As I write this, it's Saturday, June 9th. What a great time of the year. School's out. My Gator team is defending their national championship in baseball (they just beat Auburn in Game 1 of the super regional), and I had a great writer's critique group meeting this morning with a great group of writers. Love posting this blog series, too, because it also allows me (and you!) to get to know some awesome writers! Writers you may not have heard of before, but have now (Oh, and that reminds me...don't forget to subscribe to my blog via e-mail! Then, you'll get a notification each time I post here. Then you won't miss any of these!)This brings me to the next guest in my Author Behind the Story series. Please welcome to the Florida front porch, Dawn Owens!
Dawn, in fifty words or less, who is Dawn Owens?
Dawn Owens, founder/executive director for The Link
of Cullman County, a relational ministry to the poor in Cullman, AL. I also
host a Radio Show where we talk about how to help people grow out of poverty.
Most recently, I published my first book Like
Me or Not: Overcoming Approval Addiction.
So, let us get to know you better. You know, the person before you ever got a notion of
becoming a writer/author. How old were you, and what were you doing in that
time of your life?
I have had a love for reading since I was a child. Learning how to read at a young
age, it came easy to me and once the skill was learned I could not get enough.
I spent many a summer on a sofa or in a car with a book in hand and my mother
trying to encourage me to go out and play. With it, I also found an affinity to
writing. My writing started in journals and later through schooling turned into
school papers. However, writing has always been a bit sacred to me. Writing
took the form of journaling, which was more for me than it was for anyone else.
I used it to process through the circumstances I was living through at the
time.
What educational background do you
have?
I grew up in a Suburb of Philadelphia
called Havertown where I attended Haverford Senior High School. College was a
desire of mine since Middle School, but when my parents got a divorce I thought
I was going to have to let the dream go. Thankfully, I had cousins who grew up
in poverty and already knew how to navigate the financial aid process. I
applied to five schools, got into four of them and chose my college by the
number of other people I knew going there, which was next to no one. I attended
Kutztown University for both undergraduate and graduate school and then later
attended Cincinnati Christian University to obtain a Masters of Arts in
Religion, Pastoral Leadership. I am still two courses shy of completion.
After
four years of trying to figure out what I was going to get my degree in at KU,
I declared Professional Writing as a major and graduated with two minors in
Public Relations and Speech Communication. I have also obtained a M.Ed. in
Student Affairs in Higher Education from KU.
Are you married? Single? Have any children?
My husband and I have one child, Sawyer, who is almost 9 years old. Sawyer is
the joy of our lives and wants to be a scientist and preacher when he grows up.
After that he’d like to be a paleontologist and then he says he’ll play golf.
What a vast array of jobs. :-) I’m going to give you a shotgun
list of favorites. List your favorite in each category and then tell us in one
sentence why it is your favorite.
Favorite
Song of All-Time: Good, Good Father
Chris Tomlin is a favorite artist of mine,
but this song just reminds me no matter what my circumstances that my Father is
Good.
Favorite
Non-Fiction Book (other than your own & besides the Bible): Breaking Free by Beth Moore
Breaking Free was one of the first
non-fiction, Christian Living books that I read as a new-believer, and it’s
stuck with me.
Favorite
Bible Verse:
Ephesians 3:20
I have seen God reveal this verse to me
over and over again in the ministry He has given me to steward and in my own
circumstances.
Favorite
Movie:
Pride and Prejudice.
I have probably watched it hundreds of
times
Favorite
Actor or Actress: Huge Anne Hathaway fan
Anne is such an animated actress, and I
love how versatile she is her roles.
Favorite
Novel: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
The love of God is overwhelming as it is
but to hear it through the message of Hosea.
Favorite Author
(other than you): Beth Moore
Because I was saved under Beth Moore’s
ministry, she has become like a Momma to me in the faith, and I get discipled by
her through her writing. God has used
her in a powerful way in my life over and over again.
Favorite
Sport:
Tennis – played in high school
I played from freshman to senior year
going to Regionals twice for doubles.
Favorite
Team (Can be any sport, any level): University of Alabama. Roll Tide.
Favorite
Subject in School Growing Up: English and Criminal Justice
I always loved my English classes, but as I
went into high school, criminal justice and the criminal mind became more
intriguing to me.
Favorite
Subject Now:
British History
I love period movies and shows, especially
ones that depict the monarchy. British is my favorite, but I do enjoying
learning about others as well.
Favorite
Teacher in School: Miss Angelo
She was my sixth grade homeroom teacher
and English teacher. She always saw the potential in me, even when I couldn’t
see it in myself.
Favorite
Time of the Year: Fall
I love it when the air cools, the leaves
start to change and the landscape becomes bright and colorful.
Favorite
Place to Vacation: The Beach
Growing up not far from the Jersey Shore,
I am a beach girl through and through.
Favorite
Drink:
I’m a coffee lover
Put me in a coffee bar, and I am near to
heaven. Love me some coffee.
Favorite
Food:
Sushi
I could eat Sushi once a week but now I
save it for the times that I want to celebrate something that the Lord has
done.
For all the pet
lovers out there, answer this question: Do you have any?
I used to have two dogs and one cat. Unfortunately,
we found out my husband and myself were allergic. Though I did enjoy them, the
freedom that I have without them outweighs my need to have the critters in my
home.
What makes you
cringe?
Lack of care
for the dignity of human beings. As an advocate for the poor in my community (I
am the executive director of a ministry to low-income families), it can get me
pretty fired up when I hear people refer to those in poverty as “those people.”
It almost sounds like they are second-class citizens. But God made us all in
His image, so we should never refer to any other human being in such a tone.
Well said. Everybody seems to
have a bucket list. Do you? If so, what’s on it? If not, why not?
Oh,
I most certainly do have a bucket list. Two of my big ones on there are
returning to England again to tour the countryside. I want to visit locations
where Pride and Prejudice was filmed, visit Jane Austen’s home, stay in the
hotel near where Downton Abbey was filmed and tour the castles and great homes
in the area. After that I would want to extend my journey to Scotland and
Ireland, and then to the rest of Europe to do the same.
I also want to visit Seattle, Oregon to visit the Fish
Market, visit and eat in the Space Needle, and have coffee at the original
Starbucks.
My wife and I have been on a British/Irish/Scottish/Welsh crime drama binge of late. We've been watching shows on Netflix like Broadchurch, Shetland, Hinterland, and Wallander (although it's set in Sweden and based on novels by a Swedish author, it has British actors and actresses in it...even "Loki" from The Avengers and Inspector Lestrade from Sherlock). Because of this, we now want to visit those places in the British Isles more than we already did. So, we get it.
When the words aren’t
flowing, what is your favorite comfort food and why?
I have a huge
sweet tooth. So I tend to grab for sugary treats, which feel like a bit of a
burst of energy too. Last night I was writing and ended up nibbling on some sour-filled Twizzlers, they are just enough zing to keep me going.
If your life was a story,
and you were the lead character, what kind of role would you play?
I think I would be the underdog. My life has been
filled with one challenge after another and each time I have learned (with and
without God) how to press through. However, since coming to know the Lord at
age 26, while going through a divorce, I realized going through these
challenges with God is way more comforting and strengthening than without.\
If you had one person you could
meet (think outside the Bible here) and could spend as much time as you wanted
with that individual, who would it be?
Beth Moore is the first person that comes to mind. I was saved by her ministry
nearly 17 years ago and she is still one of the women in my life that I
constantly look to for biblical wisdom.
If you had one person you could
meet (think ONLY Bible characters here) and could spend as much time as you wanted
with that individual, who would it be besides Jesus?
Hmm. This is hard. I have two favorites,
my go to guys are Moses and Paul. I would love to hear more from them for
different reasons. But because my life has been one challenge after another, I
relate to Job on so many levels. So I think my final answer would be Job
because I would want to hear the rest of the story. How did he stay close to
God, what did he learn from his trials, what would he have done differently.
What’s the craziest thing you have
ever done?
Cliff jumping is the first thing to come
to mind. I was in college and of course, all the “cool kids” were doing it. Ha.
I had a boyfriend who loved it and wanted me to go with him. Well, I did and
never thought I would actually take the leap, but I did, and it was
exhilarating.
Why do you live where you live?
I am a Yankee living in the deep south.
The only two things that could lead me to live her were my God and my man. So
when my husband started to talk about wanting to start a church in his
hometown, I started asking God whether it was His will for us to move. Over
time God not only laid on my heart the desire to move, but gave me a passion to
love the people of Cullman, AL. So when the church launched and closed within 6
months, I knew the reason we were here was greater than a local church. That
was 8 years ago, and I can’t imagine myself living anywhere else. This is home.
We know “Readers are leaders, and
leaders are readers.” Is there a book you’ve read in the past five years or so that
has helped you become a better you? If so, which one was it, and how did it
affect your life?
The book that has had the biggest impact
on me in the last year is A Secret to a
Wife’s Happiness by Jen Weaver. This book taught me how I was supposed to
be responding to my husband in the area of submission. Most of the time as
women we are told we need to do it, but its rare, if ever, that we hear someone
explain how to do it and what it looks like on a daily basis. Jen Weaver
accomplished that and in doing so gave me the “ah-ha” I needed to start
responding to my husband differently.
When you look for a new home, what
are the things that are important to you?
Aesthetically pleasing to the eye, has a layout that is conducive to our
family’s activities, only needing a little renovation, and that we can live
well within our means with the payment.
When you look for a new car, what
are the things that are important to you?
Comfort, style, and functionality are my
big three.
When you are looking for a book to
read, what are the things that are important to you?
Book reading can happen in many
different ways for me. Sometimes I read a book because of its cover sometimes
because I know or have heard great things about the author. Other times is
purely the subject matter and my desire to learn or improve in that area. Or
just for the pure entertainment of the book.
But I would say more often than not, a book cover does help me to make a
decision to purchase, unless I know for sure the content within is better than
the cover itself.
What Bible scripture has impacted
your life the most, and why?
Isaiah 61:1-3 were the scripture verses
that my husband and I originally felt called with when we moved from
Cincinnati, OH to Cullman, AL. Today I
feel like God is using me in that capacity in this community and now, through
my book and beyond. Although there are many other scriptures that have impacted
my life these are the verses that I believe God is transforming my life upon so
that I can be used for His kingdom.
Besides the usual things authors
face, has there been an unusual event that changed your perspective about being
an author?
Writing for me has been a challenge since college. When I was about to graduate
I had to turn in a portfolio of my work to my Senior Thesis professor. In doing
so, he was going to grade me and let me know whether or not I had a chance in
this field. I had not been a professional writing major all five (yes, I was a
five-year student) years of college and therefore had a tough time coming up
with pieces over the last several years to add into my portfolio. However, when
my I met with my professor for my review, his words stung me and changed me
forever. He said, “This is just what we thought. You do not have any potential
in this field and you will never be a published author. No one will ever pay
you for your work. You should find another career altogether.”
That
was many years ago, and God has done much to redeem those words meant for my
harm. But the change for me was as I was writing Like Me or Not, it hit me that
my writing this book was not a want to anymore, it was a had too. I was not
longer going to worry about what other people thought, what my professor said,
or whether or not the writing would be published. As I wrote I could sense the
power of God in the words and I knew that someone else needed what I was
sharing. It was in that moment that everything changed. It wasn’t for me or
about me anymore, it was for someone else.
Of all the
stories/books you have written, which one is your favorite? And what compelled
you to write this story?
Well, since Like Me or Not is my first published
book, it is of course my favorite. But I do believe God had a MUCH larger
purpose in it for me than just getting out my journey and His truth on the
written page.
As the founder of The Link of Cullman County, I struggled
with people-pleasing, insecurities, and fear of rejection. For God to complete
His vision for the community I had to get in alignment with His Word trusting
and obeying Him, rather than worrying about man at every turn. I was a
foreigner (a Yankee) in this small southern community, a woman, and I knew next
to no one. I was the last person on God’s green earth that should be pursuing
this vision to minister to the poor. But God had another plan. It was our
five-year anniversary and we were celebrating all that we had done. I did a
one-take video of all God had accomplished through our volunteers, staff, board,
and of course the thousands of people who were brave enough to start learning a
new way to live. It was then that it hit me, what if I had said no. What if I
allowed the fears of men to triumph over following God.
That is when I knew I had to write the book. I realized
other people may be facing the same struggle of trying to overcome their fears
of rejection and need for approval to do the dream God had called them to do
compelled me to write for them and for the kingdom. Because really, when I do
what I was created to do and you do what God created you to do, it’s then that
we see the body of Christ acting, moving, and loving the way that it should.
As a writer, if you
had one thing you would do over again, what would it be?
I would have
taken more time to review the final edit of my book. The timeline of my final
edit of Like Me or Not felt really rushed. I think I will read the entire book
out loud prior to submitting to the publisher. There are places that the same
word repeats itself (and in two close of corners) that I wish I had changed
prior to it being published. It’s not the end of the world, but when I catch
them it is super obvious to me.
Tell us about what
project you are currently working on.
Currently I
am working on another book that will address our need to sacrifice our comforts
and walk in obedience if we want to see God use us here on planet earth.
Tell us about your
writing day. How do you go about writing?
When I am in book writing mode I sacrifice sleep,
Netflix, lunches. Whatever I can possibly give up I do. I will then get up
earlier, go to bed later, and write through every other opportunity that I can
get during those times. I am taking my edits with me to the nail salon
(pedicures are a great time to re-read what you wrote), doctors visits, and any
other time I am in a waiting pattern.
But since I run a blog and write copy for our ministry, I am
pretty much writing daily. However, I still have to carve out time in my
schedule to do these because I need time to be creative in a quiet setting,
which is not my norm.
Knowing what you know
now about writing, publishing, etc., what piece of advice would you give to the
person thinking about writing that novel they have always wanted to pursue
since they were young, or the person who believes they have a non-fiction book
in them that would be helpful to others?
The
publishing field is constantly changing and now there are various ways you can
get your writing out to the public. But those ways take a lot of hard work and
commitment. In recognizing that I think it is important that you ask yourself
and the Lord some questions. Is this for you or is it for someone else? If it
never published will you be okay with that as an outcome? How hard are you
willing to work to get it published? When I say that what I mean is, are you
willing to sacrifice time, financial resources, and sometimes relationships to
accomplish this goal? Answering these will tell you whether or not this is the
time for you to go for it.
Basically how badly do you want it or feel like it needs to
be read by more than you and your Mom? If you say really bad, then go for it.
If you are excited but have other areas of life that are pulling you, then
focus on those for now.
Has your writing crossed
over into other areas? If so, how? If not, will it?
Yes, it has already crossed over. I have written
articles, I am working on a devotional, and possibly a children’s version of
the book. My son and I have been “working” on a middle-grade series of books. We
are at the very beginning stages of this, writing book one. But learning
fiction writing is a change of pace. I don’t walk around with characters in my
head so I am really trying to pull the characters and their stories from an
eight-year old's mind and get them down on paper.
How do you come up
with the names for your characters?
Right now they are purely coming from my son’s brain
and when we come to a new character, I allow him to name them.
Is
there anything else you’d like to share with our readers about you, or anything
we didn’t cover?
My
writing journey has been one of redemption. My life has been much like Joseph’s
in God giving me a heart for writing at a young age and the devil trying to
steal it from me.
Dawn, I want to thank you for taking the time to stop by and allow our readers to get to know you. May God bless your ministry in Cullman and your writing ministry.
Dear Reader, if you wish to find out more about Dawn, you can find her at the following locations:
Website: http://www.dawnmowens.com
Until next time, may God bless you, and may you bless God!
Kevin
www.ckevinthompson.com
When visiting Kevin's website, don't forget to subscribe to Kevin's e-mail newsletter to get updates on new book releases, book signing events, and more! The form is located at the bottom of the home page!
When visiting Kevin's website, don't forget to subscribe to Kevin's e-mail newsletter to get updates on new book releases, book signing events, and more! The form is located at the bottom of the home page!
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