Lynda, describe yourself for our visitors.

I’m a fifty plus African American woman who lives in St. Louis Mo. I’m divorced and have one child, a son. In 2008, he and his wife blessed me with my first grandchild. I work fulltime at the St. Louis Public Library as a Public Technology Assistant, which means that I assist people that need help using our Internet services and reference machines and products.

How do you find time to connect with God?

I make time each morning to spend with God. As a Commander of the morning, I’m up at the ‘fourth watch’ of the day between 2-4am,   decreeing and declaring how my day will be.  Dr. Cindy Trimm has a great book out that teaches this principal called Commanding Your Morning by Charisma House. Also, since I write about spiritual warfare, it’s imperative that I spend time with God, for wisdom and instructions.

Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?

I’m an avid reader, so the list is too long to put here, however I’ve always been into Science Fiction and thrillers, so heading the top of my list would be authors Stephen King, Frank Peretti, Walter Mosby, and James Patterson.

Favorite books: This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti and all of the Left Behind Books by pastors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.

Tell us about your journey to publication.

My first book, Once I Was Lost was published by a traditional publisher in 2006. Working with them to get the book completed, I learned a lot, however, I wasn’t thrilled by the lack of marketing and the incredible small royalty checks I received, so I spent time researching self publishing and found these great books by author Dan Poynter, Self Publishing Manual Vol. 1 &2. They were a godsend.  Following the advice in the book, I started my own publishing company, Spoken Word Press in March 2010 and published my first print and eBook, Invisible Enemies. The sequel, Seed of Satan: Leah’s Story was published in August 2011.

Tell us about your current book?

Invisible Enemies is about two sisters, Candace and Abby Harris who live in Washington DC. The Harris’ are your typical middle class African American family.  Candace is a straight A student, a real go getter, however, she’s stuck up, and truly believes that her fellow classmates are beneath her, so of course, she doesn’t have a lot of friends. She also suffers from severe acne, so she tends to push people away from her, because deep down, she’s very insecure about herself. Her younger sister Abby on the other hand is very pretty and has a sweet and loving nature. Abby sings in the choir at Grace Faith Church, and has a wonderful voice. She’s very popular at school and at church.  Both sisters secretly have a crush on handsome Randy Nelson, a bi-racial hottie who’s the captain of every sports team that he’s on. Randy’s mom is Latino and runs the Nelson Foundation in Washington DC.

His dad is the current Secretary of State. The Nelson’s are very rich and powerful, and it’s their goal to see their son in the White House.  Candace is thrilled when an opportunity arises for her to tutor Randy and she soon finds out that the Nelson’s get all their power and influence from their spirit guides.  Randy’s mom Melena discovers a hidden talent for the occult in Candace and takes her under her wing to teach her the dark arts. This book delves into the spiritual realm as angels and demons take sides, as they battle for the soul of Abby Harris.

How did you come up with ideas for this book?

Invisible Enemies was conceived after a conversation with the Lord one morning in 2006. I was raised up in a Baptist church, however, due to spiritual ignorance; I got caught up in the occult. It started off innocently enough by reading my daily horoscope in the local paper each morning when I was 16 years of age. I became obsessed with it and read every book I could find on the occult, and for years I did horoscope charts, tarot cards, chanting etc… not realizing what kinds of demonic doors I was opening. Friends and family tried to tell me I was dealing in the occult, but I ignored them, thinking it was just harmless fun. While working for American Airlines  in 2003, a co-worker was led by the Lord to purchase two books for me that changed my life: Rebecca Brown’s He Came to Set The Captives Free, and Frank and Ida Hammond’s Pigs in a Parlor. These two books accomplished what others couldn’t, I threw away all my occult tools, repented to God and asked for his forgiveness.

The Holy Spirit assisted me in using this personal experience to create Invisible Enemies.

What valuable lessons do you want readers to learn from your book?

One, that spiritual ignorance can kill you! Before writing this book, the Holy Spirit had me read Hosea 4:6: My people perish because of lack of knowledge.  Two, no matter what’s going on in your life, God is still in control.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently working on book three, The Devil and Sister Ford. Sister Cecilia Ford is the prophetess of Grace Faith Church, and this book will deal with her discovering her calling and her battle with the enemy who tries every trick in his arsenal to try and keep Cecilia from discovering who she is in Christ Jesus.

Where can readers find you online?

The print version of both books are available on Amazon, BN.com and Books a Million, however, I just recently moved all my eBooks to Amazon’s Kindle Store.

My author website is: www.spokenwordpress.info and readers can leave a comment or send me a message there. I also have a Facebook Fan page for Invisible Enemies that you can access here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Invisible-Enemies-Series/123744524306937

I’m an award-winning author of four published books—all inspirational nonfiction. But in general, I write books that help people heal. In fact, I started my career as a newspaper journalist, writing for The Denver Post—primarily “human interest” articles about people trying to figure out life, family, work, love and how to cope with it all. Now I wrestle with those questions in books.

How do you find time to connect with God?

In the mornings, before starting the day, my husband and I will often read from the Bible and talk the lessons and wisdom—then pray together. This is new for us. We’ve been married 35 years. I regret all those years we didn’t pray like this. But you start where you are. And, thank God, we’ve learned the value in getting up early and seeking God together. It’s good for our relationship and for our family. After the day, however, before bedtime, I seek private time with God. I turn off the TV, the phone and so on and get quiet with the Lord. I like to write down my prayers, questions, feelings about the day—and in these times, if I seek Him, God will answer. Sometimes during the night. Sometimes right then. What I’ve learned is there’s nothing on TV more important than what God is saying. But I have to take time to listen.

Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?

Too many to name! And it depends on what I’m ready at any one time.

Tell us about your journey to publication.

I’ve been writing since I could read—always writing stories as a way to look for answers to life questions. That led me to newspaper journalism. After working about 12 years in newspaper journalism, I taught journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder. As a faculty member, I started writing and selling personal essays to national publications—USA Today, USA Weekend, the New York Times Sunday magazine, NPR Radio and others. With that exposure, I got my first book deal with Penguin Putnam for my book on racial healing, My First White Friend. That was 15 years ago. With my two latest books, I now have four published books in print.

Tell us about your current book?

God’s Great Blessings is a daily devotional exploring the godly virtues that God blesses. But which virtues? I decided to find out while reading through the One Year Bible and seeing how passionate God is for blessing His people. The other surprise was that blessings are conditional—tied to the way we live. So it’s true: God don’t bless mess! So I started studying those character traits that, in fact, God will bless. Then I wrote them down. Over time, I had enough to fill a book. I pitched the idea of a devotional on virtues to Tyndale House, which published my book on prayer, I Told the Mountain to Move, and they gave me the green light. Then they assigned the project to their One Year brand. The result is my new devotional, the One Year God’s Great Blessings Devotional. It’s a daily guide through 52 virtues that God blesses.

How did you come up with ideas for this book?

By going to the Bible—and actually reading it. As a lifelong Christian, and as an author, I’d written a few one-day devotionals for the Upper Room and other magazines. But I’d never written an entire book of devotionals. But this time, by persistently reading my Bible—the entire Bible, that is—I ended up with this published book. Behind it all, to be honest, was my desire to receive God’s favor and blessings. But how does that happen? I searched the Bible and the path to blessings was challenging, but it wasn’t hidden. So I decided to write about that path. The devotional format is a good one for this book because it’s a daily journey. The road to blessings unfolds day by day, at God’s pace. I needed to learn that.

What valuable lessons do you want readers to learn from your book?

That godly character matters to God. Big time! We’ve had so much preaching about speaking our miracles and calling out demons and so on. But the Bible is practical. It teaches courage and persistence and honesty and thrift. It says that modesty makes a woman beautiful. And that discipline, by controlling our tongues, leads to long life. And that living with love leads to prosperity. This is practical stuff, right there in God’s Word, and godly character is the key that unlocks God’s blessings for us. I pray others will see that there is power in seeking this wisdom, then living it.

What’s next for you?

I plan to go back to the place where I started as a writer—writing personal essays that explore the challenges, joys and mysteries of daily life, then pitching those pieces to national news and general interest publications. We’re in the era of the blogs. But I made a name for myself in that arena and I miss it. So I hope to do more of that kind of writing. Then for fun, I hope to finish a detective novel I started a couple of years ago. The character and story have a religious angle. So it’s a good fit for a Christian writer like me. So stay tuned!

Where can visitors find you online?

Please visit my website at www.patriciaraybon.com. You’ll find lots of information there about the things that matter to me most as an author—good writing, power prayer, wise living and life-changing faith.

Visit Patricia Raybon’s Virtual Book Tour at http://bit.ly/PatriciaRaybonVirtualBookTour.

I have had seven novels, one novella, and one nonfiction book published. My work has appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly. A Long Way From Home, the story of my ancestors, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.

My nonfiction title Jewels: 50 Phenomenal Black Women Over 50, a photo-essay book featuring luminaries such as actress Ruby Dee and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, was coauthored with photographer Michael Cunningham. The collection of novellas was coauthored with Lolita Files and Anita Bunkley.

My latest novel is MONEY CAN’T BUY LOVE, the story of Lenora Stone, a photographer with money and man troubles who suddenly wins millions in the lottery and meets the guy of her dreams.

How do you find time to connect with God?

There is always time for things that are important in your life.

Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?

My favorite books are The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Mama by Terry McMillan, Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins, Invisible Life and Just As I Am by E. Lynn Harris, The Other Side of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon. Yes, I’m all over the place.

Tell us about your journey to publication.

My journey was actually rather short as my first submission to an agent was Sisters and Lovers and it went on to publication and sales of more than 600,000 copies. I still pinch myself about that. But that success came after years of preparation—taking writing courses, working as an editor polishing the work of others, and reading books about the craft and business of writing. The market has changed so much since Sisters and Lovers was published and it was actually harder in some ways to get my latest novel MONEY CAN’T BUY LOVE to print.

Tell us about your current book.

MONEY CAN’T BUY LOVE is the story of Lenora Stone, a photographer with money and man troubles who suddenly wins millions in the lottery and meets the guy of her dreams. The question: Will Lenora smarten up about men and money? Or will she blow it all?

What influenced you to write this book?

Many things including the current times we live in. I asked myself what might an insecure woman do if she suddenly won millions of dollars and met the man of her dreams. Would she smarten up and gain more confidence? Or would she blow it all?

What’s next for you?

Good question but one I can’t answer now. The publishing market has changed so much. I need some time to reflect. Do I stay the course or try something new. Stay tuned!

Where can visitors find you online?

http://writerrevealed.com. Feel free to stop by anytime!

My name is James Benjamin and I am 26 years old. I was born and raised in Winston Salem, NC and in 2009 made the transition to Los Angeles, CA. While growing up I succumbed to the street life and was lured by the many faces of the enemy. Through my trials and tribulations, my faith in Jesus Christ ended up saving my life and has provided me with an impactful testimony to share with others. I have dedicated my life to spreading God’s. I am a motivational speaker lead by the Holy Spirit to bring families back together and destroy the hedges that the enemy has set between parents and their children. I am a student at the University of Phoenix where I will be obtaining my Associates degree this August and I am a student at Apostle Fredrick Price Ministry training School. I find it essential that Christians be aware of the enemy’s disguises.

How do you find time to connect with God?

Even though my schedule is over flooded, I still find time to spend with my father. Spending time with God is not just a onetime deal with me. I spend time with God all day long, in my car I am worshipping and praying, on my job I am praying and giving my father glory. I do have a set time at home where I can get in the word of God but it is an ongoing throughout the day. Matthew 6:33 “Seek ye first the Kingdom of god and his righteousness and all things shall be added unto you. This is important to me because I am giving everything that pertains to life but the only way to release it, is to seek the God and be about my father’s business. Kingdom Business.

Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?

I was never a big time reader; I didn’t realize that I could write until my first book was published. I have read a few books by Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, and Fred Price. Now that I am living a life of faith, because a few years I didn’t know about faith, I am buying all of Fred Price’s books.

Tell us about your journey to publication.

My journey to publication was a long 5 year journey. The journey was long because I was actually living what I was writing about. I had to get myself in position where I can be used by God through my writing and speaking. I self published “Master of Disguises” now I am looking for a publishing company that will take on what God has given me.

Tell us about your current book.

What really influenced me to write this book was that I was fed up with the enemy. The enemy was having a field day with my life and others that were around me. My inspiration was the Holy Spirit totally. I didn’t know that I could write and elaborate until I started doing it. I want to see everyone out the grips of Satan and living the life that God wants us to live. I want to everybody to catch on to what God is doing NOW in the earth. There are no characters in this book but myself. I hope people can see Jesus and feel the presence of God while they are reading “Master of Disguises”

What’s next for you?

I am currently working on my next book Master of Love which will be a second part of Master of Disguises. I am also working with an anointed lady who will be my co author.

Where can visitors find you online?

I can be found everywhere: www.masterofdisguises.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Master-Of-Disguises/115929385098181

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/MastrofDisguise

I’m the color of hazelnut. However, my hair is fluorescent beige…lol. I am Miranda Parker. I write romcom(romantic comedy) suspense for Kensington Publishing Corp. My novel, A Good Excuse to Bad is Book one of the Angel Crawford Bounty Hunter Series. It’s the story of a bad girl gone good who may have to go bad again to save her family from a killer.

How do you find time to connect with God?

God has made it clear to me that I’m His, so even when I don’t feel like it I’m sort of wired for constant worship and prayer. For instance, a woman was riding very close to my bumper one day. I wanted to jump out my truck and tell her off, but the Holy Spirit made the green light come early. So I thanked him. You know what I mean?

As far as quiet time with God. Two years ago every morning I did Yoga and it helped me open up and began to pray to God during and after my session. I let other responsibilities get in the way and hadn’t gotten back into it until last week. I hope to never miss a day of it again. There is something about quiet, meditation, breathing and body strokes that calms me down to a place where I hear God. I am testing out Body Gospel’s version of Yoga now.

Do you have a favorite bible verse and or quote you wish to share?

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen. My mentor always signs his letters with that scripture. I mimicked him and now do the same. When times are really, really bad for me and I can’t call a friend to keep me from driving from the cliff I recite the verse over and over until I calm down.

Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?

Anne Lamott, Chuck Palahniuk, Edgar Allan Poe, Thomas Hardy, Zora Neale Hurston, William Faulkner, Nella Larsen, Tosca Lee, Sharon Ewell Foster, Kate White, Walter Mosley and Sidney Sheldon

Tell us about your journey to publication.

In 2004 I received two emails from a one Tia McCollors and Sherri Lewis about joining their Atlanta writer’s group. Back then I belonged to an online yahoogroup called BlackExpressions. I didn’t want to write novels. I was a short story writer and journalist. I wanted to be published in The Atlantic or The New Yorker. However, after agreeing to attend a meeting with the groupI still wanted to write short stories and magazine articles. Lol. Yet, I remained. I think the ladies in the group won me over. I enjoyed the camaraderie and it was nice to meet monthly with women writers who had big dreams like me. Both Tia and Sherri have become respected bestselling authors since then. Ashea Goldson and Dwan Abrams, two other members of our group also became published. Then the tide change when my friend Rhonda McKnight had the mitigated gall to write 45K words in one month, while pregnant and earning her Masters. It was a wake up call. Then to make matters worst Tia gave me her Mac Pro laptop and Sherri became a PR Client. I felt I owed them at least a book. Lol. That’s not the full story. It is a piece of a very long journey to my contract with Kensington.

There are so many people to thank like Jacquelin Thomas for reading my first manuscript. Victoria Christopher Murray for having a real writer’s talk with our group. Befriending ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Sharon Ewell Foster, Amy Wallace, Eric Jerome Dickey, Creston Mapes, Tee C. Royal, the late Katherine D. Jones, and Tiffany Warren. To getting mentored by New York Times Bestselling authors like Cindy Woodsmall, talking plot with James Scott Bell, David Long of Bethany House, and chatting with Kimberla Roby. I have been a part of this industry for over ten years as a book club president, book reviewer, book awards judge, publishing house consultant, literary publicist, journalist, short story writer, editor, event planner and now published author. There is a story for every one of those jobs.

My story isn’t a simple one, but it can be simplified. Miranda Parker is the genesis of many gracious publishing industry professionals, who took the time to carry me every step of the way to my getting published. I didn’t want to be a novelist. Yet I wrote a novel to hang out with my friends. I didn’t want to get it published. Yet I entered a contest because my book friends wanted me to. I didn’t want to submit my book to Selena James, my editor. Yet my friends printed my proposal and mailed it for me. I am stubborn and fear the dark. My publication story is a compilation of those moments and the prayers of many.

Read the acknowledgment of A Good Excuse to Be Bad. I wanted to share behind the scenes of how this book came to be.

Tell us about your current book.

A Good Excuse To Be Bad is the first book in the Angel Crawford Bounty Hunter series for Kensington Books. It is the story of mom and bounty hunter Evangeline “Angel” Crawford a bad girl gone good who may have to go back to being bad, in order to save her sister from a killer.

What influenced you to write this book?

I write about things that keep me up at night. There were two things haunting me at the time. This story was based on a news story we[the newspaper I once wrote for] killed. We didn’t run with the story, because the main parties involved were too big for our little paper to take on without some detrimental consequence. However, I couldn’t get the story out of my head. It made me wonder what other truths the press has held back from the public. Most importantly, were we being spoon fed a reality that didn’t exist. What is our world really like? I still can’t sleep thinking about that.

The other thing was how can I successfully raise my daughter into a happy, well adjusted and healthy young woman? This keeps me up long hours at night.

Likewise, I’m a fan of crime noir, Christian fiction and romantic comedies. This series was my attempt at combining the three. I wanted to write something cool like The Closer with a main character who had to juggle family responsibility, romance, and her conscious. I thought making Angel a bounty hunter would give me a great landscape to work with, and I could also tackle current issues like church tax fraud, health insurance disparity, deadly teen house parties, human trafficking and slavery, Atlanta politics, Georgia history, parenting, the gamut. It’s easier to slide deep issues into this kind of hybrid genre and still entertain an audience.

Did you have a favorite character(s)? Who and why?

Angel is my favorite. I love the idea of a feisty female heroine who falls for the worst person at the worst time in her life and then have to honor her responsibilities as a young mom at the same time. As a mom who is not married, I have had my share of romances, while trying to raise my daughter. And I wanted to explore those issues in a book. In many of the novels I read or movies I see there’s this single mom character who needs to be rescued somehow. I wanted to create a character who rescued everyone else. Because that’s really the truth.

What’s next for you?

We (Kensington and I) are editing the sequel, Someone Bad and Something Blue. After you read the end there is a surprise. This book addresses the surprise.

And since I have a surprise at the end of A Good Excuse to Be Bad there is a surprise at the end of Someone Bad and Something Blue (releases July 2012), so now I’m writing Book Three.

Where can visitors find you online?

You can join our community at www.mirandaparker.com you can talk with me, share your own fan fiction of the series. You can join the manhunt on Facebook also at www.facebook.com/mirandaparkerbooks there will be prizes, online chats, writing workshops, free serial fiction and more on both spots.

Thanks so much for spotlighting me!

Miranda P

I am a Christian woman first, then a military Spouse; a Mother; an Author/Entrepreneur and high school Teacher. I love to read, cook and spend time with my family. My family is currently stationed in Kaiserslautern Germany and we love it. I am also an Eastern Star and I am very active with my local chapter in Germany because I love to give back to my community. My husband and I co-own HortonJones, Inc., a small publishing company, and we pray that one day HortonJones, Inc. will be a multi-million dollar corporation.

How do you find time to connect with God?

Connecting with God is a priority for me and I believe that whatever is important to me, I should make time for. So, I pray with my family each morning; I read my bible and meditate on daily devotionals even if it’s only on my iPhone apps, but I do have a study bible as well. I also attend a local church regularly, Christian House of Prayer- Europe, in Landstuhl Germany; and I am constantly praying for God to lead and guide me and my husband in our daily decisions and actions.

Do you have a favorite bible verse and or quote you wish to share?

I have many favorite bible verses. The one that is my favorite at this time is 2 Timothy 2:16 “Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.” This is my favorite verse right now because I know that there is a blessing in being able to control the most unruly member of our bodies, the tongue.

I also have many favorite quotes, but here is one that I really love: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” — Robert Frost. I love this quote because it is a reminder that regret and worry are both senseless things.

Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?

My favorite author is Kendra Norman-Bellamy, I will stop whatever I am doing and read any of her books; she is amazing and so humbled. I also like Michelle Stimpson, Kimberla Lawson Roby, Lily Ratliff, the late BeBe Moore Campbell and many others. As far as my favorite books, I love anything by Kendra Bellamy as well as a book by T. d. Jakes, Naked and Not Ashamed.

Tell us about your journey to publication.

My journey to publication was not one with many bumps in the road because I knew what I wanted. I knew exactly what I wanted everything to look like and how I wanted it marketed, etc., so I quickly came to the conclusion that I needed to self-publish. Shortly after that my husband and I decided to open our own publishing company, HortonJones, Inc., and the rest is history.

Tell us about your current book.

My current book, He Left Me, like all of my work is a Christian based short novel. This book is about a family from Ghana West Africa with a lot of family secrets and issues that have plagued their family for years but no one wants to talk about it, not the grandparents, or the parents. However the children are different, they want to move on and pursue their dreams and love, among other things but because of the weight of the family secrets they are having a hard time. However, when one of the parents give his religious beliefs all of his attention, he finds out that what the family thought were just secrets are actually generational curses and he decides to do something about it.

What influenced you to write this book?

All of my work is inspired by my relationship with Christ. I write to entertain people and at the same time teach people, through fiction, how to deal with real life problems and this book is no different.

Did you have a favorite character(s)? Who and why?

My favorite character is Emoni; she is the oldest daughter of the family. I like her because she is determined to reach her goals no matter what. She has to go against her family, even her mother at times but she does not let anything break her spirit.

What’s next for you?

Right now, I am in school pursuing my Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership so I will not be writing another novel for a few years, at least that’s not my intention. I will however continue to tour and promote the three books that I already have and I am also compiling a book of poems that I have written over the years. As far as my publishing company goes, I have three new authors that I am working with to try and help them release their books soon.

Where can visitors find you online?

Visitors can find me online at www.cmjonestheauthor.com; www.facebook.com/cmjonestheauthor ; www.myspace.com/cmjonestheauthor ; and my work is available on my website listed above, and www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnole.com as well as many other bookstores and websites. In addition if you would like to contact me for any signing events, speaking engagements or seminars, there is a contact page on my website.

Well, I’m a born writer and teacher. The first thing I remember writing was a poem to a girl when I was 12 years old. That’s how I started writing poetry, and I’ve been writing ever since. I love Jesus and my family. My musical taste ranges from classic rock to classical music, R&B and old school rap. I love to read when I have time. And it’s my life’s ambition to read Ulysses by James Joyce and understand it.

How do you find time to connect with God?

Thankfully, I’m self-employed, so I don’t have to find time; it’s really about making time and turning off distractions. After I drop my daughter off at daycare, I start my day with prayer. I’m not really the early morning, crack of dawn prayer warrior type, but I do have morning energy. I find that it’s best if I spend time with God while my energy is high, so that means not too early and not too late.

Do you have a favorite bible verse and or quote you wish to share?

2. Cor. 4:8: “We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, cast down but not destroyed.

Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?

Well, I have Ann Petry, Toni Morrison, Jerry B. Jenkins, Alex Haley, Zora Neale Hurston, and Leo Tolstoy on my bookshelf. I love the classics!

Tell us about your journey to publication.

It’s full of U-turns and detours. When I thought my first book, The Lost Testament, was done, I sent out queries to agents and got around 20 rejections. Acceptance is such an imprecise science, so I revised and tried it again. Same results. So, in 2005, my mother bought me a book: “The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing” by Tom and Marilyn Ross, which I ignored once I got accepted by an agent.

As misfortune would have it, the young lady who requested the manuscript left that company and I ended up in the slush pile. That’s when I picked up the book on self-publishing and started learning about it. In 2010, I met Stephanie Perry-Moore, whose first book took a similar amount of time to publish. She advised me to self-publish, sell 2,000 copies, do it again, and then mainstream publish.

After prayer and meditation, I found that this is the route that God wanted me to go. I created Great Nation Publishing in May of 2010. The rest is history.

Tell us about your current book, The Revelation Gate.

I like to say that The Revelation Gate is three unconventional love stories set in the background of a Saharan country on the brink of war. Thanks to a mysterious phenomenon called “holy rain,” a young woman with an incurable blood disease finds herself cured and pregnant. Though the law forbids it, she gives birth and immediately goes into hiding to save her son, who is destined one day to enter The Revelation Gate to free his people.

When the boy returns home years later after being presumed dead, a childhood friend falls in love with him – though he is forbidden to reciprocate it. And the freedom of his people depends on his devotion and willingness to sacrifice for them.

What influenced you to write this book?

The Bible was the biggest influence. Second would be Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I liked the atmosphere of the African novel and tried to emulate it. I’d also say my love of comic books for the fantastical elements of the book.

Did you have a favorite character(s)? Who and why?

My favorite character is a tie between Chimelu and Lusala. I loved writing them both; especially the scenes they shared together.

What’s next for you?

After The Revelation Gate releases, I plan to do some book signings in the area and appearances at local events. I am also working on my third book, The Anarchists, which I’d like to release in the fall of 2012.

Where can visitors find you online?

They can find me at my author site, www.brianlthompson.co (not .com, but .co), my Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/authorbrianlthompson my Twitter account: www.twitter.com/brianlthompson and my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/brianlthompson?feature=mhum

How do you find time to connect with God?

I make the time to connect with God!  If I try to fit it in with everything I do, I have made it an item, or something less than what is.  When I make the time for God, it becomes a priority!!! Early in the morning is when He has my full attention before I get distracted by what the day holds for me!

Do you have a favorite bible verse and or quote you wish to share?

“For I know the thoughts I think towards you saith the Lord, thoughts of good and not of evil to give you an expected end. “ — Jeremiah 29:11

Tell us about your current book.

The Boaz Factor…When You Are Ready For the Right One!  The book is about relationships.  I focused on Ruth and Boaz from the book of Ruth.  I took elements of their relationship and brought it to focus as a look of how relationships are dealt with today

What influenced you to write this book?

Ruth is one of my favorite books of the bible, as well as one of my favorite ladies.  I thought the state of relationships today needed to a light shined on it and brought back to what God had intended all along.

What valuable lessons do you want readers to learn from your book?

1. There is someone whom God has designed especially for you.
2.  Your heart is to important to keep breaking it with the wrong person.
3.  When you know who Boaz is, you will be able to spot those characteristics in whomever you are seeing.  If you don’t see them, this is not a person to get serious with.

What’s next for you?

There are several  more books on the horizan that I need to write.  I am building my real estate company, Legacy Group Realtors, LLC as we speak.

Where can visitors find you online?

www.elderbrendabradley.com