Jan Karon facts for kids

Jan Karon (born March 14, 1937) is an American author. She writes popular novels for both adults and young readers. She is famous for her New York Times-bestselling Mitford novels. These books are about an Episcopal priest named Father Timothy Kavanagh and his life in the made-up village of Mitford. Her latest Mitford novel, To Be Where You Are, came out in 2017.

Jan Karon has received special honors for her work. She was named a lay Canon for the Arts in the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy in Illinois. In 2000, she received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Nashotah House, a seminary. In 2015, she won the Library of Virginia's Literary Lifetime Achievement Award.

Early Life and Beginnings

Jan Karon was born Janice Meredith Wilson on March 14, 1937. Her birthplace was Lenoir, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge foothills. She was named after a novel called Janice Meredith. Before she turned four, her parents separated. She then went to live with her grandparents on a farm in Hudson, North Carolina.

Her mother, Wanda, was 15 when Jan was born. She moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Her father, Robert Wilson, joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. At age 12, Jan moved to Charlotte to live with her mother again. Her mother had remarried and had two more children. Jan left school in ninth grade when she was 14. She married Robert Freeland in South Carolina, where it was legal for girls her age. Robert worked at a tire store, and Jan worked in a clothing store. At 15, she gave birth to her only child, Candace Freeland.

Jan and Robert's marriage faced difficulties. Eventually, she filed for divorce.

Becoming a Writer

At 18, Jan was on her own with her daughter, Candace. She found a job as a receptionist at an advertising agency in Charlotte. She soon started writing advertising copy because she was good at it. In her early 20s, Jan married Bill Orth, a chemist. They were both involved in theater and the Unitarian Church.

By the late 1960s, Jan and Bill were divorced. She then married Arthur Karon, a clothing salesman, and became Jan Karon. Arthur moved Jan and her daughter to Berkeley, California, where they lived for three years. In California, Jan explored Judaism but remained a Christian. She had always wanted to be a novelist and tried writing throughout the 1960s.

When her third marriage ended, Jan returned to Charlotte. She worked in advertising again. By 1985, Jan had moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. She worked at the McKinney & Silver advertising agency. There, she and a designer named Michael Winslow created a tourism campaign for North Carolina. Their ads showed that the state had more than just theme parks. One famous ad featured mountain musicians. This campaign won a major award in 1987, and Jan shared a $100,000 prize.

In 1988, Jan Karon quit her job. She moved to Blowing Rock, North Carolina. There, she began writing stories about Father Tim for a local newspaper. She tried to get her stories published as books, but publishers kept saying no. In 1994, Jan found a small religious publisher for her book, At Home in Mitford. She used her marketing skills to promote it, sending out press releases and calling bookstores.

Two more Mitford novels were published, but sales were still small. Then, a friend showed At Home in Mitford to Nancy Olson, a bookstore owner. Nancy thought many people would enjoy Jan's clean, well-written stories. She sent the book to an agent in New York. This agent got the book to Carolyn Carlson, an editor at Viking Penguin. In 1996, Viking Penguin published Jan's first three books as paperbacks. By the late 1990s, Jan Karon's books were New York Times bestsellers.

In 2021, Jan Karon opened The Mitford Museum. It is located in her old elementary school in Hudson, North Carolina. The museum shares her family history and much information about her writing. It also has a bookstore called Happy Endings Bookstore.

Personal Life

In 2000, Jan Karon moved from Blowing Rock to Albemarle County, Virginia. She bought and restored a historic 1816 home and a 100-acre farm called Esmont Farm.

Books by Jan Karon

The Mitford Years Series

• At Home in Mitford (1994)
• A Light in the Window (1995)
• These High, Green Hills (1996)
• Out to Canaan (1997)
• A New Song (1999)
• A Common Life: The Wedding Story (2001) — This story happens after A Light in the Window.
• In This Mountain (2002)
• Shepherds Abiding (2003)
• Light from Heaven (2005)
• Home to Holly Springs (2007)
• In the Company of Others (2010)
• Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good (2014)
• Come Rain or Come Shine (2015)
• To Be Where You Are (2017)

Mitford Companion Books

These books offer more about the world of Mitford.

• Patches of Godlight: Father Tim's Favorite Quotes (2001)
• The Mitford Snowmen (2001)
• Esther's Gift: A Mitford Christmas Story (2002)
• Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader (2004)
• A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, collected by Father Tim (2005)
• The Mitford Bedside Companion (2006)
• Bathed in Prayer: Father Tim's Prayers, Sermons, and Reflections from the Mitford Series (2018)

Children's Books

• Miss Fannie's Hat (1998)
• Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny (2000)
• Jan Karon Presents: Violet Comes to Stay (2006)
• Jan Karon Presents: Violet Goes to the Country (2007)

Other Books

• The Trellis and the Seed: A Book of Encouragement for All Ages (2003)

Short Works

• "The Day Aunt Maude Left" in Response 1.4 (1961)

Archive of Works

Jan Karon's writings and other materials are kept at the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia. New items are regularly added to show her latest works. The collection includes notes for her books, personal letters, and papers about her historical farm restoration. It also has letters from her readers.