Audra Jennings

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...

Don't miss the debut book, Out of the Ruins , in Karen Barnett 's new series, The Golden Gate Chronicles. Set against the backdrop of early 20th century San Francisco, Out of the Ruins  will remind readers that no matter who we are or what we’ve done, God is still as close to us as our next breath. Karen is celebrating with a fun giveaway and Facebook author chat party.   One winner will receive: A Kindle Fire HDX Out of the Ruins  by Karen Barnett Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 19th. Winner will be announced at the Out of the Ruins  Facebook author chat party on June 19th .  Connect with Karen for an evening of fun book chat, games, and prizes. Karen will also be answering audience questions and giving an exclusive look at the next book in The Golden Gate Chronicles series! So grab your copy of Out of the Ruins  and join Karen on the evening of June 19th for a chance...

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...