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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Rodney Winters, author of Go Into The House

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Rodney Winters, author of Go Into The House
(Foghorn Publishers)

Go Into The House relates Rodney Winters’ story of disappointment from a failed marriage and the divorce process to the older brother in the biblical story of the prodigal son. The book encourages the reader with the fact that there is indeed hope after life’s disappointments in the presence of our heavenly Father. Rodney writes about issues that few men talk about openly.

Go Into The House is a gripping story about the painful truths of relationships told from a man’s perspective. Whether it’s a failed marriage or some other difficulty, we all face some tough decisions at some point after life’s disappointments. We must choose to either Go Into The House and enjoy the benefits inside, or stay outside and wallow in self-pity.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Go Into the House?

Rodney Winters: The book started out as my personal journal that helped me get through a difficult period in my life. I was dealing with a failed marriage and difficult divorce process. Writing was therapeutic for me. After coming through the pain, I realized that there are other people who can benefit from my story.

I was inspired by the older brother in the biblical parable of the prodigal son. I saw myself in many ways like him. He faced disappointment even though he felt he had done the right things. I ultimately made the choice to “go into the house”, which represents the place where God is.

JP: Writing Go Into the House had to be a challenging and difficult experience for you. Why did you feel so compelled to share the contents of Go Into the House in a public setting?

RW: Yes, it was very challenging, but I have a burden for relationships and compassion for hurting people. I understand that God often allows us to go through things in order to help someone else. There is a purpose that goes beyond me.

Men don’t always talk about certain hurts that occur in relationships, but I know I am not alone in my experiences. I believe there are women and men who really need to hear this message of encouragement to help them experience healing and forgiveness.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Go Into the House getting out to the public?

RW: It was all the work of God. He allowed me to meet a published author who recommended my publisher to me. It was the first and only company I sent my manuscript to. They were very impressed and wanted to publish my book.

I believe God honored my motive for wanting to help others by being real and transparent about some tough issues that occurred in my life. It was important that I did not become bitter. I allowed my negative circumstances to bring God glory.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Go Into the House?

RW: I am also a preacher, so I regularly write sermons. I seek to pull out deeper meanings from Bible stories that are relevant to everyday life. My writing is based on the scriptures and my personal experiences.

I wrote Go Into The House over the course of four years. It was not a full-time project. It was first written as a journal during the process. Then I began filling in the gaps and incorporating the biblical references.

JP: What’s next for Rodney Winters?

RW: I am juggling ideas for my next book. I’m not fully clear on which direction to pursue for a topic. I am also completing a workbook for Go Into The House, that is designed to stimulate discussion for study groups, counseling, and book clubs.

I will begin to travel and speak about Go Into The House and my experiences at conferences, seminars, churches and in group settings. I am actively marketing my book with the goal of helping to bring healing to many people as God uses my experience to encourage others.

http://www.rodneywinters.com/
http://www.facebook.com/rodney.winters
http://www.filedby.com/author/rodney_winters/3580542/

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Shelia Lipsey, author of Beautiful Ugly

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Shelia Lipsey, author of Beautiful Ugly
(Urban Books)

Envy Wilson, Layla Hobbs and Kacie Mayweather are three 30-year-old friends who rely heavily on one another for support in troubled times.

Layla fights the battle of obesity, coupled with low self esteem, but her melodious voice can soothe the savage beast. Who can fulfill her desire for love?

Envy is pretty and has a successful career, but she has her own dark and sordid secret that she refuses to share with anyone.

Kacie, born with cerebral palsy, has always felt the need to prove that she can get a man just like any “normal” woman. She has six children and five baby daddies but has never had a husband.

Through their trials, the three of them cling to each other. The circumstances they face will hopefully teach them how to cling to God.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Beautiful Ugly?

Shelia Lipsey: Beautiful Ugly is actually my sixth book and fourth novel. I garner my inspiration to write from life itself. God places within my spirit life stories that ordinary people experience. Beautiful Ugly is one of those stories.

The idea of Beautiful Ugly comes from years of battling issues of low self-esteem and self-consciousness. It also derives from how the world distinguishes what is beautiful and what is ugly.

JP: What sets Beautiful Ugly apart from other novels in Christian fiction?

SL: What sets my book apart from other novels in the Christian fiction genre is that everything God does is unique. I am a unique individual. No one can do anything quite like me if God has directed me to do something.

There are similar stories/novels being written everyday. Most of them are probably great. The novels I write cannot be written by anyone else. I write perfect stories about imperfect people. The words I share, the stories I tell, the manner in which I tell them are divinely inspired and therefore that makes my stories one of a kind.

It does not mean that it is the only story that addresses a particular subject. But it does mean that whatever God assigns His children to do, and they are obedient to what He says to do, then they are assured that it will not return void.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Beautiful Ugly getting out to the public?

SL: I am truly blessed. God opens so many doors for me. I have encountered people online, in person, at conferences, out and about and simply everywhere, who want to help me, who have read my novels, or who have seen my work online.

Today’s technology is another blessing because it enables me to reach literally thousands and thousands of people from my home. I also try to keep a pleasant, humble attitude. I try to treat people in the manner in which I want to be treated.

I also believe that by giving to others, sharing with others and helping others, that good will come back to me, and it has and does. I am so richly blessed to be at such a great point in my literary career. My books and my name as an author are traveling around the literary circuit, and there is a fan base that is constantly growing all because of God’s Favor over my life.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Beautiful Ugly?

SL: My writing process is somewhat atypical, at least that’s what I believe. I write according to titles, and the stories are weaved around the title of my novel.

I pray before I write and ask God to give me the story that He wants me to share. My story develops, my characters come alive and I’m off and running at that point. It takes about three months for me to complete a novel.

JP: What’s next for Shelia Lipsey?

SL: My fifth novel will be released nationwide September 1, 2010. It is the sequel to the novel My Son’s Wife. The name of the novel is My Son’s Ex Wife. I also have two more manuscripts that I am presently working on.

I have a story in the anthology Bended Knees published by Hollygrove Publishing titled “Against the Grain.” I completed another short story for an anthology that will be released in the near future by His Pen Publishing.

http://www.shelialipsey.com/
http://www.myspace.com/shelialipsey
http://www.facebook.com/shelialipsey
(Fan Page: www.facebook.com/shelia e. lipsey readers
http://www.shelialipsey.blogspot.com/

Beautiful Ugly is a Black Pearls 2009 Top Shelf Award bestowed by Black Pearls Magazine (http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/) and the Sankofa Literary Society. My Son’s Wife won 2009 Shades of Romance (http://www.sormag.com/) Readers Choice Awards for Best Christian fiction, best cover, best Christian fiction author, best Christian Romance, Best Fiction.

My Son’s Wife also was one of Urban Reviews best reviewed books in 2009. Shelia E. Lipsey was named 2008 Author of the Year by Conversations Book Club. She was chosen to be the honoree at the first African American Literary Festival sponsored by Sistah Friends Book Club in October 2010 (http://www.sistahfriends.com/)

Shelia E. Lipsey is the founder of the non profit organization Living Your Dreams Now (http://www.livingyourdreamsnow.net/). She is president of the online book club for Urban Books’ Urban Christian authors (http://www.uchisglorybookclub.net/).

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Book Review: Go Into The House by Rodney A. Winters

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JoeyPinkney.com Book Review
Go In The House
by Rodney A. Winters
(Foghorn Publishers)
5 out of 5 Stars

Go Into The House is Rodney A. Winters’ first, and hopefully not last, gift to the literary world. The author journeyed through a daunting marriage only to emerge a divorced man with a powerful testimony. This book is not a book about deliverance. The author’s testimony is not hinged on God bringing him out of a horrible experience that he caused. Instead, the book shows the keeping power of God.

The duality of the title, the symbolism of the book’s cover and the message within impressed me with the overall cohesiveness. Winters breaks down the various meanings the phrase “go in the house”. One of most relevant meanings to his testimony is the author having the fortitude to live in the house regardless of the chaos his ex-wife caused for him and his children. The book cover directly ties into this. Taken from the ground level, you see  a man standing stiff in a rigid stance while his children are playing in the background.

The other, more spiritual meaning to “go into the house” centers around the parable of The Prodigal Son. Winters broadens the character of the older son. Most people portray the older son that stayed with the father as being selfish for questioning the lavish party enjoyed by the wayward son. Winters perfectly gives enough information and perspective to broaden the older son’s experience and possible next move in the name of the Lord.

Many times, we ask questions like, “Why me, God? What did I do so wrong to deserve this?” This book is a valuable asset to both men and women who can’t quite put their finger on how to exit a spiritually exhausting relationship and stay strong in spite of it all. Winters’ faith in the Lord’s Will and His Plan simply defied logic. The average man, and even above-average man, would have lashed out when faced with this blatant infidelity.

For those who love to read drama with seemingly impossible plot twists, Winters experience with his ex-wife is literally unbelievable. There are many moments he shares that will make you physically shake your head in amazement. Winters’ intention is not to villianize his ex-wife by detailing her indiscretions. Instead, the author’s openness gives him the room necessary to teach the reader a more fulfilling way to navigate the pain of being betrayed, misunderstood, disrespected and devastated by a person you love and thought loved you.

As an author, Winters is the master of the “give and take”. He gives you pieces of his life that are truly stressful to read, much less live through. Then he puts his literary arm around your neck, pulls you in close and takes you to a Christian way of letting go and letting God. Winter’s voice is crystal clear as he explains his situation and applies his understanding of biblical principles.

The lessons and perspectives present in this book can not be found in the churches’ Married Couples classes. There is a good reason for this. As pointed out in the book’s introduction, people who have gone through divorce are not usually deemed qualified to teach because of their failed marriages. Go Into The House is a valuable extension not only of Winters’ experience but also his teaching ability. What becomes easy to see is his ability to be open with the complexity of the adultery he went through and the simplicity of God’s solutions.

The back cover states that is “not just another book on marriage”. This is true. The perspectives Winters share in this book are broad but not vague. Winters states that his intention is to provide men with a means of better understanding their pain. As he shares his knowledge of the bible, his reflection on his life experiences and the lessons he learned, a reader can apply Go Into The House to any relationship. Whether it’s parent/child, husband/wife or employer/employee; Winters’ ability to teach and preach comes through brilliantly in written form. Go Into The House is not a self-help book; it is a conversation.

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