Refresh! Interview With Author Joyce Tepfer

Joyce Tepfer, one of the most amazing teachers and story-tellers I know, has recently published Refresh! Teacher Devotions and Training Tips. It is an inspiring book full of ideas and inspiration for ministry teachers and anyone needing a daily dose of motivation.  

Joyce has raised two of her own children as well as served as a Children’s Director for 14 years. She previously served as a volunteer for 14 years in various forms of Kid’s Ministry (such as leading/hosting a neighborhood Bible club 6 years, teaching/training in Early Childhood and junior high/camp ministry as counselor/music/drama).

She has also taught piano lessons to over 75 children and presently serves as Director of Servant Ministries at Shadow Mountain Community Church where she listens to the stories of new members and connects them with opportunities to grow and serve. In this interview, Joyce shares some of her journey of writing Refresh:     Read more

A Lesson in Book Contract Negotiations

In the following guest post, Laurie A. Gray shares the lessons she learned negotiating her first book contract. Because writers on their way to publication often forget or ignore the business side of writing, it is helpful when someone like Laurie can share her experience:

The Marriage Code & the Life of a Servant Writer/Speaker Couple

Bill and Pam Farrel are best-selling authors and international speakers.  With 30 book to their credit, inlcuding Men Are Like Waffeles and Women Are Like Spagetti, they are still fired up about helping marriages thrive. What I most appreaciate about this Servant Writer/Speaker couple is their passion to help build strong marriages and guide up-and-coming writers whom they mentor.  With a packed writing and international speaking schedule, Bill and Pam still make time to help those of us who share a calling to serve God and others through the power of the written and spoken word.  In this interview, Bill and Pam share about their writing and speaking life and why they are excited about what their new book, The Marriage Code, will do for marriages around the world.

Why do you see yourselves as servant writers?

Writing (and speaking) to serve isn’t glamorous; but we do it to serve God and others. Maybe this true story will illustrate a typical day in the life of a Servant Writer/Speaker Couple: Read more

A Different Dream for My Child: Jolene Philo Shares

Jolene Philo has written a much needed book to encourage parents and family members of chronically ill children.  A Different Dream for My Child exemplifies the call of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Jolene knows what it’s like to be in the shoes of those she aims to comfort.  In this short interview, Jolene opens a window into the heart of a parent but also the heart of a Servant Writer who’s using her story to serve the needs of others.  Leave a comment or a question for Jolene at the end of this interview and enter to win one of three copies of A Different Dream for My Child.

Can you briefly tell our readers what inspired you to write A Different Dream for My Child? Read more

Interview with Fiction Writer, Melanie Dobson

Recently, I was talking with some college students about their summer fiction reading.  ”I often wonder how the book was born,” said one of them.  I’ve often asked that question myself.  In this interview, we get the chance to find out how a special work of fiction was born from the author herself, as well as what is her mission as a writer.

As you read Melanie Dobson’s interview, can you think of any other questions you would like to ask?  Leave a comment for her below and enter a chance to win a free copy of her novel in the month of Septermber.

Could you tell us about your latest novel?

Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana is part the new Summerside Press line featuring stories set in small towns across the country. This novel is about a Quaker woman named Anna Brent who runs a station on the secretive Underground Railroad in 1850 until her work is threatened by a slave hunter searching for a runaway girl.

I thoroughly enjoyed researching and writing this book, but even more exciting than writing it was going to Liberty and meeting the delightful people of this town. Several of them welcomed me into their home and let me crawl around in the secret places where the runaway slaves once hid. Read more

Updated Book Review: The Noticer by Andy Andrews

I just finished reading The Noticer by Andy Andrews. It is a quick read packed with uplifting and thought-provoking vignettes.  The narrative that unifies them revolves around Jones, a wise and whimsical old man, whose gift is “to notice things that other people overlook.”  He shows up in the most unexpected places — and auspicious moments — to provide those he meets a new way of looking at their circumstances — a new perspective that transforms their lives as they reflect on some of these insights:

• “When you focus on the things you need, you’ll find those needs increasing.” (p.13)
• “What is it about me that other people would change if they could?” (p.15)
• “It’s time to stop letting your history control your destiny.” (p.51)
• “Many people who worry too much say that they cannot focus…. Worry is focus! But it is focus on the wrong things.” (p. 56)
• “Wisdom will allow a person to split the hair of a choice so accurately that most men would say it is impossible.” (p. 65)
• “Who gave you permission to decide that you had nothing more to do, nothing more to offer?” (p. 81)

A Partial Perspective

As a lover of literature and books, I know that a book published by a Christian publisher, like Thomas Nelson, doesn’t need to present an overt Christian message or theme for it to inspire reflection or add value to a person’s life or spiritual journey.  Subtlety has merit.  Read more

Lessons from the Littlest: Interview with Cherise Bopape

I can’t count the times the children in my life — my daughter, niece, or nephew — have amazed me over the years with their profound, childish candor. “I need to write that down,” I said many times.  But I rarely did until years later.  So when I learned that Cherise Bopape not only saves all the precious gems from the mouths of her children, but has written an entire devotional inspired by them, I knew I had to interview her and share her with all of you. Cherise is one amazing lady.  She has mastered the art of taking her life experiences — both painful and joyful — to bless others and glorify God.

Read more

Ambushed by Grace: An Interview with Shelly Beach

In “Five Reasons to Unleashed the Servant Writer in You,” I suggested that tragedy, pain, or discouragement don’t have to be wasted years or detours.  They can be a source of hope and encouragement because these experiences give us the empathy and love to serve others who are experiencing similar circumstances.  That’s exactly what Shelly Beach has done with her latest book, Ambushed by Grace.  Writing from her own experience as a caregiver for parents with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s in her home, Shelly has written a practical book of hope and encouragement for those on the caregiving journey, a journey that can be laden with fear, anger, exhaustion, confusion, and every emotion imaginable.

I’m thrilled to bring you this exclusive interview with Shelly Beach, a kindred spirit who models for us the discipline of writing to serve — to bless others with the story and life experiences God has entrusted with us.  May this conversation inspire you to pick up her book and use it as a roadmap for the one you can write one day and as the perfect gift for the weary caregiver in your life. Read more

Author Beginnings: When God Plants a Dream

Editor’s Note: This is a guest article by award-winning Christian author and speaker, Dianne Neal Matthews.  Her passion for the dream God has planted in her heart and her obedience to pursue that dream will inspire you to continue your Servant Writer journey.

Ever since I picked up my first chunky pencil, I have adored the simple act of writing. My first-grade teacher told my parents that one day I would be an author. In fourth grade, the teacher saved time at the end of the day for a “reading” whenever someone told her that I had written a story. But as I moved toward my teen years, my self-confidence in all areas dissolved and I limited my writing efforts to school assignments.

Daydreams

Even though I minored in English in college, the idea of taking a creative writing course terrified me. What if I couldn’t come up with ideas to write about? How could I risk having work critiqued in class? I probably didn’t have any real talent anyway. So my creative writing was done in my head. It was safer that way. And I found pleasure in fantasizing about being a writer — sort of like pulling out a much-loved blanket when I needed comfort. As long as it remained just a dream, nothing could take it away from me. Read more

Book Beginnings from a “Confident” Adventurer

Editor’s Note: aspiring writers often want to know how a book begins in the mind of an author, how the idea develops, and how the book finally makes it to the reader. Pam Farrel, International speaker, relationship specialist, and author of over 28 books, contributes this article to answer these questions for aspiring authors and to extend an invitation to the upcoming launch of her latest book, Woman of Confidence: Step into God’s Adventure for Your Life. Keep reading and find out how you can enter for a chance to win a San Diego adventure.

The Inspiration for the Book

When a book begins in my heart, it is usually a result of a need I see when I am out living in the real world, ministering on the front lines or in the trenches of a counseling session or conference setting. For example, Woman of Confidence: Step into God’s Adventure for Your Life, my newest book, came after a series of events: Read more

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