Write Now Literary is pleased to be organizing a two-week book tour and $25.00 Amazon Gift Card for The Birthday Gift: Book 1 by Betty Collier. The book tour will run August 15-26, 2022.
ISBN: 978-1638718451
Genre: inspirational Christian fiction
Betty Collier describes herself as a nurse by profession, author by passion, and storyteller by the grace of God. She is a 5x bestselling, 4x award-winning inspirational Christian author. She writes with a purpose, and that is to bring honor and glory to God.
Her first book series, "Living Inside the Testimony" is a collection of inspirational nonfiction stories. Betty showcases her gift of storytelling by engulfing her readers from the very beginning and captivating their attention throughout the emotional journeys.
In her second book series, "The Birthday Gift", Betty displays her creative storytelling in a surprisingly extraordinary way with her fictional work. She continues to inspire while lifting the words right off the pages to bring her characters to life. Readers will find themselves hoping for the best and dreaming about the characters as if they were members of their own family.
Betty also co-authored 2 anthologies with visionary author, Paulette Harper. Both are Amazon #1 bestsellers, "For Such a Time as This" and "The Breaking Point." They feature incredible and inspirational stories from 20 different men and women from all across America.
Betty’s fictional work in The Birthday Gift Book Series is included in the John 3:16 Global Placement Mission as commissioned by founder, Terry Gurley. She uses her talent to introduce readers to the greatest gift ever given to mankind. While taking them on intriguing tales of heartbreak and hope, Betty intricately weaves together stories leaving readers in suspense until the very end. What they have in common is they all beautifully deliver the gospel message found in John 3:16.
On a personal note, Betty has been married since 1986 to William Collier, the absolute love of her life, after first meeting him in middle school. They are the proud parents of two sons and a daughter-in-love, all of whom reside in Shelby County, TN.
An unexpected knock on the door derails a birthday celebration as Mrs. Williams recalls the mysterious events that prevented her beloved husband from flying back home with their daughter's priceless, life-changing gift he discovered at a flea market in the Middle East. In the opening scene, she learns in a most dramatic fashion that the absolute love of her life was murdered while in route to Los Angeles. Her faith and fortitude are unimaginably tested, but Mrs. Williams ultimately realizes that she possesses the greatest gift inside of her.
This Book Excellence Award-Winning Book is an exceptionally thought-provoking and intriguing tale that takes the reader on an emotional journey of profound heartbreak to surprising hope for the future. Although a catastrophic loss occurs, one comes away with a great sense of hopefulness in this increasingly violent world. The author intricately weaves this story together leaving readers in suspense until the very end. Be uplifted and inspired as you discover your own faith while experiencing the gift of a lifetime so cleverly embedded within the pages of this book.
Tell us about The Birthday Gift: Book 1 – This Book Excellence Award-Winning Book is an exceptionally thought-provoking and intriguing tale that takes the reader on an emotional journey of profound heartbreak to surprising hope for the future. Although a catastrophic loss occurs, one comes away with a great sense of hopefulness in this increasingly violent world.
Is there one particular message or “moral of the story” you hope readers walk away with? After reading The Birthday Gift: Book 1, I hope readers will gain a newfound sense of hope. The book teaches readers some of life’s most important lessons including how to forgive, how to deal with heartbreak and trauma, and how to find inner strength during life’s most troubling times.
How did The Birthday Gift: Book 1 get started? Terry Gurley, a visionary artist and sculptor is the Principle Director/Creator of The Gospel Symbol. One of his pieces is The Message of the Bible sculpture. It explains the gospel of John 3:16 using a picture story. Terry approached me the first day we met after learning that I was an author and asked me to write a fictional story about the sculpture he created. He provided no guidelines for what I should write and simply asked that the gospel symbol be part of the story.
How do you see yourself in your character’s story, if at all? I intentionally named the main character Mrs. Williams because my husband’s first name is William. In order for me to feel the unfathomable loss that Mrs. Williams endured, I engulfed myself into her emotions and wrote how I thought I would feel had I been in her shoes. It was an excruciating process that broke my heart as I was writing her story. I dreamed about the characters in the book as if they were my own family which made those raw emotions truly come to life.
Where do you like to write? In my dreams, I write on location in some far away, exotic location. Out of curiosity, I’ve sometimes wondered what it would be like to write in solitude like Henry David Thoreau at Walden Pond. In reality, I write in my home office while sitting at a desk and typing on my laptop. I always start with a blank Word document and no outline. Because ideas often interrupt my sleep in the middle of the night, I make voice memos in my cell phone and then listen to them the next day when I’m sitting at the computer.
How do you choose between ideas you’d like to write about? My mind is constantly bombarded with story ideas, but before I make a decision to write anything, I seek the Lord for guidance first. I will not consider writing anything that does not bring honor and glory to God as that is the main reason why I write. It is only after careful consideration of the message I hope to deliver in a book that I will even begin to entertain the idea of actually penning a story.
What’s on the horizon for you? What will you be writing next? Completing the series of 5 books birthed from The Birthday Gift is my top priority. Dear John is the 2nd book in the series, which will be released later in 2022. The 3rdbook, I Can Only Imagine: Bella’s Journey will make its debut in 2023. Following that will be book # 4, Mary, Did You Know? coming in 2024, and finally the climactic end to the series, book #5, WILL Is a Gift from God, which readers will have to wait for until 2025. After reading The Birthday Gift, it becomes apparent why there has to be multiple sequels. I will also launch my new business, John316 Global Publishing in 2023. As the publisher, my vision is to publish encouraging and inspirational works sharing the gospel presentation found in John 3:16 around the globe. It will be a place to discover nonfiction, fiction, poetry, blogs, and children’s books that all point readers to HIS message.
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