Karla Akins is a pastor’s wife, mother of five, and grandma to five beautiful little girls. She lives in Northeast Indiana with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, mother-in-law with Alzheimer’s and three rambunctious dogs. When she’s not writing she’s dreaming of riding her motorcycle through the mountains.

 Jim:  Where do you write?

Karla:  I’d like to say I write in a neatly organized office, and I may do that someday, but right now my office is filled with hundreds of books from my teaching years. Now that I’m sure I like reading digitally on my iPad, I’m arranging to give many of them away. For now, I usually write from my comfy chair in the living room in the middle of the chaos. I’m pretty good at tuning noise out or I use my headphones.

Jim:  What is your process?

Karla:  I usually start with an idea that has to do with a unique or unsuspecting character in an unusual situation.  And I may write a little synopsis or just start writing and then brainstorm on paper. I always keep a notebook with me so I can write down ideas or work on chapters. I have limited time to write, so I do it every chance I get.

Jim:   Describe your latest book, The Pastor’s Wife Wears Biker Boots.

Karla:  A pastor’s wife decides to learn to ride a motorcycle and when she does, she creates all kinds of hilarious drama between the women she recruits to ride with her and the church board.

Jim:  Sounds like it should be a lot of fun. Will people identify with it?

Karla:  If they’ve ever been involved in church leadership or like a good laugh about women aged 40+ doing crazy things, I think they’ll enjoy the adventure. Kirstie, the pastor’s wife, also has an autistic son, and two boys who are just regular kids with their own dramas. Kirstie is a home school Mom, too. Homeschooling and autism are two causes dear to my heart.

Jim:  Who is your favorite character in the book and why?

Karla:  This is a tough one! There are many quirky characters in the book. Of course Kirstie is my first favorite because she’s a pastor’s wife like me. I guess my second favorites would be Opal and Atticus. Opal is someone in her 60s who’s never married and scared of her own shadow. You’ll have to read the book to find out who Atticus is.

Jim:  How did you name your characters?

Karla:  I did web searches for popular names of the year they were born on baby name sites.

Jim:  Are the characters based on people you know?

Karla:  There may be some character qualities that are like people I know, but I didn’t base the character on an individual, but more on a single type of person.

Jim:  Is anything in the book based on your own life?

Karla:  The fact that I’m a pastor’s wife who rides a motorcycle, and learned at the tender age of 47. So, Kristie  is something like me.  But Kirstie isn’t like me at all. She has a lot more energy! Ironically, when I wrote the book, a couple of things that are in the book did happen to me later. I write about Alzheimer’s and had no idea at the time that my mother-in-law with Alzheimer’s would come to live with us. I also wanted to give a little insight into what it’s like to live with autism.  I write about the preacher’s son’s trouble with the law, and had no idea we, too, would be experiencing some of the same heartbreak. You can read about that on my Prison Ministry page on my website. It’s almost as if the Lord was preparing me well for what we were to go through. Sort of a foreshadowing. God is so good that way.

Jim:  What is your favorite scene in the book?

Karla:  Oh my goodness, that’s so hard because there are so many that I love. I love the scene with the pastor’s family’s pet bull mastiff when he interrupts a church meeting after a swim in the pond. I also love the part where the women get locked in a Harley Davidson dealership after hours. But perhaps the best part is when they all go to jail. Then again there is that love scene…

Jim:  I know what you mean. I find it hard to limit myself to one favorite scene from my books. Why Christian fiction?

Karla:  I was a voracious reader as a child. I read anything I could get my hands on and I was blessed to have a mother and father who loved to read. From the time I was small my mother read to us out of the classics. By the time I was in 5^th grade I’d read classics such as David Copperfield, Treasure Island, and The Yearling. I also read all those Reader’s Digest condensed books my parents got every month. Every one of them.

But in Jr. High or High School, I read the book, Christy, by Catherine Marshall. That book impressed me so much that I felt the call into what our little church called “full time Christian service.” I knew I would serve Jesus with my life and that included my writing. I could never compare myself to Catherine Marshall, but I do hope that my books will touch people’s hearts and draw them closer to God the way that book and other Christian books did and still do. I write hoping that someone will draw closer to God.

Jim:  Thanks, Karla, for an inspiring interview.  And your book sounds like so much fun that I’m sure a lot of will add it to our TBR list.  And Readers,  Karla will give away a digital copy of The Pastor’s Wife Wears Biker Boots to one lucky person who leaves a comment. So, give Karla even a short comment and your name goes in the hat. Thanks.

If you need more information, please feel free to contact Karla directly by any of the means below.
Click here to see Karla’s book on Amazon.

Email: Karla.Akins@KarlaAkins.com

Twitter: @KarlaAkins

Website: KarlaAkins.com

Blog: KarlaAkins.com/blog

Facebook author page: facebook.com/karlakakins

Karla is represented by literary agent, Linda Glaz, of Hartline Literary Agency.