Karen Baney ? Come To Me by Laura J. Davis

Genre: ?Historical Fiction, Biblical Fiction

Format:?ebook, paperback

Buy:?Come to Me

Step back in time and experience the life of Christ through the eyes of His mother. Come to Me offers the reader an intimate glimpse into the lives of Jesus and his family in a way that brings them to life. The theme of trusting in God and surrendering to Him are evident throughout this remarkable story. From the cradle to the cross, Come to Me speaks to the hearts of those who are seeking and deepens the faith of long-time believers. It is a moving tale of the life of Christ from the mother who raised him to become the Saviour of the world.

1. Where are you from?

I?m originally from Chatham, Ontario, a very small farming community in Canada, but I?ve lived in Ottawa and in Toronto as well. Currently, I?m living in London, Ontario.

2. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I used to have a singing ministry that lasted for about 30 years. I travelled throughout Ontario and into Michigan singing in various churches and sometimes at fairgrounds. I produced one album during that time and appeared on 100 Huntley St. on more than one occasion during my ministry. I?m married and have two adult children.

3. When and why did you begin writing?

I have always been writing at some point in my life. I took creative writing classes in high school and would write short stories from time to time. However, I was mainly a songwriter because I used to accompany myself on the guitar when I sang anywhere. In later years I took some writing courses, but never considered writing as a career choice because I was so involved in music ministry. However, God definitely had other plans in that department.

4. What inspired you to write your first book?

About twelve years ago a tumour was discovered in my abdomen and it needed to be removed. During the operation the surgeon ruptured my bladder without realizing it, sewed me back up and sent me to recovery. Only I didn?t recover quite like they had hoped. When a nurse discovered what was going on, I had emergency surgery to repair the damage. During that time I was intubated and my vocal chords were damaged. I was told that it would be temporary. It wasn?t.

Naturally, I prayed, begged and finally argued with God to give me my voice back. I felt like I had lost an arm or leg. Singing was my identity. I didn?t know what to do with myself and felt I now had nothing to offer back to God. I struggled with my sense of purpose for a long time. This went on for months.

However, during that time I felt the urge to write about Christ through Mary?s eyes. I put off doing it for quite some time, because I believed that if I actually started to write, I would be admitting that my voice was never coming back. But the desire to write became too strong for me.

Finally, one day I placed my hands on a keyboard and said, ?Okay, Lord. Not my will, but yours be done. Use my hands as you used my voice. I surrender all to Thee.? The floodgates opened then. Within three months I had the first draft of Come to Me. It would be many years of edits and research before I finally accepted that God was beginning a new ministry for me in writing and that I might never sing again.

5. Do you see writing as your career now?

I do now, yes. Once I started writing, I couldn?t seem to stop! I actually stand in amazement at where God has taken me.

6. How many books have you written?

I have two books published, Come to Me and the companion bible study guide to it ? Learning from the Master: Living a Surrendered Life, but I?ve written about six and I?m working on two of those at the moment. I also have a short story printed in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Married Life called There?s Always Pie and I review books regularly for my own review site Interviews and Reviews and for a few different newspapers as well.

7. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Throughout Come to Me the whole theme of surrendering to God was written in subconsciously on my part. I didn?t even realize it until I was interviewed by Moira Brown of 100 Huntley St. She said she loved the theme of surrender that was evident throughout the book. I was quite stunned, because surrendering fully to God had been a major stumbling block for me to even write the book in the first place! As I re-read my own book, I realized anew that surrendering to God was the main theme. Mary had to surrender and say yes to be pregnant and unwed. Joseph had to surrender and believe God and Mary that she was still a virgin. The disciples had to surrender their own beliefs about the Messiah and accept who Jesus was and finally Jesus had to surrender his very life on the cross. If we don?t surrender everything to God, we will never truly know what it is like to abide in Him.

8. What are your current projects?

The companion bible study guide for Come to Me was just released in March of this year called Learning from the Master: Living a Surrendered Life. Now readers can read the book and go deeper into scripture and at the same time learn to live a Surrendered Life.? As for writing projects I have two books that I am working on right now. A sequel to Come to Me, which follows the disciples after the resurrection and a romance set in WWII.

9.? Do you have any advice to give aspiring writers?

Yes, practice makes perfect. In other words, don?t let a day go by without writing something. Take some courses. Join a critique group and don?t be afraid of criticism. It?s the only way you will learn to make yourself a better writer.

?10. Do you have anything you?d like to say to your readers?

Yes, I?m very grateful for them. I love hearing from them too. When I was singing I was surrounded by people, but writing is such a solitary life. I am a people person so this has taken some getting used to! I love to connect with readers on Facebook and Twitter and I really enjoy when someone writes me about something I?ve written that has touched them.

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A singer and a songwriter for over 25 years, Laura J. Davis turned her hand to writing full-time, after an emergency surgery caused the loss of her singing voice. Her debut novel, Come to Me, received a Reader?s Favorite Award for Historical Fiction. Her newest release, Learning from the Master: Living a Surrendered life is a companion bible study to Come to Me and has been endorsed by Rick Larsen, creator of the Star of Bethlehem DVD.

When she is not writing, Laura is blogging. She has two blogs, each with a specific purpose. Learning from the Master digs deep into Biblical Truths and applies them to our lives today. Interviews & Reviews is a Christian book review blog, connecting readers to authors and she also guest blogs at Canadian Writers Who Are Christian. ?Currently Laura lives in London, Ontario with her husband, son and two cats. You can contact her to speak at your next event through her website at http://www.laurajdavis.com.

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Connect with Laura on Facebook and Twitter, too.

Source: http://www.karenbaney.com/laura-davis/

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