Celebration!

August 1, 2012By Karen Barnett 4 Comments

If you follow my FaceBook author page, you heard this great news months ago, but I have yet to officially celebrate here on my blog. Here’s the scoop: Time to CELEBRATE!!! At the end of May, I received the news that I had made the finals for the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Genesis Contest … Read More

Friday Book Pick: HIDDEN IN DREAMS by Davis Bunn

July 27, 2012By Karen Barnett No Comments

What happens when unrelated people around the globe experience identical terrifying dreams of world-wide financial collapse? In the novel Hidden In Dreams, all eyes turn to psychologist and dream expert Elena Burroughs for answers. Are these simple nightmares or predictions of a grim future? As the clock ticks toward impending doom, Elena forms an unlikely … Read More

Friday Book Pick: Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert

June 29, 2012By Karen Barnett 5 Comments

I’ve heard people argue that they dislike Christian fiction because it’s just happy people living happy lives. There are some novels out there that meet this description, but the vast majority of the books I’ve read deal with real people struggling to survive the problems that life throws at them. In Wildflowers from Winter, debut-novelist … Read More

Silk or mud? Let’s hear the real stories.

May 29, 2012By Karen Barnett 2 Comments

Many years ago, I remember wandering through the beautifully restored McCloughlin House which is connected with the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. The volunteer tour guide pointed out the family’s belongings, sequestered behind velvet ropes. “Of course, only the Chief Factor’s family enjoyed this level of luxury,” the guide reminded us. “The officers and other … Read More

Songs for a Writer’s Heart

May 24, 2012By Karen Barnett 3 Comments

Do you have songs that break down your defenses and speak straight to your heart? I think we all do. Today, I heard David Crowder’s “Wholly Yours” on the radio. It tickles my imagination. I’ve never heard another song writer work in the word “antonym.” I mean, come on–who does that? And to play with … Read More

Listen in at my house…

May 1, 2012By Karen Barnett 1 Comment

Yesterday, my son ran up to me, an accusatory tone in his voice, “Mom, she LICKED the dog!” “Sweetie,” I glared at my daughter. “Don’t lick the dog.” (I added this to my list of things I never thought I’d have to say). She retorted, “HE licked the dog first!”  *** My nine-year-old smiled at … Read More

From Fear to Friends

March 29, 2012By Karen Barnett 3 Comments

I arrived this afternoon at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference and even before I stepped out of the shuttle van, a tremor of excitement ran through me. The first year I attended this conference (2009) I was scared out of my little mind. I walked the grounds in awe (and terror) of the multi-published … Read More

Don’t Joke With the Postman

March 19, 2012By Karen Barnett 4 Comments

I clutched the packet to my chest as I pushed through the post office door. Mailing manuscripts to editors attending the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference always brings a sense of wild anticipation, not unlike the upward climb on a rickety roller coaster. The postal clerk looked at me with tired eyes as I handed him my … Read More

A Conversation with a Repentant Pup

March 1, 2012By Karen Barnett 3 Comments

Hmm. Where is the dog? Doesn’t she usually meet me at the door all wags and slobbers? Mystery? Where are you? Oh. So why are hiding behind the sofa with your head between your paws?  Is that a hair clip? Or, should I say, WAS that a hairclip?  Bad dog. Oh, well. It was just a cheapie … Read More