Katie Powner is an award-winning author who lives in Montana, where cows still outnumber people. She writes contemporary fiction about redemption, relationships, and finding the dirt road home. Katie is a mom to the third power (biological, adoptive, and foster) who believes every child deserves a loving family. Visit www.katiepowner.com.
In this novel that hits hard at home, Katie shares the inspiration behind When the Road Comes Around, as well as how she deals with the challenges of writing contemporary fiction.
FF: What inspired the story in your book?
Two experiences in my life converged to plant the seeds of this story. The first was volunteering at a ranch that pairs up rescue horses with at-risk youth to provide healing and purpose for both animal and child. The second was taking in a foster baby who had been living with a man presumed to be the baby’s father. When it was discovered the man was not, in fact, the father, the baby came to me. These two very different experiences come together in a unique way in this book.
FF: What can you tell us about the main characters in your book?
Thaddeus Bungley, known as Tad, is a twenty-four-year-old guy with a reputation for trouble. He’s made a lot of mistakes, and there’s nowhere to hide from them in such a small town. Anita Wilson is a forty-eight-year-old woman who owns Come Around Ranch with her husband Dan. Anita is a prayer warrior, the mother of a developmentally disabled son, and a giver of second chances. She believes all Tad needs to turn his life around is a little grace, so she hires him on at the ranch for the summer. As their stories intersect, lives begin to change in unexpected ways.
FF: Which character surprised you the most?
Maddie Pine. She was always going to be part of the story, but I was surprised as I was writing how integral she became. I didn’t know she was going to be such a pivotal character.
FF: Why do you think storytelling is such a powerful way to share truth?
Storytelling reaches the heart in a way other forms of communication can’t. A story allows us to step outside ourselves and our own perspectives and prejudices and view the truth being conveyed with new eyes. Jesus knew this and was a master storyteller.
FF: What can you tell us about your next book?
My next book is a women’s fiction story called Birds on a Wire. Releasing in April 2026, it’s about a foster mom and a bio mom who form a tenuous friendship over the baby they both love. This story is based on my experience as a foster parent and has been waiting almost ten years to be published.
FF: How do you get into the right frame of mind to write for your novels?
This is a great question, and let me tell you, it isn’t easy. I’ve got four kids (plus ten chickens and a bunny), and it’s difficult to find the time to write, let alone the time to get into the right frame of mind. I’ve learned to pray about it a lot, and I’ve learned that if I force myself to start writing, the right frame of mind will eventually come.
FF: What do you want readers to take away after reading your book?
I want readers to remember how much grace has been shown to them, by the Lord and by others. We are sometimes stingy in the amount of grace we extend, and I hope this story gives readers the chance to think about why we do that and how we should be generous with grace because God is generous with us.
FF: What are the biggest challenges for you as an author writing contemporary fiction?
One of the biggest challenges involved in writing contemporary fiction is how fast life changes. For example, imagine if you were in the middle of writing a contemporary story about a teacher or a doctor or a grocery store clerk when the pandemic hit. Suddenly, your story is outdated. It no longer reflects contemporary reality. So the challenge is to write in a way that will still feel fresh and relevant regardless of current events.
FF: What authors or books have inspired you as an author?
I read Summer of Light by Dale Cramer at a time when I was wondering if there was a place for a voice like mine in Christian fiction. That book changed everything for me, because it showed me there is room for stories that are more on the literary side. Stories that aren’t romance and that feature male protagonists. It gave me the courage to submit a book about a cantankerous dairy farmer in his sixties to Bethany House, which became my first published novel, The Sowing Season.
FF: How has your faith or world view impacted the way you tell stories?
My faith impacts my stories in many ways, but I think the main impact my faith has is in how I choose which stories to tell. Because of my faith, I want my stories to convey truth, even if they are not written as overtly Christian stories. I want them to be meaningful and give readers something to think about that might lead them to even more truth, because Jesus tells us in John chapter 8 that the truth will set us free. That’s what I want for my readers.
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When the Road Comes Around
Katie Powner
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Genre: Contemporary
Released: August 5, 2025
Available Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
ISBN-10: 0764245163
ISBN-13: 978-0764245169
Book Summary:
Only trouble can bring about the beauty of redemption and grace.
In the small town of Grady, Montana, twenty-four-year-old Tad Bungley has a reputation for trouble. When he lands a job at Come Around Ranch, however, his life seems to take a positive turn. As he develops a soft spot for Sam, the ranch owner’s disabled son, and a special bond with TJ, a rescue horse with a poor reputation of his own, Tad becomes determined not to bungle it up this time.
Forty-eight-year-old Anita Wilson is too young to feel so old, but rheumatoid arthritis limits her ability to work on the guest ranch she owns with her husband. It was a risk to hire Tad for the summer, but Anita is convinced he just needs a bit of encouragement to find his footing. What she doesn’t anticipate is that Tad’s presence at the ranch will change everything, including her relationship with her son. And when Tad finds himself in more of a mess than ever, he and Anita must learn when to hold on, when to let go, and what grace really means.
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