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Featured Inspirational Author |
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Writing on the Wings of Grace An Interview with Vanessa Davis Griggs by Pam Kingsbury |
Photo credit: Jim Bradshaw |
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In many ways, Vanessa Davis Griggs’ life is much like that of her characters. She understands what it means to have a good work ethic, to get knocked down and get back up, and to trust her instincts. Her innate spirituality and passionate nature form both her personal and writing life.
What have you been doing since Southern Scribe's last interview with you? Oh wow, a lot has transpired since our last interview. BET Books/New Spirit (their inspirational imprint) acquired the rights to my originally self-published novel, Promises Beyond Jordan. I signed a two-book deal with them and they re-released Promises Beyond Jordan with a new cover February 2004. My second release, Wings of Grace, hit the stands February 2005. I’m still writing, speaking, and enjoying what I do with great passion. Tell readers about the connection between PROMISES BEYOND JORDAN and WINGS OF GRACE. Do you anticipate writing a third novel in the series? Wings of Grace begins where Promises Beyond Jordan left off. Because I’m not fond of reruns, any follow-up of a book I do has to be fresh with some new faces and new things happening just to keep me engaged and excited as I pen it. You will recognize some characters from Promises Beyond Jordan in Wings of Grace, but many of the new players are “characters” indeed! I have learned from early feedback of Wings of Grace that you can actually read it without having read Promises Beyond Jordan. But if you read (or have read) Promises Beyond Jordan first, you’re going to be in for a treat, witnessing a few characters’ evolutions. I do anticipate a third and even fourth novel in what has now taken off to become an inspiring series. Has the act of writing become any easier with practice? with publication? with acclaim? Practice does make one better, no matter the task at hand. I’m a strange type of writer when it comes to my personal writing process. I don’t write every day in the sense of sitting down at the keyboard, but my method of formulating situations and scenarios in my head, observing, and jotting down thoughts and scenes when they flood my soul, all are part of writing for me. Publication can add some pressure when you’re writing the next book if more people have a hand and a stake in it. In my case, I don’t care to write a book just to write one. If I can’t create a story that I believe will be my best work to date, I’m not going to just cookie-cut a story to make money or meet someone else’s assigned deadline. The passion in and for the book, begins with me. If I’m not feeling it, I don’t do it. With acclaim? I’m still Vanessa who has big dreams, and I am honored when people read my work. People don’t have to pick it up or read it, you know. My desire is always to give my best in whatsoever things I do. How did you get "hooked-up" with BET? Talk about the experience. Your reaction. I published Promises Beyond Jordan under my own press (self-published). It was selling okay when the senior editor at BET Books read it and called my publishing company’s number in January 2003 to get my personal number so she could get in touch with me. When she discovered I was one in the same, she told me how much she enjoyed Promises Beyond Jordan and she wanted to talk with me about possibly acquiring it. She offered me a two-book deal, which made way for Wings of Grace to hit the scene through them. Do you see yourself as writing for any one particular market? Since I’ve acquired a reputation for writing in multiple genres simultaneously, I don’t see my style changing. It’s just part of my DNA. I like to write the way we as people live life. There are multiple aspects to our lives; I think in order for fiction to ring true, it should mirror real life. There will always be some aspects of Christian, mystery/suspense, possibly sprigs of history, romance, and multicultural in my work. All of this works for me. It keeps me from being bored.
What's been the most pleasant/least pleasant experience in promoting your
work? How difficult is it to convincingly write about faith? It’s not difficult for me to write about faith because it’s part of my make-up. You have to be careful when using the word faith though, because I think all people have faith. There are some who have faith that they can do, and they do. There are some who have faith that they can’t do, and they don’t. Both are faith; both are working. People must be alert when using faith. Now faith in God is what I love, and that’s easy for me to write about because I know how we are as people. We all face challenges at one time or another and things may not always work out the way we would like. Then there are other times when we know that we know that we know! Now that’s a faith to “write home” about.
Did you start WINGS OF GRACE with an image, a character, or a plot device in
mind? Which comes first for you?
Who are your influences? What would you still like to be asked about your work? Yourself? What motivates you? That would be the question. What makes me keep going when I have so many reasons (justifiably so) to quit? What motivates me is my knowing that others believe in me; that they are cheering me on. My relationship with God who lets me know He is faithful. I love when I know He has told me something, and I watch Him do what—to the world—seems most likely impossible. I figure if God believed in me so much that He chose me, the least I can do is listen to what He says and follow His every lead. My other motivation is knowing others are watching me, and I want them to see me continuing on in genuine faith. I want someone who desires to embark on a thing (or if they already have), and they feel like quitting because it’s tough, to look at me and say: If she did it, so can I. I want to make a positive difference in someone else’s life, other than just my own. Trust me: When I do what I do, it’s not always about me. Vanessa Griggs Interview with Southern Scribe in 2003
© 2005, Pam Kingsbury, All Rights Reserved |
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