Can you share a little about your recent book?
My book The Power of a Well-Placed Yes: God’s Abundant Faithfulness in a Small Church began to take shape when I realized that many times God works through seemingly insignificant acts of obedience. He asks us to obey and serve in small ways then he does something larger than we could have imagined with our obedience.
Why do you write?
I write because God has been faithful to me. As an intentional leader of myself, I gave God creative license with my life. He keeps opening doors of opportunity.
How long have you been writing?
I retired from a thirty year career with the postal service in 2017. My plans for retirement dissipated just a couple of months before I retired. I was going to spend time with my mom. Mom died unexpectedly. My other plan was to get into the recording studio with a lot of songs I wrote with my musical partner I’d been working with for twenty years. He decided about that time to take his music to the country music setting so I found myself alone in that arena too. An accomplished author and speaker who I’d gotten to know invited me to a writer’s conference. I went and have never looked back.
And how long did it take you to get your first major book contract? Or are you published non-traditionally? How did that come about?
I self-published my own first book. In part, I chose that route because I wanted to finish it and move on to another project. In a span of 14 months, I also submitted a total of ten stories to four different collaborations that were accepted. Two of those books won awards from the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association in 2024.
Which of your books is your favorite?
The Power of a Well-Placed Yes: God’s Abundant Faithfulness in a Small Church is my favorite and, in my opinion, the most powerful thing I have written.
Tell us about an award you won that was particularly meaningful.
The last year has been full of firsts. The first contest I entered and won acceptance from was perhaps the most encouraging because I did not know if I had a place in the writing world at all until then. The calls and texts from people whose hearts were moved because of my book solidify my why.
How long does it take you to write a book?
That is hard to answer because I’ve only finished one book. It was a compilation of stories I had been writing for over twenty years for the purpose of reminding myself of God’s faithfulness.
What’s your writing work schedule like?
I teach, speak, lead worship, serve in prison ministries, and I’m a pastor’s wife. I come home every week from Bible study with notes from the lesson that I try to expand into some form of writing while the aha moments are still fresh. My writing work style is not on a rigid schedule. My writing projects are prompted by Christ living in me. Sometimes that means I spend days with my focus on writing but it might also mean I spend days interacting with people in some other way.
Do you have an interesting writing quirk? If so, what is it?
I love looking out the window above my desk and watching the birds in the tree or the clouds in the sky or the deer in the pasture. The rhythm and ever changing seasons of the world outside keep me aware of God’s steadfast nature. The glamorous image of writing in different places and settings has not played out as practical for me. My familiar desk, chair and window serve me well.
What has been your greatest joy(s) in your writing career?
Feedback from readers who were encouraged by my stories has been my favorite part of this process. I’ve always considered myself a songwriter. I never dreamed of writing anything else.
Could you tell us about a dark moment in your writing career?
Just a couple of months before I launched my book, my Facebook account was disabled/hacked. I lost access to all of my contacts. After a day of great frustration and a few tears, I opted to relax rather than freak out. The creator of the universe is capable of leading me through the marketing process. When overwhelm starts to settle on me because I am so new to writing, I tell myself, “It’s not hard, it’s unfamiliar.”
How many times in your career have you experienced rejection? How did they shape you?
About seventy percent of what I have submitted has been accepted. I don’t view the other thirty percent as rejection. I view it as redirection. The people who have steered my work elsewhere have often also given me great suggestions. They are my cheerleaders because they pointed me toward success, even if it was not with them. One example is a story that I submitted to a couple of writers who were creating a lead magnet. There would have been no accolades in their acceptance of my story. They rejected it so I submitted it to Guideposts. Guideposts paid me for it and included it in one of their books. The first submission was simply not the place God wanted to use the story.
Where do you get your ideas?
My mind bounces like a pinball machine. I get ideas from watching people and listening to God. Teaching children gives me insight to write practical lessons. Going into prisons for ministry makes me thankful which leads to more critical thinking. Leading worship lets me drive lyrics deep into my spirit which produces more introspective thoughts. Being involved with my grandchildren makes me light hearted. These experiences all drive different kinds of ideas.
Who is your favorite author to read?
That’s a hard one for me because until I retired a few years ago, I hardly read at all. I listen to more books than I sit and read. I’ve loved Anne Lamott, Bob Goff, Hope Jahren and Stephen R Covey. Their styles and purposes are not necessarily the same.
What advice can you give aspiring writers that you wished you had gotten, or that you wished you would have heeded?
Keep writing, keep submitting. Listen to the Holy Spirit, not the world. If you are tired, rest. If you are inspired, write. Enjoy the gift God has given you every day.
Where/How do you recommend writers try to break into the market?
Get a Christian Writers Market Guide and search for something that might be a good fit for your work. Then pay close attention to their guidelines, they are a blueprint for your work to be accepted. Follow them. Submit, submit, submit.
Joni Topper radiates the glory of God by sharing everyday moments in compelling storyteller fashion. She’s a mom to three, grandmother to five, author, musician, and speaker. Her favorite description of herself is, “One who desires to look like Jesus.”
As a singer/songwriter Joni’s joy and passion for “being” the church permeates her work. Married to Ernest for almost forty-three years, they’ve served together in the same small church for twenty-nine of them, with Ernest as the pastor and Joni as worship leader.
Joni has contributed stories to four collaborative books and her own debut book, The Power of a Well-Placed Yes: God’s Abundant Faithfulness in a Small Church, launched in March 2024. Her music can be found on most music platforms. Check out her website. www.morningloryministry.com
https://a.co/d/f6mrKPH – Link to Amazon for book – The Power of a Well-Placed Yes: God’s Abundant Faithfulness in a Small Church
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