At 18 she took a job as a receptionist at an advertising firm, and with her characteristic determination and hard work, gradually moved up to become vice president all while raising her daughter. Ms. Karon was raised in the Methodist church, but did not make a commitment to Christ until the age of 42. She continued to resist the urge to be a writer, but seven years after coming to Christ, she began praying that if God wanted her to write books, he d open the doors for her. Her books are free of profanity, sex, and violence, yet three have made it to the New York Times bestseller list. But her stories are not about a sugar-coated world.
People experience pain in Mitford children are neglected, people get sick, and relationships falter.
The series central figure is long-suffering Father Tim Kavanaugh, a loveable Episcopal priest who ministers to the physical and spiritual needs of his parish, and who controls his oversized dog by quoting Scripture. More than two million of her books are in print. Eventually, Karon says, there will be seven Mitford books, in addition to a cookbook, a novella about the wedding of Father Tim and his neighbor Cynthia Coopersmith, and a bedside companion. Hallmark is also developing a line of greeting cards based on the series.