Do you know of any successful self-published authors? I had the pleasure today of interviewing Lois Martin, a CBA pod member and friend. Lois Martin is the author of Super Bloom: A Daughter’s Journey to Healing. She is a retired Kindergarten teacher and now a successful Author. Sharing one’s story is not a simple task. Lois shares hers with much class and grace.
I feel privileged to know her. In this interview, she shared her story, her success, what’s next for her, and an encouraging word to those who are considering writing their story and sharing it with the world. If you would like to know more about one of Christian Book Academy’s most recent successful self-publishers, then you will want to follow this interview post.
Her Story
What is Super Bloom about?
Super Bloom, A Daughter’s Journey to Healing, is really my testimony of how God brought me through the years of child abuse into a lifetime of joy. Now I have a joyful life. I’m so thankful for it.
Why did you write this book?
It was definitely a God thing! I just kind of knew for a little while that I was going to write a book. But I didn’t know what it would be about. I asked the Lord what my book was going to be about, and he led me to this one passage. I believe it was in 1 Corinthians. It didn’t stick out. So I read it in a different translation, and the word incest was there, then I knew. Lord, I don’t want to write a book about that topic. I’m over it. I’m ready to move on. Then he said help others get over it. So I knew that I was about to write that book.
How long did it take you to write your book?
It took ten years. It has been refined and started over many times. Different directions. I thought I was going to write a full autobiography. So I went through and was making notes, turning points, and all that kind of thing, and then when Procrastination to Publication came up, it was like a lightbulb! I can do this in a short book! It just clicked, and it was such a blessing to do it that way. I used the notes and everything from before, but this time it was refined. I read these words years ago by an author: “I was going to make this shorter, but I didn’t have time.” I can’t remember who said it. A lot of the time, that’s the thing, you know, to bring it down and condense it takes a lot more time. But anyway, it took ten years.
The Writing Process
I was working through a lot of things, like how much to put in, how much to leave out. I had to work around not naming people, that kind of thing. That took time, but once I got to where I was sitting there in the Procrastination to Publication class, it just seemed to roll off because you worked out so many things.
Published
How did you get your book published?
I self-published with KDP. I did the steps that were outlined in the Procrastination to Publication class. I hired an Editor and a Formatter because I wasn’t going to do this again, and I had my cover designed through Fiverr.
Can you think of a time when you questioned where God was?
For me, no! The reason I included the question, Where was God in my book was for my readers. It’s a hard thing to grasp. I was a little kid treated like this. There’s nothing you can do. He didn’t leave me alone. I went through this stuff, but it didn’t ruin me. He brought me through it. I have joy and feel healed. I could never answer the question, why people go through things like this.
What I do know is that God can bring you through and make things good.
I really believed when I accepted Christ that there is a little seed inside of us that blooms. The more you get with God, the more it blooms. On page 45, I included this quote I saw: “They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.”
Success
You are a first-time author, and your book has become successful in a short time. How many have you sold now?
One hundred and fourteen as of yesterday. My book first went online on Thanksgiving Day. I mostly put things out on Facebook. For me, it’s getting those reviews. They are so meaningful! It’s about who God was for me in this, and I can tell when I get a review that they have gotten that.
What’s Next
What are you doing right now?
Right now, I am working on a cozy mystery series. It has taken quite a bit of organization. It’s a whole new path for me, so I am hoping it won’t take me ten years. It’s fun creating the character profiles and the little village. I like to solve problems. It will be kind of fun to see how it goes. It’s in the early stages. It seems I can’t get to a point where I have time to do it as much as I would like to, because life goes on. I could still work it out if I just did it. I’m telling everybody else to do it!
In Closing
Is there anything you’d like to say to those who are considering writing their story?
Do it! If they can be in CBA. If Shelley does it again, join the Procrastination to Publication because those steps are perfect. I think it was priceless being in that program! I don’t think I would have done it the way I was going at it. It was really,really good.
Conclusion
I really enjoy meeting with Lois to discuss her book, Super Bloom, A Daughter’s Journey to Healing. I highly recommend reading her book. It’s a great read.
About the Author
Lizzy, pen name EO Writes, was first called to write for the public in 2012. For a season, she wrote articles on homeschooling. In 2024, her calling as an Author came into the public’s view once again with her first book release, A Case of Mistaken Identity, the first of many! She is presently working on Getting Unstuck, A Guide to Self-Publishing. You can check out her blog at: https://www.eowrites.com. She has been married for 27 years. When she is not writing, she and her husband enjoy traveling throughout the United States on their Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
“Never judge a book by its cover. What you find inside the pages might surprise you.”
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