Best-Selling Author Karen Kingsbury Reflects on Franklin, Tennessee

Landmark Booksellers in Franklin served as the inspiration for Karen Kingsbury’s The Bridge. Photography courtesy of Visit Franklin.

SL: What made you want to set a book in Franklin?

Karen: When visiting Franklin, I fell in love with the place. We had been considering leaving the Pacific Northwest, and during that book tour, my husband and I realized we’d found a new home. Our only daughter was dating Kyle Kupecky, a Christian musician from Nashville, and he was on the verge of proposing. By July of 2011, we’d all moved to Brentwood and spent much of our free time in Franklin. Kyle proposed to Kelsey in front of Lulu’s (now White’s Mercantile) on Main Street. I have a little studio next to Landmark Bookseller’s where I now do much of my writing. As for The Bridge and the inspiration for the story, that part was easy. Franklin is the sort of place that represents what life should be like. People care about their neighbors and look out for each other. One example: During the first months of the pandemic, Landmark Booksellers considered closing its doors permanently. This is a store that needs foot traffic, and with all of life shut down, they almost didn’t make it. But two things happened: my readers rallied around the store, and local news spread the word. In a matter of weeks, more than 5,000 copies of Someone Like You, my spring 2020 book, sold through Landmark Booksellers. The overwhelming response kept the Landmark doors open. Since the space at Landmark was too small for this undertaking, my family and church friends gathered at my house to help sign, package, address, and stamp each of those packages—very much like what happened in my book, The Bridge.