Author Karen Sargent Discusses How Her Husband’s Leukemia Journey Inspired Her New Projects

Author Karen Sargent had dreamed of being an author since she was a little girl. She worked as an English teacher for several years, inspiring the next generation. But when she retired from teaching she had more time to reflect on her faith, her family, and her passion for writing.

A concept she had when her daughter was only a few months old, Karen wrote the novel Waiting for Butterflies. 

"Waiting for Butterflies is about a mother who is taken too early from her family by a car accident and she is not ready to go. She is allowed to linger as a spirit, which I know is not theologically sound - but this is fiction. She is allowed to remain and she watches her family deal with the aftermath of her death and was able to be released once she knew her family was going to be okay." - Karen Sargent

Waiting for Butterflies went on to not only win the 2017 IAN Book of the Year,  but also 2017 IAN Outstanding Christian Fiction, 2017 Foreword Reviews Gold, and 2018 Christian Indies Award for Fiction.

Karen has enjoyed both a successful career in teaching and as an author. But recently, Karen has met some serious obstacles in her personal life. In March of 2019, after a thirty-two-year career in law enforcement, Karen Sargent's husband decided to retire after some recent medical issues. Recently treated with radiation for prostate cancer, a mid-night awakening to his spitting up blood set off new alarms in their life together: leukemia.

Thus began the journey to new life. The experiences helping her husband during his treatment opened her eyes to the many extraordinary ways God provided encouragement and loving kindness. Her twenty-five years as an English teacher prepared the natural bridge to write devotionals and stories about the wonderful ways of God.

Sargent's Waiting for Butterflies, along with If She Never Tells, available in August, includes emotionally-charged stories exploring difficult issues - inducing both tears and laughter. She also writes devotions for Guidepost Magazines and books.

Karen and her husband reside in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks. Visit her at KarenSargent.com.