Hello there, to all our readers far and wide; you are all welcome to another thrilling episode of the Christian Author’s Interview. It is your host once again, the Global Brand For Christ Interview Team. And yes, we are glad to be back and better; by the way, something thrilling is coming your way in the next episode, you shouldn’t miss out… So, stay subscribed to our blog. (Click on the bell button by the left-hand side of your screen)
It is an honor to have a wonderful person in our midst (drum rolls….); she is doing fantastic things honor for the Lord. I’m sure as you read from her, listening to her story into authorship, you will be spurred up to do more for God.
Join us to welcome DAUDA BUKOLA into our midst (give a digital clap offering, please)
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: Can we please meet you? Tell us about yourself, habits, hobbies, and your walk with God in just a few lines?
Guest Author: I am Bukola Dauda-Omotoyinbo, a Child Development Specialist, an author, a Fashion Designer, and a Graphics Designer. I am a proud daughter of God who is passionate about living a life of purpose, in lieu of impacting the lives of others, especially youths.
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: We all have the most challenging times of our lives, the time when we are at war with God and ourselves; I am sure you have faced this; how did you overcome that period?
Guest Author: Hmmm….yes, we all have our tough times, and they are moments of growth. It is when we learn to trust God fully even when we feel He is not with us. Whenever I face moments like this, I see it as a process of breaking and molding to become a better person. I see myself as gold in its raw form, and that I just need to pass through the fire before I can come out refined and a beauty to behold. I overcome such times by praying more, studying the Bible to find a word that will console and see me through such times. I also read inspiring books that will spur my faith in God.
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: I love the simplicity of your book title. I feel it is more of a charge than a subtle compulsion: Stand Tall. What inspired the title? And why did you write the book? We all have a reason for writing a book; what is yours?
Guest Author: God inspired the title of my book. Before I decided to write the book, God inspired me to write somethings down every day during my quiet time. When I eventually decided to write a book, I checked through all my jotters, and one of the topics caught my attention, which was ‘ Stand Tall,’ I was surprised I wrote something like that. Coupled with living a life of purpose and seeing others do the same, I decided to write a book on standing tall, which led to the title “Stand Tall.”
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: There is a chapter in the book I love; it was on attitude, and it occupies the bulk of the book. I have a question on it; how do we build the right kind of mindset needed for the right time? As Christians, do we need to work on our attitude or leave everything hanging on the holy spirit?
Guest Author: Yes, attitude is critical in reaching any height in life. So many people call themselves Christians or ‘born again,’ but they have a very horrible attitude which can never make them go far in life. As Christians, we need to work on our attitudes by following Christ. We should always do what Christ will do in every situation we find ourselves. This is important because we hear this common phrase, people don’t read the Bible anymore, but the Christians. We must put up an attitude that will lead an unbeliever to Christ and not away from Him. You can’t leave everything hanging on the Holy Spirit. We all need to be intentional about our attitudes.
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: What was the most challenging stage of book writing and publishing for you? And how did you deal with it? For me, I find brainstorming and editing a chunk of work. What is yours?
Guest Author: The toughest stage of book writing is ‘what to write next’. At times I get stuck in the middle on this phase. Thank God for the Holy Spirit who is always there to guide me, the moment I grab my system to write and invite the Holy Spirit to help me; there is a magic in place, for everything just flows. Another stage is editing; it was tough getting a professional editor; but at last I did.
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: I must confess, the Holy Spirit is our best companion; here is another question; Discouragement? Comparison? Jealousy? And a lot more, we deal with it every day. What is your fighting power against this?
Guest Author: Hmmm….. I will tell you the truth. I felt discouraged at the point of publishing on digital platforms and marketing, but with the support of God, my husband and some friends, I was able to push through it. For comparison, yes, I usually compare my work with others to improve, which has helped me a lot. When I was trying to be like other writers, God called me back to stay where He has called me. For jealousy, I don’t feel jealous of other people’s achievements, but I appreciate other people’s work, and I’m ready to learn from them.
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: That response is quite good, I do hope upcoming writers know this; without the Holy spirit; you will keep dealing with all these on your own; and believe me; it will be tough. To our author, Can you say, your first book was a success? What are the mistakes you made?
Guest Author: I would say yes because it’s not only the profit you get from something that made it a success but the fulfillment you get from doing it. I was happy because my book became a global asset. This singular action gladdened my heart. Although I made a mistake giving it out without a price to some people; they were close family members and friends I had expectations from, but I discovered that they weren’t grateful for my gesture, nor did I receive any feedback. My conclusion, they either didn’t read my book; or they aren’t my ideal audience.
Interview Team Lead: Before we proceed to the next question, let me add this; it is essential for every aspiring author out there to have a strategy before launching your book. I made the same mistake with my first book then; avoid doing the same. Start building an audience now; your book might not be for everybody; if possible, you can set up your book audience avatar with some tips I will share after the interview. Now, unto the next question.
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: How do you stay refreshed each day, without feeling overwhelmed by the things going on around you? Everything begs for our attention each day, trust me; it does.
Guest Author: I had to let go of some things that are not worth spending my energy on, and I trust God in helping me deal with them. Most importantly, I start my day with God, and I hand over everything to Him.
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: What brought you into writing? Passion or divine ordained?
Guest Author: My answer is divinely ordained; I never thought I could be a writer, nor do I see myself as one; until one day, I was saying to myself ‘this thing I’m writing every day; what would I do with it? ‘ The Holy Spirit just laid it in my heart that I would need it to write a book. Immediately, I added being a writer to the list of God’s purpose for my life. Even after that, I didn’t call myself a writer until after writing and publishing my first book.
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: Do you have any other book plans? And, what are you putting in place to avoid those mistakes you made at first?
Guest Author: Yes, the instance I concluded writing Stand Tall; I wrote another one titled “Woman of Destiny.” The book is published, at least in my private chamber, but I am yet to reveal it to the world. I think one of the mistakes I wouldn’t want to make again is giving out my book for free, especially to those who wouldn’t value it.
Interview Team Lead: Giving out a book for FREE isn’t such a bad thing, but giving it out with no purpose is WRONG. I could give out my book free to generate leads to my email subscriber’s family; or if the Spirit leads me. Dear Author, whatever you do with your book, let the Holy Spirit be involved.
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: I never imagined myself having a blog, nor speaking with you on this interview some years back; what are those things you never imagined, but suddenly it happened; and you feel proud or grateful to God about it? And, what is your advice to people out there, we just want to see what is ahead, we do not want to go through the process. How can we learn to trust God not only by letters but even in our blindness?
Guest Author: Hmmmm… I never imagined I could publish and launch my book on May 25th, 2020, nor do I guess having a blog. If someone tells me this will be possible this year, I wouldn’t believe such a person. God made it possible, and I am happy about it. All your questions are deep and thought-provoking. My advice to people out there is to be like the spider who accomplishes the task next before executing the task ahead. A spider doesn’t build its net at a go; it is a process. We need to go through the process of refinement and building before becoming what God wants us to be.
A baby born in a day can never start walking on that day. She needs to go through the process of crawling, standing and then walking. It is a pity that so many of our youths do not want to follow through the process of accomplishing God’s purpose for their lives. We want to see the glory without having a story. It is not possible. In trusting God, even in our blindness, it is tough, but we have to trust him. Kenneth Hagin said in one of his books: faith believes that you have what you desire even when you have not gotten it. This is very difficult and seems impossible, but we need to trust and have faith in Him.
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: How has your relationship with God affected your life?
Guest Author: My relationship with God has made me bolder in telling people about God and what He can do. It has also made me overcome so many life-threatening challenges that I know without Him; I couldn’t single-handedly overcome.
INTERVIEW TEAM LEAD: How can we connect with you; and also how can readers have a copy of your book?
Connect with me on Facebook: Oluwabukolami Dauda-Omotoyinbo. I blog at www.thelightshelf.com; all other social links are on the website. To get a copy of the book, send a WhatsApp message on 08084942357. The book is also available on Amazon, Smashwords and Okadabooks.
Interview Team Lead: And that concludes it for this week’s episode of the Author’s Interview; we say a very gigantic thank you to our guest; to know more about her book; see the flyer attached below:
How to set up your Book Audience Avatar: Powerful Tips for every Christian Author
Before you begin writing THAT book, the Holy Spirit has laid into your heart. It would help if you put some things in place before publishing:
- Be specific about your ideal audience age, sex, language, and if applicable demographics: Your book might be targeted to young girls or nursing mothers. Have a sole purpose for it. To help you get started, you need to ask the following questions:
1. What is the age bracket of my audience?
2. Is my book profession specific? And how do I reach out to people in this category?
3. Will my book title attract my ideal audience or turn them off?
- Be intentional about what need in the lives of your ideal audience the book intends to fill. Are you writing a book that speaks volumes about rape, depression or discouragement? How will your book help them?
- You need the Holy Spirit to guide you in this, for HE can guide you into all things, including mapping out your ideal audience.
Interested in knowing more about Reader’s avatar, this article will help: Creating an Effective Avatar
Do not be discouraged; get into writing that book; 1000 words a day is better than nothing at all. You never can tell the nations that will be delivered through your book, but this won’t happen if you don’t act. I hope to feature you one day on our blog, so get started NOW. This article will help on Self-publishing: 5 crucial steps before publishing your Christian book
We have thrilling news by next week on this series. But, before then, we will let you, our beloved readers, know about it via our various social handles. We are EXCITED!!! And you will be too. Join our mailing list for up-to-date information
3 Responses
Great and loaded. I love this interview.
Thank you always, sis, your encouragement goes a long way
God bless you
Nice interview,God will.continue to strengthen you. Looking forward for more book @Dauda Bukola