JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Antoinette Marie Davis, author of Lessons on Church Folk Volume 1 & Volume 2
(Mill City Press)

Lessons on Church Folk Volume 1 & Volume 2 are books that are packed with quotes and stories that tell of the various attitudes and behaviors of many fictional church members. Even though these stories are fictional, each scenario can occur at any church. No church is exempt from any of these situations.

These books will make you laugh, cry, smile and frown. They will make you more aware of your surroundings as you attend church. Both books are interesting reads because they will give you a chance to follow these characters as they go from experiencing hard times to experiencing triumph in Christ.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Lessons on Church Folk Volume 1 & Volume 2?

Antoinette Marie Davis: I was inspired to write these books when I experienced bereavement and hopelessness after my grandfather passed away in 2007. After that, I wanted to do some writing that could be published so that other people could understand what I experienced and how I got beyond his passing.

In the summer of 2010, I began writing stories about church folks. It seemed like I was writing a whole chapter each day. The more I wrote, the better I felt about publishing my book. I knew an author/friend who had published, so I asked him questions about the publishing process.

As I asked questions, I wondered if people would read my writing. Would they like it? Would they tell other people to buy it? As time went on, the author/friend encouraged me to write so I could have a manuscript that I would be proud of.

In the Fall of 2010, I began writing small quotes on FaceBook about church folks. I was laughing as I wrote most of the quotes. I seek to find the comedy in life, so why can’t I find comedy in church? As time went on, I wrote stories to go along with each quote.

By April of 2011, I had written 400 quotes and 400 stories. The brain is the most brilliant tool that we have. If you feed your brain daily, it will work at rapid rates when it comes to writing. After that, I sent my work to my publisher, and my work was accepted.

JP: What sets Lessons on Church Folk Volume 1 & Volume 2 apart from other books in the same genre?

AMD: My books are different from other books in my genre because I do not use any form of profanity in my books. You can understand where the story with me having to spell out every single detail. Also, my books are different because each book has 200 stories in it. Each story describes a different situation in a fictional character’s life.

In my books, I wrote about suicide, depression, marriage problems, divorce, hopelessness, love, dating, trust, etc. I write about these issues because these issues are going on in our churches. Sometimes, people do not know how to handle them when they come along. This book will help them to see that God can bring them through any and every situation that they will encounter.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Lessons on Church Folk Volume 1 & Volume 2 getting out to the public?

AMD: My keys to success are:

1. Write everyday. Even if it is a sentence, the sentence could be the precursor to something great.
2. Be open minded as you write. Do not place your writing in a box. Many people are gonna read what you write. Make sure that you have a well-rounded point-of-view on the topic that you are discussing.
3. Only allow a few people read your work. When I say your work, I mean one page or so. Never allow anyone to read your work if you do not have a copyright on it.
4. Do your research so that you can pick a publisher that will turn your manuscript into a book that you will be proud of. You need to have creative control over your product.
5. Writing a book is not the hard part. Marketing the book to the public will be the hardest job that you will ever have. You need to do newspaper ads, radio interviews, be a part of FaceBook groups, and other social networking sites. And if you do not have connections to a broad audience, you need to market your book through JoeyPinkney.com. He has the connections….why not make those connections work for you?

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Lessons on Church Folk Volume 1 & Volume 2?

AMD: I enjoy writing so I tend to write each day. When I write, I have to be focused so that I can write a story that is full of suspense yet it keeps the reader’s attention for a while. I do all of my writing to music because it keeps my brain moving so that I can start and finish each story that I write. It took me seven months to write both books. I wrote at least three to four stories each day so that I could complete the book on time.

JP: What’s next for Antoinette Marie Davis?

AMD: I would like to begin working on Lessons on Church Folk Volume 3 and Volume 4. Volume 3 will be completed by the summer of 2012. Volume 4 will be completed by the summer of 2013.

http://www.lessonsonchurchfolkvol1.com
http://www.lessonsonchurchfolkvol2.com

Facebook search: Antoinette MsFashion Davis

http://twitter.com/MsFashionDavis

http://lessonsonchurchfolk.blogspot.com

woodsdavis1@yahoo.com

While writing these books, I was a second-year doctoral student at the University of Kentucky. I am an EdD student in the Instruction/Administration-Mathematics Education program. Right now, I am in my third year and I am looking forward to working on my dissertation next semester.

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