Karen Young

Although I've written 35 books, I'm convinced that I didn't choose a career as a writer; it chose me. After numerous long distance moves necessitated by my husband's career, I decided to try writing a book out of sheer desperation. When a major publisher bought that book, I knew that I had found a career! Rather, it had found me. But my world changed when my husband died ten years ago. One of the most joyous changes was that I was drawn back to my childhood faith, which led me to explore the possibility of writing inspirational fiction. Good inspirational fiction is not about adding a religious component to a book. It is so much more. My books have always included the tension between right and wrong, but I mostly avoided adding the spiritual tension-- those hard questions and struggles when characters inevitably dealt with trouble. In writing romantic suspense, my plots always depict contemporary women in extraordinary circumstances. While solving the mystery, my character(s) deal with the real issues of life - the ups and downs of relationships, of the difficulty in balancing career and marriage and motherhood, with the challenge of blended families. Now I also freely explore the presence of a spiritual dimension in my characters along with the mystery element. I can fully flesh out my characters, adding the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual. Writing such a message feels satisfying and fulfilling.