JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Vanessa Miller, editor of Yesterday’s Promise
(Whitaker House)
Yesterday’s Promise is a Christian romance about Melinda Johnson and Steven Marks. Melinda feels called to the ministry, but Steven doesn’t believe that women should preach. This disagreement between the two causes Steven to break off their engagement.
But now, after ten years, Steven is back in Melinda’s life as the new bishop over her fellowship, and he wants a second chance with Melinda. However, Melinda can never marry a man who doesn’t respect the call of God on her life. To love one another, the two must knock down the walls that separate them.
But can the bishop finally do that for his lady, or will Melinda be forced to leave Omega Christian Church?
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Yesterday’s Promise?
Vanessa Miller: I was doing a book signing at the Indiana Black Expo. The lady next to my table was signing copies of her book that talked about the struggle for women to preach. Since the bishop of my church is a woman and we have women preach at my church all the time, I had never thought anything about any struggle that women faced when it came to preaching.
But then a man walked into the room where we were signing our books. He took one look at Pastor Notoshia Howard’s book and started screaming at her. He told her that she had no business trying to preach to men and that women were not allowed to preach. That’s when the idea of Yesterday’s Promise was dropped in my spirit. I wanted to write a book that details the struggles women who have been called by God have to deal with in order to preach the gospel.
JP: What sets Yesterday’s Promise apart from other novels in its genre?
VM: The big difference in this novel is that it has a woman preacher as the main character. To my knowledge this is one of the first Christian romance novels that highlights the ministry and women in it. I hope the readers enjoy the book, but I also want them to get a feel for the struggles the women who have been called to preach deal with.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Yesterday’s Promise getting out to the public?
VM: The first key to the success of any book is that it is written well, and I hope that the readers that like Yesterday’s Promise feel that it is written well. The next thing an author must do is promote, promote, promote. I spend a lot of time working on ways to promote my books to book clubs, church groups and to the many readers who enjoy Christian fiction.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Yesterday’s Promise?
VM: I try to write everyday. I write at least five hours a day. Before I begin writing a book, I spend time outlining it and developing a character sketch. I like to know who my characters are and what makes them tick.
I know authors who edit what they wrote the day before, and then begin writing new pages. But I don’t work that way. I usually write the entire book, then I print the manuscript off and spend time reading and then editing it. I find that when I have spent time away from the story, I can review and edit it with fresher eyes. I turn the manuscript into my editor and then I go through it one more time once I receive my editor’s comments. That’s pretty much it.
JP: What’s next for Vanessa Miller?
VM: I have four books releasing in 2010: Yesterday’s Promise April 2010, Forgiven June 2010, A Love for Tomorrow September 2010, Long Time Coming November 2010.
http://www.vanessamiller.com/
http://www.myspace.com/vmiller1
http://www.facebook.com/vanessamiller01
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