I had the pleasure of meeting Katie Powner and Moolene at the Fiction Readers Summit in May, and now it is my pleasure to introduce Katie to you. She is a woman with a big heart and impactful stories about redemption, relationships, and finding the dirt road home.

Katie Powner lives in rural Montana, where cows still outnumber people. She is a mom to the third power (biological, adoptive, and foster) and writes contemporary fiction about redemption, relationships, and finding the dirt road home.

You can connect with her through:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  BookBub  

 

Now for the fun stuff! I have to admit I am partial to my Fast Five. 🙂 So settle in as I hit Katie with rapid-fire.

 

CC: Milk or Dark Chocolate?

KP: Dark

CC: Print or E-book?

KP: Print

CC: Cat or Dog Person?

KP: Cat

Morning Person or Night Owl?

KP: Night Owl

CC: Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter?

KP: This question isn’t fair, because in Montana winter lasts from October to May. And July and August are really hot and dry and filled with forest fires. So my favorite season in Montana is June.

CC: That is too funny! Well, not the forest fires, but the lack of seasons. Now for a couple of fun personal questions:

What do you like to do when you aren’t reading or writing?

KP: When I’m not reading or writing, I love taking walks, fostering babies, going to high school sporting events, and hanging out with my husband and kids.

CC: I love your fostering heart, and I’m so thankful for the handful of posts that have shared the struggles of that journey. (Reader, you can find those on her blog through her website.)

When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer?

KP: I’ve known I wanted to be a writer from the beginning…from when I first learned how to write. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to be.

CC: It is so neat to see God use the desires of our hearts for His glory. It’s not an easy road, but I love that you have always wanted to do it.

What has been the biggest challenge for you on your writing journey?

KP: The biggest challenge on my writing journey has been trying to find that all-important balance between writing life and family life, as well as the balance between being committed to what I feel is my calling (and working hard to succeed) and still trusting that God is the one in control and will bring about the results He wants to bring about. It takes a lot of recurring prayer and meditation!

CC: I’m beginning to wonder if that balance between family and writing exists! And success in this writing world and struggling to not have control is a hard one for sure. I love that you actively pray and meditate on what He wants to bring about.

Let’s talk about your newest release, Where the Blue Sky Begins.

Sometimes the hardest road of all is the road home.

When confident and handsome Eric Larson is sent to a rural Montana town to work in the local branch of his uncle’s financial company, he’s determined to exceed everyone’s expectations, earn a promotion, and be back in Seattle by the end of summer. Yet nothing could prepare him for the lessons this small town has in store.

At forty-six years old, eccentric and outspoken Eunice Parker has come to accept her terminal illness and has given herself one final goal: seek forgiveness from everyone on her bucket list before her time runs out. But it will take more courage than she can muster on her own.

After an accident pushes Eric and Eunice together, the unlikely pair is forced to spend more time with each other than either would like, which challenges their deepest prejudices and beliefs. As summer draws to a close, neither Eric nor Eunice is where they thought they would be, but they both wrestle with the same important question: What matters most when the end is near?

Purchase your copy at  Amazon  |  Baker Book House  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Books-A-Million  |  Christianbook  |  Indiebound

CC: What was some of your favorite research for Where the Blue Sky Begins?

KP: While preparing for Where the Blue Sky Begins, I did a lot of research about stomas, particularly urostomies, because Eunice in the story has a urostomy. I already knew what they were, but it was so fascinating to learn more about this absolute marvel of modern medicine. I mean, to think that doctors can re-route a bladder or a colon to a newly formed opening to save a person’s life…it’s amazing. Not many years ago, a person with a diseased colon would’ve died a slow and painful death. But now, thanks to advancements in stomas and stoma supplies, they can live a long, basically normal life. I loved learning more about that.
CC: We recently had the son of an acquaintance whose life was saved through a stoma. I never really thought about the fact that before they existed, people had such a miserable death. I am definitely glad for that bit of modern medicine.
How do you select the name of your characters?
KP: Names are so interesting. They tell us a lot about a person, even if we don’t realize it on a conscious level. So I take character name-choosing very seriously. I consider their age, their location, their family heritage. I consider their temperament and their character arc. I also consider how their name sounds out loud and how it sounds paired with other prominent names in the story. For example, if you have a William, you wouldn’t want to name his wife Wilma because that would be a tongue twister!
CC: I love how much thought you put into names. They really are such an important part of the story, and once it’s in print, you can’t change it.
What do you hope readers will take away from your story?

KP: I hope readers will think about their own mortality and consider not only what will happen after they die but what they should be doing now with the life they still have. I also hope they will be encouraged to not judge others so quickly but to give people a chance to show who they really are.

CC: That is so beautiful and so needed. Thank you so much for joining me today and providing such thought-provoking answers. As my final question, I have my usual “Fun Question”.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot?

KP: Actually, I already have a writerly mascot! It’s my stuffed Holstein cow named Moolene. She and I wear matching red Converse shoes and matching retro red bead necklaces. If you follow me online at all, you will see Moolene make appearances fairly often.

CC: Thank you again for joining us. For fun, I’ve included a picture of Moolene. 🙂

May be an image of outdoors and text that says 'where blueskr blue the begins Two Weeks Until Release Day! Where the Blue Sky Begins, Oct.II'


Reader, what would be YOUR mascot?

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