Contemporary Q&A: Kathleen Fuller (Behind Enemy Bylines)
Kathleen Fuller is a best-selling author of Christian fiction. She is also a wife, mother, crafter, coffee addict, football fan, and chocolate aficionado.
In this interview, Kathleen shares the various developmental steps her characters went through to become some of her favorites in all the books she’s written.
FF: In Behind Enemy Bylines, Jade bounces between her mother and different foster care families—a tumultuous background that plays a big role in why she leaves Sebastian to secure a stable future. What inspired you to weave foster care into a second-chance romance?
It wasn’t intentional at first, but when I was brainstorming Jade’s background it came through. I’m also an advocate of foster care, and there is a wonderful organization in Arkansas called Project Zero that I support. It seemed to be the perfect story to incorporate foster care into.
FF: The story spans from Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 to Clementine, Arkansas a decade later. How did you craft that temporal and geographic shift? Why choose the early-2000s newsroom atmosphere and small-town charm of Arkansas?
The story is loosely inspired by two wonderful friends of mine who worked at rival newspapers at the time. When the Arkansas Gazette and Arkansas Democrat became one paper, they met and fell in love. That was the springboard. I also remember that time well, and it was fun to go back to recent history that I lived through. As for the small-town charm—I love writing about small towns, most of my stories are set in them.
FF: Sebastian owns a struggling local paper while Jade returns as a “villain” of sorts—sent to convince Sebastian to sell his paper to her company. How did you balance the tug-of-war between her desperation for security and his desperation to save his beloved local paper?
I think what helped keep the balance was that they were both really great people who never stopped loving each other but got in their own way. Keeping that undercurrent throughout the story was a catalyst for them to make the positive changes they needed to, and to find their way back to each other.
FF: Community plays a significant role here—the hoedown, big-hearted townspeople, and even a tense apartment fire shape the narrative. Did you craft the setting as a ‘character’ in your storytelling, and why?
I didn’t intentionally set out to make the setting a character but one of the fun parts of writing is the worldbuilding, and as you add elements to the setting it does take on a life of its own. What I wanted to do was create a southern small town and tight knit community that felt like family, and a place Jade would be drawn to as strongly as Sebastian was.
FF: Big emotional reveals play a large part in this story. How do you balance withholding and revealing backstory to sustain emotional tension?
Very carefully! There is a structure to story and embedded in that structure are points where certain things have to happen, so that helps. I also like to weave the backstory in to make it as natural as possible, and how it happens is very specific to each story. In Behind Enemy Bylines I did some of it through showing Jade and Sebastian’s break up, and also by a phone call with Sebastian and his old boss, Buford. Introducing Logan happened through another phone call when he wanted to see Jade, and that brought up her feelings about their brother and sister relationship when they were in foster care and beyond. In other books I’ve done it other ways. It’s a challenge to creatively find that balance and to make it unique to the story.
FF: Faith and forgiveness are at the core of this story—Sebastian struggles to trust her, and Jade must be vulnerable. Can you discuss the role of faith and forgiveness in shaping their paths toward reconciliation?
The start of their journey happened when they were both hurt—even though Jade was the one who ended the relationship, it hurt her to do so. Having time apart and creating their separate lives made them both realize there was something missing, and they were absolutely sure it couldn’t possibly be the relationship that had hurt the most. Both characters had to take a risk with their hearts (and in Jade’s case, her future) and put faith in each other and their second chance relationship. I think that can be extrapolated to the faith we put in God—sometimes we must risk something to take that step and believe that His plan and love are what we need, because they are!
FF: The publishing backdrop—from the corporate takeover to a boutique hometown paper—reflects real-world industry shifts. What trends in media and journalism shaped your vision for Behind Enemy Bylines?
I knew very little about the newspaper industry before I started the story. Sloane and Jay, my friends who inspired the book, gave me a lot of insight on how it worked, along with my dear friend Sandi, who was in newspaper distribution for many years in Massachusetts. Then I went deeper into research, and the major thing I discovered that really impacted the story was how important newspapers were to communities, especially smaller ones. They were a way to keep community cohesion, and that wasn’t something that had occurred to me. Growing up with newspapers as the main source of news, it also made sense. That informed Sebastian’s dogged determination not to sell his paper.
FF: If you could revisit one scene—perhaps the reunion conversation, the hoedown, or the fire—what would it be and why?
Does revisit mean rewrite or just read it again? If it’s rewriting or changing, it wouldn’t be a scene, but I probably would add another Seb’s View column in the story, or an excerpt of his novel. If it’s rereading, it would be the epilogue (no spoilers! 😊). I just love how Sebastian and Jade’s story ends. It’s probably one of my favorite endings of all my books.
FF: What responses—reader, editor, or otherwise—have surprised you since writing this book? Did any feedback shift your perspective on the story or characters?
At first, I’d made Jade a little too villainy, and she came across as harsh. Becky Monds, my editor, suggested I soften her and that helped me understand her character more. It’s a fine line when writing a character that is protective and guarded—of their heart or someone they love or their job, whatever it may be—and keeping her or him sympathetic. Jade was a more well-rounded character after I took that advice. Becky always has great insight!
FF: Looking back over your career—Behind Enemy Bylines is a lovely addition to the stories you’ve told over the years. What was your favorite part of writing Jade and Sebastian’s journey & can you give us a sneak peek at what might be next?
I already mentioned the book’s ending as a favorite, but I also enjoyed the subplot of Kalista, Vivian, and Tyler. Kalista and Tyler’s romance was really cute and Kalista renewing her relationship with Viv, her ex-stepmother, was just what both of them needed. As for what’s up next, it’s Autumn at the Cat Cafe. A quirky cat café owner fights to save the legacy of an iconic small-town bookstore (there’s the small town again!) when the rich, charming new owner decides to sell it to the highest bidder . . . no matter what. I love cats, cafes, bookstores, and quirky and charming characters, so this book was extremely fun to write!
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Behind Enemy Bylines
Kathleen Fuller
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Released: September 16, 2025
Available Formats: Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
ISBN-10: 084071615X
ISBN-13: 978-0840716156
Book Summary:
Little Rock, Arkansas, 1995: Jade Smith’s life has never been entirely stable. Bouncing back and forth between her mother and foster care, she learned that the only person she can really trust is herself. So when she starts to fall for newsroom reporter Sebastian Hudson, her defenses go up. When she gets a job offer from a company in Atlanta, Georgia, she immediately takes it, leaving Sebastian behind. He might have claimed to love her, but she knows no one sticks around for long.
Clementine, Arkansas, 2005: Ten years after his heartbreak, Sebastian is back in his tiny hometown running the local paper and writing his slice-of-life column. The numbers in the accounting book are telling a story he’s not ready to read, but he’s refused to entertain any buy-out offers from big conglomerates, even as other small presses are being grabbed up, and in some cases, put out of business. He’s determined not to let anything happen to the Clementine Times.
In Atlanta, Jade is eager for the promotion that will finally provide the security she’s always craved. There’s only one hitch—her boss wants her to convince a small-town newspaper owner to sell his paper to their company. No big deal, right? Then she learns the owner is none other than Sebastian Hudson. Now it’s a very big deal.
Reunited for the first time since their awful break-up, Sebastian and Jade dig in their heels, refusing to see each other’s side. But the small town of Clementine won’t let them stay at odds with each other for long. Between a springtime hoedown, a dangerous apartment fire, Sebastian’s slightly meddling younger sister, and the surprise appearance of Jade’s younger brother, Sebastian and Jade end up discussing everything but business. They also rekindle past feelings.
But when one of them makes an unforgivable decision, can they find their way back to each other? Or is this second chance the very last one?
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