Author Kathi Macias - HOW CAN I RUN A TIGHT SHIP WHEN I'M SURROUNDED BY LOOSE CANNONS - Free Book

Today we're featuring a book by Kathi Macias. I just love the title, don't you?

Welcome, Kathi. You are writing nonfiction. Do you also write fiction?

Absolutely! Though I’ve done slightly more nonfiction than fiction books, they’re nearly evenly balanced, and I’m currently working on a new fiction series for my publisher, with the first book scheduled to release in Winter 2010.

What would you like for our readers to know about you personally?

I have always wanted to write. I can’t ever remember wanting to do anything else! What a blessing that God has allowed me to see the desires of my heart come to pass. May it always be for His glory!

Tell us about your family.

My husband, Al, and I have known one another since we were six years old (more than fifty years!). We were junior high/high school sweethearts. Our children are all grown, and our grandchildren are getting there as well. In fact, our oldest grandchild, Shana, is now married with a child of her own (Isaiah), so we are great grandparents. Our grandson Mikey just joined the Navy a couple of weeks ago, so we are “military grandparents” as well! In addition, my 87-year-old mother lives with us, and I am her primary caretaker.

James and I have a military grandson, too, and he has a son, so we're also great grandparents. Have you written other nonfiction books?

Yes, about a dozen of them!

What other books have you written, and where can the readers of the blog find them?

This current book, HOW CAN I RUN A TIGHT SHIP WHEN I’M SURROUNDED BY LOOSE CANNONS, is number twenty, with two more coming right behind it (one fiction and one nonfiction), plus the four-book fiction series I mentioned earlier. All the current books are listed on my website (http://www.kathimacias.com/) on the “books” page. You can find many of them in bookstores right now. Some of the older ones can occasionally be found on Amazon and other similar sites.

Do you have any other books in the works right now?

Yes. In fact, in addition to the four-book fiction series I mentioned, I have a couple of nonfiction books and one stand-alone novel in various stages of development.

Where on the Internet can the readers find you?

The primary place would be my website (http://www.kathimacias.com/), though a Google search of my name will turn up lots of alternatives.

Isn't that fun. My daughters are amazed when they Google my name. What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy?

Taking the typical “busman’s holiday,” I spend what little leisure time I have reading other people’s books. I also try to break away when I can to ride with my husband on his Harley. (Hence my nickname, “Easy Writer.”)

Why did you write the featured book?

Okay, this is going to sound really shallow, but I thought of the title first and liked it so much I decided I really needed to write a book to go with it! Then, once I got started, it took on a life of its own, and I believe it has a really powerful (if amusing and entertaining) message.

What do you want the reader to take away from the book?

The primary characteristic that makes this book unique from other humor books is that it is actually a teaching book of things I’ve learned from my life as a Christian (over thirty-five years), all told in a humorous (and sometimes humbling!) way. The book takes the reader through what I see as the five stages of Christian life: crawling (on our knees); walking; running; flying; total dependence on God (back on our knees again).

I want readers to understand that as Christians we are WIPS (works in progress), and we go through various stages of development, in different seasons of life. No one can be in control all the time; there are just too many “loose cannons” in our lives! Surprisingly, we usually learn that we are the loosest cannon of all, and the only way to get past that is to turn complete control of our lives over to the “Master of the Seas” and let Him guide our ship safely home.

I love that. Kathi, thank you for spending this time with us.

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