30 May, 2013

#GuestPost :: An Indie Writer’s Dreams by Nancy LaRonda Johnson



Nancy LaRonda Johnson is a passionate writer of Christian and other fiction and poetry. She has written short stories, poetry and personal journals most of her life, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a Juris Doctorate. Anticipation of the Penitent was a front-runner in the Indie Publishing Contest sponsored by the San Francisco Writer’s Contest 2012.
Nancy’s blog: Writer’s Mark ~ Christian and other fiction, poetry and ideas



As an indie writer, and a deputy probation officer by day, I have learned that this road is much more entailed and takes a stronger belief in what I write than I ever thought. But, it is so much fun, it’s unbelievable and frustrating that I can’t do it fulltime.

At the start of 2012, I was one of those new writers who believed she would have the stamina to wait for an agent to take her on and get her a most amazing publishing contract that after several years, she’d be able to retire from her day job. Reality hit hard. That’s okay, because I’ve endured and am heading in the direction of my dreams with hard work, risk taking, strong faith in God, and the belief in what I’m doing.

Dreams start with writing. Although I don’t write as much as I’d like, it is happening. My second book, Salted With Fire, will be published within a couple of months. Then I will focus on Anticipating Dawn, the sequel to my first book, Anticipation of the Penitent. I am also an avid blogger, something I feared and didn’t want to know anything about before I ventured into it. Now blogging is another great love of mine.

Indie writers are the future of book writing, and I believe I’m heading in the right direction by registering my own publishing company called Writer’s Mark Publications, named after my blog. In the future, I hope to take Writer’s Mark Publications somewhere big for indie authors.

Risks are what every writer must take when she sends her work out into the world and wants it to spread. The most intimidating risk? Marketing. That used to be a taboo concept for me, but is now my complicated, time consuming and, lately, costly passion. Marketing doesn’t have to be so expensive if you have the time and ability to research and do all of it on your own. I still do what I can, but have come to my limitation in regard to reaching out to the media. So, I have recently obtained a publicist, i.e., big financial risk!

And that’s where a strong faith in God comes in. Well, really faith has resided in me, flowed around me, comforted, and guided me from the very beginning. I am thankful that faith pumps itself up even more when the risks get greater, setbacks come, and doubt tries to sink its wood-rotted teeth into my foundation.

My hope as a writer is not only to get my fiction and poetry into the hands of the public, but to spread hope and encouragement to other indie writers who are struggling with the same passions as I have.

Now I leave you with the short synopses of my books below, and my wish for you to follow your dreams, take necessary risks, build your faith, and believe in yourselves as writers.

Anticipation of the Penitent is a Christian speculative novel about a serial killer and his mother. When Alezea is trapped by the Devil, she bears him a son and knows her life will never be her own. She is the mother of Thomas, a man reared by Satan to be a killer of life’s most innocent – little girls. When Alezea finds a way out, she risks her very soul to free Thomas from his father. The fight to save her son will either redeem Alezea or destroy her forever. Rachel knows Thomas’ history, yet she believes her presence can transform him. Rachel’s belief in Thomas might send her further into the Devil’s realm or provide an opening for God’s miracles in both of their lives.


Anticipation of the Penitent is available from

Salted With Fire is another endeavor led by God. Flash fiction is my passion; poetry, my release. I love creating a complete story, with a beginning, middle and end, with twists, humor, drama, compassion and horror, all under 1000 words. This book isn’t just stories and poetry, it is my journey as a writer, from writing only for the mere joy of it regardless of the message, to writing stories that highlight God’s will for people, even if the stories themselves are not religious in nature. It contains fifteen flash fiction pieces and twelve poems, and short Biblical discussions after each story.

Salted With Fire will be available by July 2013.



16 comments:

  1. What a great interview. I'm a fan of Nancy's blog. Nancy, I especially appreciate your willingness to reach out to other writers and help them with their learning curve. That, to me, is one of the bright spots of the writing community.

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    1. That is, including you Julie, a great part of this community! Thanks for coming by.

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  2. Thank you for sharing your writing journey with us, Nancy!

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    1. Your welcome, and thanks for reading Sarah.

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  3. Good luck with your novels. Very cool you are starting a publishing company. Go indies!

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    1. It is so exciting, and indie writers are pretty awesome. :)

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  4. Oh. My. Awesome. Audacious. GOD!!! This is fantastic, Nancy! This may now be my most favorite post I've read from you. You rocked this one, sister!!!! I can feel the heart and passion wrapped up an every single word of this.

    Plus, I can so relate to you on paragraph #2, it's as if I'm looking at myself in the mirror on this one, and reality does hit hard. Paragraph #3, I'm with you on the blogging thing, the initial fear that blossoms into love. Paragraph #5, totally agree with you on the marketing thing, and in total admiration of you for obtaining a publicist--that's something I plan to do at the appropriate time, so keep me posted on how it goes for you.

    And finally my EXTREME LOVE for paragraph #6. I am completely THERE with you on this one. COMPLETELY!! It's as if you reached into my heart and pulled those very words from my soul. Well said, my sister. I totally enjoyed this read.

    Oh, and by the way, I love the title of your second book---Salted with Fire. It's a very strong, alluring title that grabs my attention and makes me want to open the book.

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    1. Demetria, you are Awesome and Audacious! and an amazing encourager. Thank you so much for your wonderful comments. I'm glad this touched you (even more than some of those controversial posts I've done?? :) and I will keep you posted with how the publicist is going. God bless!

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  5. What a journey and I too would love to earn enough money to sustain myself with just writing. I really enjoyed reading about your faith and glad God guides you. Thank you for sharing your passion with us and best of luck with writing and your future business Nancy.

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    1. That would be a dream come true to live by what we love. Thanks for your blessings.

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  6. You life and writing journey are inspiring.

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  7. That is an interesting second job for a writer. You probably have a view into a world that most people never see.

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    1. It is. Lets me see the good and the bad, and how people can change.

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