Word Praize

Connecting with God

 

THIS WEEK: Maurice Gray

Maurice, how do you find time to connect with God?   

My best times alone with God are when I’m driving or in the shower or other unconventional prayer times. It took me awhile to figure out that I don’t necessarily have to be on my knees at a set time to pray effectively. It’s great when that can happen, but I try to take advantage of opportunities like those I described as well

Describe yourself for our visitors.

I LOVE to read. I enjoy comedy (I’ve actually tried my hand at stand-up comedy a few times). I listen to gospel music and also some jazz. In my church, I’m involved with the Singles Ministry and the Young Adult Network (for ages 18-45), I sing on the Men’s Choir and the Voices of Light (gospel choir) and I play on the church softball team (the season runs from late April through June)

Tell us about your current book? 

All Things Work Together is the sequel to my first novel, To Whom Much Is Given. To Whom’s main characters are Max Carson and Donna Randall. All Things features their best friends, Fred Bennett and Yolanda Mason. In To Whom, Fred, a world class womanizer, got saved. Now he’s at the beginning of his Christian walk and struggling to live for Christ. He has feelings for Yolanda, who is torn between feelings for Fred and for private investigator Raoul Carizales. When one of Yolanda’s students is kidnapped from the playground on her watch, his mother hires Raoul to find him. Fred has information useful to the investigation, which means he has to work closely with Raoul (whom he can’t stand).

As Fred and Raoul try to work together, Max and Donna struggle with their newlywed status, her call to the ministry and how they can still maintain their friendships with Fred and Yolanda with all the changes in their lives.

How did you come up with ideas for this book?   

When I wrote To Whom, I wanted to do more with Fred and Yolanda, but I couldn’t because Max and Donna’s story had to be told. I wanted to do a series of books anyway, so I got to thinking what would happen after the “happily ever after” ending of To Whom. I’ve read lots of Christian love stories, and I always wanted to know what happens after the happy couple gets married. I wanted to explore that through Max and Donna. And aside from featuring Fred and Yolanda this time, I also wanted to deal with the aftermath of a lot of other events that happened in To Whom, including a woman from Fred’s past, more about the family of the woman who tried to kill Max and Donna in To Whom and to deal with Max and Donna’s spiritual gifts and where those gifts lead them. All Things Work Together almost wrote itself

Describe your journey to  publication.   

I started writing To Whom Much Is Given in the fall of 1990. It took me three years to get the first draft done (I did a lot of starting and stopping   and three more to revise it after getting a critique and finding out how long a way I had to go as a writer.

I attended the Sandy Cove Christian Writers Conference in North East, MD in 1997 and got great feedback from Gayle Roper, a veteran author of Christian fiction. Her feedback helped me revise (and rename) To Whom Much Is Given. In 1999 I met Patricia Haley, another Christian fiction author. She taught me how to self-publish, an option I really didn’t want to embrace. After about thirty rejection letters, I decided to give it a try. I got downsized from my job in February of 2000 and jumped right into the process. I created my company Write The Vision, Inc. to facilitate the process and To Whom Much Is Given was released that October. I’ve been off to the races ever since.

What’s next for you?   

I’m currently working on an anthology project for Dreams Publishing with two other Christian authors (Terrance Johnson and D.A. Jackson) called A Few Good Men. Each of us is writing a hundred page story about those men of God who sometimes get overlooked by the women they’re interested in for various reasons. These aren’t soap opera men. They might be short, or skinny or overweight or less than good-looking. Maybe they stutter or simply lack confidence. Whatever their shortcomings, they are men of God, and they just want the women in their lives to see that .

After that, I’ll get back to working on my next manuscript, something with all new characters. I still have another book in me featuring Max, Donna, Fred, Yolanda et al, but I’ll get back to them after I finish this new manuscript. Like the anthology, it also will deal with Christian relationships from a man’s perspective.

Where can visitors find you online?

www.writethevision.biz

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Pray, write and be blessed so you can bless others.-- Tyora Moody, cookieaisle.com

 

Bebe Moore Campbell dies at 56

Novelist Bebe Moore Campbell, author of 72 Hour Hold, Brothers and Sisters and several other works of fiction and nonfiction is dead of complications from brain cancer. She was 56 years old. Our prayers go out to her family and friends as well as the thousands of readers whose lives were enriched by her words. Read more here.

Connecting with God

THIS WEEK: Tiffany Warren

Tiffany, how do you find time to connect with God?

It can be hard when most of the time it seems like I hit the ground running everyday, but I make sure to listen to an inspirational word in the morning (Bishop T.D. Jakes or Pastor Paula White) and during the children’s naptime I just turn on my gospel music and reflect on the character of God. When I’m working on a novel I make an extra effort to read and study my Bible at least three times a week, because I want my writing to be in line with the Word of God.

Describe yourself for our visitors.

I’m a wife and mother of five. I love worship music like Martha Munizzi, Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin. I also enjoy praise dancing and drama to the glory of God.

Tell us about your journey to publication.

I’ve been writing a long time - since I was fourteen. The first novel I attempted to get published was a mess and I got about thirty rejection letters and emails. One of those rejections came from Denise Stinson at Walk Worthy Press. Her rejection was a constructive one that gave me tips on how to improve my writing. I took her suggestions to heart and went back to the drawing board. When I was ready to submit again, I found an agent who wanted to represent me, but who told me to go directly to Walk Worthy Press. Two weeks after Denise received my manuscript, we were discussing a two-book deal.

Tell us about your current book?

My new book Farther than I Meant to Go, Longer than I Meant to Stay is about Charmayne Ellis who is saved, successful and single. She’s waiting on God to send her a man, but finds herself getting impatient because of pressure from her mother and sister. On top of it all her best friend, Lynette, is getting married and Charmayne is the maid of honor. Charmayne’s battle with her weight has left her discouraged about ever finding a man until the finer-than-fine Travis Moon comes along with marriage on his mind. She goes head and heart first into a romance that is built on nothing but lies. This story is really about waiting on God and the disasters that we can cause for ourselves when we step outside of His will for our lives.

How did you come up with ideas for your current release?

I was inspired by a friend of mine who found her soul mate and husband at the age of fifty. It was her first time being married because she’d waited on God. I realized that there were alot of saved women who are waiting on God and hopefully, they are encouraged by Charmayne’s journey.

List your most recent books. 

My first book was called What a Sista Should Do and was released in June of 2005.

What’s next for you? 

I’ve just completed my third novel and I am working on a fourth. Also, I plan to take the stageplay adaptation of What a Sista Should Do on the road in 2007.

Where can visitors find you online?

My website is www.tiffanylwarren.com and also www.myspace.com/christianauthor

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Pray, write and be blessed so you can bless others.-- Tyora Moody, cookieaisle.com

Pigeonholing Christ

This past Thursday Ed Bradley's passing surprised most of the world. There was a time I wanted to be a female version of him traveling the world, putting a face on humanity. What I love most about him is that he refused to be pigeonholed as the "black news guy," who only discussed news affecting African-American culture.

I refuse to be pigeonholed as the black christian fiction gal, who only writes about African-American christian culture. In fact, I don't think that Christian publishing should pigeonhole anyone based on ethnicity or gender.  Yet, we do it. We even read in a pigeonhole.

Judging the Christy's this year afforded me the opportunity to read works written by authors of various ethnicities. I learned that we all love Christ the same way.

Mary created Wordpraize to take Christian fiction out of the box and to show that we all love Christ the same way with everything in us. If you haven't heard her speak about diversity in Christian publishing, you are in for a treat.

I encourage you to write with Ed Bradley in mind on your next writing project. I've written a story about a young highschool teacher who is an angel. It's based on my experience as a teacher's ed for an urban highschool when I was in my early twenties. But my character isn't a black female. He's white. I tried to make Angel more like me physically, but my soul just kept saying that this teacher was a white man. I love this character. I can't wait to get to know him better.

Don't let anyone tell you what you can't and cannot write, but God. In honor of Ed Bradley, make your words count. :)

Dee Stewart is a mother,
book critic, publicist, book marketing consultant and syndicated
columnist. She is the founder of the Gospel Fiction Blog Alliance. She
hosts The Perfect Romance and Third Thursdays Event Series and served
as a judge for the 2006 Christy Book Awards. She’s written for Spirit
Led Woman, Gospel Today, Anointed, Hope for Women, Precious Times
Magazines and many more. Her short story, “Straddling the Fence,” is
featured in Infuze Magazine’s Best of 2005 Christian Shorts Anthology.

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Walking in the Light

Recently, during personal meditation, the Lord laid two points on my heart, and I'd like to share them with you today.

Leave The Lights On. There have been times when I have neglected to study God's Word for more days than I'm willing to admit. I've found that when I allow this to happen, I have difficulty writing. Not surprising! Psalm 119:105 states, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." As Christian writers, it is vital that we stay connected to God by way of His Word. It is His Word that illuminates our writing paths, guiding us as to what we should write. Without His Word we cannot see clearly, so we must make Bible study a daily part of our writing day.

Leave The Boat and Keep Walking. When Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water and began walking toward Jesus he was fine until he took his eyes off of the One who was sustaining each of his steps. Similarily, I remember when I began submitting my work to publishers that just the thought of receiving rejection letters left me feeling discouraged, fearful, and asking myself, "What if I'm not called to write?" When I took my eyes of God and replaced them with "what ifs" I was behaving like Peter and began to sink in self-doubt. I have since learned to hope in spite of rejection letters and to keep walking by faith because ultimately the purpose of God will be accomplished.

Have a blessed weekend!

Mata Elliott is the author of forgivin' ain't forgettin', published by Walk Worthy Press/Warner Books. Mata loves to hear from readers, and she invites you to email her at mata@mataelliott.com or visit her website at www.mataelliott.com.

Delay is Not Denial

"Delay is not denial," my agent said as she assured me that she had not forgotten my manuscript or me. It had been three LONG months since the work was finished, and I ached for publication details. Almost seven months later, her words were more than a haunting hope. They reminded that in God's time, not mine, more will be revealed.

The delay taught me to walk by faith and not by natural sight. Therefore, with the eyes of my faith, I saw the book. I felt the raised letters of the title spanned across the glossy cover. I smelled the fresh-inked pages. I saw myself at the podium of a packed auditorium as I read from sections book marked with neon-pink Post-its peeping over the pages. I experienced the "not yet" as if it already "was." Perhaps spiritual vision is sharpened in the delay.

After we have done our part, we turn all else over to God and stand on His promises while we wait for the results that He alone can orchestrate. His Word reminds us, "... though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely
come."

In this moment, perhaps God is saying to us: "Don't run ahead of me. I AM the Author and the Finisher of your faith. I AM in your past, present and future. My timing is always perfect. In the meantime, trust me and go on to the next thing of your life. When you least expect, I will reveal my perfect will that is immeasurably more than you could ever ask, think or imagine--Creator-made--just for you. Don't curse the delay! I reside in the delay."

Prayer: Father God, we acknowledge that you are still on the Throne. It is you who go before, with and ahead-working together all things for the good of us who love you and are called according to your purpose. Today, we cast our feeble efforts and looming anxieties at the foot of your Throne. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. So be it!

© 2006 Stanice Anderson,Inspirational Speaker and Author www.stanice.com, listen and subcribe to my new podcast, Faith Lift(tm).  Also visit me on MySpace at www.myspace.com/isayaprayerforme - add me as your "friend."

HOW DID GOD MEET YOU WITHIN THE WORDS?
CAN YOU RELATE?  HOW?  SPECIFICS?

Connecting with God

As a writer how do you find time to connect with God?  Many of us don't have as much time as we would like to dedicate to writing so we take snatches of time here and there to crank out first drafts and edits. Sometimes sacrifices are made, especially our time with God. In this column, authors will be interviewed about their latest releases as well as how they connect to the ultimate Creator, the Lord our God. Pray, write and be blessed so you can bless others.-- Tyora Moody, cookieaisle.com

THIS WEEK: Stacy Hawkins Adams

Stacy, how do you find time to connect with God?

I utter a brief prayer every morning before I get out of bed. My special quiet time comes later in the morning, usually while I’m in the shower or when I’m alone in the car driving to a particular destination. I’ll turn off the music and talk to God. Sometimes I’ll just listen, which is equally important. Recently, since I’ve decided to jumpstart my exercise routine, I’ve had my chats with God while I walk on the treadmill.

Describe yourself for our visitors.

I’ve been a professional writer for more than a decade and a published author for nearly three years. I love to write and tell both fictional and non-fiction stories that linger in people’s minds and hearts and nudge them to make positive changes in their perceptions or in their lives.

Outside of my career, I keep very busy with my family, which includes two children, a daughter and son ages 8 and 5. A good chunk of my free time is spent carpooling them from one activity to another, helping with homework, et cetera. I don’t get to pursue my hobbies as often as I’d like, but they include reading all types of work, from mainstream mysteries and Christian fiction to devotionals and memoirs. I also like to play tennis. I love listening to music, including R&B and jazz, but my favorite is gospel.

Regarding ministries, I have a heart for children and for encouraging them to explore the world so that through their experiences, they can begin to discover their life’s calling. I consider both the church-related and community-based work I do a ministry. Churchwise, I currently volunteer in the nursery one Sunday a month, and I edit the church newsletter. I have served as a teenage Sunday School teacher and have helped teach Vacation Bible School.

Community-wise, I assist Reach Out and Read, a national youth literacy program that works with pediatricians to provide free books to young children who might not otherwise have access to books or learn to value reading. I also am a founding board member of the Richmond Christian Leadership Institute, an initiative through which Christian congregations of different races, denominations and socioeconomic levels are partnering to train groups of young leaders how to have a faith-based impact on the city. (I know by now you’re wondering when I sleep - I don’t that often! LOL)

Tell us about your current book?

Nothing But the Right Thing tells the story of three friends who think they know just the thing that will satisfy them. Erika wants her marriage to be perfect; Serena wants to have a baby, and Micah, a minister, wants his congregation to follow his lead without a lot of drama. When things don’t fall into place as they expected, each of them is drawn to the one true “right thing” – their faith in God. Each realizes, in his or her own way, that when they trust Him, He’ll work everything out for their good.

How did you come up with ideas for this book?

I wanted to tell a story about real people struggling with real issues who also happened to be people of faith. Their faith informs how they view the world and how they respond to challenges. In Erika’s case, she’s never had a relationship with God. But she comes to learn that He is faithful when no one else can be. These characters are no different from people that you or I know. They struggle to please God, but also struggle with their human desires and needs.

List your most recent books.

• Speak To My Heart (2004)
• Nothing But the Right Thing (2006)

What’s next for you?

I am working on several projects right now that will be released between November 2006 and October 2007. The Midnight Clear, a Christmas anthology in which I have a short story featured, will be released just before Thanksgiving. The publisher of this project is Kendra Norman-Bellamy, who is also a best-selling Christian fiction author.

In July 2007, my short story about a mother and daughter who are driven apart by past regrets and secrets, will be released by Kimani Press. I’m also hard at work (and prayer) on my third novel for Revell Books. It is tentatively titled Watercolored Pearls and will update readers on the lives of characters who are also featured in Speak To My Heart and Nothing But the Right Thing. It will be published in October 2007.

Thank you Stacy. Visit Stacy online at StacyHawkinsAdams.com.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Working with kids and distractions, part one:

Writers around the world deal with either kids, distractions in the home, distractions at the office, or a combination of all three. These tips won’t all work for you, but they might help reduce your stress levels from “crazy” down to “only slightly deranged.”

Try a timer.

Some writers set a timer, and the kids and spouse know that until that puppy goes off, DON'T BOTHER THE WRITER. This can give you a few minutes of uninterrupted time, while the kids don't feel neglected because they're just waiting for the timer to go off so they can bombard you.

Learn to write despite the ruckus.

Some writers have actively trained themselves how to tune out the noise and bustle and write in the midst of screaming kids. If you think you'd like to try this out, first go in small steps:

1) Take a timer and set it for 10 minutes. Plop yourself in the middle of whatever domestic chaos-field you own and try writing. Once the timer goes off, you're done. Don't try to go for longer.

2) Try this every day. Increase time increments each time, or each week, whichever you're most comfortable with.

This incremental method will allow your brain to slowly adjust to the noise levels, and learn how to focus and concentrate despite them. This is something I learned from my martial arts classes: the brain's ability to focus CAN be learned, but slowly.

You can't jump into a new concentration exercise and expect to immediately be able to narrow your focus--it takes more brainpower than you realize. However, slow training over several days or weeks can allow the brain to sharpen focus despite distractions.

Once you've learned to write despite the noise around you, still make an effort to take a break once a week and go to a coffee shop, or out onto the porch, or to the park. This will help your mind rest and refresh you for more focused writing.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Religion and Philosophy Book Month

If you have been following my bi-weekly e-newsletter for the past two years, you have come to know that in previous issues, I have frequently shared with you why I write.  To me, writing is therapeutic, relaxing, thought-provoking, challenging, causes me to think, forces me to do my homework (that is, to know my subject), and makes me a better teacher and speaker.  Well, this month is Religion & Philosophy Books Month, so allow me share the vision of the Give God the Glory! book series for the benefit of our new readers. 

            November is the month that we collectively transition into the fall and winter seasons.  The cold air moves in, the days are shorter, daylight savings time becomes a reality, frost coats the ground in the morning, winter clothing dominates our closets at home and Christmas gifts/ornaments are on display throughout the stores and shopping malls.  It is a time to focus on Christian literature as the world prepares to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, a personal Lord and Savior to many of us, yet just a figure, amongst the other gods, to some. 

That said, the Give God the Glory! book series is an extension of my personal ministry.  The evangelistical outreach and focus is six-fold: (1) To strengthen the resolve for those of us who have an established relationship with our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ.  Our growth and development is key to living the abundant life and to have knowledge of God’s Word, and His will for our lives, should be first and foremost, (2) To inspire and encourage the unbeliever to desire a relationship with Jesus.  He is the way, the truth and the life, (3) To clearly explain how to Give God the Glory! through our personal relationships with Jesus (book 1 released in 2001), on our jobs (books 2 & 3 released in 2003 and 2004), in our families (books 4, released on Father’s Day 2005, & 5 coming in the spring 2006), in our churches (books 6 & 7 coming in 2007), and during our recreation and/or relaxation time (books 8 & 9 coming in 2009), (4)  Outreach to our Spanish/Latino brothers and sisters through the translated book series into Spanish, (5) Outreach to children, youth, and teens through the Give God the Glory! book series specific to those markets (2007 and beyond), and (6) Through the media as radio and television host of the Give God the Glory! talk show, featuring guests that openly acknowledge that their success in life is directly tied to their personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ (since 2004).

As Pastor Frederick K.C. Price always concludes his weekly Ever Increasing Faith Ministries television broadcast, I thank you all for your past, present, and future support of the Give God the Glory! book series.  You are helping to make it happen!!          

Sharon Ewell Foster

ABRAHAM'S WELL by Sharon Ewell Foster (Bethany House Publishers, November 2006)

ABOUT THE BOOK

The time is 1838.

Armentia pointed to a well on the land their Cherokee master owns. "It seems hard to believe now, son, but someday we'll have our own land. Land with a well just like this one…."

Inspired by true events, authentic slave narratives, and other historical accounts, Abraham's Well is the profoundly moving story of the Black Cherokee--African Americans, both slave and free--who, along with native people, walked the Trail of Tears. It is the story of their forced removal from the Southeast to Indian Territory--modern day Oklahoma--and of the courage and faith of one woman as she struggles to overcome her desperate circumstances.

And it is the story of an author who, in researching and writing, found her own way home.

"Foster returns to historical fiction with an evocative tale of the sticky lies and bloody promises of an often untold journey in American history--the trek of the Indian slave on The Trail of Tears. As a Christian, a woman, an African American and one who also has "Indian in her family" this book took me 1000 miles in both my heart and mind. As always, Foster's mastery of setting and language paint a family and a nation that we must never forget. This book will be required reading for all my children and their children after them. It's not to be missed."
--Marilynn Griffith, author of Pink and Made of Honor

"Sharon Ewell Foster merges little known history with fiction to pen another amazing novel with Abraham's Well. In her trademark style – rich language that makes you want to read passages again and again and descriptions that take you back two hundred years – Foster creates an engaging story that not only pulls on every one of your heart strings, but will have you talking out loud to the characters.  Abraham's Well is hard to put down.  Definitely, one of the best reads of the year!"
--Victoria Christopher Murray

HEAR THE INTERVIEW

Listen as Marilynn talks with Sharon Ewell Foster about her groundbreaking new historical novel ABRAHAM'S WELL. The tape cuts off at the end, but this is a good one. Check it out!

BUY THE BOOK