Q&A with NY Times best-selling author Karen Kingsbury
Q: What makes A DISTANT SHORE different than your previous novels?
A: For A Distant Shore, I tapped into my long ago journalism days, my years of being a true crime writer and covering FBI stings and trafficking. It felt like an adventure, one that I couldn’t take in real life because of Covid-19. A Distant Shore is a love story surrounded by danger and rescue. It’s a story that has stayed with me, and I know it will be the same way for the readers.
Q: The book has some intrigue with characters from the FBI and the drug underworld. What has inspired you to delve into those types of characters?
A: I loved being a true crime reporter back in my Los Angeles days, working for the LA Times and Los Angeles Daily News. But I loved writing novels even more. This gave me the chance to bring those two worlds together for the first time. The research had to be perfect, and I even had the help of a former FBI agent who specialized in human trafficking.
Q: Are you ever inspired by news headlines or true-to-life stories for books such as this?
A: Not specifically, but definitely when it comes to theme. Human trafficking has been an increasing problem both domestically and internationally. I didn’t want to write about that in detail, for obvious reasons. But the rescue intrigued me, the idea that someone could be in the most devastating and disastrous circumstances and be rescued by people willing to risk their lives to set them free. Faith is like that. Jesus rescues us when we have no hope, and he died that we could live eternally with Him. The theme of A Distant Shore is rescue, though it takes place against the backdrop of trafficking.
Q: What might surprise readers about A DISTANT SHORE?
A: The depth of love between Jack Ryder and Eliza Lawrence is breathtaking. Honestly, this is a love story that will stay with you long after the last page. It’s an unforgettable book that I was truly privileged to write it. I think the Scripture at the beginning of each chapter will also take people by surprise. Each one works so well with the chapter, that it made the story even deeper. It just seemed fitting to include those Bible verses.
A: For A Distant Shore, I tapped into my long ago journalism days, my years of being a true crime writer and covering FBI stings and trafficking. It felt like an adventure, one that I couldn’t take in real life because of Covid-19. A Distant Shore is a love story surrounded by danger and rescue. It’s a story that has stayed with me, and I know it will be the same way for the readers.
Q: The book has some intrigue with characters from the FBI and the drug underworld. What has inspired you to delve into those types of characters?
A: I loved being a true crime reporter back in my Los Angeles days, working for the LA Times and Los Angeles Daily News. But I loved writing novels even more. This gave me the chance to bring those two worlds together for the first time. The research had to be perfect, and I even had the help of a former FBI agent who specialized in human trafficking.
Q: Are you ever inspired by news headlines or true-to-life stories for books such as this?
A: Not specifically, but definitely when it comes to theme. Human trafficking has been an increasing problem both domestically and internationally. I didn’t want to write about that in detail, for obvious reasons. But the rescue intrigued me, the idea that someone could be in the most devastating and disastrous circumstances and be rescued by people willing to risk their lives to set them free. Faith is like that. Jesus rescues us when we have no hope, and he died that we could live eternally with Him. The theme of A Distant Shore is rescue, though it takes place against the backdrop of trafficking.
Q: What might surprise readers about A DISTANT SHORE?
A: The depth of love between Jack Ryder and Eliza Lawrence is breathtaking. Honestly, this is a love story that will stay with you long after the last page. It’s an unforgettable book that I was truly privileged to write it. I think the Scripture at the beginning of each chapter will also take people by surprise. Each one works so well with the chapter, that it made the story even deeper. It just seemed fitting to include those Bible verses.
About Karen Kingsbury:
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Karen Kingsbury, #1 New York Times bestselling novelist, is America’s favorite inspirational storyteller, with more than twenty-five million copies of her award-winning books in print. Her last dozen titles have topped bestseller lists and many of her novels are under development as major motion pictures. Her Baxter Family books are being developed into a TV series slated to debut soon. Karen is also an adjunct professor of writing at Liberty University. She and her husband, Donald, live in Tennessee near their children and grandchildren.
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