By Josette Downey
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side....
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side....
Psalms 124:2
I have to admit, I can usually come up with something quickly to write, but when I started putting this blog post together, my mind went blank. So I did what any practical christian writer would do, I picked up my Bible and let the spirit fill it in.
This verse caught my eye and I couldn’t help but think about how it relates to my writing journey.
About two months ago, I put the first novel "A time to Say Goodbye" on amazon to be published. Since then my novel has been ranked in the top 100 of Christian fiction and number 13 for Victorian fiction.
It has been a fun emotional roller coaster ride especially since some days I would sell 30 books and then the next day I would sale 15.
What has amazed me the most, is people actually like my book. Once I hit published, I thought readers would hate my characters, find every grammar mistake and just shake their heads wondering why I ever thought I could write. But that has not been my case. Instead I have heard comments about how readers loved the emotional tough issues my characters face, got caught by the first hundred pages and just loved the story.
I have received many 4 and 5 star reviews from people I have never met.
But let me stop for second and give credit where it is due. See I did not make my novel successful the Lord did and all praise belongs to him. He was on my side.
I’m still wondering what his plans are for it and where he will take it. There is one path I would like to see it take. Many nights I pray that when I get to heaven, I will get to meet one person who got saved because they read one of my works.
Bio
J.M. Downey lives in the South with her husband and daughter. She has been writing since grade school and she earned a master's degree in English 2005. In her writing J.M. Downey focuses on women overcoming great adversity.
New Release. Bonds of Tradition.
What girl wouldn't want to marry a prince? Kat thought her life was over after her father dragged her to the backward Eastern European country of his birth. What would become of her dreams for her own business and a life of her own? But she has caught the country’s prince’s eye and Mikel is determined to marry her and and keep her by his side. Despite her growing attraction, Katerina does not want to let herself be caught.
Can love flower in a covered garden, can a dream bloom when faced with a harsh reality? Find out what happens when falling in love begins as an order and ends in passion.
Can be bought on amazon and coming to other ebook stores soon.
Connect with J.M. Downey
The Lord took this way-over-detail-oriented engineer and turned me into a Bible study author! He and I argued for several months, as I tried to convince Him that engineers don't write soft fuzzy things like Bible studies! He finally whopped me up side the head and said, "DO IT!" What could I say but "Yes, sir!" Without the Lord it would've been impossible. My first study, Storms of Life, came out in Dec 2010 and, after a slow start, is beginning to pick up. (Marketing doesn't come easy to an engineer either!)
ReplyDeleteLike you, I prayed that one person would be in heaven because of my book. One of my dearest friends said, "Why are you putting God in a box? Ask Him for a million!" Now I do exactly that - not because of my writing but because I don't want to limit His power.
Hey readers this is J.M. Downey. Just wanted to let you know Bonds of Tradition can now be bought at the Kobo store and Barnes and Nobles
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed both of your testimonies! The Lord is good. "Cast not away your confidence," the author of Hebrews wrote in Hebrews 10:35, The Lord has tapped me on the head several times with verses from Hebrews 10 about patience, faith, and diligence.
ReplyDeleteSherry that a good point. I think I'll start praying for a million conversions or as many as he sees fit.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post...If it hadn't been for the Lord is such a deep statement. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.....
ReplyDeleteIt's also deep to connect both statements, for if it hadn't been for the Lord we would not be blessed!
ReplyDelete