I’M RUNNING A GIVEAWAY OF The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass! USA only.

I’ve never been to Montana. I had a grandfather in Billings when I was little, but he came to see us, not vice versa. My husband, Tim, had to drive through Montana last summer, from west to east, and described the eastern part as similar to being on the ocean when you can’t get your bearings. Depending on the sun, the beige landscape and sky are hard to differentiate.

There’s a lot of empty spaces and open freeway/highway between small towns. My friend, a Montana native, defines her home state by its tumbleweed. My son enjoyed a few glorious days in Glacier National Park (near Kalispell). Besides those impressions, my knowledge of Montana is minimal. 

But The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner brought Montana alive for me. Real people in real dilemmas in the small town of Sleeping Grass. People with heartaches as big as a Montana sky, with loneliness as interminable as an endless highway, with secrets as hidden as the end of a fishing line in Flathead Lake.

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass is a 2024 Selah Award Winner, 2024 Christy Award Winner, and Carol Award Finalist. Her most recent book, When the Road Comes Around, released on August 5, 2025. I’ll be sharing that one later.

I was blessed to have Katie endorse my novel, The Broken Weathervane, which launched on September 2.

Now back to Katie . . . 

Blurb

For the first time in his life, Pete has everything to lose.

After years of drifting, fifty-year-old Pete Ryman has settled down with his potbellied pig, Pearl, in the small Montana town of Sleeping Grass–a place he never expected to see again. It’s not the life he dreamed of, but there aren’t many prospects for a high-school dropout like him.

Elderly widow Wilma Jacobsen carries a burden of guilt over her part in events that led to Pete leaving Sleeping Grass decades ago. Now that he’s back, she’s been praying for the chance to make things right, but she never expected God’s answer to leave her flat on her face–literally–and up to her ears in meddling.

When the younger sister Pete was separated from as a child shows up in Sleeping Grass with her eleven-year-old son, Pete is forced to face a past he buried long ago, and Wilma discovers her long-awaited chance at redemption may come at a higher cost than she’s willing to pay.

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My thoughts

This novel was my first introduction to author Katie Powner and the first time reading contemporary fiction with Montana as a setting.

The unique cast of characters drew me in from the get-go. First, there’s Pete, age fifty  and living back in his hometown, starting over—again. He’s a garbage collector with a big heart, especially for his number one companion Pearl, a potbellied pig. He’s fighting the demons of his past: a bad temper, short-lived jobs, guilt—especially over his sister Danielle—and rejection.

Though eighty-year-old Wilma is a small-town woman, she’s a big-time meddler. She’s generous with money she doesn’t have, always looking for a good cause, despite her debts. She even hired Lily mainly for Lily’s sake. Wilma also feels the need to redeem herself from a bad decision decades earlier.

“She’d mistaken the treasure for a burden. She could see it now.
Oh, how much easier it was to look back using the lens of time
and see the coarse grains of sand would someday be pearls.” — p 238 on Kindle

Speaking of pearls . . . It seems incongruous that lowbrow Pete with his pet pig Pearl also loves poetry. But it makes sense when you get to know him.

“Pete used to wonder why he loved poetry so much. What it was about it that drew him in.
Over the years, he’d realized it was because it took things that were untouchable, intangible,
and formed them into something he could hold in his hands.
Something he could make sense out of or go back to again and again until it did.
But there were some things too vast and immeasurable to be confined to language.
Even the most intricate of words and the most competent of poets had limits.” — p 249 on Kindle

Pete and Pearl make good companions for Native American Windy Ray and his three-legged dog Apisi.  Pete and Windy Ray have their routines: play dominoes on Mondays, then go to the diner on Fridays where Sonny serves them ice cream (pets welcome). On Saturdays, they sometimes drive to Great Falls two hours away to run errands together. Yes—with their pets. Sometimes that causes trouble.

Lily is forty and lives with an abusive man she can’t escape. She works for Wilma on Mondays. Pete is drawn to Lily, wanting to help and protect her. Wilma is always scheming as well as playing a push-pull dance with her kids—the uncomfortable dance  that adult children often play with their stubborn, aging parents. Windy Ray lives alone but offers words of wisdom whenever he can.

Then add to the mix Pete’s sister Danielle and her eleven-year-old son who unexpectedly show up on Pete’s doorstep. 

They’re all in need of a second chance: Pete, Wilma, Lily, Windy Ray, and Danielle.

I would call this story a “slow build” but I mean that as a compliment, not a criticism as some readers do. There’s a reason why I don’t generally read suspense, romance, mystery, and thrillers. I love down-home stories with real people. For me, the drama is in the layers and depth of personalities, of people and their dysfunctional relationships and  their messy pasts. 

But I use the term “slow build” as a way to let readers know what to expect. The tension here is due to caring about these characters and their concerns, worrying about what will happen because you’re drawn into their lives and it matters. Not because there’s a man with a gun around the corner. (Though there are a few later scenes with physical danger due to more intense risk-taking.)

A few things at the end were unsettling for me, but on the whole, the story is a satisfying read, and believable. The spiritual thread is present but subtle. Tough topics include foster care, abandonment, and domestic abuse (though not graphic). I highly recommend this heart-warming story.

Join me for some Q & A with Katie Powner.

Questions about The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass

What was your inspiration for writing this story? What is your personal connection to the setting?

This story is set on the Hi-Line of Montana, which is the area in northern Montana that runs east to west along Highway 2 and the Great Northern Railway. I live in the southwest part of Montana but sometimes drive up to the Hi-Line to visit my brother and his family in Cut Bank.

My brother works as the garbageman for the city of Cut Bank, and he would sometimes tell me stories about things he would see or people he would encounter while driving the truck up and down the alleys collecting trash. His stories got me thinking about all the things a garbageman might notice while going largely unnoticed by everyone around him. That’s how The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass was born.

I’ve never thought about the neighborhood from the garbageman’s point of view! How did you decide on the specific circumstances and personalities of your main characters, Pete and Wilma? Did they hijack the story or did you have full rein?

Pete had to be a garbageman for the sake of the story, and Wilma had to be old enough to be his mother and living alone. That was my starting point. From there, their circumstances and personalities gradually took shape as I explored what might happen to them and why. I would say I pretty much had full rein with this story, although that’s not always the case.

I suppose it was nice to be in control! Your story has several important characters, including Windy Ray, Lily, and Pearl the pig. How did you create them and decide on their roles in the story? Did Pete have a pet pig from the get-go? 

Windy Ray was included in the story because Pete needed a friend and also because it was important to me that the Blackfeet community be represented since they are integral to the Hi-Line’s past and present. Lily’s role in the story goes all the way back to my high school days when a close friend of mine was in an abusive relationship.

As for Pearl, she became part of the story for two reasons. One, I wish I had a pet pig but can’t, so I was living vicariously through Pete by giving him a pet pig. Two, I knew Pete was going to be spending a lot of time in his truck, and he needed someone to talk to. I could’ve just given him a dog, but where’s the fun in that?

Yes, a pig is definitely more fun than a dog–even though dogs are great. What would Pete and/or Wilma have to say about you?

Pete would be a bit suspicious of me at first because I’m a foster parent, but we would bond over our love of pigs. Wilma and I, however, would bond over how much we just cannot love tea no matter how hard we try.

How do you want this story to resonate with readers?

This story is about forgiveness and second chances. It’s about found family and grace and resilience. But if a reader only takes away one thing from this story, I hope it’s the idea that everyone has value. Each person is a treasure. No matter what the world thinks or how many times they are discarded or ignored or pushed down.

Such a needed reminder. What’s the most unusual thing you had to do, learn, or research to create this story?

You wouldn’t believe how many times I had to call my brother with questions about his garbage truck.

Questions about your writing

Which books and/or authors have most inspired you in your writing journey? 

I’ve been an avid reader since early childhood, so I’ve been influenced by a wide range of authors and books. With regard to my writing journey, however, two books stand out as far as the impact they’ve had on me. 

The first is Summer of Light by Dale Cramer. Not only is this one of my favorite books, but this book also gave me the courage to submit my first novel because it showed me there was room in Christian fiction for a voice like mine. A voice that does not focus on romance and prefers older main characters. 

The second is Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, a stunning literary novel that inspires me to pursue excellence in my writing.

I loved that Lief Enger novel too. Where do your story ideas usually originate from—character, plot, setting, theme, or a combination? Share an example of how one or two of your other novels grew from an initial idea.

I don’t think there’s a “usually” as far as where my story ideas have originated. Some have come from personal experience, some from newspaper articles, some from dreams I had, some from people I know. 

The origin story for my book Where the Blue Sky Begins is kind of amusing. I live in a small town in Montana and was driving one day to a bigger town for a doctor’s appointment. I came upon a woman riding a scooter on the narrow shoulder of a curvy road. It was not a safe position for her to be in. She was wearing a trench coat, despite the heat of summer, and a purple helmet. 

I couldn’t help but wonder, “What is she doing? Where is she going? Does she not have a car? Is there no one who can give her a ride?” 

These questions inevitably led to all sorts of imaginative answers, which eventually led to a storyline. If you want to know what happens to the woman on the scooter, you’ll have to read Where the Blue Sky Begins.

I love seeing how one person in a unique situation can inspire a whole character and storyline. Of your five novels, which one is the best introduction to your and your work, and why?

Good question! I think The Sowing Season, my first published novel, is a good introduction to me and my work because it’s based largely on personal experience, and it contains the two things I try to include in every story: intergenerational relationships and humor.

Please share something about a current project and the direction you want to go as an author.

So far, all my published novels have been considered “general fiction” or “literary fiction” since they don’t fall into any of the typical genre categories (such as romance, fantasy, mystery, etc.). 

After When the Road Comes Around, however, I have a women’s fiction novel coming out with Kregel. It’s about a foster mom and a bio mom who form a tenuous friendship over the baby they both love. The story draws heavily on personal experience, since I’ve been a foster parent for about ten years, and I’m excited to release a book that’s kind of different from everything I’ve done so far.

Is there any writing advice you wish you could have told your younger writing self?

Honestly, no. Everything I’ve learned, I needed to learn a certain way. Whenever I give advice to other aspiring authors, however, I tell them to give a project everything they’ve got, then move on and start something new. I’ve seen too many writers get stuck on one project for years and years. They tinker with it and tinker with it when what they really need to do is set it aside and write a new story.

Comment below for a chance to win a paperback or ebook of The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass. USA only.

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Back to Laura . . . On a similar note . . . 

If you like regional small-town fiction and second-chance stories, you might enjoy my newest novel A Hundred Magical Reasons  (launched January 2025). This story spotlights L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, his friendship with a young girl, and his impact through the decades. Set in Holland, Michigan, this dual timeline novel alternates between 1980 and the early 1900s. Read more and watch the book trailer here. 

A Hundred Magical Reasons awards:

• Second Place in the BooksShelf contest for Fiction (Sept 1, 2025)
• Bronze Medal Winner in ReadersFavorite for Fiction-Historical-Personage (Sept 1, 2025)
• First Place in StoryTrade Book Awards for Regional Fiction: USA Midwest (August 7, 2025)
• First Place in AmericanBookFest~American Fiction Award (AFA) for Literary Fiction (June 17, 2025)
• Hawthorne Prize Finalist (May 17, 2025)
• First Place in The BookFest for Literary Historical Fiction (April 2025)
• First Place in the Firebird Book Awards for Biographical Fiction (April 2025)
• Literary Titan Gold Book Award for Fiction (March 2025) 
• Bronze Medal for the Illumination Book Awards for General Fiction (February 2025)
• Three 5-star Readers’ Favorite reviews

If you like Southern fiction and small-town stories about family dynamics and secrets, you might enjoy my novel All That Is Hidden. Set near North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains in 1968, the story spotlights the bond of family and the connections of a tight-knit community. Northern exploitation threatens as a father’s hidden past catches up to him and tests family ties. Learn more and watch the trailer here. All That Is Hidden is an AUDIOBOOK too!

All That Is Hidden awards:

• Pacific Book Review finalist for fiction (May 20, 2025)
• American Legacy Book Awards finalist for Coming of Age (May 2025)
• Three 5-star Readers’ Favorite Reviews (May 2025)
• First Place in the Firebird Book Awards for Southern Fiction (April 2025)
• First Place in the Firebird Book Awards for Literary Fiction (April 2025)
• Winner of the Artisan Book Reviews Book Excellence Award (2022)
• Semifinalist in Serious Writer’s Book of the Decade contest (2022-2023)

I invite you to join my monthly newsletter for writing updates, freebies, and giveaways. Sign up and I’ll send you 7 Oz-inspired recipes: A-Taste-Of-Oz-Cookbook-Sampler.com

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Katie Powner bio

Katie Powner is a Christy Award-winning author who lives in rural Montana, where cows still outnumber people. She writes contemporary novels about redemption, relationships, and finding the dirt road home. She is a mom to the third power (biological, adoptive, and foster) who loves red shoes, candy, and Jesus—not necessarily in that order! Learn more at katiepowner.com.

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Have you read any books by Katie Powner or novels set in small towns or in Montana? Any favorites?

Answer in the comments below for a chance to win a paperback or ebook of The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass. USA only.

Ever reading,

Laura

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