Karla Akins writes:O Canada! Her Story from Bramley Books

Karla, tell us a bit about you. (Only those things you want us to know, hehehe)
I'm a pastor's wife, mom of 5, grandma of 5, full-time college student pursuing a degree in Special Education. I have degrees in theology, three dogs, ride my own motorcycle, and collect books and shoes.

Whatever prompted you to write a book about Canada?
I had written for this publisher before in compilations and they liked my writing style, so they asked me to do this project for them.

How did you research the interesting characters?
I love research! It's one of my favorite parts of writing. I try to use as many primary resources as I can and I buy a lot of out-of-print books from used book vendors. I also use reputable websites and interview people who either know something about the character or are in charge of a museum about that person or area. Then, I keep a binder for each character and also use evenote and LiveBinder.com to organize my research. Once I'm sure I have the flavor of the time period and enough details to make the story interesting, I begin to write.

Did you have a personal favorite?
Oh, that's tough. Each one of them is very special to me. I lived with them for so many months! I enjoyed writing from a dog's POV in the Vikings chapter, but I also enjoyed learning and writing about the Canadian school on wheels where kids went to school on train cars. But if I must choose just one, I think I'd have to pick the one on the Acadians. Their ties to the Louisiana Cajuns is fascinating.

What has been the response from Canadians?
So far I've gotten great reviews! One of the best compliments was from a mom who bought the book for her children and said, "I'm madly in love with this book!"

Would you ever consider another similar type book?
Oh absolutely. I love writing biographies and historical stories.

Where can the readers purchase O Canada?
At Bramley Books and once the print version is in stock they can get it on Amazon both in print or as an ebook for Kindle.

Can you give us a hint about what else you write?
My current work in progress is a historical suspense. I've also written a humorous novel that I'm rewriting. I have a homeschool column on Examiner.com and I am the Indiana correspondent for Mother Nature Network. I also have several blogs. My research blog is The History Scroll, and my daily live blog is That I Did Always Love. My writing blog is at Envision Publishing.

My website is http://www.KarlaAkins.com Sign up for my history newsletter!

Karla, thanks for dropping by. I’ve read O Canada, and it’s wonderful. I never knew all that about their folk heroes. You drew me right in and bopped me over the head with lots of interesting stories. Way to go!