#karen kingsbury

[blogger360ncislarules]

Everyone knows that a great book can take you on an amazing journey. For actress, author and producer Roma Downey, a gift from a friend led to the new TV series The Baxters, which launches the first 10 episodes March 28 on Prime Video.

“I came to the series really as a fan of the books,” Roma tells Woman’s World of the Karen Kingsbury series. “A friend had given me the first book, Redemption, and I was reading it on a flight from LA to New York. I just fell in love with the family. I fell in love with the characters. I thought the plots were exciting and dynamic and I just loved how relatable they all were.  It was telling the story of a family of faith. People who went to church, but not perfect people, not pious people. They are just regular people like you and me with the same problems and challenges that we all have, but they come together. Even when they don’t like each other, they always love each other. It is such a great portrayal of family.”

Roma admits as she was reading the book, the wheels started turning and she began thinking about bringing the books to the screen. “I had visuals in my mind. I thought this has to be a TV series,” Roma recalls. “So I reached out to Karen. I didn’t know her at the time, but I reached out to her and asked her if she would consider letting me have the rights to the books to bring it to the screen.”

As the two women discussed the project, Karen confided something that really touched Roma’s heart.

“Redemption was the first one I wrote about the Baxter family, and I have a picture of my dad reading it on a park bench,” Karen tells Woman’s World. “He was absorbed in it and when he got finished reading it and he said, ‘Karen, this is so good. This needs to be a TV show and you should call that Touched By an Angel woman, Roma Downey. I am confident that she would love to make a TV show on this.’ This was in 2001. I said, ‘Great idea Dad! Do you know her number because I don’t have her number?’ 

“Then fast forward. My dad had already gone to heaven, and it was maybe 2015 when I got a call from Roma Downey in that beautiful Irish voice and she said, ‘Hello Karen, I would like to have your blessing to make the Baxters into a TV show.’ I was hoping my dad had a definite window from heaven in that moment.”

Bringing The Baxters to life

“So Karen agreed to entrust me with the TV rights,” Roma continues, “and I set about gathering a fabulous team. Obviously, it takes a village to make a series and I brought in some great writers, directors and producers. Then we started casting. Karen was available for consulting whenever we needed her. She was very generous with her time and incredibly helpful during the process.

When it came to casting Elizabeth Baxter, Roma knew exactly who should play the matriarch. “I thought, I know this woman. I know her well. Maybe I should just step into this part myself,” she says. “Elizabeth has a mother’s heart, which I can relate to as a mom myself, and we see how compassionate and how much empathy she has for her children when they are going through heartache. We see how feisty she is and defensive if anybody from the outside is trying to harm any of her children.”

“Most of all what I love about her is she’s a prayer warrior,” Roma says. “She’s not afraid to stop what she’s doing and call on the Lord, call in prayer to bless her children and to watch over her family. I haven’t been on a series since I did Touched By an Angel and to be back in front of the camera, as well as behind it, was a lot of fun for me.”

Finding the perfect cast

Karen is pleased with how the show has come together. “It’s been a long journey, a long process, but I have been privileged to see everything that’s been created so far and it’s just so good,” she smiles.  “It’s griping and it’s real. There are five young adults. They are making some bad decisions. They are being human like we all are and so I feel like it’s a different kind of show where you have praying parents who are leaning in and loving and showing grace and young adults who are making their way and sometimes making the worst decision of their life, but finding the hope and grace that you only find through God and family.”

“Then when I read the book, it was just the sweet spirit of Reagan. And it was just so fun meeting Roma because I had known about Roma forever. She’s been friends with my mom [Kathie Lee Gifford], but I really appreciate the freedom that they gave me to make Reagan a little bit my own. That was wonderful.  You’re not always afforded that opportunity especially when something was adapted from a book. I just feel very, very blessed to be a part of it.”

Roma refers to the show as a “hope opera,” as opposed to a soap opera. “We see a family come together and that’s one of the lovely things about this series is that we see a family modeled well. The series plays out like a great hope opera,” she says. “We anticipate that Easter weekend there will be a lot of families across the United States curled up on their couch, in the comfort of their own homes, binging on The Baxters.

“When Karen wrote her books, she designed them in a way that you can’t wait to get to the next chapter,” Roma continues. “You want to know what happens next. You want to find out what happens next, so we obviously wanted to create that in the TV series as well that you would no sooner finish an episode then you’d want to see the next episode. With the streaming capabilities now, The Baxters will be there, already dropped and you’ll be able to binge and watch multiple episodes when it first goes up.”

The Baxters is a full family affair

Roma says over the years when fans have come up to her to talk to her about Touched By An Angel, they don’t just remember the show, but who they watched it with. It was a family affair for most people, and she’s hoping The Baxters will be as well.

“Our viewing habits have changed because people are watching things on their phone or their laptop so that family moment of coming together and watching something has altered slightly,” Roma says. “We’ve become more isolated in our viewing patterns, but my hope for The Baxters is that families will get together on the couch and make it a shared experience, and maybe say, ‘Mom, I’m coming over. Let’s watch The Baxters together,’ particularly because there are so many mother and daughter themes written into the story.”

Roma hopes the show will have broad-based appeal. “I think people of all faiths will enjoy the show because it’s relatable as a family drama,” she says. “I think that particularly people of faith will love to see our values reflected on the screen. Don’t they say the family that prays together, stays together? We’re going to see that sort of play out in The Baxters.”

[gacmediadaily]

[genieinanovel]

Review: Forgiving Paris

In Indiana, Ashley Baxter Blake and her husband are about to take an anniversary trip to Paris, but she is hesitant. More than two decades ago, she made her most grievous mistake in that same city. She has never forgiven herself for what happened there, and she still harbors secrets that she’s afraid will come to light. Just before the trip, Ashley gets a call from her niece. Jessie explains that…

[dont-read-this-im-dead]

Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite Christian authors ever. I don't know a lot of Christian authors that I actually like, but I've read almost half of her books, and I cannot get enough. (Thus far, my favorites include The Baxter family series, and Oceans Apart.)

I was introduced to her books when I was in college. One of my roommates went to highschool with her son, and she loaned me some of the books she had with her.

[meaganrosewrites]

Just Once Book Review

Summary In 1941, beautiful Irvel Holland is too focused on her secret to take much notice of the war raging overseas. She’s dating Sam but in love with his younger brother, Hank—her longtime best friend—and Irvel has no idea how to break the news. Then the unthinkable happens—Pearl Harbor is attacked. With their lives turned upside down overnight, Sam is drafted and convinces Hank to remain in…

[yesdreamilyenchantingbouquet]

Amazon Prime's 'The Baxters' Is the Must See For All Hallmark Fans

‘The Baxters is a must see. Karen Kingsbury and Roma Downey deliver! This is the must see of the season. If you’ve been trying to find the best TV, but you’ve been struggling to sort through all the options available, then look no further. I have been praying and begging for this. This show is it. It’s true to the book with a solid prayerful, thoughtful laid out story without being unnecessarily…

[clemsfilmdiary]

Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle (2017, Michael Robison)

11/18/23

[brucedinsman]

Book Review: A Kingsbury Collection: Where Yesterday Lives / When Joy Came to Stay / On Every Side by Karen Kingsbury

A Kingsbury Collection: Where Yesterday Lives / When Joy Came to Stay / On Every Side Kindle A Kingsbury Collection: Where Yesterday Lives / When Joy Came to Stay / On Every Side by Karen Kingsbury 5 of 5 stars3 stories of personal journeys of challenge and faith. All three stories center around a female protagonist in the media field; two newspaper reporters and one TV anchor. In each a crisis…

[protagonistspub]

The Baxters by Karen Kingsbury

The Baxters by Karen Kingsbury was a find at the Friends of the Library store and was my first novel by the author. This is a Christian fiction romance. This is not the first published novel for the Baxter family series but it is the first Baxter family novel in the chronology of the family. I am not going to spend a lot of time discussing the story. This was part of the…

[mumfordanddaughters]

me: goodreads is just three massive glitches balanced on top of each other and wearing a trench coat, i hate it here

me: i will make My Own book database !!

me: *crying in the corner*

[coldswarkids]

question actually viscerally upset me fhsjdjdjdb all I want in life is to be your author that you’re like “is she ok? bc I am now not ok” I don’t want to be a Christian Author. don’t put that on me 😭 Karen kingsbury ass author with cheesy palatable platitude messages 😭😭 please God no

[blogger360ncislarules]

[gacmediadaily]

from Danica's IG

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Friday, June 21 3/2c: Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas 5/4c: Christmas on My Mind 7/6c: To All a Good Night 9/8c: Mystery on Mistletoe Lane 11/10c: A Godwink Christmas

Saturday, June 22 1a/12c: Love You Like Christmas 3a/2c: Journey Back to Christmas 5a/4c: Christmas Wonderland 7a/6c: The Perfect Christmas Present 9a/8c: Christmas in Montana 11a/10c: A Glenbrooke Christmas 1/12c: The Christmas Promise 3/2c: Ms. Christmas Comes to Town 5/4c: Heaven Down Here 7/6c: Miracle in Bethlehem, PA 9/8c: Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas 11/10c: Long Lost Christmas

Sunday, June 23 1a/12c: Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas 3a/2: Time for You to Come Home for Christmas 5a/4c: Once Upon a Christmas Miracle 7a/6c: A Christmas to Remember 9a/8c: Homegrown Christmas 11a/10c: Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas 1/12c: Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas 3/2c: Small Town Christmas 5/4c:  A Veteran’s Christmas 7/6c: My Christmas Guide 9/8c: A Season for Family

Monday, June 24 3/2c: Project Christmas Wish 5/4c: A Little Christmas Charm 7/6c: Christmas Tree Lane 9/8c: Northern Lights of Christmas

Tuesday, June 25 3/2c: A World Record Christmas 5/4c: A Godwink Christmas: Second Chance, First Love 7/6c: Christmas at Grand Valley 9/8c: Hope at Christmas

Wednesday, June 26 3/2c: A Maple Valley Christmas 5/4c: Every Christmas Has a Story 7/6c: A Homecoming for the Holidays 9/8c: A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas

Thursday, June 27 3/2c: Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle 5/4c: The Christmas Secret 7/6c: Mystery on Mistletoe Lane 9/8c: The Christmas Promise

Friday, June 28 3/2c: My Christmas Guide 5/4c: Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas 7/6c: Christmas in Montana 9/8c: Miracle in Bethlehem, PA

[aikoiya]

Dude... My mom is watching a Hallmark movie & the opening song sounded so good!

These were the lyrics that caught me. "A new constellation with every beat of our hearts."

Now, I may have forgotten a word or 2, but that's the gist.

The movie is called "A Time To Dance" & it was from a book by Karen Kingsbury.

BUT I CAN'T FIND THE SONG!!

[yesdreamilyenchantingbouquet]

Exciting news!!!: Karen Kingsbury's 'The Baxter Family' Makes it to screen!!!

To say I am over the moon is an understatement! Finally the series of books I have loved reading by Karen Kingsbury will make it to the screen! Prime Video has acquired family drama series “The Baxters” from LightWorkers Media as it extends it’s content reach in the faith-based arena. Roma Downey will executive produce and star in the series as matriarch Elizabeth Baxter while “Shrinking” actor…