Karen Kingsbury was born in Fairfax, Virginia on June 8, 1963. She received a B.A. in journalism from California State University, Northridge in 1986. After graduation, she became a full-time reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Her first book, Missys Murder, was published in 1992. She wrote three more true crime novels and four collections of answered prayers and miracle stories before transitioning to inspirational fiction in 1998. Her first inspirational fiction novel was Where Yesterday Lives. Popular series she has penned include the Redemption, Firstborn, and Sunrise series, and she has also written the nonfiction Miracle Books collection, gift books, and childrens books. She has won several Retailers Choice Awards, plus 2005 and 2007 Gold Medallions for Oceans Apart and Ever After, respectively. Her title Longing made the New York Times Best Seller list for 2011and her title Coming Home - The Baxter Family: A Story of Undying Hope made the 2012 New York Times Best Seller List.