GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. /Christian News/ – When New York Times bestselling novelist Karen Kingsbury decided to have a June 22-23 reunion in Bloomington, In., for her Baxter Family characters, she did something no other author has ever done.

She invited her readers.

“This is the greatest event I’ve ever been a part of,” Kingsbury said. “I’ve always thought fiction and reality can have a meeting place.”

Now she has found that meeting place—right in Bloomington.

Kingsbury has written 18 books involving the Baxter Family, favorite characters of her more than 15 million readers. Those books are set in Bloomington, Indiana. Karen is hosting a Red Carpet Book Party at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 22, at Indiana University Auditorium, the day the last book in the series Take Four releases.

“We’re calling it the Baxter Family Reunion,” Kingsbury said. “The surprises we have planned for this two-day event are going to be a blast for anyone who has read these books.”

“The storyline of Take Four includes a red carpet movie premiere, so the idea of a Red Carpet Book Party only makes sense,” Kingsbury said.

Reunion tickets are $25 through Ticketmaster and include entrance to both the Red Carpet Book Party and the Baxter Family picnic the next day at the university’s Dunn Meadow. Kingsbury fans who join the Baxter Family Club will receive a complimentary ticket to the event. Signups for the club are still available through Kingsbury’s website www.KarenKingsbury.com.

The Tuesday night book party will include an inspirational talk from Karen, presentations by Christian Youth Theater of Indianapolis, and musical performances from Kingsbury’s two oldest kids – both budding artists. There will also be people playing various “Baxter Family Characters” present at the event.

The Wednesday picnic event will include fun for the whole family. Anyone with a ticket to the Baxter Family Reunion can bring family members for free to the Wednesday picnic, June 23, from 11 to 2 p.m. There will be inflatables for kids to jump in, and contests and games, along with the chance to have your picture placed on a mock Karen Kingsbury book cover.

In addition, Kingsbury has placed on her website the top ten locations most frequently mentioned in her Bloomington-based books.

“My reader friends will want to visit the places I’ve written about,” Kingsbury said. “The hospital, the fire department, certain coffee shops. We’ll have a contest for the reunion guests who manage to visit each place.”

Kingsbury came up with the idea of a Baxter Family Reunion for her readers as a result of the time she spends with them on Facebook. Nearly 100,000 readers are friends with Kingsbury on the popular social networking site. She also connects with readers through Twitter and on her website.

The first movie based on one of Kingsbury’s more than 45 novels releases September 24. The movie, Like Dandelion Dust is based on the Kingsbury book of the same title, and stars Academy Award winning actress Mira Sorvino and Barry Pepper, among others. It has won many awards in film festivals, and is expected to have a highly successful theatrical debut. The trailer for the movie is now available on www.KarenKingsbury.com.