Weekend Writing: Meeting Karen Kingsbury

The map (photo/Kasy Long)

If you are familiar with my blog, you should know by now that I'm a fan of Karen Kingsbury, a bestselling Christian author known for her "Life-Changing" fiction. I read her books (the Redemption series, Angels Walking series, and more), and I follow her on social media. I admire her values and her strong commitment to engaging with her readers/fans.

So, when I found out she would be visiting Bloomington, Indiana for her book tour for her newest book, To the Moon and Back, I knew I had to go.

But this wasn't just an ordinary meet-and-greet event. This wasn't a regular book signing; it was the ultimate experience. Kingsbury's Baxter family series is set in Bloomington; therefore, she decided to create a map of over 20 locations in Bloomington that inspired various settings in her books.

The church the Baxter family attends (photo/Kasy Long).

Kingsbury promised this would be a fantastic experience, and it certainly was. It was amazing to see the locations in person--to finally visualize where the Baxters attend church, go grab coffee at a local cafe, study at Indiana University, go fishing at Lake Monroe, and more. The Baxters felt more like real people after this experience, and I wouldn't have traded this opportunity for anything.

I made this collage using PicMonkey (photo/Kasy Long).

While traveling around Bloomington was fun, the highlight of the day was meeting Karen Kingsbury. In April, I met Beverly Lewis and two months later, I was meeting another favorite author of mine. I don't know why I have been so lucky lately, but I'm not complaining!

My photo with Karen Kingsbury
(photo/Kasy Long).

Karen Kingsbury was just as nice in person as I imagined. Because I follow her on social media, I knew she was nice and thoughtful toward her readers, but seeing her in person was entirely different.

She is genuinely nice and caring. She hugged her fans and greeted them with a smile. She put her arm around my shoulder as we posed for a photo. She took her time signing my books and truly cared about making sure I had a pleasant experience.

That's how you treat your fans. That how you behave at a book signing. You show gratitude toward your readers--because without them, you wouldn't be a successful author. And I know Karen Kingsbury appreciates her readers.

It was an amazing adventure and I didn't even have to travel that far to enjoy it! It's something I'll always remember. I had a smile on my face the whole day and I hope I can see her again someday.

Who am I going to meet next?

Until the next adventure...

-KJL-

My autographed copy of "To the Moon and Back" (photo/Kasy Long).