Q: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
A: Actually I started out as a Publisher and worked for many years in-house initially with an independent publishing house and then also with Penguin and Random House.

Then in 1999 when I was at a Penguin sales conference in Cyprus, in front of several hundred people, a falling stage spotlight hit me on the crown of the head and knocked me clean out! I was off work for over a year in recovery … and during that time completely reassessed my priorities in life.

As a result I decided to give more time and space to my own creativity and wrote my own book “The Writer’s Journey: From Inspiration to Publication”.

I also set up my own business offering aspiring authors coaching on the process of writing a book for publication, and as part of that, began to deepen my connection to my own writing through sending out regular newsletter articles etc.

I’m still doing so now (available from www.JuliaMcCutchen.com) and I find that the more I write, the more I love writing. Making the transition from publisher to author felt strange at first but now I can’t imagine my life without writing!

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Q: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
A: I started reading at the age of two, because my mother read books to me all the time. She was a lover of books and a writer. I’ve always loved good stories; reading books, and watching movies. I started writing poems in high school and by college I tripped over the thought, “Maybe I could write for a living.”

Q: How and when did you make this dream a reality?
A: I’ve never stopped writing or studying the writing process, nor talking or teaching others about writing. I’ve been blessed with knowing the writer’s psyche well enough to be aware of the patterns writers go through to sabotage their own writing. I also have some different kinds of “knowing” skills that help me move deeper, beneath the surface, to bring to light what a writer already knows by doesn’t know she knows that’s keeping her from finding her writer’s voice.

Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far in your writing career?
A. Tenacity. You never know when you’ll be in the right place at the right time, doing the right activity. And because of that unknown, a writer must keep writing, without expectation. Writing is not an end to a means, it’s a lifelong process of self-discovery.

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Q: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

A: I began writing poetry as a hobby about fifteen years ago. Having a young active son at the time and my own accounting business left little time for creative writing. God stirred the creativity in me after I committed my life wholly to the Lord Jesus in 1989. It was during that time that God prompted me to write this first book, MISSION POSSIBLE - Spiritual Covering.

Q: How and when did you make this dream a reality?

A: After completing my small book manuscript seven years ago, I shared it with close friends, and it sat on a “spiritual shelf” until right after I completed a ladies’ bible study at my local church in November 2007. I believe the Lord moved on my heart to enhance my last chapter and add an epilogue to the book. I contacted the publisher I had talked to several years prior, and we put the process in motion. The book was completed in December 2007, right before Christmas.

Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far in your writing career?

A: I am learning that even someone as ordinary as myself can be of use to God in ministering to other women who face a similar situation in their marriage. Encouragement and hope are essential to “facing your tomorrows” when there is often apathy, or worse–ridicule–in the home environment. The subject of my book is not an easy one to discuss, but I know there are many women (and men) who need this “lift” for the weary soul.

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: I have begun working on another book — very different from the first one. It is a book for the “coffee table” entitled, Trees of the Bible - a Spiritual Journey. It will address the spiritual significance of the various trees in scripture, emphasizing the historical and social aspects of their variety and diversity in the Bible.

Q: Name some authors or books that have influenced your writing life in a positive way.

A: I enjoy the many bible study courses offered by Beth Moore thru Lifeway, and the book Extraordinary Faith by Sheila Walsh.

Q: What have you recently read or what are you reading right now that you would consider an outstanding work?

A: Being that I am self-employed with my accounting business, and am promoting & distributing my first published book, I have little time for anything else. My reading material is primarily devotionals and the various bible studies that I attend throughout the year. I do hope to do more “leisure” reading when I complete my next book.

Q: What excites or ignites your soul?

A: Knowing that I can be of use to God to minister to other women. It’s all about Him and not about yourself. I can’t wait to see what impact this book can have around the world. I am believing in BIG things for God’s glory…

Deborah grew up in a US Navy family moving often and eventually settled in north Florida. She has been married to her husband of twenty-six years and has one son in college, who will be commissioned in the US Marine Corps in late 2008. She resides in Orange Park, Florida where she continues working in her small accounting business and enjoys creative writing as a hobby. You can reach her by e-mail at deb@alabasterboxpublishing.com or visit her website at Godmissionpossible.com.

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Q: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
A: Every morning when I wake up.

Q: How and when did you make this dream a reality?
A: The short answer: I write. The long answer: Baby steps. In 2001, I started writing a humorous “Bombeckesque” column for my local weekly newspaper, and it now runs in several small town papers across northern and central Illinois. In 2005, we moved (temporarily) to France. Readers loved the tales of our adventures abroad. I took a creative writing class (in English). I started submitting, and my short stories and poetry were published. Each step was a confidence builder.

When we moved back to Illinois, I wanted to give writing a chance as a career, not a joyful hobby. I’m now a fulltime freelance writer/ghostwriter, living a dream. My first book, When Life Stinks, It’s Time to Wash the Gym Clothes, was published in October 2007. My husband (known as The Man of the Place) always said I lived in a world of make-believe; the writing life gives me the best of both worlds, the real one and the land of imagination.

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Q: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

A: I realized I wanted to be a writer when people starting releasing ebooks electronically. Authors are no longer tied to traditional publishing methods. Since my website, WomanSavers.com, the world’s largest database rating men, is such a popular site and has so many subscribers, I knew I had a strong platform to market my ebook; and I could keep 100% of the profits with no overhead costs. That meant win-win to me.

Q: How and when did you make this dream a reality?

A: I started writing content and articles in late 2002 when I launched WomanSavers.com. Thereafter, I began writing cartoon comedy ecards for women that would sometimes be a spoof on a variety of songs and I would sing and reword them. I had tons of fun doing that. I started writing my book, S*x, Lies & the Internet, An Online Dating Survival Guide (http://www.womansavers.com/ebook/online-dating-infidelity-book.asp) in 2006. It took me over a year to write and design all the custom graphics, but there is nothing quite like it out there. It is full of great tips teaching women how to screen their dates. It also shows women how to avoid being scammed, used and abused by men.

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