Jan Karon

Jan Karon knew at a very early age that she wanted to be a writer. She penned her first novel when she was 10 years old, the same year she won a short-story contest organized by the local high school.

At 18, Karon began working as a receptionist for a Charlotte, N.C. advertising agency. She advanced in the company after leaving samples of her writing on the desk of her boss, who eventually noticed her talent. Karon went on to have a highly successful career in the field, winning awards for ad agencies from Charlotte to San Francisco. In time, she became a creative vice president at the high-profile McKinney & Silver. While there, she won the prestigious Stephen Kelly Award, with which the Magazine Publishers of America honor the year’s best print campaign.

During her years in advertising, Karon kept alive her childhood ambition to be an author. At the age of 50, she left her career in advertising and moved to Blowing Rock, NC, to pursue that dream. After struggling—and failing—to get a novel underway, Karon awoke one night with a mental image of an Episcopal priest walking down a village street. She grew curious and started writing about a character she named Father Tim Kavanagh. Soon, Karon was publishing weekly installments about Father Tim in her local newspaper, The Blowing Rocket, which saw its circulation double as a result. “The installment plan certainly worked for Mr. Dickens,” says Karon.

The installments became Karon’s first "Mitford" novel, "At Home in Mitford." That book has since been reprinted more than 80 times and was nominated three times for an American Booksellers Book of the Year Award, which honors titles that bookstore owners most enjoy recommending to customers. "A New Song" won the Christy and Gold Medallion awards for outstanding contemporary fiction in 2000. "A Common Life," "In This Mountain," and "Shepherd’s Abiding" have also won Gold Medallion awards. Since the publication of Out to Canaan, Karon’s books have ridden high atop the New York Times bestseller list, frequently landing at No. 1.

Karon has also published two Christmas-themed books based on the Mitford series, "The Mitford Snowmen" and "Esther’s Gift," as well as Jan Karon’s "Mitford Cookbook" and "Kitchen Reader." Other Mitford books include "Patches of Godlight: A Compilation of Wit and Wisdom" and "A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration." In addition, Jan has written two children’s books, "Miss Fannie’s Hat" and "Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny," and an illustrated book for all ages, "The Trellis and the Seed." For readers interested in Cynthia’s legendary cat books, Jan presents "Violet Comes to Stay" and "Violet Goes to the Country."

Karon says her character-driven work seeks to give readers a large, extended family to call their own.