Living Inside The Testimony by Betty Collier
1: What
is the most productive time of the day for you to write?
Because writing is a
passion and not my occupation, I have to write after-hours. If I had waited
until I actually had time to write, it never would have happened. So I made
time each day and squeezed in time whenever I could. I am probably one of the
most sleep-deprived people you will ever meet, but when you are consumed and
obsessed to write and share your story, you cannot sleep anyway. After I
finished my “day job” as an RN, and my evening job as wife and mother (and ALL
that entails) I would find myself in front of my laptop until 2:00AM every
morning until the book was finished. It only took one month to write it, but
that is because I was totally convinced that my new-found passion to share my
journey of faith had to be put on paper immediately. Thoughts, words,
paragraphs, and even whole chapters would come to me, and I had to get them
down on paper before I lost them. My day would begin at 6:00AM being all the
other things that I am, and end 20 hours later at 2:00AM being the one new
thing that I discovered I had become.
2: Do you
start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?
I
started this book sitting in front of a blank computer screen, and simply typed
the words “Chapter 1” and then I began.
3: What do you draw inspiration from?
I never considered myself a writer, and if you had asked me prior to
January, 2009 if I would ever write a book, my answer would have immediately
and adamantly been “absolutely not!” I never had a desire to write a book, and
perhaps my honesty will make you wonder if the book is even worth reading. I
can assure you…I AM A WRITER. I
became one overnight, and in fact, I remember the exact night it happened. It
was after midnight when January 9th turned into January 10th,
the night I dreamed about this book. I am confident that if you allow me to
share my journey with you, you will agree that I am indeed a writer. I wrote
the book based on faith, well aware that not everyone would share my faith, but
I wrote it to share my faith with those who choose to believe. I wrote the book
to share my testimony of faith, hope, humor, romance and love. Testimonies are
meant to encourage and inspire others, and I have been just as encouraged by my
readers. As one reader told me, “It’s like being on a roller coaster. I didn’t
know what to expect next. I was laughing on one page and crying on the next…
This book is a masterpiece!”
4: Do you
set yourself goals when you sit down to write such as word count?
No, I
actually didn’t set any goals at all with this book. I simply wanted to get all
the thoughts and ideas that were in my head typed in book format as quickly as
possible. I had so many thoughts that I was afraid I would lose if I didn’t get
the book done quickly.
5: Being
a self published author how do you come up with your cover art?
I actually
dreamed about the front cover of the book before I ever started writing. I
devoted an entire chapter of the book to the cover page design because it was
monumental in the overall writing process. It’s a remarkable story to read how
the cover art actually came into existence. You can read all about it on my
website at www.livinginsidethetestimony.com under
the “Cover Design Wonderment” tab.
6: What
drives you to choose the career of being a writer?
I wrote the book to share my
testimony with others. We all live inside testimonies every day, without even
realizing it, and our testimonies can help inspire and encourage others. When I
wrote the book, not even my husband William realized we had been living inside
a testimony all along, and we had been married 23 years when I wrote it. I
guess when you live inside the testimony, it's hard for you to see it as a
testimony, and you really don't appreciate it for what it is. That truly is the
purpose for writing this book - to share my testimony because we are overcomers
by the words of our testimonies.
7: Do you
own an ebook reading devise?
I don’t have an ebook devise because I still
prefer the old-fashioned way of reading. I like bound books that I can hold and
turn the pages myself.
8: Who
are some of your favorite authors and what are you reading now?
I really don’t
have a favorite author, but I do enjoy inspirational books the most. Some of my
favorites are Joyce Meyer, TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, and Stormie Omartian.
9: What
do you think of book trailers and do you have any plans to have any?
Book
trailers are wonderful visual aids to help promote and market your books.
People like watching videos and going to movie theatres. The movie trailers
really grab your attention, and much like the movie trailers, book trailers are
a fantastic way to grab a reader’s attention. I have a book trailer posted on
YouTube for this book, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9R57Q3H954&feature=channel
10: What
are you working on now that you can talk about?
My main goal now is to continue
sharing the journey inside my testimony by promoting this book both on a
virtual book tour, and hopefully a full-blown physical tour in select cities
across the country. Additionally, I will debut my new internet radio talk show
on www.webtalkradio.net November
15. The talk show is based on the book, and it’s entitled “Living Inside The Testimony with
Betty Collier.”
Here is sneak peak at the show’s description:
Get ready to remember this name: LIVING INSIDE THE TESTIMONY. Your
life is never going to be the same. Host Betty Collier and her guests
live each and every day inside the testimony. They will help you discover
the inspiration that lies within all of us and prepare you to share it with
others. Hear incredible stories of faith, hope, humor, romance and love,
offering a source of inspiration and encouragement. Join Betty on this
truly incredible journey of faith as if you, too, have been touched by an
angel.
Tune in
beginning November 15 to listen or play on demand and download the shows at www.webtalkradio.net
For
additional information about me or the book, please visit the following sites:
Also, I
would like to offer a complimentary copy of the book to one of your readers. I
will send a free book and tote bag to the first person who leaves a comment to
say that they read this interview on your blog. Please click <like> on my
facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/livinginsidethetestimony and
leave a comment. The first person to do so will receive a free book and tote
bag.
Thank you
very much for this interview and thank you to all the readers who took time to
read it.
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