What is your work in progress? Tell us about it.
I’m still thinking this through – but right now
I want to focus on sharing as much information as I can on my website,
mentoringbycolleen.com and continuing to work as a coach and mentor. I suspect
my next book or devotion will be based around the struggles and issues I see
with respect to dating, specifically, dating in the Church as an adult woman.
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| https://amzn.to/2tyBivj |
There are a lot of dating
books out there, but none have quite hit the mark with the women I work with.
They are either too “in your face” and edgy or they are over spiritualized and
not in touch with “the real dating world” – these are often books written by
pastors or pastors wives – many of whom married in their 20’s and have never
experienced the stigma and shame that single women in the Church often feel. I
have seen a need for an honest, Christian dating book that is geared toward 30
and 40- something women who haven’t yet found that one guy to share their life
with but are still hoping to.
What's the
best thing about being a writer?
Words
are powerful, so powerful they “have the power of life and death” (Proverbs
18:21). I have seen first-hand the power of words to tear down or destroy
throughout my life. I think because of that, I look at books very differently
than perhaps most do. I choose what I read carefully, knowing how much the
words on a page can influence my thoughts, attitudes and life.
What are you currently reading?
What I read often depends on my mood and what’s going on in my
life, but overall, I love books that inspire me, instill hope or encourage me
to keep moving forward when things get difficult.
Who inspires you?
I walk with women through some pretty
dark times and have made the journey through those dark seasons myself. I think
because of this, nothing is more healing to my own soul than laughter and so I
love a good book that makes me laugh. One of my faves is “Love Does” by Bob
Goff. That book had me laughing to the point of tears, but also challenged me
to love deeper and better. My father recently died, but the week before he did,
he sat on my couch through the Christmas holiday reading that book, laughing
the entire time. I love that my final memories of my father alive were of him
laughing. When I miss him most, I remember that week and it makes me
smile.
I’m not a fan of the question: “what
genre do you write” because that to me is being asked to label myself and my
style, and I’m even less of a fan of labels, I steer clear of them as much as
possible.
That may
sound a bit extreme, but the best description I’ve heard is that labels are
like a straightjacket. They restrict us and limit our ability to stretch and
grow beyond the limits dictated by the labels we use. In fact, studies have
proven that once a person is labeled (by self or others), not only will that
person conform to the label, others will struggle to see them as anything else.
This is why I always instruct the women I work with to focus on what they say
about themselves and to take their words – especially about themselves- very
seriously. A seemingly silly example is the common phrase, “I’m single.” I
encourage my ladies to say, “I’m not married yet.” Why? Because labels can become
our identity when worn too long; if your identity is “single” for a long time,
then you may likely find yourself single… even though your heart desires to be
married.
Who or what inspired you to become a writer?
I like to say that I write to share lessons learned and wisdom
gained through my own journey to healing. If people want to put me in a
category (i.e. “Christian Living” or “Self-Help”) then I am ok with that, I get
the need to categorize and package. However, for me, I simply want to write what
is on my heart in this season and for this time. Who knows, maybe one day I
will follow in the footsteps of C.S. Lewis and write a fiction story. That
won’t happen, if I allow myself to be labeled or type cast as an author.
GIVEAWAY
Author
author interview
books
Colleen Meissner
giveaway
i read book tours
Interview
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interview with author
Jo Linsdell
Through A Broken Heart
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