‘Rise up!’ looks like a great book Christian
motivational book. Any plans to release
similar books or turn it into a series?
I am in the process of finishing
my second book, but it will be geared more towards my life coaching business. I
do not plan to making “Rise Up “ a series.
How did you come up with the concepts and ideas in ‘Rise
up!: Be a Saint not an Ain’t’?
I came up with the concept for “Rise
Up” when I realized that so many people (including myself at one time) who
call themselves Christians are just mean and show no love (the “Aint’s). They
make it hard for people who may want to come into the faith or are new to the
faith to stay in the faith. When I came to understand that we are supposed to
mirror the example that Christ himself lived while He was on the earth, my
whole life changed. I started to understand that love covers a multitude of
sins and that when broken people receive love their world begins to change as
well. Saints are simply people who have a heart to be love and give it to those
who may have none.
What will readers get out of your book?
Since the book is geared toward
Christians, my hope is that they will come to see when they are acting Ain’tish
and get back to treating people the way they want to be treated, stop being
judgmental, and show the love of Christ and get back to loving the lost and
help them get on a path to right living.
What inspired you when writing ‘Rise up!’?
I was inspired to write “Rise
Up” because I saw too many people being discouraged, too many people left
hurting, and too many people turning their backs on Christianity, because the
so-called Saints were running them away because of their dogmatic approach to
the bible. I saw that people in the church forgot that they too were once lost
and did not have it all together. Everyone is an ex something, so I wrote this
for us to remember just that, that there is no perfect people in the world, not
one.
When did you decide to become a writer?
My love for writing started way
back in the 3rd grade, but I did not start to take it seriously
until I around 2008 when I wrote my first magazine article for my church. From
there I challenged myself to complete a book and I did. It is one of the
biggest accomplishments of my life.
When writing ‘Rise up!’ did anything stand out as
particularly challenging?
The most challenging thing with
writing was being disciplined to sit down and do it. It took me 9 months to
finish this book as it was truly a labor of love. I have since learned my
lesson and now my second book is nearly complete. I just have to have it
edited, because that is another difficult task for me as well.
What do you like to do when not writing?
I love watching movies and
listening to jazz. I am next going to challenge myself to write a screenplay so
watching movies is no longer a guilty pleasure of mine, but a necessity. I also
love to travel.
Where can readers find out more about your work?
More information can be found
about my book on my website shannonowenspdc.com and on Amazon and Kindle.