Fame Read online

  What readers are saying about Karen Kingsbury’s books

  “Karen Kingsbury’s books speak to your soul as well as your heart. It’s so nice to find books that are endearing and entertaining yet also point you to God, and the Firstborn series doesn’t disappoint. If you are like me and fell in love with the Baxters, this is a must-read!”

  Christina

  “This was a great first book to the series. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, wanting to read more and more that the day I finished it, I went and bought the next one.”

  Naomi

  “I recently found your books and have been devouring them ever since. Each time God has spoken into my life through them.”

  Rosemary

  “Thank you for your beautifully written books. They make me laugh, they make me cry, and they fill my heart with a love that can only be God once again touching my heart and soul.”

  Natalie

  “Karen has done it again! I just finished Fame . . . and can hardly wait to read Forgiven! Karen’s characters come alive and the reader feels like they are living the story as it unfolds. Keep the great Christian fiction coming, Karen. My friends and I love reading your books!”

  Charlotte

  “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your writing led me back to the Lord!”

  Stephanie

  “I feel like I know and LOVE the Baxter family, and now I can still be a part of their lives, this time with Dayne and Katy. I just started Forgiven and I don’t know what I’m going to do until the third book is out!”

  Brianna

  “I love Karen Kingsbury’s books! The story draws you in and you truly feel a part of the characters’ lives. It makes you laugh and the next minute you cry. Wonderful read!”

  G.C.

  “When Karen Kingsbury calls her books ‘Life-Changing Fiction,’ she’s merely telling the unvarnished truth. I’m still sorting through the changes in my life that have come from reading just a few of her books.”

  Robert

  “I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these books! I have never read so fast in my life. The stories are beautiful and moving, but also tragic and hopeful! They take you through all of these emotions on a journey that leads you to a stronger faith—a faith that takes your breath away!”

  G.K.

  “A friend of mine just recently handed me this book and told me to read it. After about the first page I was addicted. It doesn’t matter what style of writing you like, I promise that you’ll enjoy this book!”

  Lauren

  “Wow! Once again Karen writes a page-turning book you can’t put down, telling of God’s love and grace in each and every walk of life.”

  Renee

  Visit Tyndale online at www.tyndale.com.

  Visit Karen Kingsbury’s Web site and learn more about her Life-Changing Fiction

  at www.KarenKingsbury.com.

  TYNDALE and Tyndale’s quill are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

  BAXTER FAMILY DRAMA is a trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

  Fame

  Copyright © 2005 by Karen Kingsbury. All rights reserved.

  Logo illustration copyright © 2003 by David Henderson. All rights reserved.

  Cover photograph of man copyright © by Ciaran Griffin/Stockbyte/Getty. All rights reserved.

  Cover photograph of trees copyright © by Rich Reid/National Geographic/Getty. All rights reserved.

  Cover photograph of surf copyright © by Radius/SuperStock. All rights reserved.

  Author photograph copyright © 2008 by Dan Davis Photography at dandavisphotography.com. All rights reserved.

  Cover designed by Jennifer Ghionzoli

  Interior designed by Alyssa Force

  Edited by Lorie Popp

  Some Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version,® NIV.® Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

  Some Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

  Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Kingsbury, Karen.

  Fame / Karen Kingsbury.

  p. cm.

  ISBN 978-0-8423-8743-9 (sc)

  1. Motion picture actors and actresses—Fiction. 2. Motion picture industry—Fiction.

  I. Title.

  PS3561.I4873F36 2005

  813′.54—dc22 2005002892

  Repackage first published in 2011 under ISBN 978-1-4143-4976-3.

  To Donald, my forever prince

  Can it be seventeen years ago that you swept me off my feet and showed me what true love was? How it puts our loving God first and how it waits as a way of honoring Him? People ask me if there are really guys like my characters Landon Blake and Ryan Taylor, and I always tell them yes. Of course guys like that exist. I should know; I’m married to one. We stand on the brink of a new season in life. I love you, and I can’t wait to see what God’s going to do next.

  To Kelsey, my precious daughter

  You are in the becoming years, my sweet daughter. And it delights my soul to see you becoming everything I prayed you would be—a young woman dedicated to the Lord and to family and to whatever plans God lays out for you in the years ahead. The other day you told me you loved high school, but that it was a little sad because we had so much less time together. That’s true, but what we do share is golden, sweetheart. Thanks for our late-night talks. I love you, and I’ll always have a light on for you.

  To Tyler, my beautiful song

  Your voice, your music are the sound track of our lives, dear oldest son. Having you home this year, homeschooling you, has given me more hours to enjoy the melody, to watch you go for your dreams. Keep God at the center, Ty, and I know He will give you the desires of your heart. When He does, your father and I will be in the front row. I love you always and forever.

  To Sean, my happy boy

  Of all the ways you’ve blessed our family since coming to us from Haiti, most of all I love how you make us smile. The other day the smile came when you rubbed my back as we all read Dr. Seuss and giggled at the silly rhymes. But my favorite smiles come each morning when you rush up to me with our devotion book, thrilled to the point of squealing that this day, like every

  other, we might get a chance to learn a little more about Jesus.

  Good for you, Sean! I love you, honey.

  To Josh, my softhearted leader boy

  You define perfectionism, and still you have time to laugh once in a while. We gave you a flashlight for Christmas, and now—as a treat for doing so well in school—you get to read the Bible every night when the lights are off. Remember that, Josh. A decade from now when the NBA and NFL fight over which one wants you more, at the end of the day the best treat of all is God’s Word. I’m grateful for you in our lives, and I love you so.

  To EJ, my chosen one

  Always that will be you, little son, the one chosen first. When God put it on our hearts to adopt, there was never a question after He led us to you. Something in your eyes told us that this terrifying idea of bringing new children into our family might just work out after all. I’m breat
hless at the ways you are growing and maturing, finding your way with the talents and gifts God has given you. I love you, EJ. Keep making Him proud!

  To Austin, my tenderhearted boy

  I’m amazed every time I watch you scoring circles around the competition on the basketball court or the soccer field. Often the image blurs and I see you as you were seven years ago—an infant facing emergency heart surgery. When you pulled through, I knew you would always have a special heart. But watching you put your arm around a buddy who’s being picked on or seeing you get teary-eyed when Daddy sings praise songs tells me just how special your heart really is. You’ll always be my little MJ, my

  Brett Favre, fist in the air, running across the field. I love you, and

  I thank God for every day we have together.

  And to God Almighty, the Author of life,

  who has—for now—blessed me with these.

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  A Word from Karen Kingsbury

  Discussion Questions

  Acknowledgments

  As always, a novel like Fame doesn’t come together without the help of many people. The list is long, but so very important. First, thanks to my husband and family for putting up with my sometimes-hectic schedule and helping me survive my deadlines. When I’m at the computer wearing headphones connected to nothing, you all know better than to ask me where your homework is. You’re the best! Thanks for understanding.

  Also thanks to my friends at Tyndale House Publishers. Becky Nesbitt, you had a vision for this series and my place as a fiction author at Tyndale, and I will always be grateful for that! This book and this series wouldn’t have come together without Becky, Mark Taylor, Ron Beers, Travis Thrasher, and so many others. A special thanks to Jeremy Taylor and my editor, Lorie Popp.

  I couldn’t do what I’m doing in the world of fiction without my amazing agent, Rick Christian. Rick, I look to you on so many levels—as a strategist, a negotiator, and a prayer warrior. My family and I thank God for you in our lives. Thank-you is never enough.

  Also thanks to my mother, Anne Kingsbury. You are the most diligent and careful assistant I could ever dream to have. I look forward to spending the next decades working together in this wonderful world God has given me. And thanks to my father, Ted Kingsbury, for being my greatest encourager. I always know where to turn when I need a smile.

  A hearty thanks to the people who have helped with my children when life gets a little busy. Those include Cindy and Al Weil, Barb and Bill Shaffer, the Head family, and all my friends at CYT. Also Kira Elam, Paige Grenning and the Juventes soccer gang, and the Schmidt family.

  Thanks also goes to my extended support group who continue to love and pray for me, those special people who have stayed by me through the twists and turns of this writing ministry. Among them are my sisters Susan, Tricia, and Lynne, and my brother, David. The Russells, the Cummins, and also my niece, Shannon, and my mother-in-law, Betty.

  In addition, thanks to my precious friends Kathy and Ken Santschi, Bobbi and Erika Terret, Randy and Vicki and Lola Graves, John and Melinda Chapman, Stan and De-Ette Kaputska, Aaron Hisel, Theresa Thacker, Ann Hudson, Sylvia and Walt Walgren, Richard Camp and the entire Camp family, the Dillons, and dozens of friends at the high school.

  Also a heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of retailers who carry my books. You are a vital part of what God is doing in changing lives through this Life-Changing Fiction, and I pray you will be inspired to keep on! Books make a difference! I’m honored to be partnering with you.

  In that same light, thanks to the readers across the world who connect with God through reading these books. I hear from hundreds of you every week, and I’m touched to the center of my being. My soul rejoices at the news you report. Please know that you remain in my prayers as I write.

  And of course, thanks most of all to God, who is allowing me to chase this wonderful dream, and I know without a doubt that all of it is for Him, because of Him, and through Him. To God be the glory always.

  Forever in Fiction

  A special thanks to my Forever in Fiction winners whose characters are represented in this book—Krissie Schick, Chris and Amy Helmes, Kelly and Becky Helmes, and Tani Zarelli.

  Krissie Schick, a thirty-six-year-old mother of four, won the Northshore Christian Academy auction in Everett, Washington, and chose to have a character named after herself. She loves being a mom and is grateful for her family. She has a zest for life that makes her a favorite among her friends.

  Chris and Amy Helmes, and Kelly and Becky Helmes each won Forever in Fiction at the Firm Foundation Christian School auction in Vancouver, Washington. The two couples chose to have their characters named after Chris’s and Kelly’s parents, Alvar and Nancy Helmes. Alvar and Nancy have been married more than fifty years and stand as the pillars of the Helmes family. They have a deep and abiding love for Christ, for each other, and for their eight children. They spent most of their lives in Ironwood, Michigan, but since moving to Washington, they have become very involved in medical missions to the people of India. Al loves books and music—especially old hymns—and spending time with his family. The couple’s youngest daughter, Cara, has Down syndrome and is a special source of love for them. Nancy is a wonderfully loving mother and grandmother whose passion for her family is unequaled. She loves hot coffee and Cinnabon rolls, and her family always expects a fresh and witty saying whenever she’s around.

  Finally, Tani Zarelli won Forever in Fiction at the Salmon Creek Soccer Association auction and chose to name her character after her seventeen-year-old daughter, Ashley. Ashley is the adopted daughter of Tani and Senator Joseph Zarelli of Washington State. Ashley’s passion is horseback riding and anything to do with horses. She loves spending an evening baking cookies and watching movies with her family. Her favorite color is blue, and she enjoys a strong understanding of God’s providence in her life. Ashley, your parents want you to know you are very loved.

  For those of you who are not familiar with Forever in Fiction, it is my way of involving you, the readers, in my stories while raising money for charities. To date this item has raised more than $200,000 at charity auctions across the country. If you are interested in having a Forever in Fiction package donated to your auction, contact my assistant, Tricia Kingsbury, at [email protected]. Please write Forever in Fiction in the subject line. Please note that I am able to donate only a limited number of these each year. For that reason I have set a fairly high minimum bid on this package. That way the maximum funds are raised for charities.

  The part should’ve been easy to cast.

  Dream On, the romantic comedy that would star Dayne Matthews, called for a small-town girl, an upbeat, outgoing type, with dreams of the big city and a genuine innocence that overshadowed everything about her.

  Dayne had spent the morning watching half a dozen top Hollywood actresses file through the room for an interview and a quick read, and so far none of them fit the bill. They were talented actresses, friendly, beautiful. Two he’d starred with in other films, two he’d
dated, and two he’d hung out with at some party or another.

  He’d shared the night with three of the six.

  They were girls whose faces decked the covers of every gossip rag in town, and in theory, any one of them could play the part of a small-town girl. How hard could it be? The actresses Dayne had seen today could be upbeat and outgoing, and they could certainly pull off the role of a dreamer.

  But something was missing, and by three that afternoon Dayne knew what it was.

  The innocence.

  Dayne leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms as the last of the six read through her lines. A person couldn’t fake innocence—not even with an Academy Award performance. Innocence was something that grew in the heart and shone through the eyes. And it was the innocence that was lacking with each of them.

  Mitch Henry, casting director, was pacing near the back of the room. He finished with the final actress and bid her good-bye.

  On her way out she looked at Dayne and gave him a teasing smile. “See ya.” She was one of the ones he’d dated. Actually, he’d lived with her off and on for a month or so. Long enough that their pictures made the tabs a couple of times. Her eyes locked onto his. “Call me.”

  “Yeah.” Dayne pretended to tip an invisible hat, but his grin faded before she left the room. He turned to Mitch. “Who’s next?”

  “Who’s next?” Deep lines appeared between Mitch’s eyes, his tone frustrated. “Do you know how hard it was to get six A-list actresses in here on the same day? The part doesn’t even require the kind of talent we had in here, Dayne. Any one of them would knock it out of the park.”