Meet the Author: Katie Powner

Crystal Caudill — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 10:00:29 +0000

It is an honor to introduce you to Christy Award winner, Katie Powner. I met Katie for the first time a few years ago at a reader event, and her down-to-earth manner struck me. She is a fantastic author, foster mom, and Christian. I am so blessed to get to have her here today for an interview. Katie is graciously offering a copy of The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass, her latest Christy Award finalist novel, to one lucky person. Check out the details and restrictions at the end of this post. Before we dive in, here is a bit about her.

Katie Powner is a Christy Award-winning author who lives in rural Montana, where cows still outnumber people. She writes contemporary fiction about redemption, relationships, and finding the dirt road home. She’s a mom to the third power (biological, adoptive, and foster) who loves red shoes, Jesus, and candy–not necessarily in that order. Learn more at KatiePowner.com.

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: Pineapple pizza or candy corn?

KP: The two absolutely worst things I can imagine.

CC: Test the waters or dive in the deep end?

KP: Dive in, baby!

CC: Guacamole or salsa?

KP: I love guac too, but I have to go with salsa because there are so many varieties and it has way fewer calories, haha.

CC: Silly hats or silly socks?

KP: Socks

CC: Passwords or secret handshakes?

KP: What?! Is this something people are doing? I feel like I’m missing out, I want both!

Ha ha! Yeah, I don’t know anyone who actually uses secret handshakes outside of elementary school, if they even do it there now. And I’m so with you on the guac. I love it, but not the calories.

What fiction book has most impacted you?

KP: Summer of Light by Dale Cramer changed the trajectory of my life because it showed me there was room in Christian fiction for a wider variety of stories than what I had been exposed to. When I read Summer of Light, I suddenly had hope there were publishers out there interested in writing voices like mine.

CC: Oh, I’ve never heard of that one. I’ll have to go look it up.

When did you first realize you want to be a writer?

KP: It’s all I ever wanted to do. Aside from briefly entertaining the idea of becoming a naturalist when I was in fifth grade, all I’ve ever wanted to be was a writer. I never imagined myself as a nurse or ballerina or astronaut or whatever. Writing was it for me.

CC: I love how you had that yearning from the very beginning!

How have you seen God work through your writing journey?

KP: Here’s a funny thing. I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but I figured it would happen after my kids were grown up. I wanted to give my time and attention to them, and I figured writing could wait. But here’s what God knew that I didn’t: Writing makes me a better parent. Having a creative outlet and a way to set personal goals for myself, as well as a way to have success and identity outside of my children, allows me to find greater joy in being a mom and gives me more energy and life to pour into parenting.

CC: Oh wow! I love that. I’d actually never thought of it in that context, except that writing saves my family’s lives sometimes. LOL

Do you have any advice for those who want to write their own stories?

KP: The one piece of advice I always give to people just starting out or thinking about starting out is WRITE THE SECOND BOOK. I’ve seen too many people write one story and then spend years and years revising it, passing it around for feedback, revising it again, and basically just fiddling around with it forever when they should be working on their next story. Yes, take all the time you need to write your book. Yes, revise it and get feedback and revise it again. But then submit it and move on. Start something new. Don’t get stuck on one story for ten years.

CC: That is very sage advice. It’s easy to get hung up on perfection. We grow and change with each book we write.

I’m so thrilled to get the chance to talk about your book that is currently up for a Christy Award, and even more thrilled I’ll get to cheer you on in person! Before we talk about it, here’s what it’s about:

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner

For the first time in his life, Pete has everything to lose.

After years of drifting, fifty-year-old Pete Ryman has settled down with his potbellied pig, Pearl, in the small town of Sleeping Grass–a place he never expected to see again. It’s not the life he dreamed of, but there aren’t many prospects for a high school dropout like him.

Elderly widow Wilma Jacobsen carries a burden of guilt over her part in events that led to Pete leaving Sleeping Grass decades ago. Now that he’s back, she’s been praying for the chance to make things right, but she never expected God’s answer to leave her flat on her face–literally–and up to her ears in meddling.

When the younger sister Pete was separated from as a child shows up in Sleeping Grass with her eleven-year-old son, Pete is forced to face a past he buried long ago, and Wilma discovers her long-awaited chance at redemption may come at a higher cost than she’s willing to pay.

Set in northern Montana along the rugged and remote Hi-Line, Katie Powner’s latest interweaves poignancy and humor to present a story of friendship, forgiveness, and moving forward.

CC: Where did you get the idea for the story?

KP: My brother drives the garbage truck for the city of Cut Bank in northern Montana. He would tell me sometimes about things he would observe while driving the truck and things he learned about people based on their garbage. I found that fascinating and that’s where The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass was born.

CC: That is so cool! I never thought about that aspect of his job.

Which character was the most fun to create?

KP: Pearl the pot-bellied pig was really fun to write because pigs are such smart and unique and curious creatures. Also because she was always getting into mischief and revealing people’s true character.

CC: Ha! I love it when animals bring more to the story than just being there for the main characters to love on.

What was some of your favorite research while preparing for the The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass?

KP: I learned that pot-bellied pigs are good at recognizing danger and have been known to save lives. They’re so much smarter than people realize!

CC: I’ve heard that pigs are extremely intelligent, but I’ve never put a lot of thought into what that might look like.

What do you hope readers will take away from your story?

KP: That everyone has value and their value is determined by the Creator, not by the world. Not based on human standards.

CC: Amen. That is such a hard thing to learn and hold on to, especially with our world and society’s pressures.

I always like to end with a fun question so . . .

You find a genie in a lamp. What three wishes would you make?

KP: I wish ice cream was a low-calorie food. I wish it was easier to go to bed before 10:30pm (It’s not. It’s impossible). And I wish my chickens would stop laying their eggs beneath their roost.

CC: ha ha! I can commiserate with the first two, but I don’t have chickens. However, my brother does, and I’m sure he can agree on that third wish!

Readers, I hope you’ll check out The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass and then leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or BookBub. You wouldn’t believe how important that is to an author.

Giveaway

Katie is graciously giving away a print copy of The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass to one lucky U.S. resident, 18 or older. Entries are collected until 11:59 p.m. EST on 11/18/2024. The winner will be contacted by email.

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*Contiguous U.S. residents only, 18 and older. Void where prohibited or restricted.

Katie Powner | Crystal Caudill

Meet the Author: Katie Powner

Giveaway

Reader, what is something the garbage man might learn about you when they see your trash?