Saturday, August 10, 2013

Meet Karla Akins ~ The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots

This week I'm spotlighting a 'new-to-the-family' author at Pelican Book Group, Karla Akins. You're sure to love her, and her writing. Her book The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots has just released so I wanted to shine the spotlight on this gifted author! Leave a comment along with your contact info and you're entered to win a digital copy, so read on, and share the love!! Winner announced on Monday!!!


ABOUT KARLA AKINS




Karla Akins is a pastor's wife who rides her own motorcycle. She is the mother of four boys and one step-daughter, and grandmother of five. She lives in North Manchester with her husband who is the pastor of Christian Fellowship Church, her twin teenage boys with autism, mother-in-law with Alzheimer's and three rambunctious dogs. Karla and her husband have been in ministry together for 30 years. You can contact Karla for speaking engagements via her website at KarlaAkins.com


A CHAT WITH MARIANNE


Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
My earliest memory is writing on my chalkboard with either hand. I was ambidextrous and didn’t choose a hand until 1st grade when I chose my left for writing. (I still use my right for other things.) But my fifth grade teacher discovered some poems I wrote and to keep me from being so naughty (I was a notorious talker and liked to “help” teach) encouraged me to make booklets of them. She supplied me with construction paper to make covers. I was self-publishing before anyone knew what self-publishing was!

What books have most influenced you?
The Bible of course. But the fiction books that had the greatest influence were Christy by Catherine Marshall, and Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott. My mother read Tom Sawyer to me when I was very, very young and I loved that story, too. But I think Christy influenced me to do what I do today. I don’t think I’d have considered marrying a minister had I not read that book. Little Women spoke to the writer in me. I love that story and the character of Jo. The book, Little Men by Alcott meant a lot to me as the mother of four boys and one daughter. And I love stories set in the south, so Tom Sawyer is one of my all-time favorites. There are tons of books I’m fond of, though, not just these.

What book(s) are you reading now?
Colleen Coble’s Rosemary Cottage, Brad Thor’s Hidden Order, Dan Brown’s Inferno, Tom Threadgill’s not-yet-published, Hollow Target and a few nonfiction for research. I’m always reading more than one book at once. It’s weird that I love reading political thrillers but I have no interest, really, in writing them. Maybe someday, but I think you have to be immensely clever to pull them off well.

What are your current projects?
I’m finishing up my full-length historical, River Moon Don’t Cry about a Melungeon girl whose father gambles her off to a sex-trafficking, gambling steamboat. (Very different from Biker Boots. But don’t worry, there’s still some humor in it.) Also Marco Polo for my Brave Explorers Every Child Should Know series and a couple of others. I think it helps me to have more than one project going. I panic less if I get a little stuck on one of them. I’m also a full-time college student pursuing my degrees in Special Education.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Everything! I’m fairly new to writing novels so I’m constantly learning how to do it well. I’d like to get better at choreographing fight scenes. Even though I raised four boys, I’m just not that familiar with the mechanics of how guys fight. So I have to read a lot on that.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I’d like readers to come away with the message that we’re all valuable, we all have a purpose, and no matter our background and others’ backgrounds, Jesus died for all. As Christians we should embrace those who are different. Different doesn’t mean wrong, it just means different.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I learned that God is in control, and that His purpose prevails. This is my very first full-length novel, so I also learned how to discipline myself, how to take criticism (from my crit partners who are lovely) and how to persevere.

What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
Mainly the challenges were that I knew very little about the mechanics of novel writing, so I had a lot to learn. I had a good story idea, but didn’t know how to pull it off in a way that was marketable. I never could have sold it had I not had a critique group or attended writer’s conferences. As far as logistical, so much happened in my family during that time so I had to learn to keep writing through pain and chaos.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I hope they’ll enjoy the book and have a great ride while reading it. I’d love to hear from them! I love communicating with my readers. I’m fascinated by their thoughts and opinions. And I hope that they will be encouraged as Christians in this human race.


THE PASTOR'S WIFE WEAR'S BIKER BOOTS 



Pastor’s wife, Kirstie Donovan, lives life in a fishbowl, so when she hops on the back of a bright pink motorcycle, tongues start to wag at the conservative, century-old First Independent Christian Community Church of Eels Falls.

Kirstie loves roaring down a road less traveled by most women over forty, but she’s not just riding her bike for the fun of it. Kirstie has a ministry. However, certain church members have secrets to hide, and when God uses Kirstie’s ministry to fill the pews with leather-clad, tattooed bikers, those secrets could be exposed…and some will stop at nothing to hide the truth.

Join Kirstie and her motorcycle “gang”—two church matrons and a mouthy, gum-smacking non-church member—as they discover that road-toughened bikers are quite capable of ministering to others, and faith is fortified in the most unexpected ways.


Purchase Link: Pelican Book Group ~ Purchase Link: Amazon.Com ~ Purchase Link: Barnes & Noble




Good luck in the drawing, gang! Now, go forth and enjoy the ride!

Until next time ~ Blessings!

23 comments:

  1. Congrats on your first full-length novel, Karla. Are you into motorcycles for ministry as well? Or is it all the thrill of the ride?

    gloworm (at) certainty (dot) net.

    I've been enjoying Pelican Books this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gloria, I'm so happy you're enjoying the selections of PBG - they truly are amazing reads!! Your support is deeply appreciated! Thanks for showing your support for Karla as well! I can't wait to dive in to TPWWBB!!! Blessings!

      Delete
    2. Gloria!
      I'm so happy that Marianne hosted me here. Thanks so much for stopping by. Yes, I'm into motorcycles for a ministry most of all. And the thrill of the ride is a blast, too!

      Delete
  2. What a fun post, but then Karla really amazes me w/all she has going on (and I DON'T have room to talk. lol) I think she must be my long lost sister! Loved learning more about her. Looking forward to reading her book soon.
    browncarole212(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Caroline! So glad you enjoyed your visit! Yes, Karla is an amazing lady...and I'm enjoying getting to know her as well! Blessings, and good luck in the drawing!

      Delete
    2. Hi, Caroline! I'm so happy to see you here on Marianne's site! It's been crazy busy here with all this launching business. :-) Thanks for reading and best of blessings with the drawing!

      Delete
  3. I'm seeing this one around a lot lately. it looks fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there, Tracy! Intriguing, isn't it?? :-D So glad you dropped in!! Blessings!

      Delete
    2. Tracy, if you win, let me know how you liked it! And if you don't I hope you'll give it a try. I put a lot of my heart into this book (don't we put that into all our books LOL). Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  4. Congratulations Karla on the release! I have it on my To Read list. Wishing you much luck with it. lynn(at)lynnchandlerwillis(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Lynn!! This one is already cued up on my Kindle - and I can't wait to dive in!! God bless, and thanks for saying hello!!!

      Delete
    2. Lynn, I hope you enjoy it. And thanks for the blessing!

      Delete
  5. Karla, I've loved the sound of this story since the very first tease. I look forward to the ride....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LoRee, thanks so much for the visit - doesn't it sound great? Blessings to you!!

      Delete
    2. LoRee, it's so nice of you to tell me that! Hope you enjoy the journey the book takes you on! God bless!

      Delete
  6. Congrats on the official release, Karla. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to many more. Happy touring!

    **Exclude me from the contest**

    Wanda Barefoot

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome to the blog, Wanda, and thanks so much for the shout of support to Karla!! :-D Blessings!

      Delete
    2. Thanks, Wanda! Your support has been priceless. What a good God to bring you into my life!

      Delete
  7. Thanks for the great interview. I love the title of this book and while I should be working on my own novel the title drew me to your blog. I hope the book does really well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't the title a grabber, Jane? I love it, too! :-) Thanks so much for your visit--and everyone stay tuned! The winner of a PDF copy of The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots will be announced tomorrow!!!

      Delete
  8. Thanks again, everyone, for stopping by to visit and find out mor about Karla and her new release! Now, for the moment we've all been waiting for............drumroll, please............the winner of a PDF copy of The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker boots is.....GLORIA CLOVER!

    Gloria, congrats, and look for an e-mail notification and details. Blessings to you, friends!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I want to thank Marianne for generously hosting me on her blog. Marianne, you are a lovely writer friend and I am grateful to God for allowing our paths to cross here on the WWW. May you be blessed beyond measure for your generosity to me!

    ReplyDelete