6. "Roma Downey To Develop Kingsbury's "Baxter Family" TV Series - Alive Literary Agency". Alive Literary Agency. 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  7. "Karen Kingsbury's 'The Baxter Family' Novel Series Coming to TV!". itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.ca. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  8. "Karen Kingsbury Biography". karenkingsbury.com.
  9. "Liberty University announces Karen Kingsbury Center for Creative Writing » Liberty News". Liberty.edu. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  10. "Karen Kingsbury: The Queen of Christian Fiction Tells Her Story". CBN.com (beta). Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  11. "Karen Kingsbury Books In Order". Karenkingburybooklist.com. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  12. Originally released under the title Every Now and Then
  13. There are inconsistent reports as to whether or not this was made into a television movie: YouTube features trailers for the movie; however, IMDB indicates that the movie is still in development.
  14. This was made into a television Christmas movie, Maggie's Christmas Miracle, shown on Hallmark Channel in 2017
  15. This was made into a television movie in May 2016 shown on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel
  16. "Booklist for #1 New York Times Times Bestselling Author Karen Kingsbury" (PDF).
  17. Although each novel is independent of the others, Kingsbury sometimes uses characters from one book in a subsequent one. For example, Ryan and Kelly from The Bridge later have key roles in The Chance, while Nolan and Ellie from The Chance make a later appearance (now as a married couple) in Fifteen Minutes.
  18. This was made into a television movie
  19. This, along with a prequel (see below) was made into a pair of television movies, the first in 2015 shown on The Hallmark Channel and the second in 2016 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
  20. This, along with the novel (see above) was made into a pair of television movies, the first in 2015 shown on The Hallmark Channel and the second in 2016 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
  21. The story, in its entirety, is also included within When We Were Young, as it plays a small role in the plot line.
  22. First in a planned series of short stories centered around Liberty University (where her sons attend and a creative writing center with her name is housed). Though not part of the Baxter Family series, she uses characters from the Flanigan family (friends of the Baxters) in the story. The original story is available on the Liberty University website; the expanded version was made available as a gift to purchasers of When We Were Young upon providing proof of purchase.
  23. "Tell Me to Breathe". AllMusic .