Debut Author J C Christian
Introducing Debut Author – J C Christian
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I live in Nebraska with my husband David. For the past 20 years, I’ve been a practicing social worker. Many of the clients I have worked over the years are survivors of physical and/or sexual abuse in childhood. I understand all too well the world they live in because I’ve been there too. This is really intense work and after two decades, I’m now choosing to advocate for survivors through my writing.
What bought you to the world of writing?
I have loved writing since I learned to put words together. I love how words can paint a picture in the minds of readers to convey an emotion and communicate ideas and experiences. Writing is also highly therapeutic. Just about every therapist I know uses journaling with their clients.
What is your first book and what do you think of it now?
My first book is called Reaching for the Light: An Incest Survivor’s Story and I am very proud of it. It took 4 years to write and I am just overwhelmed by the attention it has received in social media. I just learned that, even though it doesn’t release for another 3 days, it has already ranked #145 on Amazon’s BEST SELLER list. That’s just mind blowing.
What type of books do you write and do they fulfil your reader’s needs?
I write non-fiction for the most part though I do have an idea for a historical fiction novel in mind, but that’s sometime down the road. In writing Reaching for the Light my goal is to reach out to other survivors with the message of hope that healing is possible and they can take their lives back. There are millions of survivors of child sexual assault in the United States and I imagine it’s probably the same for other countries unfortunately. My hope is that by reaching out to other survivors we can shine the light on this crime shattering the lives of innocent children.
How long does it take you to write your first draft?
The first draft of this book came together slowly in bits and pieces over a period of about 3 years and then it took several months to weave the pieces together to form a complete draft.
How do you edit your work? Do you leave your draft alone for a while or edit as you write?
I like to free flow my writing and then go back and edit and proof read. Utilizing other editors and proof readers is essential as well because, as the author, I see my work from a different perspective. Editing is one of the most tedious parts of the writing process but it’s also exciting because I start to see what the book will look like in its final draft.
What type of people/readers do you market your books to?
I wrote this book primarily for other survivors but I believe its message has value to teachers, doctors, therapists, and other mental health professionals
Do you self-publish or have you worked with an Agent/Published?
I have been enormously blessed to work with an outstanding Indie Publisher, Plaisted Publishing House. Claire Plaisted has gone above and beyond in helping me launch this book. She took on an unknown author and a book with a very dark topic knowing much good it could do. She is just amazing to work with.
How do you promote your writing?
I have to give credit to Darryl Erentzen who designed my original blog site 4 years ago. I regularly update the site with new announcements, inspirational posts, and healing resources for survivors. To date, my site has been visited over 5,700 times. I also have a Facebook page for the book. My FB page has reached more than 150 people in just the past two weeks. And I again have to give enormous credit to the efforts of Claire Plasted who has continuously posted promos for my book throughout the online literary community and created a moving and beautiful trailer for my book which is now posted on YOU TUBE.
Where can we buy your books?
My book will be available online at Amazon.com beginning July 4th, 2016. You can also pre-order the ebook here. KINDLE
Who are your favourite authors?
Some of my favorite authors are Dr. Susan Forward, Harriett Lerner, John Bradshaw, Wendy Maltz, Maya Angelou, and Joyce Meyer. I love the book Stephen King wrote about the writing process. I have read and loved books by other survivors like Jaycee Dugard and Michelle Knight.
Links
Do you have any more information you’d like to share with us?
As I said on the back of my book, the crime of child sexual assault is a national tragedy. We, as a society, need to pay attention. Children depend on to the people in their lives to protect them. The truth is that, for far too many children, the very people who should keep them safe are the ones who are doing them the greatest harm. And the ramifications of this will continue into the next generation unless we, as a collective society, are willing to give up our denial and take action.
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Thank you