Celebrating Women in Ministry Blog Tour

Vanessa Miller of Dayton , Ohio is an Essence best-selling author, playwright, and motivational speaker. Her stage productions include: Get You Some Business, Don’t Turn Your Back on God, and Can’t You Hear Them Crying and Abundant Rain. To date, Vanessa has written the Rain Series and the Storm Series. The books in the Rain Series are: Former Rain , Abundant Rain, and Latter Rain. The books in the Storm Series are: Rain Storm and Through The Storm . These books have received rave reviews, winning Best Christian Fiction Awards and topping numerous Bestseller’s lists.

Yesterday’s Promise is the first book of a series entitled, Second Chance of Love. Whitaker House plans to release the next two books in October 2010 and January 2011. Visit her online at www.VanessaMiller.com.

Would you say you are an extrovert or introvert?

I am an extrovert. I love being in groups and doing book signings and networking with others. However, the older I get and the more I work from home, I think I’m becoming a bit of an introvert. I have come to enjoy being in my office alone and creating characters. Do you think a person can you be both? J

Do you like to cook? If so, what are your favorite dishes to cook?

I don’t cook much anymore. My daughter is grown and my two grandchildren are too young to appreciate my culinary skills. But I love fixing this pasta dish. It has penne noodles, shrimp, chicken and Alfredo sauce. I also add crushed red peppers and other cheeses. It is delicious! I am also the person in my family charged with cooking the Thanksgiving dinner.

Are you a sports fan? If so, tell us about your favorite sports and/or sports team.

I don’t watch sports at all. During the Super Bowl I do movie night.

Are there any other hobbies you wish to share?

I’m too busy writing and traveling to promote my books to have any hobbies. The only one I can claim is reading and exercising. And I only exercise because I have no choice. I’m really kind of boring.

What movie(s) have you watched recently that you would recommend?

I haven’t watched a lot of movies recently. I’m a big Criminal Minds and Law and Order fan. So I spend my evening on a marathon with either one of them. And then I have to turn on TBN or HGTV so I can go to sleep without dreaming that some serial killer is out to get me. Although I did take my granddaughter to see the Princess and the Frog. I thought the movie was really good, I just didn’t like the voodoo aspect of it.

Do you like books being turned into a movie? If so, what is your favorite book-to-movie?

I love them. I think more books should be turned into movies. I hope someone in Hollywood reads one of my books and decide that it simply must be a movie. I watched a movie in February with Jill Scott that was based on a book. The movie was called Sins of the Mother and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was done very well. Bravo!

If Yesterday’s Promise was turned into a movie who would you cast to play your characters?

I am terrible with actor’s names, but I’m going to say Morris Chestnut for Steven Marks only because I would let Morris Chestnut be in any of my films. Not only is he cute, but he can act also. Now for the woman – let’s see… I think I would choose Taraji Henson for Melinda Johnson. Melinda has a big personality and Taraji Henson seems like she could handle it.

Which social networks do you enjoy the most?

I love Facebook. It makes communicating with my readers and friends so much easier than the other sites in my opinion. I haven’t signed up for Twitter yet. I plan to do that sometime this month. So, I’ll see how I like that social network soon.

What’s next for you?

I have three more books releases this year and another book due into my publisher by September. So 2010 is pretty busy for me. My 2010 titles are as follows:

• Yesterday’s Promise, April 2010
• Forgiven, June 2010
• A Love for Tomorrow, September 2010
• Long time Coming, November 2010

About the Book

Melinda Johnson has always felt called to ministry. So, when her father, Bishop Langston Johnson, decides to step down after thirty years of leadership at Omega Christian Center, it seems only natural for her to take his place. But Bishop Johnson feels led by a God who has other things in mind, and to succeed him, he appoints Steven Marks-a man who is opposed to female pastors, not to mention the fact that he is Melinda’s ex-fiancé.

Feeling defeated, Melinda nevertheless maintains her position as the church’s Missions and Community Outreach Director. Frequent interaction with the new bishop incites bitter sparring-and rekindles long-suppressed attraction, which grows only stronger when Melinda develops a relationship with Steven’s precious daughter, Brianna, who’s still struggling with the death of her mother.

Can Steven and Melinda set aside past pains, forgive each other, and learn to love again? Or will their opposing positions regarding women preachers keep them forever at odds?

A Message from Vanessa

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/WomeninMinistry.

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