Audra Jennings

Head back to 20th-century San Francisco as the city rises from the ashes of the 1906 earthquake and Ruby and Gerald face their fears in book two,  Beyond the Ashes , of Karen Barnett’s The Golden Gate Chronicles series.  Ruby and Gerald’s fledgling romance is put at risk when Gerald develops symptoms of the very disease they’re striving to cure. Together they must ask—is it worth a second chance at love when time might be short? Enter to win a copy of  Beyond the Ashes —five winners will be chosen! The winners will be announced July 20 on  Karen’s blog ! {MORE ABOUT  BEYOND THE ASHES } (Abingdon Press, June 2015) Where better to rebuild and face one’s fears than in 1906 San Francisco, a city rising from the ashes? Ruby Marshall, a young widow, is certain she’ll discover new purpose assisting her brother Robert with his cancer research, but she doesn’t anticipate finding new love. Dr. Gerald Larkspur dreams of filli...

An Interview with Karen Barnett Author of Out of the Ruins Whether because of grief, guilt or a feeling of inadequacy, many of us find ourselves pushing God away during the time we need Him most. Abby Fischer, the heroine in Karen Barnett’s new novel, Out of the Ruins (Abingdon/May 6, 2014/ISBN: 978-1-4267-8057-8/$14.99) , comes face to face with grief and anger that causes her to question her faith, something the author herself has done for similar reasons. Q: How do you decide the setting — both time period and location — for your stories? When and where are readers transported to in Out of the Ruins ? Out of the Ruins takes place during the San Francisco earthquake and fires of 1906. The inspiration for the novel struck when I was watching a documentary on American Experience about the earthquake. Survivors who had experienced the disaster as children were interviewed, and I remember thinking, “What must it have been like to walk the streets during such an epic e...

In Our Weakness, He is Strong Karen Barnett’s Out of the Ruins shows that nothing we do can make God leave our side. Whether because of grief, guilt or a feeling of inadequacy, many of us find ourselves pushing God away during the time we need Him most. Abby Fischer, the heroine in Karen Barnett’s new novel, Out of the Ruins (Abingdon/May 6, 2014/ISBN: 978-1-4267-8057-8/$14.99) , comes face to face with grief and anger that causes her to question her faith, something the author herself has done for similar reasons. “There was a time in my life where I pushed God away, but it was because of guilt rather than grief,” Barnett says. “I knew God would never approve of the choices I was making at the time, so I played Jonah and hid from Him, thinking I could return once I fixed all my problems. The result? I continued falling further into sin because I was incapable of changing myself. It took a time before I realized I needed God’s strength to overcome my weakness.” N...