An Interview with an Author: Katie Powner
It’s Author Thursday on my blog! Today, meet my friend and Christian author Katie Powner (https://www.katiepowner.com/).
The Sowing Season is Katie’s first published book, though she wrote four novels prior to it that were all rejected by agents and/or publishers. She is a professional stay-at-home mom and homeschool teacher. She is also a foster mom, lover of nature, and chicken herder.
Katie is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and Oregon Christian Writers, two-time winner of the ACFW First Impressions Award, two-time winner of the OCW Cascade Award, and two-time finalist in the ACFW Genesis contest.
Learn more about Katie through the links at the end of this interview.
—By Jessica Brodie
JB: Tell us about yourself and your faith journey. How did you get to where you are? What is God teaching you right now?
Katie: I have a lot on my plate right now: Four kids, two of whom I’m homeschooling, one of whom is a 9-month-old foster baby, and another of whom has special needs that necessitate weekly therapy sessions; a fledgling writing career, complete with Book 1 launch and Book 2 revisions happening in the same month; a babysitting job I took to earn extra money; my husband starting a new career; and a variety of other things. And yet…I’m at peace. God is showing me that He really is sufficient for my needs. He really does provide what’s required for each day. I still get overwhelmed sometimes, but I think God is using this whole process to teach me about letting go of control and letting Him do what He does better than anyone else, which is take care of me.
JB: When did you know you wanted to become a writer?
Katie: I can’t remember any time when I didn’t want to become a writer. It has always been my ambition in life, but for a long time I thought I would have to wait until I was “retired” to pursue it. I didn’t really think it was possible to pursue a writing career while I had kids still at home. And I was okay with that. I was willing to wait until they were grown up. But God had other plans. He started prompting me and opening doors and I was like, “Are you sure?” Apparently, He was.
JB: How does your faith influence your writing?
Katie: Because my faith influences how I see life and how I see the world, it also influences how I write about life and write about the world. I don’t ever set out to write a story about faith or God or someone’s spiritual journey or anything like that, but because those things are part of how I process the world around me, they show up in my books.
JB: Do you have other books coming out in the future (or any you are actively writing now)?
Katie: I’m very grateful and excited that my next book is scheduled to be released by Bethany House in Fall 2021. It is a contemporary novel set in rural Montana about three generations of one family who learn to lean on each other when they face trials and change.
JB: What do you hope for readers to take away from this book?
Katie: I hope readers will think about the power of forgiveness when they read this book. I hope if they are carrying the burden of bitterness, Gerrit’s story will remind them of the freedom found in choosing to forgive.
Check out Katie online:
Website: https://www.katiepowner.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkatiepowner
Twitter: https://twitter.com/katie_powner
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorkatiepowner/