Showing posts with label Karla Akins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karla Akins. Show all posts

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Two Favorite Characters from Christmas Treasures

From Imagebase.net 
Time for some pre-holiday Christmas fun! Two of my co-authors of the Christmas Treasures: A Collection of Christmas Short Stories, Anne Garboczi Evans and Karla Akins, are introducing to us their favorite
characters in their short stories, and I had the privilege of interviewing Raquel and Santa this week. 

"I Hate Christmas" by Anne Garboczi Evans

Favorite character: Raquel

Please introduce us to your character with a little description of who they are: Raquel is a 20-something romantic with a sense of humor. She has a way of getting herself into mishaps, but ends up landing on her feet all the same.
Anne with husband, Gabe, and son, Joe-joe.

Tell us about your favorite Christmas, Raquel. Why was it your favorite?

Favorite Christmas? No way! I hate Christmas! 

That sounds wonderful! Do you have a Christmas tradition you look forward to every year?

My favorite Christmas tradition? Seriously? What's to like about ten pounds of weight gain and hundreds of dollars wasted on presents?

"Banking on Christmas" by Karla Akins

Favorite character:  Santa

Please introduce us to your character with a little description of who they are:

Santa comes to the bank on Christmas Eve.



       Tell us about your favorite Christmas, Santa. Why was it your favorite?

I think my favorite one was in 2009—it was the one where my wife and I were robbed.

Santa got robbed? That's awful!

       Do you have a Christmas tradition you look forward to every year?
       
       Oh definitely. But I can’t tell you what it is or it would give the story away.  Mainly, I like being with my wife doing what we do together. There’s nothing more fun than spending Christmas with your best friend, is there? I will say that her Macadamia nut cookies are fantastic. She makes them for me every year but only on Christmas Eve. I have to wait 364 days a year to enjoy them. They’re worth the wait!
Karla Akins 




Friday, July 4, 2014

Books 'n' Blurbs

This week's picks are both excellent reads! I recommend them for your summer reading. 

For Such a Time
by Kate Breslin

April, 2014


Powerful Retelling of the Story of Esther

In 1944, Hadassah Benjamin feels abandoned by God when she is saved from a firing squad only to be handed over to a new enemy. Pressed into service by SS-Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at the transit camp of Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia, her Aryan-like looks allow her to hide behind the false identity of Stella Muller. However, to maintain her cover as von Schmidt’s secretary, she is forced to stand by as her own people are sent to Auschwitz.

Suspecting her employer is a man of hidden depths, Stella appeals to him on behalf of those in the camp. Aric's indulgence gives her hope even as she risks discovery with every attempt to help the prisoners. When her bravery brings her to the point of ultimate sacrifice, she faces an excruciating choice. God may have brought her to the camp for such a time as this, but how can she save her people when she cannot save herself?




August, 2013

Humorous and touching!


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.



Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Wednesday Whimsy - Interview with Jakearoo




Today, I am leaving my comfort zone *sigh* and interviewing Jakearoo Dog. Though I must say, he is quite a gentleman and often takes time to leave me comments, so I do consider him a friend. 

My Interview with: 
Jakearoo Dog! Woof!


Hi, Jakearoo Dog! Thanks for joining me today on Wednesday Whimsy.

Woof!  Hi, there Miss Lilybits!

How long have you owned your human?

I has had my Mama for 3.5 years now. I moved here after my skin dad died from a lung disease in Pennsylvania. He knew from reading my Mama’s blog that she liked fur kids, so he told me this would be a good place to live so here I am in Indiana now.

What’s the best way to train your human?

If you don’t practice ‘em dey will get lazy. I haz a ball in every room for exercize. I also good at doctorin’.


Here’s stuff ta do when yer Mama neez ta concentrate on her works so she won’t get bored an’ how ta helps her out:



·      Steal her empty water bottle and kill it by pushin’ it all ober da hardwood floor and makin’ loud killin’ noizez.
·      Choke on da lid so her jump up an’ play.
·      Eat yer food loud and make loud snortin’ dinosaur noises
·      Knock eberyting off da fireplace hearth and run around in all a it sending it hither an’ yon (don’t know what dat iz but Mom sez I do dat real good).
·      Play soccer wif her books an eat da page on global warming cuz it too cold to swim an’ I mad.
·      Play football wif her iPhone an’ chew on da case.
·      Jump on her lap and kissy face her berry hard an’ push my pawz on her chest
·      Lay on her legz so her can’t go nowhere durin’ my nap time.
·      Give her a paw massage all over her body when she’s lying down. (I know she likes this from all the different ways she says “Jake! Jake!”)
·      Slurp her ear just as she’s tryin’ to fall asleep. That way, you know she’s still breathing.
·      Hold da blankets down when she rolls over so she don’t move. Too much movement could cause her to over-exert herself. You don’t want dat.
·      Snore loud so she don’t feel bad snorin’ herself.
·      Help her eat by lickin’ da fork on da way to her mouth so dat she don’t eat too much.


I has a lot more tips, but that should get you started.


What does Karla write?

Well, she should write more ‘bout me, but her always writin’ ‘bout history and humor and hope.

How do you help her with her writing?

One thing I has to do iz make sure she playz a lot more so I bring her my slobbery ball or frizbie and put it on her laptop. I also sit on her lap and snore loudly so her haz background noise. And I make her let me outside and inside over and over for exercizin’. I also sit on her shoulder and fluff to keep her alert.

Any advice to other canine muses? How can we best help our writing humans?

Whatever you do, make sure you bark a lot and scratch on their office door if you hear the word “deadline.” I hear they like that.


Do you ever get in trouble for helping “too much”?

Mama locks her door on me, but I know how to do dat pitiful face wif puppy dog eyez. Foolz her ebery time. Woof!


Karla Akins is the author of The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots and historical biographies for middle grades. She's also a pastor’s wife who rides her own motorcycle and the mother of four boys and one step-daughter, and the grandmother of six. 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 31 years. You can contact Karla for speaking engagements via her website at KarlaAkins.com


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Wednesday Whimsy - The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots - Book Review


Lilybits--not large, but in charge. I'm baaack!


The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots by Karla Akins

The Pastor’s Wife Wears Biker Boots made Mom and me laugh a lot. It also had some sad and tense moments, which made me lick my paws and do cat yoga to relax. I think Mom just ate chocolate, but you didn't hear that from me.

The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots is about Pastor Aaron Donovan’s wife, Kirstie, and her desire to find a way to get away and relax sometimes. She has a busy and challenging family life. Her oldest son, Timmy, is autistic and Kirstie shows him much love and patience. And so does her tough redneck friend, Reba, who helps her out with him. The middle teen son, Patrick, is struggling to figure life out and test boundaries. (I know all about testing boundaries!)   

With judgmental church members calling board meetings and looking for issues to stir up, Kirstie has her plate full. The one thing she wants to do is ride a motorcycle—her own—and feel the wind in her face on the open road. I’d like to feel the wind in my fur, but Mom won’t even let me out the patio door, let alone the open road!

When Kirstie is able to buy her own motorcycle with a small inheritance, her friends Reba, Opal and Lily join her with their own rides, and the adventure starts. People may talk, but that’s just the beginning . . .

Mom says and I concur that The Pastor’s Wife Wears Biker Boots is a great read, filled with honest emotions and humor, making you examine your own preconceived notions about people (and other cats, in my case). It touches your heart as Karla Akins deftly weaves a page turning, contemporary story with lifelike characters that deal with real life situations. It’s a fun, but not sugar-coated read. Mom and I highly recommend it. (Despite the fact that the family in
the book have a dog named Goliath and not a cat.
I'll let this one detail go.) Four paws up!  

Leave a comment and follow, if you haven't yet, to be entered
in this week's drawing on Friday morning for a copy of 
The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots.

Next week, I'm moving out of my comfort zone and interviewing
a dog! Karla Akins dog, Jakearoo, will be my guest next Wednesday.