Meet The Author Monday – Katie Powner

Happy Monday!

Each Monday I would like to take some time to get to know some of our favorite authors. My hope is that this will help readers connect with the authors.

Today I would like to introduce you to: Katie Powner!

I first met Katie around the time that her debut novel came out. It’s been great getting to know her! Her book is excellent! I can’t wait to see what’s next for her!

Author bio:

Katie Powner grew up on a dairy farm in the Pacific Northwest but has lived in Montana for almost twenty years. She is a biological, adoptive, and foster mom who loves Jesus, red shoes, and candy. In addition to writing contemporary fiction, she blogs about family in all its many forms and advocates for more families to open their homes to children in need. The Sowing Season is her debut novel. Learn more at http://www.katiepowner.com.

To help us get to know her, I have given her some questions and here are her responses:

Q: How long have you been writing?

A: I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I have a vague memory of writing an epic Mother’s Day poem for my mom when I was little that, if I remember correctly, went on for several pages and described all four seasons and included a frolicking deer for some reason. That’s where it all began!

Q: What are you currently working on?

A: I currently have two projects going on. One is the novel I am releasing with Bethany House this Fall called A Flicker of Light. This book is completed and submitted and in the line editing stage. The second project is something new and different that is in the early stages. It’s another contemporary story but it’s stretching me more than anything I’ve done before. If anything ever happens with it, the best way to find out is by subscribing to my newsletter (which can be done here: www.katiepowner.com/subscribe). That’s where I break all my most important news and also where I do my best giveaways.

Q: What are some of your writing must haves? (Drink, snack, supplies, etc.)

A: I have to be at my desk and I have to have a notebook and pen handy for notes. I don’t need anything else.

Q: What is your favorite time period to write about? Or read about?

A: So far, I have only written contemporary stories, but I love to read stories from all time periods. Historical fiction is so interesting and educational. For example, both The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman and The Bright Unknown by Elizabeth Byler Younts recently taught me many things about the atrocities of “psychiatric care” in North America’s past that I didn’t know before. Those types of stories teach us important lessons that will hopefully keep us from repeating past mistakes.

Q: What are some of your favorite books?

A: There are so many wonderful books out there and more come out every year. Some of my favorites from the past…hmm, let’s say five years…are All Manner of Things by Susie Finkbeiner, Long Way Gone by Charles Martin, and The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker.

Q: If you could spend a day with one fictional character, who would you pick and what would you do?

A: I would just want to hang out with Flavia de Luce from the Alan Bradley series and follow along as she solved a mystery. I think that would be tremendously entertaining.

I have saved my favorite question for last!

Q: What would you like readers to take away from your books?

A: Hope. My books don’t necessarily tie everything up in a nice bow or answer all the questions, but my desire is that they will still leave readers with a feeling of hope.

To connect with Katie, please click on any of the following links: her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

I’m also featuring her debut book, The Sowing Season! This book is so good! I read it in one day! To find out more about her book, click here.

About the book:

After he’s forced to sell the family farm he’s labored on his whole life, 63-year-old Gerrit Laninga doesn’t know what to do with himself. He sacrificed everything for the land–his time, his health, his family–with nothing to show for it but bitterness, regret, and two grown children who want nothing to do with him.

Fifteen-year-old Rae Walters has growing doubts and fears about The Plan–the detailed blueprint for high school that will help her follow in her lawyer father’s footsteps. She’s always been committed to The Plan, but now that the pressure to succeed is building, what was supposed to unite her family in purpose, may end up tearing it apart.

When their paths cross just as they each need a friend the most, Gerrit’s and Rae’s lives begin to change in unexpected ways. Can they discover together what really matters in life and learn it’s never too late for a second chance?

If you sign up for Katie’s newsletter, she will be giving away 3 copies to new subscribers! Sign up here!

Thank you Katie for your time! Please leave some love in the comments!