Love and Forgiveness Blog Tour

 About the Author

LaShawnda Jones is currently living and thriving in New York City. Her prior work includes an autobiographical devotional, My God and Me: Listening, Learning and Growing on My Journey and an autobiographical volume of poetry, Cliches: A Life in Verse. LaShawnda’s writing and publishing work ranges from poetry, to blogging, to designing an annual full-figured fashion calendar. She was a contributor to a daily political blog during the last presidential election and an anthology of letters addressed to First Lady Michelle Obama.

LaShawnda’s current work is a series of short books, focusing on foundational Biblical principles. The series is called the MeatyWord series. The first volume, The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness, will be available January 2011.

LaShawnda’s life is an illustration of transition – constant movement and growth from one point to another. She is ecstatic about moving forward on her journey with the LORD. She continues to grow stronger in her faith, wiser in her knowledge and more loving to people as she seeks to mirror exactly the Christ in her.

To keep up with LaShawnda’s journey, subscribe to her blog at http://www.mygodandme.info/blog/.

Welcome to APOOO, LaShawnda Jones!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a lovable and loving service oriented child of God. That’s the first time I summed myself up that way, but I will be reusing it!

I have sensitivity for people that leave me open in very painful ways. Navigating my sensitivity has lead to this most fantastic journey of discovering and chasing God and continuing to pursue a relationship with Him.

I write because I love writing. For the past few years, my writing has become a form of service to my Lord. That service has evolved into a ministry of love.

Communication is huge with me. It allows connection and relationship. Believing that, makes me rather talkative, but it also makes me an excellent listener – and, as it turns out, a very good writer!

Tell us why The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness would make a great addition to our personal library.

Who doesn’t need love and forgiveness? The fact that we all need love and forgiveness makes this book valuable to anyone who picks it up. We all need a better understanding of the processes involved in loving and forgiving each other in our relationships. The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness breaks down the processes involved and outlines the benefits of the Biblical principles of love, repentance and forgiveness. It’s essentially a Bible study that can work both as an introduction to Christianity and as a building block to the Believer.  

Tell us about The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness.

The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness (Love & Forgiveness for short) is a study of the Biblical life principles of love, repentance, forgiveness, communication, asking, receiving and receiving. It also illustrates how to apply the principles to everyday life. Love & Forgiveness is straightforward and very heavy on quoting the Word of God as given in the Holy Bible. It’s an application study that holds value for someone new to Christianity as well as a Christian who may feel their learning days are done.

How did you come up with the premise for your book title?

The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness is the first book of the MeatyWord Series, a collection of Bible studies I am writing over the course of the next two years.

There are many things I find hard to understand in my faith and love walk with God. What I’ve noticed, for myself, is that understanding has come in pieces, here and there, because the teachings weren’t connected.

My goal for the MeatyWord Series is to connect the dots and layer principles and concepts in a way that will assist the reader with applying the principles discussed, in this case love and forgiveness, in their physical life.

Did you have to do quite a bit of research for this book?

Yes and no. Primarily, I read the Bible. I do that on a regular basis anyway, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary. However, I was writing about some very deep topics and didn’t want my own experiences and opinions to overshadow the pure message of the Word, so I read a lot of commentary on the topics in order to keep my voice as neutral as possible and balance my delivery. I want the reader to be able to see that it’s God’s Word and not just something LaShawnda said. 

Tell us about the main character(s) in The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness.

God, you and your significant others are the main characters in The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness. The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness is a relationship book derived from God’s character and nature overall. We have the option to model our life and relationships on the examples He has provided in His word, The Holy Bible.

What are some of the main themes you portray in The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness? 

Love, repentance, forgiveness, acceptance and communication are the main themes in The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness. They are all defined in Biblical context and contrasted occasionally to popular culture.

What do you hope readers will learn/discover from reading The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness?

I hope readers realize our interpersonal relationships are replicas of our relationship with God. In the process of working on our relationship with God, we greatly improve the state of our interpersonal relationships. God is love and His love is intended to flow through us to others. When we do wrong, we should repent to God and to the person we harmed. When we are asked for forgiveness from a person who has repented of their wrong against us, we should willingly give it.   Communication eases the tension of the process of building and maintaining our relationships on love, repentance and forgiveness.

What makes The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness different from other books in the marketplace?

 I haven’t really read similar books, so I can’t adequately compare. What makes it a great book in the marketplace is its truthful message, its readability and the ease of application it outlines. 

What genre is The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness and who is the target audience?

The genre is Christian Living and Relationships.  I know it’s taboo to say, but EVERYONE is the target audience. Anyone can pick this book up and reap life-altering benefits.

What lessons have you learned about the publishing industry?

 The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that if I want my voice to be heard I need to not only speak, but I also need to build the platform from which I can be most effectively heard. I’m not main stream and I don’t think I have a desire to be. My message would not be effective if it was watered-down and commercialized. So for me, independent publishing is a good route, primarily because it provides the freedom of expression that I value.

Okay, a not-so-fun question. How important are reviews to you as a writer? 

Reviews are nice, but I don’t write for them. However, I do listen to reader feedback.

I had a number of discussions for my last book and quite a few comments on my Facebook page. Everything was sincerely complimentary, but I “heard” that I had room for improvement in my presentation. Readers thought I had too much information in My God and Me (my last book). But they also thought it was an excellent value for what they paid for it (15.00 for nearly 300 pages of small print text and deep messages). The substantive messages were so dense that nearly everyone I heard from said they had to put the book down at stages and reflect on their own lives before continuing on with the reading. That’s excellent feedback for a writer. But the practical piece of information I took from the comments was that I overwhelmed readers with my desire to say everything at once.  

In an effort to accommodate my readers, The MeatyWord Series will consist of books focused on specific topics. Each book will be around 200 pages or less with larger text and multiple line spacing. I was an avid reader long before I was a writer, so I understand the desire to have an all around pleasant reading experience.

 So, to me, reader reviews are important in that they improve my process, presentation and delivery.

What can readers expect from you in the future? 

My next three books in the MeatyWord Series will be on healing, spiritual worship and faith. I am looking forward to getting started on those!   I maintain a blog, where readers can get a more frequent good word from me. Please visit www.mygodandme.info/blog .

Where can visitors find you online?

All over! My books are available for purchase on my website and blog as well as www.amazon.com and www.bn.com. The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness is priced at $12.00 plus S/H.

Website: www.mygodandme.info

Blog: www.mygodandme.info/blog

Page: www.facebook.com/mygodandme

Excerpts: www.scribd.com/LaShawnda

Updates: www.twitter.com/ldjonsey

 Is there anything else you would like to share with APOOO readers?

It has been an honor and pleasure being featured on APOOO! Thank you!

The Process of Asking for, Receiving and Giving Love & Forgiveness can be purchased at www.bn.com and www.amazon.com. There will also be limited stock available through my website, www.mygodandme.info for those readers who want their copy signed and/or inscribed with a special message.

If readers are interested in obtaining more information on my work or keeping up with my blog they can subscribe to www.mygodandme.info/blog and friend me on www.facebook.com/mygodandme.

Also, my last book, titled My God and Me: Listening, Learning and Growing on My Journey is available at www.bn.com and www.amazon.com

About the Book 

Love & Forgiveness is the first of a six volume pocket book series called the MeatyWord Series. Each volume of the series will focus on a very essential Biblical principle and its application in our daily lives.

In Love & Forgiveness, love and forgiveness are defined Biblically and then contrasted with worldly use. The book explores what love is, what love does, how love feels, the importance of repentance and forgiveness and the benefits of both.

For More Information

Visit the author online at:
www.mygodandme.info

View the blog tour schedule at : 

http://bit.ly/SteppinIntotheGoodLife

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