Welcome to the latest installment of the author interview series!

It was a delight to connect with today’s author at the She Speaks Conference. Micah is a sweet soul who offers hope to those who find themselves in hard times.

Fun fact: Micah and I share a literary agent, Blythe Daniel.

Interview with Micah Maddox

1. Tell us a little bit about why you wanted to write Anchored In?

When I first felt the call to write a book, I was terrified and truly did not want to do it. I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough words, or that people would think I was chasing fame or seeking attention. When I finally set those fears aside, I was able to listen to the still small voice of God and hear what He had been telling me all along. This book was written for the women who have been hurt deeply, who long to find a purpose in the hard parts of life, and who know there has got to be a reason for the tough stuff we face in life. It was for me. It was a healing journey that God took me on as I worked through being abandoned by my dad who was a pastor. God took me to new depths and showed me the path to living beyond the pain of my past. It was such a beautiful experience that I couldn’t help but share it.

2. Would you mind sharing with us how you landed your book deal? 🙂

It was a process of three writing conferences and a lot of work in between. When I first began this process, I knew nothing about the blogging, writing, or publishing world. I connected with publishers, editors, and agents for the first time back in 2015 at She Speaks. From there I signed with my agent and began the hard process of reworking my book proposal. I think this might have been the hardest part of the entire journey. It took almost a year to shine it up and get it ready to be presented to publishers. From there, my agent did the legwork and presented the proposal to about fifteen publishers. Two said yes! I signed with Abingdon Press in the fall of 2016.

3. What was one of the hardest parts about writing this book?

Besides the book proposal, the hardest part was knowing how much of my story to include in the book. When you write a book, every word counts. And the details of your story are precious to you. It is so hard to edit paragraphs and chapters out of the book especially when it is so personal. So for me, the hardest part was chapter 2. This is the chapter when I really share the details of what it was like to be abandoned by my dad. I wrote all the other chapters and then came back to this one and reworked and reworked it. I had several people read it and asked them for their hard honest opinion. I wrestled with sharing the facts in a way that would never come across as me tearing down my dad. The main goal was to shine a light on the way God delivered me from such a difficult place. It’s painfully beautiful how it came together. God in His perfect way gave wisdom and clarity to both my editor and I. And for that, I am so thankful!

4. Do you have some advice for someone who is (or wants to) write about their hard story?

Edit, edit, edit. Put it away and sleep on it. Edit, edit, edit. Put it away and let it rest for days. Edit and let others edit. It’s never easy to pull out details, but it’s necessary. When you write about your difficult circumstance, you never want to transfer pain to the reader. You always want to pull the reader through the problem and bring them to the other side of the storm with hope, encouragement, and inspiration. It’s okay to state the facts, but not all the gory ones. Give what God says to the reader and offer them the hope that God has given you. Another tip that someone gave me when I was writing my book was, “Not all your words need to go in the book.” Edit and then edit one more time.

5. In Chapter 9 you say, “The bad things in life are many and will always take a front seat if we allow them to.” What is a truth or strategy that you use to not allow those bad things to dictate your outlook?

I keep my eyes on truth. When I speak of truth, I mean Jesus. When I set God’s Word before me each day, my perspective is shifted from “me” to “He”. It’s amazing the difficult things we can walk through with perfect peace when we keep our eyes on the person of peace. I don’t always get this right, but I’m learning one day at a time. One of my mottos is, “Eyes on Jesus! Always!” And one day I think we’ll realize how much the problems of life distract us from the person of power in our lives – Jesus. We desperately need Him. Every. Day.

Thank you, Micah. We appreciate you sharing your heart and pointing us to Jesus.

If you are looking for a last minute Christmas gift, consider Anchored In for the person on your list who needs a fresh dose of hope.

Micah Maddox is a women’s conference speaker, Bible teacher, writer, blogger, and author of Anchored In: Experience a Power-Full Life in a Problem-Filled World. She is passionate about helping women find purpose, peace, and calm in our chaotic world. As a pastor’s wife and mother of four, she contributes her time to her local church serving as a women’s ministry leader. Connect with Micah on her blog or on Facebook.

You can win a copy of Micah’s book!*

Anchored In Book Giveaway

*U.S. residents only. Giveaway runs from Dec. 12 – Dec. 19th. Winner will be notified via email and announced on Stop! Hammock Time Show (9pm EST on Wednesday, December 20th).

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