Hello, Dawn Dyson, and thank you so much for talking with me today! To begin, could you just tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a newbie author from Nebraska. I live on a farm where I primarily do office work and write novels during the winter months. I have degrees in Animal Science and Special Education and I enjoy gardening and riding horsesJ
How long have you known that you wanted to be a writer? Did you receive a clear “calling” from God or have you always had a desire to write?
The idea started as a seed when I worked at a female psychiatric treatment center for youth in the Omaha area. It was a live-in, lockdown facility and my heart went out to those girls. Most of them had one thing in common besides the pain they were suffering—they read books. Ever since that summer job I’ve wanted to write something that could inspire and touch the heart. The world is desperate for it. When circumstances in my life allowed the opportunity, I prayed for confirmation from God to become a writer and here I am!
Who has inspired you the most?
Besides God Himself, I’d say Joyce Meyer. I don’t go a day without reading something of hers or watching her television program. I highly recommend her teaching; it’s life changing.
What are 2 things that people wouldn’t normally know about you?
I train my own horses to show them with the American Quarter Horse Association. I’m fascinated with Old World architecture, especially castles and churches.
You recently have had a book published, would you take this time to describe it to us? How and where can readers buy your book? (versions and locations)
Bella Maura is Book One of the Beautiful Justice Series. It’s romance/suspense with a spiritual theme. Bella is a little girl with an amazing gift of intercession. The book details how this praying child transforms the lives of all those around her. It is a story of love and the beauty of overcoming abuse by rising from the ashes of one’s past to help another.
My books are available on my website, www.dawndyson.com, or online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbook, etc. Bella Maura is offered in hardcover editions now and will be available in ebook format (Kindle, Nook, so on) at the same time Justice Quinn (Book Two) is released this fall.
Is there a spiritual message in your book? If so, what is it and what can readers expect to get from reading it?
The spiritual message of Bella Maura is about the immense power of prayer as portrayed by the character, Bella. The book encourages the reader to respect the gifts and privileges of God above all other worldly ideas or cares. If they are open to the patterns and examples set before them through the characters in this book, hopefully their own lives will become more authentic, interesting, and true. There is nothing in this world quite as satisfying as finding God’s purpose for your life. I pray this book will assist readers in discovering or refreshing their own.
What’s your favorite part of the story?
My favorite part of Bella Maura is actually a hidden principle. The character Jonathan represents Jesus in my opinion. He’s very loving, loyal, and he’s willing to suffer years waiting for the undecided (Cheney, in the story’s case) to choose Life. Sienna represents all women looking for romance, adventure, and restoration in their lives and truth be told, it doesn’t always come from a man. It comes from God, especially in the form of a friendship with Jesus. He’s our true soul mate.
What was the hardest part to write?
The most difficult parts were based on experiences I’ve either suffered myself or stood by while others were suffering the aftermath. Some of the parts about “takedowns” in psych wards or the familial abuse situations are, sadly, based on true stories.
Do you have any other books in the making?
Justice Quinn is Book Two of the Beautiful Justice series (Bella Maura’s sequel) and it is due out September 2011. Mason Michael (Book Three) is my current project. I estimate it to be out in fall/winter 2012. And Mercy Sky was my first attempt at authorship; it’s been out since 2005.
Would you give us your blog or webpage so everyone can check it out? Anything else you’d like to share? (promotional information)
My website is www.dawndyson.com My books can be ordered there or through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbook, etc. Complete synopsis, reviews, and book signing information are listed on my website. I’m also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dawn-Dyson/113527298682699 and I can be followed on Twitter @DawnDysonNovel.
Here are a few fun questions:
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate. It’s one of the five food groups, right?
Pepsi or Coke? Coke.
Cats or Dogs? Both, but I don’t tell them that.
Summer or Winter? Summer, or winter in the Caribbean–either way!!
Thank you for the interview and your interest in Bella Maura! God Bless you, Dawn Dyson
Novelist Sienna Emory is surprised by a frantic call she receives from her old college friend, Cheney. When she arrives at Cheney’s house, Sienna finds her passed out from a drug overdose and neighbor Jonathan Driscoll arriving on the scene. Trying to help Cheney overcome her addictions, Sienna develops a friendship with Jonathan, a handsome single father, and his five-year-old daughter Bella. However, Bella is not the typical kindergartner; she has special gifts, as if she is communicating on a direct line to God. Sienna and Jonathan quest for answers to Bella’s special gifts, leading them to Jonathan’s hometown in Ireland that holds the key to a family secret. Sienna begins to fall in love with Jonathan, but wonders what is God’s plan for them and if their faith is strong enough to protect them from evil.
In her second novel, author Dawn Dyson seamlessly weaves together a touching love story with weighty spiritual topics such as overcoming abuse, trusting God, and stepping into your spiritual gifts. Bella Maura is the first installment of the two-book series Beautiful Justice. This exhilarating novel will open readers to the spiritual opportunities and challenges that face us all. My Review:
I've never read anything so spiritually powerful before in my life! Bella Maura is so hard to describe though I don't know where to begin. Sienna is a writer who has taken in 4 young ladies to be sort of like their foster mom. All of these ladies have suffered through terrible tragedies and abuse and Sienna is the key to leading them through the pain by God's power. She gets a call from an old friend Cheney who is drug addicted and drunk and everything is leading Sienna to go help her out. She follows God's will and goes to help Cheney and while she is there she meets Cheney's neighbor and ex, Jonathon and his son Bella Maura.
We learn about the unique spiritual gift that Bella Maura has and how Jonathan needs to learn to trust God to protect his daughter against spiritual warfare and attacks!
Like I said before, I've never read anything so spiritually powerful before in my life. Sienna is a powerful character that reminds me a bit of my own Christian mom; Intense and very spiritually grounded in her beliefs of God and not only God but Satan as well. She believes everything happens according to God's plan and prayer can truly save us in all circumstances.
I thought the romance was very sweet although I did struggle with the initial intensity of it because things moved so fast but the way that Dyson described it the more I fell in love with the book even more.
This story is about overcoming abuse and finding out who God made you to be and embrace your spiritual gifts and lead your life after God. Dawn Dyson has this way of describing details that truly paint a raw and emotional picture of what is going on. If you like a story that will make you cry, and think deeply about God's plan for your life, has mystery, romance and redemption than this is the book for you!
Thank you Dawn Dyson for the free copy of Bella Maura in exchange for my honest review. All my opinions are true and my own!
Buy Bella Maura by Dawn Dyson:
Very nice interview and review. This sounds like a very powerful book. I can just imagine how working with those girls in the treatment center helped shape the ideas for this book. And that kind of work really says a lot about Dawn. Best of luck to Dawn.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great interview and I admit, I rarely get past the first couple paragraphs of an interview. I like that Dawn turned her pain around (and kicked it's butt) and wrote of experiences, turned it into something tangible that others can relate to, can use, can find comfort in. Dawn - if you have not read any of Max Lucado, check him out. Also Eugene Peterson's THE MESSAGE. And you like horses!
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