September 28, 2024 • 44 mins
What if you could find unshakeable joy and strength in the midst of life’s toughest challenges? Join us for an inspiring conversation with author and podcast host Kara Hunt, as she shares how growing up in both urban St. Louis and rural Missouri shaped her unique storytelling voice. Kara opens up about her personal journey through life's trials, including her harrowing experience of being kidnapped as a child. Through her empathetic and powerful storytelling, Kara hopes to bring readers closer to God, offering encouragement and strength through her real-life inspired fiction. You won’t want to miss this heartfelt and uplifting conversation!
00:08 Meet Kara Hunt: Author and Podcast Host
00:34 Kara's Wig Collection and Awards
01:10 Life in Rural Missouri and Football Fandom
02:04 Kara's Writing Journey
04:19 The Cheer Up Podcast
06:04 The Habakkuk Series: Inspiration and Themes
14:25 Creating Compelling Characters
20:47 The End Goal of Writing
21:29 Impact of Stories on Readers
24:37 Personal Connection to Characters
26:22 Overcoming Trauma Through Faith
31:16 The Power of Sharing Stories
Thank you for taking the time to like, subscribe, share, and comment. Visit leadingladies.life to find out more. Also, follow @leadingladieslife on social. Amber & Lisa are authors of the multi-award-winning book, Leading Ladies: Discover Your God-Grown Strategy for Success, which dives into the power of community and empowering women of faith to rise up and make a difference, using our gifts and faith to shine brightly in the world. Watch the Facebook Live edition on our YouTube Channel @coffeechatladies .
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Amber (00:00):
We are live.
Good morning everyone andwelcome to the Farm Girl edition
of Coffee Chat.
We have been talking thismorning with our lovely guest,
Kara Hunt.
Kara R Hunt there's multipleladies, yeah, and we're so
(00:21):
thankful to have the real KaraHunt here.
Author.
She is also the podcast host ofthe Cheer Up podcast and she is
full of cheer.
We love you, kara.
She has some of the mostawesome wig collection and I
would love for you to come backfor another episode to model
(00:43):
those wigs Because I just lovethose cute.
The last wig you had on for theAdvanced Writers and Speakers
Association, we had the GoldenScroll Awards and you came away
with a couple I was so proud of.
You Came away with a couple ofthose awards with us and you had
(01:04):
the the most cutest way.
It made me smile.
Just what your hair even makesme happy.
She lives in the same time zoneas us, in the same state,
missouri, and are you a cheesefan before?
Lisa (01:31):
yeah, let's just take you through a quiz before we can
move forward.
Do you know who patrick mahomesis?
Number one, okay, okay, okay,let me qualify this.
Amber (01:43):
Carol lives in rural Missouri, so we have not
established the fact.
She even has television.
Lisa (01:50):
Right.
Kara (01:51):
That's why I said rural.
Amber (01:56):
Oh, my goodness, and that's why she has so much time
to write all these lovely novelsand we are so happy to have her
on this journey with you, fromthe redo of your first, very
first book, award-winning bookCreeper Dolls, and it's so
exciting to see you're on.
(02:18):
I just finished the cover forbook number seven and, girl,
you're just racking out novelsLike I don't even know, like a
machine.
Lisa (02:31):
Amber insinuated during our warm-up time that maybe she
just because she lived in ruralAmerica where there was
absolutely nothing to do that'show she's been able to produce
so many.
Amber (02:43):
Yeah, that's true, she is the Walt Whitman of she's in
her little hobbit hole in inrural Missouri hey, if I had if
I had a hobbit hole in ruralMissouri, I'd be there.
I'd be there.
Sarah, thank you, welcome tothe show and thank you for
(03:05):
putting up with our me, mysilliness, and this is probably
going to be a crazy podcast.
Let me just say that gotstarted in writing in general,
and now how about you just tellus who you are, how you got
started, who?
Lisa (03:21):
you are, who are?
Amber (03:22):
you.
Kara let's just ask that.
Kara (03:25):
Okay, that is one of the actually one of the toughest
questions for me to answer,because I pretty much to me I
lead a very boring life.
Sorry, we know that Hubby and Ihave been married over.
He's upstairs, I should ask him.
Anyway, we got a lot ofquestions upstairs.
(03:49):
I should ask him anyway.
We have two adult sons, blakeand Stone, and no
daughter-in-laws orgrandchildren yet, though there
may be a marriage in the nextcouple of months, wow.
So that that'll be a first.
Let me see, I grew up in the StLouis area and I grew up in the
country.
As we were talking about it,the school year was spent living
growing up in an urban area andthe St Louis schools and
(04:11):
everything else, but then in thecountry, I was with my me and
my siblings were with mygrandparents, so we had a really
awesome time.
So that was that was fun.
I am like you mentioned.
I am the host of the trailpodcast.
I believe we're on our fourthseason now.
Amber (04:24):
Wow.
Kara (04:25):
And the podcast is based off of John 16, 33.
For in this world you will havetribulations and trials, but be
of good cheer.
Amber (04:34):
Cheer but.
Kara (04:35):
I have overcome the world, yes, and so we cover topics and
biblical figures and books thatkind of just really embrace
that.
We recently just did an encoreseries because it was one of our
highest ranking podcast seriesthat we originally did, I think,
in 2022.
It was based on a book, theScrewtape Letters oh yeah, by CS
(04:58):
Lewis.
And we covered some of thetopics in there.
It's about the demon Screwtapeand his nephew Wormwood and how
he was training him tomanipulate, deceive and
eventually try to kill the humanhe was assigned to.
So that's getting back up.
We've made an encore of thatover the past couple of months
and the new seasons and topicswill start in November.
(05:21):
So we love the podcast.
If you type in cheer podcast onany internet search, you will
be able to find us on iHeart,spotify, amazon, the works.
Amber (05:31):
Yeah, no, this is the and this is a.
You said the screw tape lettersand such.
Yes, how do you find cheer inthat?
You talk about some, a lot ofthe, even the series of ladies
that you speak about in yourbook, the Habakkuk series.
It's not necessarily cheery,it's that.
(05:52):
How do you bring joy to reallife situations?
How do you bring happiness intosome of these?
Most the trials of life andwhat inspired you to do that
Life?
Most the trials of life andwhat inspired you?
Kara (06:07):
to do that Life?
Yes, Some of the awful, scarythings that I have been through
in my life that God has broughtme through.
And the reason it's called theHabakkuk series is because my
favorite scripture, Habakkuk 319, and there's a particular
version and, if you don't mind,I want to read it directly
(06:28):
because I do not want to mess itup by trying to go from memory
and this is from the classicversion of the Amplified Bible.
It says the Lord, God, is mystrength, my personal bravery
and my inventable army.
He makes my feet like hind feetand will make me to walk not
stand still in terror, but towalk and to make spiritual
(06:50):
progress upon my high places oftrouble, suffering and
responsibility.
And God used that scripture acouple of years ago to just
really teach me a lot of things.
And it just that, really thatwith, like I said, just life
really inspired the Habakkukseries.
(07:13):
And, for those who don't know, Iwrite contemporary women's
fiction and my debut noveldebuted in January 2022.
So now book six releases nextmonth and it's a seven book
series.
But in the first book, gettingback to Amber's question, it's
based on five different women ordolls, five different women
(07:34):
that deal with five verydifferent things that are going
on in their life.
We have one who's a recent widowhusband died unexpectedly.
We have a preacher's daughterwho rebelled at a very early age
and is leading a way morelascivious lifestyle than her
mother would like her to.
The other one is married tosomeone for 30-something years
(07:56):
and she's finding out he is notwho she thought he was and she's
finding out the whole marriagehas been based on a lie.
And then you have Lydia, whowas given a diagnosis of
terminal cancer and shedesperately wants to reunite
with her daughter that shehasn't spoken to in over a
decade.
And then there was Mary, whowas kidnapped at a very young
(08:18):
age, eight years old, from thefront of her home and by the
grace of God she's able to findthem like 40 years later.
Oh, wow so all five of thosestories are in book, one paper
dolls, and after that each oneof those dolls had their own
story.
Amber (08:37):
Wow so paper dolls.
Kara (08:39):
Paper dolls Priscilla.
Paper dolls, lydia.
Paper dolls, e.
Paper dolls Mary yeah.
And then book seven is going towrap it up a little bit, so I
have a question for you, becauseI think it's the question I
have.
Lisa (08:52):
When I hear you say you're going into book seven of a
series and you started thisseries in 2022.
My question is what were youdoing before that and what
happened?
I know you said it was your.
You've been through some stuff.
Let's be honest.
You've been through some stuff,but to go from not writing to
(09:17):
writing a seven book series in amatter of just a couple of
years Okay, what did God say toyou?
Or what come about?
How did you discipline yourselfto produce like this?
Because I'm a fairly new writer.
I can write bits and pieces.
I've been writing articles forAmber and working with Amber on
(09:38):
freelance things for years, butwhen it comes to writing a book,
that's a different mindset tome and I'm thinking that's a
hurdle that would be really hardto jump just one book, let
alone seven.
Kara (09:50):
Let me back up a little bit.
Technically, I've been writing.
I wrote my first manuscript atthe age of 12.
Lisa (09:55):
But I'm not going to go back that far.
Kara (09:56):
Okay, I started writing when I homeschooled my boys and
at a homeschool meeting, one ofthe moms who knew I had a love
of writing she had said have youever heard of this group called
American?
She knew I wrote Christian, Idesired to write Christian
novels, and she said, oh, youought to join this group I'm
part of, called AmericanChristian Fiction Writers.
So that was in about 2011 or 20.
(10:18):
And I ended up joining them andI was in a process of writing a
book, a manuscript.
At the time.
They had this awesome critiquegroup and I.
That just really helped me andwe were able to get together
eventually and we created thisone group and now, like all of
them are, a couple of them arebest-selling authors right now,
but we were all novices then,okay, and so I was able to get
(10:42):
into that by 2013.
Acfw had something called theGenesis Contest and I entered my
manuscript at the time no 2012.
And it's semifinal.
And then in 2013, it finaled ina mystery thriller, suspense
category and the conference thenwas in Indiana and I got a
(11:04):
chance to meet one of myfavorite all-time authors, frank
Peretti.
Wow, If you know who that is,and so it didn't win.
It was one of three in thatparticular category.
I didn't win, but that so thewriting started taking place
around then, right when myyoungest was getting ready to
(11:25):
graduate from homeschool, highschool, but 2013,.
And then, even then, I wascontacted by a publisher who I
seen I had made the finalistthing.
But what happened?
Between 2013 and like 2018, soabout five, six years I became
really ill and it took a lot of.
It took different studies,scopes and all this other jazz
(11:49):
and I couldn't really figure outwhat was wrong.
But I'm fine now.
God is good and we eventually.
Oh, there was something verysimple, but not quite so simple,
but it got to the point where Ireally couldn't write during
those times.
Amber (12:02):
Wow.
Kara (12:03):
But I was still very much in the writing field.
I stayed a part of the writersgroup with my critique partners.
I was still writing, but it wasvery slow pace and so we would
write, but I was still in thewriting field.
I even worked for a publisher aChristian publisher during that
time, so I was still there.
Thankfully, about 2019, 2020, Iwas feeling so much better.
(12:25):
We got a grip on what was goingon and as the healing was
taking place, I'm feeling somuch better.
We got a grip on what thingswas, what was going on and as
the healing was taking place,I'm like you know what?
I've started on this one book,but I think I want to go another
direction with it.
So then I started there inabout 2020.
Of course, I was doing apandemic, so everyone had plenty
.
Amber (12:43):
Everybody was hermit.
Everybody was in their hermit.
Lisa (12:47):
You were either redoing your bathroom or you were.
Kara (12:52):
So it was.
And then in 2021, this othergroup I was a part of AWSA they
were meeting.
I thought they were having ameeting like an hour away from
me, excuse me, their conferencelike an hour away from me in
August of conference, like anhour away from me in august of
that year of 2021.
And that's where I said, youknow what, this is so close, I
(13:13):
don't even have to pay hotelfees because I'm within driving
distance, and so I'm like youknow what?
I think I'm just going to bitethe bullet and I'm going to go
ahead.
Never been one before and Iprepared everything.
I didn't have a literary agentand I didn't have a publisher.
I just had my second manuscriptthat I was working on and while
(13:36):
I was there, I got the interestof two agents and a publisher.
So I was there at the thing andI ended up getting an actual
agent that day.
Sharon Ross Elliott.
Amber (13:43):
Yes.
Kara (13:43):
I love Sharon we all love Sharon elliot.
Yes, you know, we all lovesharon, shout out sharon elliot
yeah, yes, so she is an awesomelady, she's the best, and so
that was august of 2021, byjanuary, by late december,
january, I believe, of 2022, shealready had a publisher for me
(14:04):
and and so it just went fromthere, but since then it's been
like two books a year, so it'snuts Two books a year.
Lisa (14:13):
That's amazing to me.
So I want to ask a little bitabout just how do you go about
creating, within your books,your characters, within your
books, your characters.
I would think that you have totake some time to have these
people walk around inside ofyour brain as you develop them
(14:33):
both who they arepersonality-wise, what struggles
they go through in life, evento the point of their culture,
how they were raised, what madethem who they are.
Tell me a little bit about thatprocess.
Do you research or are theseall people from life, people
you've watched and experiencedand somehow wrapped them into a
story?
Kara (14:55):
It's more of.
I'm a people observer right.
I always like to know why peopledo what they do and how they
react to certain situations, andI'm talking about from even
being in a grocery store.
I am just a people watcher andI like to observe people and
even if I'm watching somethingmindless on TV like a sitcom, I
(15:19):
watch the way that they eventhough they're acting, but how
they respond to certain things.
Since I was about a preteen orwhatnot, I think characters I
started being inspired bycharacter developments from
Shakespeare, believe it or not.
Amber (15:32):
Wow.
Kara (15:32):
And the only reason I say that was because I believe at
the time we were required totake it in school and of course,
they started with Romeo andJuliet, right.
Amber (15:43):
Yeah, yes.
Kara (15:44):
Yes, and I just remember I found it very difficult to read
and understand at the time, butas I got a little bit older,
I'm like well, his charactershave a lot of depth.
Yes, there's, a lot to thesecharacters and I became a
Shakespeare fan, believe it ornot.
A lot of that like the thingsthat I have known.
I have seen loved ones andpeople I know go through.
(16:06):
It's like a little bit ofeverything all into each
character.
Amber (16:10):
Wow.
Kara (16:10):
Because that adds to a little bit of everything I've
known, I've seen, I've witnessedinto one character, because
they have just levels to them,yes, yes.
And all of my characters,however and this is important to
me are believers in JesusChrist, but they are presented
with situations that not withall the characters.
It doesn't test all of theirfaith, but it really makes them
(16:36):
pull on their faith.
Amber (16:37):
Wow, if that makes sense.
You said something earlierabout being a people watcher yes
, and how that wraps intocharacterization.
How has being a people watcherdeveloped compassion in you
knowing or thinking about thesepeople's stories?
Kara (17:00):
It's interesting you say that, because my husband warns
me.
Sometimes you get so,especially when it's someone I
know he's like.
You become so empathetic withthem.
It's like you take on what theyare feeling and what they are
going through, as if it's yougoing through that.
(17:20):
So I think just by observingpeople and listening to them and
not just listening to the wordsthat come out of their mouth,
but the things that are notbeing said- it's like a
different ear it is, if you knowwhat I'm saying.
Amber (17:34):
So I know how that is because I'm a very empathetic
person myself and I can take on.
I can absorb somebody'ssituation and to the point that
it actually makes me take on.
I can absorb somebody'ssituation and to the point that
it actually makes me take on.
I guess I can take on theirsadness, I can take on their
(17:56):
struggle, I can take on, and forme that was huge in actually.
I think how it played out in meis actually making me sad or
making me feel weighed down bythe situations.
And I know that people say, oh,you just pray it or give it to
(18:18):
God.
And I found that is one of thehardest things to do, because
it's all just pray, or that'sbecause it's I'll just pray, or
that's.
It's hard to separate yourselffrom those emotions.
How do you do that?
Especially when you're goinginto a book, you're identifying
with a character, you're, Iwould assume that you have to
(18:42):
absorb their emotions a littlebit, to even write their
dialogue and move them throughthe story.
Kara (18:46):
Absolutely, and it's not uncommon and it happens more
often than I care to admit to,where I'm writing a story, real
time, and I am bawling.
I am bawling and I am justcrying and I'm going what is
wrong with me?
I probably need to see somebodyand I'm going what is?
wrong with me.
I probably need to see somebody, but it's like you can take
(19:10):
that on, because I've eitherknown someone who went through
that or something similar tothat, or the Lord has, in my
writing, led me to take it to adeeper level.
But in the same breath, in reallife and in the books, it's not
just the sadness that I cantake on.
I also take on the joys, and Iwould be on the phone and my
(19:31):
husband and someone would sharesome good news with me and I'm
like I just let out this screamand he'll come running.
He's going, oh, what's going on?
And I'm like so-and-so, justgot this.
And he's like, yeah, and youlet out a scream like that.
I'm like, yes, she's beenwaiting on this forever.
It's a blessing.
It can be a burden sometimes,because it's like when they're
(19:53):
excited, I'm excited, they'rehappy, I'm happy, they're
overjoyed, I'm overjoyed withthem.
They're sad, they're hurt,they're crying.
Then it's you know what I'msaying.
So you have to balance.
Writing has been a wonderfuloutlet.
Amber (20:06):
Yeah.
Lisa (20:07):
You hear people utilize the term book baby all the time,
especially when you live in thecircles of authors and it is.
It's like they become a part ofyou, they're your child in a
sense, and I would imaginethat's very much what it feels
like with fiction, especiallywhen you're creating characters,
and I think something thatmakes a really good character,
especially in fiction,especially when you're creating
(20:27):
characters, and I thinksomething that makes a really
good character, especially infiction, which is a made up
story, we base those characterson real life situations, because
the reality is you are writinga book of fiction.
For the glory of God, you dowant him to use this story and
(20:48):
ultimately there's an end goal,I'm sure, with your book babies.
What is the end goal for youultimately?
Kara (20:56):
For those who do not know Christ to know him by the end of
each of the book, and for thosewho do know Christ to be drawn
closer to him, and for thosethat are in the middle of a
trial and or tribulation or whoneeds God to be their personal
bravery, for him to be theirinvincible army.
If God can be for you, who candare be against you?
(21:19):
For those who are strugglingand going through situations
like that, to just be like ohwait a minute, I forgot who my
father was.
Amber (21:26):
Yeah.
Kara (21:27):
Yeah, see what I'm saying yes.
Lisa (21:29):
How Can you give us pictures or real life snippets
of how you've seen God workthrough some of these books?
Lives changed people that youtalk to.
What do your stories do forthem?
Kara (21:44):
From what I've, heard different people, different
things.
For instance, like I said, withbook one there's each character
, each of the five main ladiesthere.
The five main dolls and paperdolls the actual paper dolls
that you cut out play asignificant part in there and it
wraps up with why the book iscalled Paper Dolls and
everything else.
(22:04):
But then there's also like babydolls in there, and by that I
mean they're not the maincharacter, they're like either a
friend or a sister or daughterof some of the main characters.
I've had people say, oh my gosh, you cannot you've got to tell
Wendy's story Because of justthe things that she went through
(22:25):
.
I have heard people say they'relike any book you write.
Let me know, because it hasjust ministered to me, it has
blessed me.
It has made me see things in adifferent light and things like
that.
So it's and I've heard more,and I'm trying to try to not
take up a lot of time by justsome of the things that I have
heard, but that's the goal withthe book.
Amber (22:47):
Yeah, I know that a lot of people with characterization
and all that, and even with ourLeading ladies book, where we
took out these stories of women30 people they may have not
connected with every woman, butthat something they learned in
that reading their stories, thatbrought them to new
(23:10):
understanding and that's what Ithink, that even as Christ
followers and I think the endgoal is understanding through
love and also it's a working outof our faith, as we see,
(23:40):
reading stories of somebody wemight align with, that is
outside of our story andencouraging them in a way that
they are growing closer to God,and it's almost like you're
giving them a visual walkthroughof things that they shouldn't
maybe and things that story andactually you want to accomplish.
(24:23):
You want to accomplish bringingpeople closer to God and you
want to accomplish healing inthem through seeing these
stories.
I want to say who is the personin your book series that most
lines with you?
Is there a person?
Kara (24:45):
Yeah, maybe, okay, but and I think it would be if I had to
say, because I love, lisa saidI love all my book babies and
all my dolls.
Every last one of them is veryclose to my heart and when you
read, one of the first thingsyou see when you open up one of
the books is that thesecharacters are fictional but the
(25:06):
situations and thecircumstances that they find
themselves in are not right.
So if it would have to be onethat I think I had to draw a
little bit, some of them have alittle bit of me and my story.
I think the one that resonateswith me the most in a way, it
would be Mary, and she was onewho was kidnapped from her home
(25:26):
at the age of eight and then shereunites with them, like four
decades later, her biologicalfamily.
I was not kidnapped from the ageof eight, but I was kidnapped
at gunpoint by a stalker.
And when you look back oneverything that happened, when I
look back on everything thathappened in that particular
(25:47):
situation and how there's alwaysthat thought in the back of
your, that thought of I get backhome, I see my siblings, I see
my mom.
You know what I'm saying.
It's the way your mind playstricks on you during those types
of things, and so it was.
If I had to say one that I hadto draw something from that, was
it.
Fortunately, by the grace ofGod, I was returned to my family
(26:08):
that night.
That night and everything else.
But I think if one of them itwould be that being not knowing
that someone's watching yourevery move and just waiting for
the chance to you know when Iwere investigating, just
interviewing, talking aboutthings with you, we were looking
(26:29):
at how light this conversationcould be, but we just took a
real solid turn.
Lisa (26:34):
There didn't we be?
But we just took a real solidturn, there, didn't we?
A real life situation like thatultimately has to change you
from the inside out, and onlyJesus can come into those spaces
, whether you're a child or agrown woman, when you have
traumatic incidences.
Only Jesus, his presence, hispeace, can come in and heal and
(27:03):
inspire us to take the steps tomove forward.
Amen, yeah so true.
Kara (27:08):
Oh, absolutely Absolutely.
I can't.
I want to say so much moreabout that, but I'm just saying
situations like that can put youin chains spiritually and when
you let God in, the freedom thatcomes after that, the freedom
that comes with that, is justamazing.
A lot of forgiveness is coveredin my books.
A lot of talk about freedombeing just not being having no
(27:30):
strongholds in your life anymore, confronting very difficult
things.
However, I don't want everyoneto think that the book is just
emotionally heavy and everythinglike that, because, like life,
we need light moments.
Right, we need those lightmoments and they happen without
us even trying Something orsomeone in your life just
constantly makes you laugh andforget about.
(27:52):
So it's not just a very.
The topics are heavy, butthere's also situations and
circumstances in there that Ihope have you rolling on the
floor laughing.
Amber (28:01):
Yeah, right, that's.
That is, I've always said somethe ultimate prescription for
even fear a scary situation isto find a reason to laugh.
Even if it's even if it's notrelated to the situation.
God always encourages us tolook up to joy, look to his
(28:26):
provision, and he preserved youwhich is very joyous in that
situation, and you must haveknown in that time that God was
looking out for you in a verysignificant way.
Kara (28:45):
Oh, absolutely, and thankfully for me, and God is so
good.
I had people in my life when Iwas younger, before some of
those major incidents happened,that always took me to church
from when I was little andeverything else, and it was
during those difficult times inmy life that what I was.
You think when you're a childthat stuff goes on deaf ears,
(29:07):
but it doesn't.
No, it doesn't, it doesn't.
The seeds are planted and inthose situations I knew to call
on the Lord wow, wow youunderstand it was like I knew
what to do I knew what to dowhen man can't help you, when
you don't know if anyone in mycase someone did know what was
(29:28):
going on my my younger brotheractually was.
He alerted my mom to what hadhappened, and so, thankfully,
that's how I was able to berescued that night, because the
kidnapper had other plans right,he had a car wait.
There was a car waiting and sothere was other plans.
But thankfully my my brotherwas able to contact my mom
really quickly.
He was able.
She got the police on the scenepretty quickly and my youngest
(29:49):
brother was able to show themthe last place he had saw and
what was going on, and he had tolook for me from there.
But anyway, it's those.
I knew what to do.
Amber (29:59):
Yes, yes, that's so good and that's.
I can see why everything aboutyour life is pushing all the
trouble and turmoil and all thedark places to light and wanting
people to look up, becausethat's really our source of joy.
Happiness.
(30:20):
Tear is when we see thatthere's always joy, someone
above our situation who isfighting on our behalf.
He has all the power of theuniverse in his hands and he
loves us more than we know.
Lisa (30:39):
God is so good.
God is good Because he redeemsall those pieces.
Yeah, yeah, he redeems thosepieces, and you're even taking a
life story, something you'vebumped up against as serious as
this, and weaving it into astory that can bring glory to
him and redeem what you wentthrough.
(31:01):
How good is he to do that?
Kara (31:04):
Yes, oh absolutely yeah, and there was a time where I was
just like just what's the word?
Oh, woe is me Combining thatsituation with some other things
that happened.
And then, once you start see,the devil works in darkness.
Once you keep all that toyourself, you don't realize how
many?
Other people are going throughother things.
(31:25):
But once I started just openingup and talking about it, and
then other women would come tome and tell me their stories and
I'm like, oh my gosh, gosh howcould I be?
what was me?
What I went through was nothing, nothing compared to what they
went through for not just a day,not just weeks, not just months
(31:45):
, but years yeah and everythingelse.
And it's when you bring thosestories to light and shine a
light on them, god can take themand they just minister and
embrace people and they justyeah, it's because when he keeps
it in a dark he likes to teaseyou right.
Amber (32:02):
Who are you?
Kara (32:03):
You're so tainted You're not worthy.
You're this, you're that andeverything else, but God, like
he, redeems it all.
Amber (32:14):
Yeah, yeah, everything else, but God, like she didn't
give me things at all.
Yeah, yeah, I am.
That's exactly what Lisa said.
This is turned into such aprofound.
Thank you for sharing yourstory, and I know that a lot of
our ladies may have not beenthrough a situation like you
have, where your life was on theline in a very traumatic way.
For a girl, any woman, anyperson, would you close us in
(32:38):
prayer for those people, thoseladies who might have walked
through trauma, who have it'sstill keeping them bound, it's
still keeping them in the dark.
Satan is lying to them, butwould you close this out in this
episode in prayer?
Kara (32:56):
Yes, father God, adonai El Shaddai and a great I am.
Father God, there is none otherlike you, none other, none can
compare to your goodness andyour, to your goodness and your
mercy and your salvation.
Father god, there is none otherlike you who in the world can
compare to your glory, yourhonor and your power.
(33:18):
You are the ancient of days.
You are jehovah jireh.
You are our healer, father god.
You are our peace.
You're jehovah shalom.
You are the, the great I, andbeyond all of that, you are the
great physician, father God, andI just lift up to you in prayer
(33:38):
anyone and everyone listeningto this podcast this morning,
father God, who are gripped bythe ties of the past, father God
, that the past just still hastheir icy fingers into their
skin and is just gripping sotightly and refuses to let them
go.
Father God, I am a witness tohow things from decades ago,
(34:00):
father God, can still try tocontrol your life to this day.
And I just lift up those women,father God, and I pray, father
God, that you just heal themmentally, physically,
spiritually and emotionally.
Father God, from everything.
Heal them Mentally, physically,spiritually and emotionally,
father God, from everything thatthe enemy is trying To hold
them bound, to set them free,lord, and I know you can do it,
lord.
I am a witness and besides Whomthe son set free Is free.
(34:23):
Indeed, set them free, lord.
Bring them closer To you, lord,let them See and witness your
Physical healing.
Father God, heal them from theinside out.
Heal every hurt, every past.
Teach them about forgiveness,lord, minister, to their hearts,
in a way that only you can,because, father God, there's no
(34:43):
one who knows us the way thatyou do.
You knew us while we were beingknitted in the womb, before we
were in the womb, lord.
Father God, you knew us.
You know our thoughts, thethings we say out loud, the ones
that we don't say out loud.
Father God, I just pray thatyou put people in their path
whose steps have been ordered byyou, father God, to help them
heal, to guide them closer toyou, in the mighty name of Jesus
(35:07):
Christ of Nazareth.
Amen and amen.
Lisa (35:10):
Oh, thank you, Thank you, thank you so much.
Amber (35:18):
Thank you so much, kara.
I felt as you were praying,there's a lot of women trying to
move forward in purpose andthey keep tripping over their
past and they feel that somehowthey are sinning or in sin
because they are tripping overtrauma, and I feel that God just
wants to come in and have thefreedom to take that from you.
(35:41):
Yeah, just wants to take thatfrom you and to know that there
is no shame over tripping.
There is no shame, there is noshame over tripping.
There is no shame, there is noshame.
But he wants freedom for you towalk without a limp.
Yeah, so be free.
Kara (36:02):
And, if I can, it's just like in that scripture we were
reading, where he makes our feet, like hind feet, to leap freely
over those precarious slopes inour lives, over those high
places that have risen up falsealtars in our life.
That he wants us to be able todo that, so we can leap over
(36:22):
them freely, not staying stillin terror, but to leap free
enjoy over them there are somesituations too.
Lisa (36:31):
I'm just grateful.
Like we said several times, heredeems those crazy moments.
That is so good of him to dothat, because when you're
walking through them you have tosay, god, why would I ever have
to go through this?
Why did I have to, why did I?
And sometimes he's just sweetenough to show us that
(36:55):
redemptive part of things.
He redeems those moments.
He's so good about that.
We're so happy you were herewith us today.
I'm so happy our conversationtook that turn, although we are
very happy with Light and Fluffyat all times yes.
And we enjoy it, but I'mgrateful for the reality of your
story and I please keep tellingpeople these stories.
(37:21):
I am going to have to find thisseries.
I'm going to be one of yournewest fans.
Amber (37:27):
I'm going to have to get all of it.
Yes, there it is.
Lisa (37:29):
Where can people find your books, should they want to
start your series?
Kara (37:35):
they are available, they should be in your local
bookstore.
If they are not, please orderit and ask for it so that you
can get it there.
For those who love to shoponline, it is on amazon, kent,
burns and noble, and I believethey're also in Walmart and
Target in some areas.
So also the first.
(37:55):
I believe all five of them yes,because book six doesn't come
out for two more weeks andthat's Paper Dolls, mary, but I
believe all five of them are onAudible.
Amber (38:06):
Oh, wow, that's awesome.
Kara (38:08):
So for those who love to listen to the books, then you
can go and you can download themon Audible as well, and if you
want more information about thebooks, then feel free to go to
KaraRHuntcom.
That's Kara with aK-A-R-A-R-Huntcom, yay.
Amber (38:29):
Before we end.
I know, lisa, you have someimportant.
We have some importantinformation.
We have some importantinformation.
We have some important news.
Lisa (38:38):
Yes, we do.
We are so excited to tell youthat, for those of you that have
a copy of our Leading Ladiesbook which we're so thankful
that you purchased it and thatyou've been using it for studies
we finally have in our handsour leading ladies, my discovery
(38:59):
and next steps journal.
We are going to be doing alittle soft mini launch this
next week.
It's going to be available forthose of you that maybe want to
be on our launch team, butdidn't you still have time?
Amber (39:12):
Yes, you do.
Lisa (39:13):
Messages.
We will get you on the launchteam.
We're going to start talkingabout this next week.
You're going to start to seethings rolling through your
social media.
We cannot wait for you to havethis in your hand.
Many times, as we were goingthrough this book and people
were reading it, we had theprivilege of doing a blog tour.
Many times it was brought up.
(39:33):
I wish there was a journalcompanion to this book.
Amber and I, of course, can'tdo anything.
simply, we have to be extra, andso we put together this journal
and, yes, of course there isjournaling space, but we also
wanted the journey to go just alittle bit deeper for you.
Yes, so we also incorporatedsome new things to think about
(39:56):
for each chapter and, amberbeing even more extra than I,
sometimes, she makes sure thatyou had some adult coloring
spaces in here.
Amber (40:07):
Yes.
Lisa (40:08):
Really great spaces.
It's a beautiful, beautifuljournal.
I believe it will take you justeven deeper into the journey of
finding purpose, renewingpurpose in you.
We talked a little bit aboutlife experiences that Kara went
through.
Sometimes life experiences canstop us in our tracks and keep
us stopped and thank God thatdid not happen in your life,
(40:31):
kara but also the stories of thewomen in our leading ladies
book.
Basically, the stories in thisbook are more illustrations of
how women could have stopped intheir tracks, but God spurred
them on, and so we want you togo deeper.
It's coming.
Kara (40:49):
It's here.
You're going to hear about itthis week.
We're so happy.
Amber (40:53):
And we have a lot of extra goodies that is going to
be available on our Etsy storethat you will not be able to get
on Amazon, includingautographed copies, our new
fragrance and a gift set andsome beautiful key chains that
that lisa has gone.
(41:14):
All yarny and beautiful everyturn.
So yes, we have some lovelymacrame key chains that I every
little knot was lovingly tied byour own, lisa burns thank you,
guys for joining us today and,as always, please subscribe to
the podcast.
(41:35):
We are on all the podcastplatforms.
Now we are on YouTube, we're upand we're publishing all the
silly antics of our silliness,and so if you want to laugh, go
there.
Lisa (41:52):
There are a few serious moments as well, but, yeah,
you'll get to see the live videoversion of the podcast.
Amber (41:59):
So, yeah, it's so good.
So we, until next time, we willsee you and take care, and God
bless God bless you, bye Okay.
When do I stop waving?
Lisa (42:13):
I'm sitting here going.
When will it sign off?
It still says we're live, but Iknow we're not Hi guys, if
we're live, I'll keep waving.
Amber (42:22):
I'll keep doing the princess wave Amber will keep
doing the princess wave.
We are live.
Good morning everyone andwelcome to the Farm Girl edition
of Coffee Chat.
We have been talking thismorning with our lovely guest,
Kara Hunt.
Kara R Hunt there's multipleladies, yeah, and we're so
(00:21):
thankful to have the real KaraHunt here.
Author.
She is also the podcast host ofthe Cheer Up podcast and she is
full of cheer.
We love you, kara.
She has some of the mostawesome wig collection and I
would love for you to come backfor another episode to model
(00:43):
those wigs Because I just lovethose cute.
The last wig you had on for theAdvanced Writers and Speakers
Association, we had the GoldenScroll Awards and you came away
with a couple I was so proud of.
You Came away with a couple ofthose awards with us and you had
(01:04):
the the most cutest way.
It made me smile.
Just what your hair even makesme happy.
She lives in the same time zoneas us, in the same state,
missouri, and are you a cheesefan before?
Lisa (01:31):
yeah, let's just take you through a quiz before we can
move forward.
Do you know who patrick mahomesis?
Number one, okay, okay, okay,let me qualify this.
Amber (01:43):
Carol lives in rural Missouri, so we have not
established the fact.
She even has television.
Lisa (01:50):
Right.
Kara (01:51):
That's why I said rural.
Amber (01:56):
Oh, my goodness, and that's why she has so much time
to write all these lovely novelsand we are so happy to have her
on this journey with you, fromthe redo of your first, very
first book, award-winning bookCreeper Dolls, and it's so
exciting to see you're on.
(02:18):
I just finished the cover forbook number seven and, girl,
you're just racking out novelsLike I don't even know, like a
machine.
Lisa (02:31):
Amber insinuated during our warm-up time that maybe she
just because she lived in ruralAmerica where there was
absolutely nothing to do that'show she's been able to produce
so many.
Amber (02:43):
Yeah, that's true, she is the Walt Whitman of she's in
her little hobbit hole in inrural Missouri hey, if I had if
I had a hobbit hole in ruralMissouri, I'd be there.
I'd be there.
Sarah, thank you, welcome tothe show and thank you for
(03:05):
putting up with our me, mysilliness, and this is probably
going to be a crazy podcast.
Let me just say that gotstarted in writing in general,
and now how about you just tellus who you are, how you got
started, who?
Lisa (03:21):
you are, who are?
Amber (03:22):
you.
Kara let's just ask that.
Kara (03:25):
Okay, that is one of the actually one of the toughest
questions for me to answer,because I pretty much to me I
lead a very boring life.
Sorry, we know that Hubby and Ihave been married over.
He's upstairs, I should ask him.
Anyway, we got a lot ofquestions upstairs.
(03:49):
I should ask him anyway.
We have two adult sons, blakeand Stone, and no
daughter-in-laws orgrandchildren yet, though there
may be a marriage in the nextcouple of months, wow.
So that that'll be a first.
Let me see, I grew up in the StLouis area and I grew up in the
country.
As we were talking about it,the school year was spent living
growing up in an urban area andthe St Louis schools and
(04:11):
everything else, but then in thecountry, I was with my me and
my siblings were with mygrandparents, so we had a really
awesome time.
So that was that was fun.
I am like you mentioned.
I am the host of the trailpodcast.
I believe we're on our fourthseason now.
Amber (04:24):
Wow.
Kara (04:25):
And the podcast is based off of John 16, 33.
For in this world you will havetribulations and trials, but be
of good cheer.
Amber (04:34):
Cheer but.
Kara (04:35):
I have overcome the world, yes, and so we cover topics and
biblical figures and books thatkind of just really embrace
that.
We recently just did an encoreseries because it was one of our
highest ranking podcast seriesthat we originally did, I think,
in 2022.
It was based on a book, theScrewtape Letters oh yeah, by CS
(04:58):
Lewis.
And we covered some of thetopics in there.
It's about the demon Screwtapeand his nephew Wormwood and how
he was training him tomanipulate, deceive and
eventually try to kill the humanhe was assigned to.
So that's getting back up.
We've made an encore of thatover the past couple of months
and the new seasons and topicswill start in November.
(05:21):
So we love the podcast.
If you type in cheer podcast onany internet search, you will
be able to find us on iHeart,spotify, amazon, the works.
Amber (05:31):
Yeah, no, this is the and this is a.
You said the screw tape lettersand such.
Yes, how do you find cheer inthat?
You talk about some, a lot ofthe, even the series of ladies
that you speak about in yourbook, the Habakkuk series.
It's not necessarily cheery,it's that.
(05:52):
How do you bring joy to reallife situations?
How do you bring happiness intosome of these?
Most the trials of life andwhat inspired you to do that
Life?
Most the trials of life andwhat inspired you?
Kara (06:07):
to do that Life?
Yes, Some of the awful, scarythings that I have been through
in my life that God has broughtme through.
And the reason it's called theHabakkuk series is because my
favorite scripture, Habakkuk 319, and there's a particular
version and, if you don't mind,I want to read it directly
(06:28):
because I do not want to mess itup by trying to go from memory
and this is from the classicversion of the Amplified Bible.
It says the Lord, God, is mystrength, my personal bravery
and my inventable army.
He makes my feet like hind feetand will make me to walk not
stand still in terror, but towalk and to make spiritual
(06:50):
progress upon my high places oftrouble, suffering and
responsibility.
And God used that scripture acouple of years ago to just
really teach me a lot of things.
And it just that, really thatwith, like I said, just life
really inspired the Habakkukseries.
(07:13):
And, for those who don't know, Iwrite contemporary women's
fiction and my debut noveldebuted in January 2022.
So now book six releases nextmonth and it's a seven book
series.
But in the first book, gettingback to Amber's question, it's
based on five different women ordolls, five different women
(07:34):
that deal with five verydifferent things that are going
on in their life.
We have one who's a recent widowhusband died unexpectedly.
We have a preacher's daughterwho rebelled at a very early age
and is leading a way morelascivious lifestyle than her
mother would like her to.
The other one is married tosomeone for 30-something years
(07:56):
and she's finding out he is notwho she thought he was and she's
finding out the whole marriagehas been based on a lie.
And then you have Lydia, whowas given a diagnosis of
terminal cancer and shedesperately wants to reunite
with her daughter that shehasn't spoken to in over a
decade.
And then there was Mary, whowas kidnapped at a very young
(08:18):
age, eight years old, from thefront of her home and by the
grace of God she's able to findthem like 40 years later.
Oh, wow so all five of thosestories are in book, one paper
dolls, and after that each oneof those dolls had their own
story.
Amber (08:37):
Wow so paper dolls.
Kara (08:39):
Paper dolls Priscilla.
Paper dolls, lydia.
Paper dolls, e.
Paper dolls Mary yeah.
And then book seven is going towrap it up a little bit, so I
have a question for you, becauseI think it's the question I
have.
Lisa (08:52):
When I hear you say you're going into book seven of a
series and you started thisseries in 2022.
My question is what were youdoing before that and what
happened?
I know you said it was your.
You've been through some stuff.
Let's be honest.
You've been through some stuff,but to go from not writing to
(09:17):
writing a seven book series in amatter of just a couple of
years Okay, what did God say toyou?
Or what come about?
How did you discipline yourselfto produce like this?
Because I'm a fairly new writer.
I can write bits and pieces.
I've been writing articles forAmber and working with Amber on
(09:38):
freelance things for years, butwhen it comes to writing a book,
that's a different mindset tome and I'm thinking that's a
hurdle that would be really hardto jump just one book, let
alone seven.
Kara (09:50):
Let me back up a little bit.
Technically, I've been writing.
I wrote my first manuscript atthe age of 12.
Lisa (09:55):
But I'm not going to go back that far.
Kara (09:56):
Okay, I started writing when I homeschooled my boys and
at a homeschool meeting, one ofthe moms who knew I had a love
of writing she had said have youever heard of this group called
American?
She knew I wrote Christian, Idesired to write Christian
novels, and she said, oh, youought to join this group I'm
part of, called AmericanChristian Fiction Writers.
So that was in about 2011 or 20.
(10:18):
And I ended up joining them andI was in a process of writing a
book, a manuscript.
At the time.
They had this awesome critiquegroup and I.
That just really helped me andwe were able to get together
eventually and we created thisone group and now, like all of
them are, a couple of them arebest-selling authors right now,
but we were all novices then,okay, and so I was able to get
(10:42):
into that by 2013.
Acfw had something called theGenesis Contest and I entered my
manuscript at the time no 2012.
And it's semifinal.
And then in 2013, it finaled ina mystery thriller, suspense
category and the conference thenwas in Indiana and I got a
(11:04):
chance to meet one of myfavorite all-time authors, frank
Peretti.
Wow, If you know who that is,and so it didn't win.
It was one of three in thatparticular category.
I didn't win, but that so thewriting started taking place
around then, right when myyoungest was getting ready to
(11:25):
graduate from homeschool, highschool, but 2013,.
And then, even then, I wascontacted by a publisher who I
seen I had made the finalistthing.
But what happened?
Between 2013 and like 2018, soabout five, six years I became
really ill and it took a lot of.
It took different studies,scopes and all this other jazz
(11:49):
and I couldn't really figure outwhat was wrong.
But I'm fine now.
God is good and we eventually.
Oh, there was something verysimple, but not quite so simple,
but it got to the point where Ireally couldn't write during
those times.
Amber (12:02):
Wow.
Kara (12:03):
But I was still very much in the writing field.
I stayed a part of the writersgroup with my critique partners.
I was still writing, but it wasvery slow pace and so we would
write, but I was still in thewriting field.
I even worked for a publisher aChristian publisher during that
time, so I was still there.
Thankfully, about 2019, 2020, Iwas feeling so much better.
(12:25):
We got a grip on what was goingon and as the healing was
taking place, I'm feeling somuch better.
We got a grip on what thingswas, what was going on and as
the healing was taking place,I'm like you know what?
I've started on this one book,but I think I want to go another
direction with it.
So then I started there inabout 2020.
Of course, I was doing apandemic, so everyone had plenty
.
Amber (12:43):
Everybody was hermit.
Everybody was in their hermit.
Lisa (12:47):
You were either redoing your bathroom or you were.
Kara (12:52):
So it was.
And then in 2021, this othergroup I was a part of AWSA they
were meeting.
I thought they were having ameeting like an hour away from
me, excuse me, their conferencelike an hour away from me in
August of conference, like anhour away from me in august of
that year of 2021.
And that's where I said, youknow what, this is so close, I
(13:13):
don't even have to pay hotelfees because I'm within driving
distance, and so I'm like youknow what?
I think I'm just going to bitethe bullet and I'm going to go
ahead.
Never been one before and Iprepared everything.
I didn't have a literary agentand I didn't have a publisher.
I just had my second manuscriptthat I was working on and while
(13:36):
I was there, I got the interestof two agents and a publisher.
So I was there at the thing andI ended up getting an actual
agent that day.
Sharon Ross Elliott.
Amber (13:43):
Yes.
Kara (13:43):
I love Sharon we all love Sharon elliot.
Yes, you know, we all lovesharon, shout out sharon elliot
yeah, yes, so she is an awesomelady, she's the best, and so
that was august of 2021, byjanuary, by late december,
january, I believe, of 2022, shealready had a publisher for me
(14:04):
and and so it just went fromthere, but since then it's been
like two books a year, so it'snuts Two books a year.
Lisa (14:13):
That's amazing to me.
So I want to ask a little bitabout just how do you go about
creating, within your books,your characters, within your
books, your characters.
I would think that you have totake some time to have these
people walk around inside ofyour brain as you develop them
(14:33):
both who they arepersonality-wise, what struggles
they go through in life, evento the point of their culture,
how they were raised, what madethem who they are.
Tell me a little bit about thatprocess.
Do you research or are theseall people from life, people
you've watched and experiencedand somehow wrapped them into a
story?
Kara (14:55):
It's more of.
I'm a people observer right.
I always like to know why peopledo what they do and how they
react to certain situations, andI'm talking about from even
being in a grocery store.
I am just a people watcher andI like to observe people and
even if I'm watching somethingmindless on TV like a sitcom, I
(15:19):
watch the way that they eventhough they're acting, but how
they respond to certain things.
Since I was about a preteen orwhatnot, I think characters I
started being inspired bycharacter developments from
Shakespeare, believe it or not.
Amber (15:32):
Wow.
Kara (15:32):
And the only reason I say that was because I believe at
the time we were required totake it in school and of course,
they started with Romeo andJuliet, right.
Amber (15:43):
Yeah, yes.
Kara (15:44):
Yes, and I just remember I found it very difficult to read
and understand at the time, butas I got a little bit older,
I'm like well, his charactershave a lot of depth.
Yes, there's, a lot to thesecharacters and I became a
Shakespeare fan, believe it ornot.
A lot of that like the thingsthat I have known.
I have seen loved ones andpeople I know go through.
(16:06):
It's like a little bit ofeverything all into each
character.
Amber (16:10):
Wow.
Kara (16:10):
Because that adds to a little bit of everything I've
known, I've seen, I've witnessedinto one character, because
they have just levels to them,yes, yes.
And all of my characters,however and this is important to
me are believers in JesusChrist, but they are presented
with situations that not withall the characters.
It doesn't test all of theirfaith, but it really makes them
(16:36):
pull on their faith.
Amber (16:37):
Wow, if that makes sense.
You said something earlierabout being a people watcher yes
, and how that wraps intocharacterization.
How has being a people watcherdeveloped compassion in you
knowing or thinking about thesepeople's stories?
Kara (17:00):
It's interesting you say that, because my husband warns
me.
Sometimes you get so,especially when it's someone I
know he's like.
You become so empathetic withthem.
It's like you take on what theyare feeling and what they are
going through, as if it's yougoing through that.
(17:20):
So I think just by observingpeople and listening to them and
not just listening to the wordsthat come out of their mouth,
but the things that are notbeing said- it's like a
different ear it is, if you knowwhat I'm saying.
Amber (17:34):
So I know how that is because I'm a very empathetic
person myself and I can take on.
I can absorb somebody'ssituation and to the point that
it actually makes me take on.
I can absorb somebody'ssituation and to the point that
it actually makes me take on.
I guess I can take on theirsadness, I can take on their
(17:56):
struggle, I can take on, and forme that was huge in actually.
I think how it played out in meis actually making me sad or
making me feel weighed down bythe situations.
And I know that people say, oh,you just pray it or give it to
(18:18):
God.
And I found that is one of thehardest things to do, because
it's all just pray, or that'sbecause it's I'll just pray, or
that's.
It's hard to separate yourselffrom those emotions.
How do you do that?
Especially when you're goinginto a book, you're identifying
with a character, you're, Iwould assume that you have to
(18:42):
absorb their emotions a littlebit, to even write their
dialogue and move them throughthe story.
Kara (18:46):
Absolutely, and it's not uncommon and it happens more
often than I care to admit to,where I'm writing a story, real
time, and I am bawling.
I am bawling and I am justcrying and I'm going what is
wrong with me?
I probably need to see somebodyand I'm going what is?
wrong with me.
I probably need to see somebody, but it's like you can take
(19:10):
that on, because I've eitherknown someone who went through
that or something similar tothat, or the Lord has, in my
writing, led me to take it to adeeper level.
But in the same breath, in reallife and in the books, it's not
just the sadness that I cantake on.
I also take on the joys, and Iwould be on the phone and my
(19:31):
husband and someone would sharesome good news with me and I'm
like I just let out this screamand he'll come running.
He's going, oh, what's going on?
And I'm like so-and-so, justgot this.
And he's like, yeah, and youlet out a scream like that.
I'm like, yes, she's beenwaiting on this forever.
It's a blessing.
It can be a burden sometimes,because it's like when they're
(19:53):
excited, I'm excited, they'rehappy, I'm happy, they're
overjoyed, I'm overjoyed withthem.
They're sad, they're hurt,they're crying.
Then it's you know what I'msaying.
So you have to balance.
Writing has been a wonderfuloutlet.
Amber (20:06):
Yeah.
Lisa (20:07):
You hear people utilize the term book baby all the time,
especially when you live in thecircles of authors and it is.
It's like they become a part ofyou, they're your child in a
sense, and I would imaginethat's very much what it feels
like with fiction, especiallywhen you're creating characters,
and I think something thatmakes a really good character,
especially in fiction,especially when you're creating
(20:27):
characters, and I thinksomething that makes a really
good character, especially infiction, which is a made up
story, we base those characterson real life situations, because
the reality is you are writinga book of fiction.
For the glory of God, you dowant him to use this story and
(20:48):
ultimately there's an end goal,I'm sure, with your book babies.
What is the end goal for youultimately?
Kara (20:56):
For those who do not know Christ to know him by the end of
each of the book, and for thosewho do know Christ to be drawn
closer to him, and for thosethat are in the middle of a
trial and or tribulation or whoneeds God to be their personal
bravery, for him to be theirinvincible army.
If God can be for you, who candare be against you?
(21:19):
For those who are strugglingand going through situations
like that, to just be like ohwait a minute, I forgot who my
father was.
Amber (21:26):
Yeah.
Kara (21:27):
Yeah, see what I'm saying yes.
Lisa (21:29):
How Can you give us pictures or real life snippets
of how you've seen God workthrough some of these books?
Lives changed people that youtalk to.
What do your stories do forthem?
Kara (21:44):
From what I've, heard different people, different
things.
For instance, like I said, withbook one there's each character
, each of the five main ladiesthere.
The five main dolls and paperdolls the actual paper dolls
that you cut out play asignificant part in there and it
wraps up with why the book iscalled Paper Dolls and
everything else.
(22:04):
But then there's also like babydolls in there, and by that I
mean they're not the maincharacter, they're like either a
friend or a sister or daughterof some of the main characters.
I've had people say, oh my gosh, you cannot you've got to tell
Wendy's story Because of justthe things that she went through
(22:25):
.
I have heard people say they'relike any book you write.
Let me know, because it hasjust ministered to me, it has
blessed me.
It has made me see things in adifferent light and things like
that.
So it's and I've heard more,and I'm trying to try to not
take up a lot of time by justsome of the things that I have
heard, but that's the goal withthe book.
Amber (22:47):
Yeah, I know that a lot of people with characterization
and all that, and even with ourLeading ladies book, where we
took out these stories of women30 people they may have not
connected with every woman, butthat something they learned in
that reading their stories, thatbrought them to new
(23:10):
understanding and that's what Ithink, that even as Christ
followers and I think the endgoal is understanding through
love and also it's a working outof our faith, as we see,
(23:40):
reading stories of somebody wemight align with, that is
outside of our story andencouraging them in a way that
they are growing closer to God,and it's almost like you're
giving them a visual walkthroughof things that they shouldn't
maybe and things that story andactually you want to accomplish.
(24:23):
You want to accomplish bringingpeople closer to God and you
want to accomplish healing inthem through seeing these
stories.
I want to say who is the personin your book series that most
lines with you?
Is there a person?
Kara (24:45):
Yeah, maybe, okay, but and I think it would be if I had to
say, because I love, lisa saidI love all my book babies and
all my dolls.
Every last one of them is veryclose to my heart and when you
read, one of the first thingsyou see when you open up one of
the books is that thesecharacters are fictional but the
(25:06):
situations and thecircumstances that they find
themselves in are not right.
So if it would have to be onethat I think I had to draw a
little bit, some of them have alittle bit of me and my story.
I think the one that resonateswith me the most in a way, it
would be Mary, and she was onewho was kidnapped from her home
(25:26):
at the age of eight and then shereunites with them, like four
decades later, her biologicalfamily.
I was not kidnapped from the ageof eight, but I was kidnapped
at gunpoint by a stalker.
And when you look back oneverything that happened, when I
look back on everything thathappened in that particular
(25:47):
situation and how there's alwaysthat thought in the back of
your, that thought of I get backhome, I see my siblings, I see
my mom.
You know what I'm saying.
It's the way your mind playstricks on you during those types
of things, and so it was.
If I had to say one that I hadto draw something from that, was
it.
Fortunately, by the grace ofGod, I was returned to my family
(26:08):
that night.
That night and everything else.
But I think if one of them itwould be that being not knowing
that someone's watching yourevery move and just waiting for
the chance to you know when Iwere investigating, just
interviewing, talking aboutthings with you, we were looking
(26:29):
at how light this conversationcould be, but we just took a
real solid turn.
Lisa (26:34):
There didn't we be?
But we just took a real solidturn, there, didn't we?
A real life situation like thatultimately has to change you
from the inside out, and onlyJesus can come into those spaces
, whether you're a child or agrown woman, when you have
traumatic incidences.
Only Jesus, his presence, hispeace, can come in and heal and
(27:03):
inspire us to take the steps tomove forward.
Amen, yeah so true.
Kara (27:08):
Oh, absolutely Absolutely.
I can't.
I want to say so much moreabout that, but I'm just saying
situations like that can put youin chains spiritually and when
you let God in, the freedom thatcomes after that, the freedom
that comes with that, is justamazing.
A lot of forgiveness is coveredin my books.
A lot of talk about freedombeing just not being having no
(27:30):
strongholds in your life anymore, confronting very difficult
things.
However, I don't want everyoneto think that the book is just
emotionally heavy and everythinglike that, because, like life,
we need light moments.
Right, we need those lightmoments and they happen without
us even trying Something orsomeone in your life just
constantly makes you laugh andforget about.
(27:52):
So it's not just a very.
The topics are heavy, butthere's also situations and
circumstances in there that Ihope have you rolling on the
floor laughing.
Amber (28:01):
Yeah, right, that's.
That is, I've always said somethe ultimate prescription for
even fear a scary situation isto find a reason to laugh.
Even if it's even if it's notrelated to the situation.
God always encourages us tolook up to joy, look to his
(28:26):
provision, and he preserved youwhich is very joyous in that
situation, and you must haveknown in that time that God was
looking out for you in a verysignificant way.
Kara (28:45):
Oh, absolutely, and thankfully for me, and God is so
good.
I had people in my life when Iwas younger, before some of
those major incidents happened,that always took me to church
from when I was little andeverything else, and it was
during those difficult times inmy life that what I was.
You think when you're a childthat stuff goes on deaf ears,
(29:07):
but it doesn't.
No, it doesn't, it doesn't.
The seeds are planted and inthose situations I knew to call
on the Lord wow, wow youunderstand it was like I knew
what to do I knew what to dowhen man can't help you, when
you don't know if anyone in mycase someone did know what was
(29:28):
going on my my younger brotheractually was.
He alerted my mom to what hadhappened, and so, thankfully,
that's how I was able to berescued that night, because the
kidnapper had other plans right,he had a car wait.
There was a car waiting and sothere was other plans.
But thankfully my my brotherwas able to contact my mom
really quickly.
He was able.
She got the police on the scenepretty quickly and my youngest
(29:49):
brother was able to show themthe last place he had saw and
what was going on, and he had tolook for me from there.
But anyway, it's those.
I knew what to do.
Amber (29:59):
Yes, yes, that's so good and that's.
I can see why everything aboutyour life is pushing all the
trouble and turmoil and all thedark places to light and wanting
people to look up, becausethat's really our source of joy.
Happiness.
(30:20):
Tear is when we see thatthere's always joy, someone
above our situation who isfighting on our behalf.
He has all the power of theuniverse in his hands and he
loves us more than we know.
Lisa (30:39):
God is so good.
God is good Because he redeemsall those pieces.
Yeah, yeah, he redeems thosepieces, and you're even taking a
life story, something you'vebumped up against as serious as
this, and weaving it into astory that can bring glory to
him and redeem what you wentthrough.
(31:01):
How good is he to do that?
Kara (31:04):
Yes, oh absolutely yeah, and there was a time where I was
just like just what's the word?
Oh, woe is me Combining thatsituation with some other things
that happened.
And then, once you start see,the devil works in darkness.
Once you keep all that toyourself, you don't realize how
many?
Other people are going throughother things.
(31:25):
But once I started just openingup and talking about it, and
then other women would come tome and tell me their stories and
I'm like, oh my gosh, gosh howcould I be?
what was me?
What I went through was nothing, nothing compared to what they
went through for not just a day,not just weeks, not just months
(31:45):
, but years yeah and everythingelse.
And it's when you bring thosestories to light and shine a
light on them, god can take themand they just minister and
embrace people and they justyeah, it's because when he keeps
it in a dark he likes to teaseyou right.
Amber (32:02):
Who are you?
Kara (32:03):
You're so tainted You're not worthy.
You're this, you're that andeverything else, but God, like
he, redeems it all.
Amber (32:14):
Yeah, yeah, everything else, but God, like she didn't
give me things at all.
Yeah, yeah, I am.
That's exactly what Lisa said.
This is turned into such aprofound.
Thank you for sharing yourstory, and I know that a lot of
our ladies may have not beenthrough a situation like you
have, where your life was on theline in a very traumatic way.
For a girl, any woman, anyperson, would you close us in
(32:38):
prayer for those people, thoseladies who might have walked
through trauma, who have it'sstill keeping them bound, it's
still keeping them in the dark.
Satan is lying to them, butwould you close this out in this
episode in prayer?
Kara (32:56):
Yes, father God, adonai El Shaddai and a great I am.
Father God, there is none otherlike you, none other, none can
compare to your goodness andyour, to your goodness and your
mercy and your salvation.
Father god, there is none otherlike you who in the world can
compare to your glory, yourhonor and your power.
(33:18):
You are the ancient of days.
You are jehovah jireh.
You are our healer, father god.
You are our peace.
You're jehovah shalom.
You are the, the great I, andbeyond all of that, you are the
great physician, father God, andI just lift up to you in prayer
(33:38):
anyone and everyone listeningto this podcast this morning,
father God, who are gripped bythe ties of the past, father God
, that the past just still hastheir icy fingers into their
skin and is just gripping sotightly and refuses to let them
go.
Father God, I am a witness tohow things from decades ago,
(34:00):
father God, can still try tocontrol your life to this day.
And I just lift up those women,father God, and I pray, father
God, that you just heal themmentally, physically,
spiritually and emotionally.
Father God, from everything.
Heal them Mentally, physically,spiritually and emotionally,
father God, from everything thatthe enemy is trying To hold
them bound, to set them free,lord, and I know you can do it,
lord.
I am a witness and besides Whomthe son set free Is free.
(34:23):
Indeed, set them free, lord.
Bring them closer To you, lord,let them See and witness your
Physical healing.
Father God, heal them from theinside out.
Heal every hurt, every past.
Teach them about forgiveness,lord, minister, to their hearts,
in a way that only you can,because, father God, there's no
(34:43):
one who knows us the way thatyou do.
You knew us while we were beingknitted in the womb, before we
were in the womb, lord.
Father God, you knew us.
You know our thoughts, thethings we say out loud, the ones
that we don't say out loud.
Father God, I just pray thatyou put people in their path
whose steps have been ordered byyou, father God, to help them
heal, to guide them closer toyou, in the mighty name of Jesus
(35:07):
Christ of Nazareth.
Amen and amen.
Lisa (35:10):
Oh, thank you, Thank you, thank you so much.
Amber (35:18):
Thank you so much, kara.
I felt as you were praying,there's a lot of women trying to
move forward in purpose andthey keep tripping over their
past and they feel that somehowthey are sinning or in sin
because they are tripping overtrauma, and I feel that God just
wants to come in and have thefreedom to take that from you.
(35:41):
Yeah, just wants to take thatfrom you and to know that there
is no shame over tripping.
There is no shame, there is noshame over tripping.
There is no shame, there is noshame.
But he wants freedom for you towalk without a limp.
Yeah, so be free.
Kara (36:02):
And, if I can, it's just like in that scripture we were
reading, where he makes our feet, like hind feet, to leap freely
over those precarious slopes inour lives, over those high
places that have risen up falsealtars in our life.
That he wants us to be able todo that, so we can leap over
(36:22):
them freely, not staying stillin terror, but to leap free
enjoy over them there are somesituations too.
Lisa (36:31):
I'm just grateful.
Like we said several times, heredeems those crazy moments.
That is so good of him to dothat, because when you're
walking through them you have tosay, god, why would I ever have
to go through this?
Why did I have to, why did I?
And sometimes he's just sweetenough to show us that
(36:55):
redemptive part of things.
He redeems those moments.
He's so good about that.
We're so happy you were herewith us today.
I'm so happy our conversationtook that turn, although we are
very happy with Light and Fluffyat all times yes.
And we enjoy it, but I'mgrateful for the reality of your
story and I please keep tellingpeople these stories.
(37:21):
I am going to have to find thisseries.
I'm going to be one of yournewest fans.
Amber (37:27):
I'm going to have to get all of it.
Yes, there it is.
Lisa (37:29):
Where can people find your books, should they want to
start your series?
Kara (37:35):
they are available, they should be in your local
bookstore.
If they are not, please orderit and ask for it so that you
can get it there.
For those who love to shoponline, it is on amazon, kent,
burns and noble, and I believethey're also in Walmart and
Target in some areas.
So also the first.
(37:55):
I believe all five of them yes,because book six doesn't come
out for two more weeks andthat's Paper Dolls, mary, but I
believe all five of them are onAudible.
Amber (38:06):
Oh, wow, that's awesome.
Kara (38:08):
So for those who love to listen to the books, then you
can go and you can download themon Audible as well, and if you
want more information about thebooks, then feel free to go to
KaraRHuntcom.
That's Kara with aK-A-R-A-R-Huntcom, yay.
Amber (38:29):
Before we end.
I know, lisa, you have someimportant.
We have some importantinformation.
We have some importantinformation.
We have some important news.
Lisa (38:38):
Yes, we do.
We are so excited to tell youthat, for those of you that have
a copy of our Leading Ladiesbook which we're so thankful
that you purchased it and thatyou've been using it for studies
we finally have in our handsour leading ladies, my discovery
(38:59):
and next steps journal.
We are going to be doing alittle soft mini launch this
next week.
It's going to be available forthose of you that maybe want to
be on our launch team, butdidn't you still have time?
Amber (39:12):
Yes, you do.
Lisa (39:13):
Messages.
We will get you on the launchteam.
We're going to start talkingabout this next week.
You're going to start to seethings rolling through your
social media.
We cannot wait for you to havethis in your hand.
Many times, as we were goingthrough this book and people
were reading it, we had theprivilege of doing a blog tour.
Many times it was brought up.
(39:33):
I wish there was a journalcompanion to this book.
Amber and I, of course, can'tdo anything.
simply, we have to be extra, andso we put together this journal
and, yes, of course there isjournaling space, but we also
wanted the journey to go just alittle bit deeper for you.
Yes, so we also incorporatedsome new things to think about
(39:56):
for each chapter and, amberbeing even more extra than I,
sometimes, she makes sure thatyou had some adult coloring
spaces in here.
Amber (40:07):
Yes.
Lisa (40:08):
Really great spaces.
It's a beautiful, beautifuljournal.
I believe it will take you justeven deeper into the journey of
finding purpose, renewingpurpose in you.
We talked a little bit aboutlife experiences that Kara went
through.
Sometimes life experiences canstop us in our tracks and keep
us stopped and thank God thatdid not happen in your life,
(40:31):
kara but also the stories of thewomen in our leading ladies
book.
Basically, the stories in thisbook are more illustrations of
how women could have stopped intheir tracks, but God spurred
them on, and so we want you togo deeper.
It's coming.
Kara (40:49):
It's here.
You're going to hear about itthis week.
We're so happy.
Amber (40:53):
And we have a lot of extra goodies that is going to
be available on our Etsy storethat you will not be able to get
on Amazon, includingautographed copies, our new
fragrance and a gift set andsome beautiful key chains that
that lisa has gone.
(41:14):
All yarny and beautiful everyturn.
So yes, we have some lovelymacrame key chains that I every
little knot was lovingly tied byour own, lisa burns thank you,
guys for joining us today and,as always, please subscribe to
the podcast.
(41:35):
We are on all the podcastplatforms.
Now we are on YouTube, we're upand we're publishing all the
silly antics of our silliness,and so if you want to laugh, go
there.
Lisa (41:52):
There are a few serious moments as well, but, yeah,
you'll get to see the live videoversion of the podcast.
Amber (41:59):
So, yeah, it's so good.
So we, until next time, we willsee you and take care, and God
bless God bless you, bye Okay.
When do I stop waving?
Lisa (42:13):
I'm sitting here going.
When will it sign off?
It still says we're live, but Iknow we're not Hi guys, if
we're live, I'll keep waving.
Amber (42:22):
I'll keep doing the princess wave Amber will keep
doing the princess wave.
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