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Friday, November 12, 2021

Celebrating Christmas Books with Christine L. Henderson

Today I’m going to share my writing journey with you and my favorite Christmas traditions.

My writing journey… For the last 12 years, I’ve had my inspirational stories and devotionals published in numerous magazines and book anthologies. I’ve taken part in a yearly Advent devotional with a group of writers for ten years and I thought it was time to do a book of my own.

Publishing this book was in the works for several months, but I procrastinated about finishing it. Then I went to a three-day zoom writing seminar and signed up for their extended breakout sessions on indie-publishing. This was not the first time I did one of these seminars, but this time I was ready to follow through.

The technical side… I added more details to the book and started the final edit. Then I did some in-depth study about designing book covers. Over the years, I’ve done multiple brochures and flyers for my business as a Realtor, so the idea of creating an image and an eye-catching design wasn’t something new to me. However, what was new to me was sizing for DPI and an image to fit Amazon’s format.

The motivating force… I attended a fundraising dinner for a prison ministry. It’s part of an international organization - evangelism explosion.org. The person who leads this national prison ministry is one of the lead singers at our church. I enjoy his singing and have a few of his CDs. However, I was even more impressed by what this ministry does to touch hurting hearts by creating a new spirit in them. Those who complete the ministry program have a 5% return rate to prison as opposed to the national standard of an 85% return rate. I knew this was a ministry I want to be involved in.

Making the publishing commitment… After hearing their mission statement, I decided I wanted to dedicate my book to their organization and give all my royalties to them. That’s what made me complete this book. Here’s a link to the ministry so you can learn more about them: https://eeprisonministry.com/services/about-us.  

The book… The First Noel - Digging Deeper Into Christ’s Birth guides you through the original Christmas story in 25 days, Each day begins with a scripture reading, shows an early hymn that highlights the scripture, adds notes on the reading, discussion questions to ponder, and provides links to historical details for further study. Reading this book is a great way to celebrate Christmas.

My favorite Christmas traditions… I still take part in doing a Christmas devotional book with other writers on a theme and look forward to reading each of their stories. My husband and I enjoy watching Christmas movies with redeeming themes and seeing Christmas musicals and plays done by churches. For several years, I directed the drama department at a church and put on numerous plays. Now it’s nice to see the work others produce. I also enjoy making Christmas treats for family and friends, which are always well received.

If you’re looking for more Christmas joy, I hope you order a copy of my book. It’s available in eBook, paperback, or hardcover editions.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Christine-L.-Henderson/e/B09L2Y7XNP

Website: http://thewritechris.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Christine.L.Henderson.author

 

 

 


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