New Zealand-based author Kara Isaac is a RITA Award-winning writer. Her latest novel is One Thing I Know (Howard Books): Relationship coach Rachel Somers has the whole world fooled—but the one man who just may see through her holds not only the key to her success, but also her heart. In this interview, Kara reveals the inspiration for the story, explains what made her want to bring Rachel and Lucas together, and what she hopes readers get out of the experience…
Kara, what inspired the plot in One Thing I Know?
I first started writing the manuscript that became One Thing I Know in 2011. I was heavily pregnant with our first child at the time. So pregnant that I could no longer comfortably reach my keyboard to type so instead I spent some time brainstorming some new story ideas.
One of those was “What if there was a relationship expert who was just a front for someone else?” The idea intrigued me and so I started writing the story in 2012 a few months after our son was born. It has gone through many iterations and rewrites since I first finished it six years ago and I am so thrilled that it will soon be in the hands of readers!
Rachel Somers is a relationship coach hiding behind her aunt’s public persona. What can you tell us about Rachel?
Rachel is a really complex character. Her background and family dynamic have meant that she is now in a place where she isn’t happy with the life that she is living but feels trapped in it because she needs the money it makes her for her father’s care.
She lives a very small contained life where only and handful people know her true identity and she won’t allow herself to become close to anyone else because of her fear of being found out. She is hugely loyal to the people that she loves but deep down inside believes that everyone deserves happiness—except her.
Lucas Grant is a radio host who just wants to talk about sports—but callers keep asking him for relationship advice. What can you tell us about Lucas?
From the outside Lucas looks like he has it all. He is a popular call-in radio show and one of the most eligible bachelors in Wisconsin. Underneath he is a cynic, jaded by his father’s betrayal of their family. He has very high standards for himself and others and finds it almost impossible to forgive anyone who doesn’t meet them. He lets very few people close to him as he believes that sooner or later they will abandon him or let him down—just like his father did.
What is it about Rachel and Lucas that made you want to tell their story?
As a writer, one of the things that I want to do is look at faith from a different angles in the stories that I tell. Lucas and Rachel are both people who carry a lot of hurt and are very far from faith but they have people close to them who are believers in Jesus. Their individual characters and backgrounds mean that they are not people who will come to faith quickly or easily.
I’ve read novels where people go through a Saul of Damascus experience between the beginning and end of the book which is wonderful but I wanted to tell a story of two people where their journey to faith is much longer. Making their story the first of a set of three books means that I have the opportunity to show that journey over a longer time period and from different perspectives.
What do you hope readers take away after reading One Thing I Know?
There are a couple of things that I would love readers to take away from One Thing I Know. The first is that there is no mistake too big or past too messy that stops Jesus from wanting a relationship with us.
The second is for those of us who have friends and family who aren’t believers to never give up on them. You never know how God is using the things you say or the way you live your life to speak to them, even if from the outside it appear that they could not be less interested in knowing Him.
Visit Kara Isaac’s author page:
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/kara-isaac
One Thing I Know
Kara Isaac
Howard Books