Interview with novelist Natashia Brewer

Author Natashia Brewer is here today and we’re talking about her new Christian novel, Biblical Proportions.

During her book tour, Natashia will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too.

Bio:

Natashia Brewer is the established Resonation Entertainment Group in 2014. Since the launch of her company, she has released many motivating and inspiring musical and literary projects, like: The Infinite Love EP; Love Song the book; and Biblical Proportions. When she isn’t creating music for upcoming projects, writing books, conducting interviews, or writing blog post, Natashia is a contributing songwriter for the charity Songs of Love, creating personalized songs for sick children.

In addition to being a published author, songwriter, and music producer, Natashia is a speaker whose objective is to use her life’s testimony to uplift and inspire others. Letting people know that they can change their lives if they change their minds.

Natashia is currently married with two children, she resides in Maryland.

Welcome, Natashia. Please share a little bit about your current release.
Biblical Proportions is a story about twin brothers who are music executives in their family business, the dynamics of this book was inspired by the story of Esau and Jacob from the Bible. James and Edward are polar opposites, but they find themselves in the battle of a lifetime. These two gentlemen where fighting the consequences of some bad choices and the only way out was to strengthen their faith and surrender to the will of the Lord. They found their strength, peace, and their purpose along the way.

What inspired you to write this book?
This idea of writing the book Biblical Proportions was dropped in my spirit as I was reading the Bible and recognized that the situations we are dealing with today are already written. At that moment I recognized that stories needed to be told to: one to bring awareness to how relatable the Bible is; two show the readers how important developing a relationship with the Lord is; and three share an overall message. 

Excerpt from Biblical Proportions:

Cynthia could not resist that man of hers. So, she grabbed his hands and stood in front of him. He pulled her close, embraced her, and placed his forehead upon hers. He began to pray over him and his wife. 

“Dear Lord, hear my pleas. I lift my heart to you today. I ask that you give Cynthia and me strength to make the right decisions. I ask that you show me how to love her through the pain that I have inflicted upon her. I ask that you open her heart to receive and forgive. I ask that you heal the deep wounds that have been created because of poor choices. I decree and declare that our marriage will be made whole again. I ask these things in Jesus name. Amen!” Edward prayed.

Cynthia was full of emotions as Edward gently lifted her face and kissed her quivering lips. The peck quickly turned into something that neither of them thought it would be. 

Life Lesson Two: Ignoring an issue will not make it disappear. You must become grounded in the word so that you will have the strength to endure the storm.

What exciting story are you working on next?
My next book is titled – There Was Power in the Pain, From the Pit to the Palace which is the story about my life.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I first considered myself a writer when I held a copy on my first book in my hands. It was a very humbling and surreal moment.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I do not write full-time. I am a songwriter, music producer, and a speaker. I also have a background in IT Project Management and I work temporary assignments from time to time.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

My interesting writing quirk would be that I must be in my bed and listening to music. I don’t want anyone around me. Just me, my laptop, and my music – in the zone

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child, I wanted to be a lawyer (well what others wanted me to be). I spent a lot of time alone growing up which increased my creativity. I loved to draw and build things. I also found a love for writing and music.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
One final thought/statement, I believe that if you change your mind, you can change your life. If you are ready to do something different and change your life, join the Renew Your Mind Challenge Facebook group. Thank you. Peace and blessings.

Biblical Proportions is now available for purchase, visit – bit.ly/purchasebp today. 

Links:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | www.resonationentertainment.com. 

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

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Interview with dark historical fiction novelist Mark Carver

Welcome, readers.

I’m wrapping up the week – and July – with author Mark Carver. He’s chatting with me about his historical fiction novel, Nikolai the Penitent: A Novel of the Brotherhood of the Cross.

  

Bio:

Mark Carver writes dark, edgy books that tackle tough spiritual issues. He is currently working on his eighth novel. Besides writing, he is passionate about art, tattoos, heavy metal, and medieval architecture.

Mark graduated from Toccoa Falls College in 2005 with a B.A. in English. After living in China for more than eight years, he now lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife and three children.

Welcome, Mark. Please tell us about your current release.

Nikolai the Penitent is a dark and brutal historical fiction novel that takes place in Germany during the Black Death plague of the mid-14th century. It was a time of ruin and despair and many believed that the unstoppable plague was God's judgment for the sins. Superstition and desperation was rampant, and one group that emerged was the Brotherhood of the Cross, a group of flagellants that would travel from town to town, whipping and beating themselves as atonement for God's wrath. What started out as a pious movement soon became mired in corruption and hedonism, even to the point of being explicitly banned by the Pope. The book follows Nikolai, a young man who loses everything to the plague and joins the Brotherhood, on his journey of seeking redemption for his own guilt and trying to make sense of the horrors around him. It is a very grim and bloody story but there is also hope and forgiveness.

What inspired you to write this book?

A few years ago, I downloaded a free e-book from Project Gutenberg called The Black Death and the Dancing Mania. It is a historical account of the terrible things that happened during those times. I came to the part about the Flagellants, and as Smee said the movie Hook, "Lightning has just struck my brain." I knew I had to write a story about these people, though at the time I was writing another book and had another one planned after that, so the story had plenty of time to simmer in my imagination.

Click here to access the first six chapters of Nikolai the Penitent.

What exciting story are you working on next?

Right now I am working on a contemporary fiction story called Balor that blends the worlds of mixed martial arts and Mississippi hoodoo. It is shaping up to be a very dark and aggressive story that deals with the occult, inner demons, racism, and narcissism. Look for it to release late winter/early spring next year.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I wrote my first story when I was six but I didn't decide to make a serious push into the writing industry until 2012. An idea had been brewing in my mind for a while and one day, I thought, "I'm going to write a book." That was more than half a million words ago.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I would love to be a full-time writer but until I get that Hollywood blockbuster movie deal, I teach ESL classes for international students at a local university. I write for about an hour each night after the kids have gone to sleep. Consistency is far better than waiting for creative spurts.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I don't really do happy endings. That's not to say that I only write unhappy endings, but things never wrap up nice and neat in my stories. You know with a Mark Carver book that you're not going to get a pat on the back and reassurances that everything will be okay. I put my characters through the ringer and I know they hate me for it.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A paleontologist. I can still draw an anatomically correct T-Rex from memory.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Any time you read a book, please leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, social media, etc. Whether you loved it or hated it, authors need all the help we can get from our readers.

Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Thanks for being here today, Mark! All the best with your continued writing!

Interview with award-winning author Anita Agers Brooks

Welcome, readers. I’m kicking off a new week with an interview with Anita Agers Brooks. We’re chatting about her new non-fiction, Christian living book Getting Through What You Can’t Get Over.

Bio:

Anita Brooks, CPT, CLTF, CCS, motivates others to dynamic break-throughs. Blending mind, heart, body, and spirit, as an Inspirational Business/Life Coach, International Speaker, and Common Trauma Expert. She shares hope and encouragement on the stage and from the page -- reminding audiences, "It's never too late for a fresh start with fresh faith.”

Anita is also a multi-published, award-winning author. Her titles include Amazon Best Seller and Readers' Favorite International Book Award winner: Getting Through What You Can’t Get Over, Barbour Publishing, First Hired, Last Fired — How to Become Irreplaceable in Any Job Market, Leafwood Publishing, Death Defied-Life Defined: A Miracle Man's Memoir, and is a contributor to the global book phenomenon, The Change: Insights Into Self Empowerment Book #4. Her titles are available at major and independent bookstores as well as from online retailers.

Anita’s favorite pastime is watching sunsets with her husband of thirty-three years, while they laugh and dip their toes in the water. She adores her grandchildren, but she also wants to hear about those you love. Her favorite passion is inspiring others to transform life’s battles into lasting victories.

Welcome, Anita. Please tell us about your current release.

Most of us have experienced it, or soon will and just don’t know it yet. Adversity, trauma, or grief that blindsides us and kicks us in the gut. These are things we'll never get over, no matter how much we want to — but we can get through. PTSD, depression, anxiety, abuse, betrayal, identity questions, financial crisis, illness, injury, family feuds, death, and other common traumas — we can survive them, and even reach a place where pain-filled people laugh yet again. 

In each chapter of my award-winning book, Getting Through What You Can’t Get Over, I tell true stories and offer Insider Insights. Readers will find tips for Emotional Healing, Practical Help, Spiritual Comfort, and a Guided Prayer. My core message is, “It’s never too late for a fresh start with fresh faith,” and this is the foundation from which I encourage readers to hope when things appear hopeless.

What inspired you to write this book?

Having survived and ultimately thrived in spite of what I now call a Jobette season, (think the female version of Job), I realized there were many small things that helped me get through difficult moments. When people tell you to take things one day at a time, they don’t realize that a whole day can feel overwhelming to a hurting person. I developed some positive patterns that really made a difference and helped me walk through a very dark valley. Meeting a former Holocaust prisoner of war who was captive in Auschwitz also changed my life in an amazing way. I wanted to share all of that inspiring goodness with others who might be dealing with things that they will get through, but frankly, will never get over — hence, the title of my book, Getting Through What You Can’t Get Over.

Excerpt from Getting Through What You Can’t Get Over:

            When I met her I was in the blackest hole I’d ever experienced. I cowered in a deep pit of depression and anxiety, spawned by betrayal, the pain was raw and unquenchable. Each day, I tried to scale the walls and scramble into some light, but with every attempt, I slid back down the slimy slopes of the well, and crumpled into the darkness of my despair. 

           

            My attendance at the conference was a miracle, considering most days I barely had the strength to pull myself from bed. Taking a shower required a great deal of effort. But a friend had urged me to go with her, to see the former Auschwitz prisoner of war and motivational speaker, Dr. Edith Eger. Yet at the last minute, my friend couldn’t go. To this day, I can’t explain how I ended up there. Alone.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m actually writing two books simultaneously, and they are pretty different titles, but I’m excited about each for unique reasons. 

The first is for emergency services workers, like police officers, EMT’s, nurses, coroners, etc. Many of them don’t have a resource for some of the challenges they face in trying to do their jobs well without losing their emotional connections with family and friends. This co-authored project is called, From the Crime Scene to the Home Scene: Living Healthy, Happy, and Whole Submerged in Tragedy, Trauma, and Death. We’re telling true crime/death stories, and some are pretty fascinating, but then addressing their impact on those who worked the scene, along with tips for others who might face similar situations. 

My other project is called, The Praise Project: Strengthening Your Mind, Body, and Spirit When All Hell is Breaking Loose. This book chronicles my experience when I made a commitment to praise God no matter what. Let me tell you, some crazy things happened — some crazy scary, but in the end, some crazy awesome things resulted. Also for this book, I’m researching and interviewing others with similar stories. I'll tell their true tales as well. I anticipate a lot of inspiration, encouragement, and motivation to come out of this title -- plus, many of the true stories and secrets I'll reveal will surprise a lot of readers. 

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I took a gulp and first called myself a writer in 2009, shortly after I read a book that said to get brave and do it. However, I didn’t truly consider myself a writer until my first paid article was published, about six months later. 

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I’m a pretty busy public speaker and inspirational coach, so I don’t get to sit down and write every day, however, I do write consistently. Even if it’s jotting a few notes in my phone between speaking sessions, researching and saving information into my writing files from a hotel room, making myself complete one paragraph in a book project in a McDonald’s while I’m on the road, or writing an article or blog just before I crash for the night. 

For writing books in particular, the key is to get the thoughts out of my head when they come, whether I’m typing them in my computer file or scribbling random ideas on an envelope. When it comes time to formally craft my book proposals or manuscripts, all of those threads of information make writing a whole book easier. If you wait for the perfect time to try and write perfectly, it will never happen.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I drink this crazy concoction that most people couldn’t tolerate. I mix turmeric, ginger, and black pepper with water. These three ingredients are three of the most naturally powerful anti-inflammatory agents known to man, so they allow more oxygen-rich blood to reach the brain. Maybe I’m crazy, but I think it improves my creativity and productivity. 

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

As an avid reader from the time I was five, I dreamed of being a book author, but it was a secret I kept locked away from everyone until later in life. I used to lay on the grass beneath summer skies and imagine what it would be like to see my name on a book cover. That little girl would be astounded to see her name on my books today. 

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I tell people all the time, “Reading is my obsession, but writing is my compulsion. I cannot imagine living without books — and I don’t want to try.” Books are our window to a better world, where we can go anywhere, and anything is possible. 

Links:

You can connect with me on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Periscope, and Twitter. 

Check out my live inspirational broadcasts as Anita Fresh Faith on Periscope. Keep up with my latest happenings at anitabrooks.com.

Web Store | Amazon 

Thanks for being here today, Anita!