Meet Marjorie Vawter (And a Giveaway!)

 

Sometimes, in life, you meet certain folks and you just click. You might share similar life philosophies, spiritual beliefs, and mutual goals. Bonus points include: a funny bone, a compassionate heart, and truth with tact. (I call these God-ordained appointments “Jesus Hook-Ups.”)

I first met Marjorie (Margie) Vawter a little over a year ago at our local ACFW MozArks chapter meeting. I was drawn to her quick wit and down home sense of humor. Annnd…she loved Jesus and writing and talking! Score!

Not one to beat around the bush, I quickly made friends with our new Ozarkian transplant (all the way from the great state of Colorado).

I learned many tidbits…

• Margie’s  a wife
• She’s a mom
• She proofreads for CBA publishers and individual clients
• She’s a long-standing ACFW member
• She judges for multiple prestigious awards within the inspirational arena
• She’s a writer
• She’s a coffee-drinker
• She’s walked the valley

Recently, Margie also became a published author and I’m so excited for her! Squeee!

I thought you might like to learn more about my friend so I’ve poured cyber coffee and dished up the donuts.

Here’s to fun, friends, and fellowship! *Clink!* (My coffee mug to yours!)

Hi, Margie! Welcome–It’s so great to have you here!

You’ve worked in the field of editing for many years. What led you to shift gears and add writing books to the mix?

Actually I was writing long before I entered the editing arena. However, publication didn’t come as quickly as I’d hoped, and hubby wondered when he would ever see a “profit” in this dream of mine. Since I was very young, a simple typo or detail (the heroine’s blue eyes at the beginning of the book suddenly metamorphosed into brown at the end) would pull me out of an otherwise gripping story. Then my daughter entered college . . . and we needed the extra income. So I walked through an unexpected open door to proofreading for a Christian publisher in August of 2000 and added editing/proofreading to my full-time job of teaching high school English and Spanish. In 2005 I retired from teaching, believing the Lord wanted me to concentrate more fully on getting some things published, and I expanded my client base and contacts within the publishing world.

 

Would you share a little about your writing journey?

As I said above, I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was very young. Once I learned to read at the age of 4, I devoured books. And by the age of 10 I had settled into my genres—historical and mysteries. It was even better when the two were combined. However, I didn’t start actively pursuing publication until after my daughter (our oldest) was born. I took some courses from the Institute of Children’s Literature and started attending Christian writers conferences. It was at one of those conferences (Colorado Christian Writers Conference 1997) that I acquired a mentor in Marlene Bagnull, and I began to meet other writers in my area. In 2004 I gained an agent and joined ACFW where I was assigned to a critique group. And the rest is history. Through my online critique group and the face-to-face group I became a part of in Colorado, I gained the knowledge and experience that finally resulted in nonfiction and fiction publication.

 

What tips would you have for those traveling the path to publication?

Be persistent. Don’t give up. Seriously. The path to publication is not an easy one for most people. Yes, I know a few who have sold their first fiction almost as soon as they started studying the craft, but they are very few! I also know many who have come so close to publication or maybe published a first book, but they got so discouraged at the continued rejections or their poor sales numbers that they quit. And I’ve heard from a few editors and agents that so many who were very close to “making it” gave up. So, if you are sure you have been tasked by the Lord to get His message out through your writing, don’t give up. Keep plugging away, even when it seems you’ll never get “the call.” It might be that the Lord only wants to reach one person through your story—one who might offer to do a critique or read-through for you.

 

You’ve written nonfiction, as well as fiction. Which, in your opinion, is hardest? Why?

Hard to say. In writing fiction there are so many things to remember about characterization, plot arcs, the hero’s journey, layering, theme, etc. It would seem that writing devotionals and Bible studies seems easier, but I find that writing nonfiction requires the writer to be transparent and vulnerable. While this transparency is required for fiction writing, too, the author can hide behind her characters. In nonfiction, there’s no one to hide behind. Yet the best writing, either fiction or nonfiction, is written from the deep places of the heart. The places so deep only the Lord can touch them, heal them, and bring them to light.

 

You’ve had an incredible “faith walk.” Please talk a little about that.

I have an incredible God who is committed to increasing my faith as I daily learn to keep my eyes on Jesus and follow Him wherever He leads. I grew up in a Christian home; my parents were missionaries, and I came to know the Lord at a young age. But it wasn’t until I faced my own severe clinical depression over twenty years ago, that I began to understand the enormity of my sin and contrast of the amazing, matchless grace and love of God. It was then I recommitted to a lifelong desire to follow Jesus wholly. That kind of walk has its ups and downs, as does life, but God has proven faithful in every situation, and He has provided in ways totally unexpected and far beyond my expectations so many times. That’s not to say that I’m perfect in my walk. Far from it, but like Paul, it is my goal to continue in this manner.

Lately, I’ve come to a better understanding of His purpose for me and it has become my tagline—Discovering Foundations of Truth. In our recent move to Missouri, hubby and I have once again taken up doing ministry together (his traveling for his previous job prevented this), and as we have talked about my tagline, we realized that building and/or rebuilding foundations has been the basis of our ministry together since we married 35 years ago. Isaiah 58:11–12 are the verses that now underline and define the ministry He has given me through writing and editing. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for me.

 

 

Sundays in Fredericksburg (Barbour), which includes your novella A Shelter from the Storm, recently released. (Congratulations!) What other projects are you working on?

I have two nonfiction books releasing this year. One is a work-for-hire devotional project done for Barbour Publishing releasing August 1, Encouraging Thoughts for Women: Hope. It can be pre-ordered at the online stores as well as at the Barbour website. The other book is full-length nonfiction from OakTara, Calming the Storm Within: God’s Peace for Depression and Anxiety. It’s a combination personal experience and Bible study. Not sure when it will release, so will have to let you know.

Other projects I’m working on are a historical mystery set in Colorado and NYC in the late 1920s, a devotional companion book to Calming the Storm Within, and another nonfiction book that is still developing. No contracts on any of these yet, so it’s back to the drawing board . . . er, laptop for research and writing.

 

What’s the biggest takeaway you want to leave your readers with?

Whether I’m writing fiction or nonfiction, the desire of my heart is that my readers see Christ in what I write, that they gain—or regain—a love of the written Word as well as the physical, living Word—Jesus Christ. In order to live and stand firm in these last days, believers must continually be strengthening and building on the foundations of truth found in Christ and in His Word.

Thank you so much, Margie, for visiting with us today! I’ve enjoyed having you!

To find out more about Margie, please visit her cyber home. You can also check out The Writer’s Tool  and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

To celebrate her glorious debut, Margie is giving away a copy of Sundays in Fredericksburg to one random commenter. Just leave a comment through Monday, midnight CST, and the winner will be announced in next Wednesday’s (7/3/13) blog post.

Giveaway Rules:

• Must be at least 21 years of age or older
• Must be a U.S. resident, due to mailing restrictions
• This drawing is void where prohibited
• Winner chosen by Random.org

Ready. Set. Go!

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What ministry are you called to pursue?

Do you have any questions or comments for Margie today?

TWEETABLES

The author who battled depression and never gave up… (Click to Tweet)

The path to publication and how one author persisted until she got “the call.” (Click to Tweet)

Photo Credits of Margie Vawter: Roger Vawter

Happy Friday, folks, and Blessings Always,