By: Kelvin Oliver
T4JYM: Can you share a short testimony with our readers?
DM: Jesus is my editor. Every morning I receive my instructions and the edits He wants to make in my life. Every day is a clean sheet. Every day is an opportunity to mirror Jesus in all I do. My relationship with Jesus is the most important part of my life.
T4JYM: Where do you see yourself in five years?
DM: Closer to Jesus. Helping more people with their writing. My writing improving every day.
T4JYM: The book When the Lion Roars tells about prejudice and injustices. What made you write about those two things?
DM: I have a passion for the Sudanese situation. This resulted when asked to write a nonfiction book about the Lost Boys of Sudan. I interviewed people from around the world – all refugees from their home country. I saw the love of Jesus and the pain inflicted from the northern government. I learned the many causes of the civil war that raged in Sudan for 20 years. I saw how religion, politics, oil, and slavery had been thrown into a huge boiling pot, and the resulting persecution of the southern people had to be stopped. In WHEN THE LION ROARS, I wanted to show how unlikely people can put aside their prejudices and work for the common good. More importantly, I wanted to show how God can work through the atrocities of evil.
T4JYM: How do you find time to write?
DM: I’m very scheduled and organized. To me, writing is a calling and a ministry.
T4JYM: Life is busy and time management is hard to do sometimes. When do you do your best writing and where?
DM: I write the best early in the morning. My husband and I work at home, so we have a home office.
T4JYM: What is the last book you read? Did you read it for research purposes or for pleasure?
DM: The last book I read was SHATTERED JUSTICE by Karen Ball. I read it for pleasure, but I learned a tremendous amount about characterization. I’m now starting a nonfiction book entitled INFILTRATION by David Sperry.
T4JYM: What is your favorite book that you have written? Why?
DM: WHEN THE LION ROARS is my favorite – because it challenged me to write deeper, to research more. It tugged at the passion I have for Sudan – and left me physically and mentally drained.
T4JYM: Tell the readers what the organizations American Christian Romance Writers and Inspirational Writers Alive are about? Do you like being with those two organizations?
DM: These two organizations – and ACRW is now American Christian Fiction Writers – brings Christians together who share a common calling of writing for our Lord. We don’t all write the same things, and we aren’t at the same level. We share victories and failures, prayer requests and knowledge. In short, it’s like a family.
T4JYM: On your website it lists different speaking topics that you discuss with different groups. What ideas were given to you, to have all these different topics? How often do you speak?
DM: My speaking topics come from book research or from personal experience. Basically, those topics simply come to me, and we know the source of Divine Inspiration. I speak at least once a month.
T4JYM: What training do you have in writing? Did you take any writing courses in college to obtain the skills you have currently?
DM: My training in writing came as independent study. I felt God calling me into writing, so I began reading recommended books on the craft, reading books from authors I admired, writing everyday, and attending conferences. I’m a work in progress, and I firmly believe that what I learn needs to be shared with others, so in turn other writers will help someone else.
T4JYM: What is it like teaching the women Bible study at your church?
DM: Rewarding, challenging, hard work, and I always learn more than the other women.
T4JYM: How often do you write a book and get one published?
DM: My first book came out in 1998. Since that time, I’ve published 30 novels and novellas. A few months ago, I decided that I needed to deepen my writing and concentrate more on quality than quantity.
T4JYM: When did you start writing? What kind of writing did you begin with? Do you do any other writing for fun, like journaling, poetry, etc.?
DM: I’ve written or rather closet-written all my life, but it wasn’t until my husband insisted that I write a book did I begin. That was in 1996 and that book was published in 1998. I began with writing Christian romance. All writing is fun! And I enjoy every type, but I don’t journal. Those thoughts and feelings come out in my books.
T4JYM: Are there any last words you would like to tell our readers?
DM: Whatever God has called you to do, take a leap of faith and dive into it. With me, God didn’t call the qualified, He qualified the called. And He will never be finished. Follow your dreams. The most important step you will ever take is slipping your hand into Jesus’ and allowing Him to guide the way.
Be the first to comment