Author Interview – Karen Ferguson – picture book

About the Book

Book: Guess How Much God Loves You

Author: Karen Ferguson

Genre: Children’s book (picture book)

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Release date: July 19, 2022

Take a journey through the Bible with Lucy Lu, a colorful, creatively curious first grader who is starting to have serious questions about God.

Questions like: How old is He? Does He sleep? What does He do all day? And the biggest one of all – does God really love me?

After one very hard day, feeling like she doesn’t matter, Lucy sits with her Papa Joe who has promised to answer these questions and more, launching them onto an exciting journey to discover God’s never changing, never failing, never ending love.

What follows in this book series is a wild adventure through the Bible, where Lucy and her Papa find themselves in the middle of it all, on each page of the powerful story of God’s love and faithfulness for all people, throughout all history.

This first book is all about God’s Creation 🌎

Guess How Much God Loves You is a vibrant, fun, and biblically based book that is sure to captivate young readers as it teaches them important Bible truths that will help them build a firm foundation in God and His Good Character – all through the lens of His unconditional love.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author Karen Ferguson

Karen Ferguson is a freelance writer and small business owner with a background in K-8 education. A grateful wife, mom, and grandmom she loves words and the Word of God and is passionate about writing stories that grab and hold young readers’ attention, teaching them all about God’s unchangeable truths, and His unchanging love for them.

Her first children’s book, Guess How Much God Loves You, was released in July 2022 through Ambassador International and is available wherever books are sold.

More from Karen Ferguson

Are you looking for God honoring books that will captivate your child’s imagination, teach them faith-building biblical concepts, and help them grow in their reading skills?

Then I have the perfect book for your young reader…Guess How Much God Loves You

This beautifully illustrated book introduces young readers to the Creation Account, through the eyes of seven year old Lucy Lu, a creatively curious first grader who is starting to have serious questions about God.

Questions like…

How old is He? Does He sleep? What does He do all day? And the biggest one of all – does God really love me?

After one very hard day, feeling like she doesn’t matter, Lucy sits with her Papa Joe who has promised to answer these questions and more, launching them onto an exciting journey through the Bible to discover God’s never changing, never failing, never ending love.

I wrote this book because I want every child to know their life matters. To know that the God of all things created them in His image, on purpose and for a good purpose.

Guess How Much God Loves You will have seven books in the series with each one covering an important Bible account critical to building an understanding of God’s character and His love for all people, including your reader!

This first book is about the Creation Account as recorded in the Bible. Future books will cover the Garden of Eden, Noah’s Ark, the Exodus and more.

I want children to understand these are not just stories about fictional characters, but historical accounts about real people they can relate to. People who experienced God’s power, love, and faithfulness.

My greatest desire is to see this next generation trust the Bible and enjoy reading it. More than ever, young readers need to hear the message that they are valuable, loved unconditionally by the One who created them and gave them the best gift of all, His Son Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

Author Interview – Karen Ferguson

When did you first know you wanted to be an author?  
I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember, and secretly wanted to be a writer since middle school, but just didn’t think I was that good. Writing seemed to come easy for others, but not so much for me. Looking back, I realize it was my perfectionism and fear of rejection that made it so hard because I second guessed myself and was my own worst critic.

It was in college when I found breakthrough and realized I really could write. I was one of those students who enjoyed writing long research papers and received positive feedback and
encouragement from my professors. This was a huge confidence boost, so I began writing in
many forms, for personal enjoyment and to help friends and non-profit organizations.

It wasn’t until a career crisis more than ten years ago that I considered the possibility of writing professionally. At the time, I had a diverse professional background, having worked in several different industries, each with writing responsibilities, but I had grown burnt out from the traditional 9-5 scene. After a layoff due to the recession, I went deep with God to see if there was another path He had for me. Something that would fit my personality and lifestyle better.

Something I would find more fulfilling. I kept coming back to writing.

It’s a long story you can read more about on my BLOG but basically, I put out the fleece and
God answered in a big way. It was then I knew I wanted to be a published author. I believed it
was a calling from Him.

Quite a few years passed before I self-published my first book, a 21-day wellness devotional,
and now I’ve signed on with Ambassador International for the second book in the Guess How
Much God Loves You picture book series. I’m so grateful to be living this dream!

When you are not writing, what other hats do you wear? What do you do for fun?
My hats have changed quite a bit over the last few years. Since recently relocating to Tennessee, I mostly wear the wife, mom, grandmom, and dog-mom/dog-grandmom hats. It’s a
joy spending more time with family and having the flexibility to chase after this writing dream!

Besides reading and writing, I enjoy traveling to new places, staying active, playing board
games, and dabbling in music. Oh and I can’t forget, eating dark chocolate 🙂

What in your background brought you to the writing of this book?
A love for the Bible, books, and children. I have a background in K-8 education, working with
children most of my adult life, including raising two beautiful girls of my own.  I’ve always had this sort of mama bear protective personality when it comes to kids. I don’t like to see them lied to or led away from God. Unfortunately, we are seeing a lot of both in our society. 

Have you visited a mainstream bookstore lately? I was frustrated seeing children’s books
promoting anti-biblical principles and saddened that our kids were being exposed to so many
ungodly, downright disturbing messages. I remembered how important it was for me to teach
my girls about God in a way that was engaging, easy to relate to, and Bible based, and now that I’m a grandmom it seems harder to find these types of resources.

But rather than just complain about it, I decided to do something and create a dynamic, fun,
and creative book series for parents and grandparents to share with the special children in their
lives!

Guess How Much God Loves You is a series young readers can grow with, spiritually and in their reading skills. And it’s not just a regurgitation of Bible facts. It’s part of a larger story kids will relate to, as it teaches them about important Biblical accounts. It’s meant to inspire young readers’ imaginations, to engage their creative minds, and to promote a love and respect for the Bible. More than anything, it’s meant to drive the truth home that their life matters. That every life matters to God.

As a former K-12 school librarian I have to ask – what is your favorite children’s book?
I remember pouring over Archie Comics and Charlie Brown books after school when I was very young, with Charlotte’s Web being the first book I remember reading on my own. If I wasn’t outside swinging or skating, it seemed I always had my nose in a book. I read so many it’s hard to choose a favorite, but if I had to, it’d be the Nancy Drew Mystery Series. Those books captivated my young brain like no others. I’ve recently added the series to my adult library 🙂

What advice would you give to a child or teen who wants to be a writer?
Don’t give up on your dream but know it will require patience. Overnight success is rare, and
there is a lot of time and hard work involved in learning the craft and writing a book. 
So, read, read, and read some more. Then write and write some more. You’ll be building writing muscles that will make you stronger, and better positioned to move to each step on the writing journey. 

Enter writing contests as you’re able and remember to enjoy the process. The journey may
require patience and hard work, but it should be enjoyable!

Most importantly, pray and commit your way to God (Proverbs 3:5-6). He is the one that can
promote and provide divine opportunities that will take you much farther along in your
journey, then if you try to do it on your own.

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 18

Lots of Helpers, May 18

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 19 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 19

Cover Lover Book Review, May 20

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 21

Texas Book-aholic, May 22

Book Butterfly in Dreamland, May 22

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, May 23

Pause for Tales, May 24

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 25

Bliss, Books & Jewels, May 25

Vicky Sluiter, May 26

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 27

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 28

JESUS in the EVERYDAY, May 29

Mary Hake, May 29

Labor Not in Vain, May 30

For Him and My Family, May 31

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Karen is giving away the grand prize package of a $30 Amazon gift card, one signed hardcover, one eBook, and one digital activity workbook that will help to reinforce the learning concepts in a fun way!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/26071/guess-how-much-god-loves-you-celebration-tour-giveaway

Views expressed in this interview/guest post do not necessarily reflect the views of this blog host.