Blog Train: Margaret Weston

Today, I'm delighted to participate in the Indie Christian Authors blog train!

What's a blog train? Blogs are cars, and the train is what links us together. The author of the first blog posts about the next, and that continues until the final author posts about the first.

It's a great way to get to know indie authors you may not have heard of (or get to know them better).

What is Indie Christian Authors (ICA)? ICA is a Facebook group for Christian authors. It's one of my favorite groups, and I'm grateful to be one of the admins. Although our main focus is indie (independent / self-published) authors, we also welcome those who have gone (or are going) the traditional route, and those (like me) who fall somewhere in between and use a nontraditional publisher. Our goal is to be a place of support and advice for authors in every stage. You are very welcome to join us!

I have the honor of hosting nonfiction author Margaret Weston.

Tell us about the first book you published. Brief Description, target audience, etc…

This was ‘How do I know I know God?’ I wrote it because I wanted my friends to know Jesus! I have been asked questions by people who don’t believe in God or the Bible, and often felt I didn’t answer them very well. So one day I thought I would write down as many of the questions I could remember that people had asked me, and those I had asked others, about God, the Bible and Christianity. Then I attempted to answer from my own experience and understanding. My idea was that if anyone then asked me anything, I could simply hand over my sheet of ‘questions and answers’!

However, once I had done this I had so much material that I decided to put it in the form of a book. I thought this would be easier to read. Now I could point people to the book when they asked questions in the future! I hoped that maybe a few of my friends would buy it, and that would be the end of the matter.

However, to my absolute amazement, when I used the KDP free promotion tool a couple of months after publishing the book, about 600 people from many different parts of the world downloaded it! I couldn’t believe it. And as I had included an email contact address, people were writing to me with comments and more questions.

So, I then seriously considered having it published. I wrote to a few traditional publishers and two were interested. However, both wanted me to make significant changes, which I was not prepared to do. I then discovered that I could publish via the ‘indie’ route and this has proved to be the perfect solution. I am in control of what I write and what I do, and all the money I make goes to Tearfund – a wonderful Christian charity releasing people from material and spiritual poverty all over the world – www.tearfund.org

What or who inspires you to write? Is there a “real person” you pattern either your protagonist or antagonist after?

Well I suppose it is my friends who inspire me to write because I want to tell them about Jesus! All my books are in a question and answer format because that’s how it all started. The books use real questions from real persons – although obviously no names are given. 

Where do you want to be in your writing career five years from now?

I have no idea! I didn’t plan where I am today and I have no plan for the next five years. All I want to do is to try and do what God wants me to do – whatever that is. After I wrote the first book the others were a continuation of the same conversation. People contacted me with other questions which led to the next two books – ‘How do I know what God wants me to do?’ and then ‘How do I know God answers prayer?’ I don’t have another book in this series planned at the moment, but this may change!

What social media do you use? Which is your favorite and/or most productive? Why?

I put links on facebook and my own website but I don’t try and get followers. I don’t want people to follow me, I want them to follow Jesus!

I have a huge admiration for authors like John Bunyan, Andrew Murray and A W Tozer and have learned so much from reading many of their books. Some people have said my books have a flavour of Socrates, but I’m not too sure about that!

What book project/s are you working on right now? 

At the moment I am concentrating on my Bible Studies – the BSBP series – Bible Studies for Busy People. I have been writing these for my Ladies Group for many years and then I discovered other churches were using them. There seems to be a demand for these short and basic Bible Studies. They suit people who don’t have much time to sit and study the Bible, and yet who want to know more about it. I published three Bible Studies and once again was amazed that they began to sell in many places in the world. I have published eight of these now and plan to continue. This could take me the rest of my life if I cover the entire Bible!!

You can find Margaret's books on Amazon

Margaret's Latest Book 

How Do I Know God Answers Prayer?

“If you have questions about prayer, or if you feel that sometimes God does not answer your prayers, then this book is for you!”

Margaret is on Facebook

Her website: www.howdoiknowbooks.com

And her blog: blog.howdoiknowbooks.com

Next up: Margaret Weston will share about Elinor Ferrars on her blog, How Do I Know Books!