Alexis A. Goring: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the makings of my devotional book
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the makings of my devotional book
Stories and Songs of Faith: My Journey with God was published in April 2020. However, the idea for this devotional wasn’t a thought until around the beginning of last year. I have been writing devotionals since age 16 and have had my devotionals published in books, on blogs and on websites, but I never thought of putting together a book filled with my original devotions until January 2019.
It’s amazing how God works! I was trying to work on another fiction book which I planned to publish before the end of that year. But God had other plans, which were (and always are) perfect!
First, I gathered all of the devotions I’d written over the years for other blogs, as I still had the rights to each one. This meant I had about 25 percent of the content for my book! Now it was time to write new material, but it wasn’t easy. It took giving myself strict deadlines to maintain steady progress.
By summer, I had a total of 44 devotions and thought I was done. However, God knew I was not and He let me know that through two professionals in the publishing industry. The first was a popular book editor who told me, “You know, Alexis, if you wrote 52 devotions then it could be a weekly devotional for a year.” I gave her a nod but wasn’t convinced that was the best idea. Not soon after, a literary agent gave me the final push by simply saying, “You need to keep going.” And so I, reluctantly then but gratefully now, did keep writing. I continued writing for Whispers in Purple (blog) each week. Finally, by the end of February 2020, I wrote devotional number 52. I was so relieved to be done writing my book!
Not only does God have perfect timing; He positions you perfectly for success! My publisher had assigned me a new editor with decades of professional experience in editing devotionals. She had a wonderful idea that really shaped my book by giving it the perfect title and bonus idea. The devotional is about my real-life stories and faith-based songs that guided me on my journey with God. She suggested adding links to the songs mentioned in each devotion. These links were made available in a song directory at the end of both the print and e-book versions of the book. Even better, the link is live if you are using a Kindle, meaning that the reader can just click and hear the song via YouTube without having to look it up first online. My editor said that there’s really not another book on the market yet with this kind of idea and format, and that it may help a lot of people, especially music lovers. As a music lover myself, I loved this idea!
But God wasn’t done directing my steps: He allowed 20 professionals from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences to agree to read an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of my book and write an endorsement. These included actresses, journalists, pastors, doctors, teachers, authors, bloggers, singers and a Christian radio show host … a wonderful variety of people who were all behind my book!
The final part of this amazing experience that brings joy to my heart is the fact that this is the first book I wrote where all of the first few reviews were each 5-stars on Amazon! Several of the people who have endorsed and/or reviewed my book have said that it was timely and needed for such a time as this (the Coronavirus pandemic, intense politics, increased racial tensions, and everything else that’s been hitting us hard this year on and off the news). Only God can do that so I give all the glory to Him!
In closing, I’d like to share words from my friend Morgan’s endorsement.
She said: “God has profoundly touched my life through Alexis A. Goring’s uplifting and personable weekly devotional book sharing God’s love through her own experiences and insights. It is so well-written and in a voice that feels as if a close friend is having coffee with you and talking of God.”
At the end of the day, I hope and pray that God uses my devotional to touch your heart and bring you closer to Him.
Alexis A. Goring is a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ.
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Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAlexisAGoring/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PennedbyAlex
Website: https://alexisagoring.jimdo.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/capturingidea/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7260528.Alexis_A_Goring
