Q & A With Author Kevin Lovegreen About New Faith-based Book

Minnesota native and outdoor enthusiast, Kevin Lovegreen loves inspiring kids. He is well known for his award-winning book series, Lucky Luke’s Hunting Adventures and his school presentations around the country. His new book, Grandma Introduced Me to My Friend Jesus, will be his twelfth book.

Unlike the Lucky Luke’s Hunting Adventure’s series, this book is centered around Lovegreen’s faith-based journey and gives readers a peak into his childhood. “This book was delivered to me one day by God,” explains Lovegreen, “I am so excited to share this with everyone. If you told me 10 years ago that I would write 12 books I would have laughed at you. The only way I can describe this journey is that it’s God-influenced.”

Q: How does this book differ from your Lucky Luke Hunting Adventures series?

A: “It’s different because there is no Lucky Luke in this book. This book is about Kevin who is your typical eighth grader with a big personality, a star athlete, and one of the popular kids in his class. Kevin is a kid who has more fun picking on classmates and friends to get a laugh than being supportive and lifting them up.”

Q: What inspired you to write this new book?

A: “The first physical encounter I ever had with God inspired me to write this book. I was brushing my teeth one morning and before I knew it, a whole story was playing in my mind about my past. I stopped to take notice and realized that in just moments, a whole story had been downloaded into my head. I believe that God wanted me to write this book to inspire young people to treat others how they want to be treated.”

Q: Who did you write this book for?

A: “This book was written specifically for middle school-aged kids. My intention is to inspire kids to understand how important Jesus could be to their lives. I hope to encourage them to treat others with respect before they go off into high school where things tend to get more complicated. When I was this age, I went to religion classes and worked harder at being disruptive and finding a laugh, than listening to the message.” 

Q: What do you hope people will get out of this book when they finish reading?

A: “As I have gotten older and learned more about faith, I have realized how important it is to have Jesus and God on your side. This is a lesson I wish I had learned when I was younger. If I had understood Jesus’ message of treating others how you want to be treated, I believe my life could have been more impactful. I am hoping the kids who are like I was at that age will give faith a chance and be open to this message.”

Q: Was this book more difficult to write than the Lucky Luke Hunting Adventure series?

A: “Yes, it was very difficult to write about somebody other than Lucky Luke. The story line was easy, but it was hard to break away from Luke’s character. I had to keep reminding myself that ‘this is Kevin, not Lucky Luke.’ Every time I would go to write my name, I accidentally wrote ‘Luke’ since it’s just what I’m used to.”  

Q: What is your ultimate goal with this book?

A: “My ultimate goal with this book is to open up avenues for me to speak to kids about topics that I am passionate about. Things like Jesus, God, and faith in general. I want to do my part to allow kids to realize that there is an option out there that is really cool and that’s believing in Jesus and allowing faith to guide your life.”

Q: Why do you believe now is the perfect time to release this book?

A: “There is no better time than right now for this message. In this time of uncertainty, or any challenging situation, I believe people who have the strongest faith will be calm and persevere. I truly believe that God has called me to bring this message to kids at this time. There is no doubt in my mind that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”  

“Grandma Introduced Me to My Friend Jesus by Kevin Lovegreen is a unique story which follows the personal transformation of the middle-school-aged protagonist, Kevin and his grandma, the beautiful, warm woman that every family needs. She lovingly corrects Kevin’s rudeness and selfishness and kindly introduces him to the idea of making choices that pleases Jesus. The story is an understandable way to show kids a real-life example of the personal change that happens when someone chooses to follow Christ.”  —Author M. Liz Boyle

To check out Grandma Introduced Me To My Friend Jesus, go to www.kevinlovegreen.com