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).
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").
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.)
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.
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.
^Originally released under the title Every Now and Then
^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.
^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.
^The story, in its entirety, is also included within When We Were Young, as it plays a small role in the plot line.
^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.
