Laura is participating in the John 3:16 Book Launch this month:
Don't forget to check out the rafflecopter at the bottom of this page for a chance to win $50 plus your choice of many books! Now on to the interview:
Now, from Laura: For those who aren't familiar with your work, can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a former singer/songwriter who had a singing ministry for a little over 30 years. About 14 years ago a tumour was discovered in my abdomen and when the doctors took it out they accidentally ruptured my bladder without knowing it, sewed me up and sent me back to recovery. When I didn’t recover as expected, I was sent back in for emergency surgery. Somewhere in that time frame my vocal chords were damaged due to being intubated. Although I was assured that my voice would come back it never did and to make a long story short the Lord began a “new work in me” that ended with my first novel – Come to Me.So you had a singing career and then a writing career – just like that?
Not really. Over a period of several months while I was recovering from my surgery, I struggled desperately to get my voice back. I went through a time of depression because I couldn’t understand why the Lord would allow my voice to be taken away after so many years of service. But during that time a story was beginning to form in my mind about the life of Christ through the eyes of his mother. I had the distinct impression from God that I was supposed to write about it, but I was so angry at losing my voice I ignored it because I wanted my voice back. Besides, I couldn’t see the end of the story, only the beginning. But, over time the desire to write became so strong that I could not ignore it. Until one day I went to my computer, placed my hands on the keyboard and said, “Okay, Lord. I surrender. Use my hands as you used my voice.” The next thing I knew the floodgates were opened and I didn’t stop typing until the story was complete.
But the Lord still had some more changes for you to come, didn’t He?
That’s for sure. About a year after my surgery, a fall down a flight of stairs left me partially disabled. In time, other problems set in, including arthritis. Then I was diagnosed with a disease called lipo-lymphedema, which affects my lymphatic system, which causes my legs to swell and requires me to keep them elevated all the time. I have to spend two hours every day in something called a lympha-press that massages my legs to get the lymphatic fluid moving. It has pretty much zapped my ability to move about on my own. However, the good part of this is that it forces me to stay at my computer writing every day!
So how long have you been writing?
Not including my song writing days, it would be about 14 years.
How many books have you written?
Three - Come to Me, a Bible study to go with Come to Me, called Learning from the Master, Living a Surrendered Life and He Who Has an Ear, Who the Seven Churches of Revelation are Today.
Tell us about your latest book.
He Who Has an Ear started as an inductive Bible Study for me. I was wondering about the churches the Apostle John sent letters to (in the book of Revelation) and asked myself if they still existed today. Out of the seven churches only two received commendation from the Lord. The rest were letters of warning. So I was very shocked when I realized these warnings are very relevant to the church today. It broke my heart at times to realize how similar the modern 21st century church is to those churches that existed over 2000 years ago. So the warnings Jesus gave them also apply to us as well.
Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?
Yes. It is very important that Christians study their Bibles inductively, precept by precept. We have to get back to the Word and study it earnestly. The Bible says Jesus is the Word and Jesus said to abide in Him, if we are only having a short devotion each day, or not opening our Bibles until Sunday morning, we really aren’t allowing Him to abide in us as He should. Studying the Word of God keeps the Believer discerning. If we are a church that studies the Bible, we will not compromise our beliefs, nor will we be led astray by false doctrines. Unfortunately, the church has let in false doctrines because its people do not know the Word of God. This is exactly what happened to the churches in Revelation. Get back into the Word. It is so important.
Amen! Which do you enjoy more – reading or writing?
Since singing is my first love I will say reading. While I love to write, sometimes the research can get overwhelming and my brain turns to mush. I would much rather escape through a good historical fiction.
What are your current projects?
I am currently running a Bible Study on Revelation at www.believersbiblestudy.com. For a short time all the notes for this study are free and available to download. When it is finished I will put it all together in a workbook. I am also working on another historical novel tentatively called Finding Claire.
AUTHOR BIO:Laura J. Davis is a former singer/songwriter turned full-time writer. She has had stories featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul Married Life and Chicken Soup for the Soul the Dating Game. Her first book, Come to Me, is a Reader's Favorite award winner. In 2013, her Bible study, Learning from the Master, Living a Surrendered Life, was featured in BookFun Magazine as the non-fiction book of the month first place winner. Her latest book, He Who Has an Ear, is a look at who the seven churches of Revelation are today. Laura is currently featured in the Author's Network latest book, 50 Great Authors You Should be Reading. She can be contacted through her website at www.laurajdavis.com .
Twitter: @LauraJeanDavis
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LauraDavis
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/laurajeandavis
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/laurajeandavis
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Blessings!
