Author Interviews--Upcoming FEAR NOT devo (3rd Free Book)

Anne: Sometime soon, my new devotional, Fear Not, will be released--hopefully sometime during July. So, in the next few weeks, I want you to get to know each of the writers in the devo a little better. I asked each of them the same questions. If they have a website, you can click on their names to find out more about them. I have placed six other interviews on previous blogs. You can read them by clicking here on 1st and 2nd.

The first interview today is with Cindy Loven from Arkansas. She's a stay at home mom, pastor’s wife, and home educator. Mom to two sons, Jarrod, age 20, and John, who passed away in 2009, she chose to stay at home with her children and teach them at home. Married to her husband David, for twenty-five years, they have traveled through out the United States visiting many states, but always settle back at home in Arkansas. She's an avid reader, and regularly reviews the hottest new Christian book releases on her blog. Cindy, why did you contribute to Fear Not?

Cindy: I felt it was important to share my story about my son, and to show that even in times of walking through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with you.

Anne:  What is one thing you want people to take away from your contribution to Fear Not?

Cindy: What I would like for people to walk away with: knowing after they read my devotional that life is too short to settle for hum-drum. Go for what you are dreaming.

Anne: Why is clinging to God when you are afraid important for you personally?

Cindy: God carries us through the darkest times of our lives, and we must understand that our prayers never die. Even when we can't say them anymore, the ones we have prayed are still in God's ears, and He hears and He knows.

Anne:  What is your next writing project?

Cindy: Well my next big thing is the release of my co-authored novel, Swept Away in the Quilts of Love series. Swept Away releases in November. I am also eagerly waiting to hear about a short story I contributed to another project.

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Anne: The next interview is with Raymond N. Hawkins, a retired (mostly) Church of Christ minister. He and his wife Mary live in Northern Tasmania, and they are involved with a small Baptist Church and their six grand-children. In addition, Ray and Mary work with son Craig and Craig's wife Rachelle on their Seahorse Australia enterprise. This consists of Seahorse World for tourists and the Seahorse Australia farm where they breed different species of seahorses and fresh water aquarium fish which are exported to several countries around the world. Ray, why did you contribute to Fear Not? (By the way, I've come to the conclusion that Ray is the most humble and least verbose of our contributors!)

Ray: I saw it on Facebook and made an approach. You were gracious enough to accept my submission

Anne: What is the one thing you want people to know about you?

Ray: I’m a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne: Why is clinging to God when you are afraid important for you personally?

Ray: Whilst it is good and important to have special people (e.g. Mary, my wife) around in the physical realm, they cannot reach into my inner being and breathe peace, hope, and confidence that things are under control. This control isn’t wishful thinking but on the foundation of His faithfulness to His word.

Anne: What is your next writing project?

Ray: I’m finishing a series of devotionals on the Warrior Lord: His Return, His Sword, and His Boot Camp. Hopefully they will be accepted and Join Bethlehem’s Warrior Lord and Captured by Calvary (which I’d like to rename as The Warrior Lord’s Triumph).

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Next up is Paula Mowery. She's a pastor's wife and a former homeschool mom, a Christian author, and an acquisitions editor with Pelican Book Group. She's also the winner of the 2014 Selah Award in the novella category. Paula, why did you contribute to Fear Not?

Paula: When considering the thought of the “Fear nots” in the Bible, I could quickly come up with times I have had to rely on God’s promises. The thought of sharing a time when God had proven his care for me through lessening my fear was an opportunity to give testimony to encourage others.

Anne: What is the one thing you want people to know about you?

Paula: I want people to know that I write from a calling from God and strive to bring forth the message He lays upon my heart. Nothing encourages me more than for a reader to tell me how something I have written impacted them positively, encouraging them in their walk with God or encouraging them to begin a relationship with God.

Anne: Why is clinging to God when you are afraid important for you personally?

Paula: Clinging to God in times of fear is important to me because I have come to understand that trusting an all-powerful God just makes sense. He knows the path I take, including all of the dark and scary spots. He promises time and time again in the Bible that we should not be afraid. In Psalm 23 He says He will walk with us through the shadow of death. Shadows can be scary but can’t hurt me, especially with the presence of the Lord right beside me.

Anne: What is your next writing project--or what is the next important event in your life?

Paula: The next collaborative project is another devotional collection dealing with infertility. I pray this will bring comfort and encouragement to all the women who read it. Personally, I am completing a novel in which the main character learns to trust God’s Word to guide her through fears, worries, and all of life.

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That's it for the interviews today, but there will be more on Friday. Meanwhile, I'm offering a third Fear Not book to a commenter on this blog. Two more are offered on the first and second groups of interviews. I'm hoping that, even if you don't personally have fearful things to work through, you might know someone who does and who might benefit from encouraging devotions from people who have been there and come through with God's help. Leave your email in this fashion: anneb1944 (at) aol (dot) com so as to at least slow down spammers.