Sandra, describe yourself for our visitors.
Ministry: My main ministry is that I am executive director and co-founder of a spiritual-based 501 c 3 nonprofit organization called Y.E.S., Inc. (Your Empowerment Source). Our volunteers are there to help empower abused and impoverished women and their families through spiritual, emotional, physical, financial education/assistance. We are located in the Kansas City metro area and welcome all donations whether monetary, clothing or nonperishable food items. Within Y.E.S., Inc., God has given me the opportunity to serve those less fortunate through this worthwhile organization that I may give back to the community lessons learned through the pains and joys I have experienced in this lifetime.
Hobbies: Writing books, poetry, and articles is what I mainly do for relaxation and mental stimulation. There have been four books I have been blessed with to publish so far, the recent being Devil’s Advocate: To Be or Not (September 2006). Other books include: Lord, Let There Be Light (1999), Becoming Whole Becoming One (2001), and Baggage Handlers: My road to letting go of life’s painful luggage (2001).
Favorite Music: I feel music is the life and breathe of the soul inhales, so I love to breathe in a variety of music across all genres: Contemporary gospel including Yolanda Adams, CeCe Winans and Kirk Franklin. I am also into the old school of The Temptations, The Supremes, vintage Marvin Gaye (with Tammy Terrell), DeBarge, Boys II Men, and my favorite group of all times – The Jackson Five.
How do you find time to connect with God?
I try to connect with God whenever I can – during the early morning right before I get out of bed – I just want to feel Him stir within me. I then connect with Him while dressing for work by tuning in to Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and listening to T.D. Jakes, Paula White Ministries and Joyce Meyer. On my drive back and forth from work (a 30 minute drive) I would either pray or listen to BOTT Radio and their ministry programs. My favorite stories of the Bible is the story of Joseph (Genesis – Old Testament), the story of Ruth (Book of Ruth – Old Testament), and the life story of King David (Books of Chronicles, Samuel), I love reading different sections of the Bible because it is filled with so many intriguing novel-style stories. My favorite uplifting passages are the chapters of Isaiah 60 and Deuteronomy 6. I try to read these specific passages at least once a day.
Tell us about your journey to publication.
My journey to writing and then publishing books started as a child. I have always loved to read, each story I read allowed me the opportunity to go to distant lands and to meet strange, exotic people I would have otherwise never met through the pages of each book. My childhood was one of a broken home, poverty and lack, we never went on vacation, or traveled no further than the closest relative’s home, so my library books were my favorite pastime to get away from it all.
As an adult, before I truly knew the Lord, I met and married an abusive man, and once surviving that, I was thrown back into a world of poverty, along with homelessness, depression and suicidal tendencies. Yet, through it all, the Lord was with me and give me back my life. He brought me out and handed me the gift of writing. For that I will be forever grateful.
Tell us about your current book?
My current book is a departure from the first three books I wrote. My first books were non-fiction autobiographical about my life as an abused woman and my road to deliverance with the help of the Lord. My most recently published book is a fictional spiritual story involving one day in the life of a woman named Angel who contemplates suicide, and at the end of the day has to decide whether to listen to the Holy Spirit or Satan concerning whether or not she follows through with it. It is a story of Heaven and Hell and its consequences.
How did you come up with ideas for your current release?
Although the circumstances surrounding the character Angel’s momentous decision on whether she wants to take her own life was totally fabricated, the feelings in the midst of her decision whether or not to go through with it was totally me. At one point, I felt my life was over, and I wanted to just give up and die. Satan had gotten to me at my most vulnerable point in my life and began to bombard me with reasons why my death was a benefit to all. But God! In all His compassion and love for me, He broke through my pain that one fateful night, and He gave me understanding as to what I was living for – which was Him and my family.
List your most recent books.
- Lord, Let There Be Light (2000)
- Baggage Handlers: My road to letting go of life’s painful luggage (2003)
- Becoming Whole Before Becoming One (2003)
- Devil’s Advocate: To Be or Not (2006)
- Broken Promises (Target completion date: December 2006)
What’s next for you?
I have recently submitted some of my writings to apply for the John S. Guggenheim Fellowship, which grants money to artists of all genres. The award will be determined sometime next February 2007. As for the remaining part of this year and into next, once I complete “Broken Promisesâ€, I will finish my other writing projects which include “Fallen Soldiers†(nonfiction, spiritual based upon characters from the Bible), and “What Lies in Darkness†(spiritual, fiction about a seemingly religious small town in Kansas).
Where can visitors find you online?
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