The Hot Author Report

Interview with Susie Larson – Author of Embracing Your Freedom: A Personal Experience of God’s Heart of Justice

With enthusiasm, humor, and conviction, author/speaker Susie Larson has spoken to thousands of women locally, nationally, and internationally. She just finished writing her sixth book, “Growing Grateful Kids”, which, releases in March of 2010. Susie has been interviewed on radio stations across the country and serves as a regular guest host for Along the Way (A two-hour talk radio show on Faith Radio-900 AM).

Website: www.susielarson.com

Q: It’s rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a ‘real’ job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you’ve had in your life? Have they influenced/inspired your writing?

I work full time as an author, speaker, and on-call radio host. Most of my time goes to writing and speaking although that could change in the coming year. We are in the discussion phases of a daily radio talk show, which I am excited about, but this would significantly change how I invest and commit my time.

Prior to stepping into full time ministry, I was a fitness instructor over the course of fifteen years. During that time I also coordinated a couple of different fitness programs and traveled nationally to train other instructors. Believe it or not, my work in fitness has really helped me in radio. As an instructor you learn how to step up and be ‘on’ whether you feel like it or not. You learn to think on your feet and respond instinctively to different scenarios. Both are important skills to have in radio.

The life experience that most prepared me as a writer was the time spent in the valley of suffering. We’ve walked through some pretty painful seasons in our early years of marriage (high risk pregnancies, babies in the hospital, Lyme disease, cancer, and financial hardship as a result). For a while there, I thought God had lost my address. But I found Him in the deepest places of my pain. In the lowest place of my valley, I picked up a journal and poured out my heart, my questions, and my prayers on paper. I still journal today.

Q: What compelled you to write your first book?

The title of my very first book is, Mercy in the Wilderness: A Selfish Heart a Faithful God. I self-published that book because of its memoir-like style; I wrote it for a very specific audience: those who hear me speak, hear my story, and as a result, want to buy my book. After researching the publishing process, I knew self-publishing was the route I needed to take with this book. Mercy in the Wilderness is now in its third printing and sells itself at conferences when I tell my story.

Q: Tell us briefly about your newest book, Embracing Your Freedom.

I would love to!

While our culture places great emphasis on comfort, security, control, and success, there are deeper rewards for those who take hold of God’s promises and reach out in the Name of Christ. Adventure, faith, miracles, and a deep knowledge of Jesus Christ.

When we live in bondage to our fears, insecurities, shame, guilt, despair, or sinful appetites, we live self-focused lives. But when we embrace our freedom in Christ, our hearts are released from captivity and we view everything around us—our relationships, resources, responsibilities, and opportunities—as tools to bring that same freedom to those who desperately need it. This book is for the woman who wants to grow stronger in her walk of faith and who wants to gain a greater view of God’s heart for the world. And it’s to this we are called. May she be provoked, to be as free as God meant her to be. And as a result, may she become an advocate for the freedoms of others.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

Thanks for asking! This March (2010) my next book releases and is titled, “Growing Grateful Kids: Teaching Them to Appreciate an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Places.” We live in a day when kids ooze selfishness, entitlement, and disrespect. This book encourages moms (and grand-moms) to instill gratitude, honor, and humility into our children. And even though it’s critical that we do so, it’s not difficult. I am very excited about this book and I’m looking forward to my speaking tour this spring.

Q: How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?

You know I felt different after each first experience. When my self-published book released, we had a book release party with lots of friends and ministry partners. That was a big first step for me and I was quite excited to be moving in the right direction with my dream. When my devotional journal released, I didn’t really celebrate but I was excited about the opportunity. It was my first contracted project (not counting my published articles), although my contract was with a stationary publisher, not a mainstream publisher.

For me, the really big first was when I published Balance That Works When Life Doesn’t: Simple Steps to a Woman’s Physical and Spiritual Health (Harvest House Publishers). This was my first CBA contract and was a very big deal to me. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was giving my son a haircut when I my agent called me with the good news. I ran around the house; I jumped up and down and I cheered. I ran upstairs to call my husband (who, by the way, came home with a dozen roses). My poor son sat there with a partial haircut until I came to my senses again.

Q: What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write? Do you need the noise or the silence?

Depending on my mood, I like soothing classical music or just silence. I like to write by the fireplace; it’s a peaceful place to be.

Q: How do you balance out the writer’s life and the rest of life? Do you get up early? Stay up late? Ignore friends and family for certain periods of time?

Ha. That’s a great question. Years ago I went through a major burnout. I took what I learned from that time, and wrote the book I referenced a moment ago titled, Balance That Works When Life Doesn’t: Simple Steps to a Woman’s Physical and Spiritual Health (Harvest House Publishers). I’ve applied the principles from that book for years and this has helped me keep the main things the main things.

To answer your specific questions, I do get up early (between 5:15-6:15 am). I spend a significant time in prayer, reading the Bible, and journaling. I work out (very hard) several times a week. These two commitments keep me energized and focused so I can give myself away in the ways God asks me to.

When I have an upcoming deadline, my friends know that I’ll be off the radar for a while. We still connect through email and the occasional phone call, but it’s different because my social life mostly gets put on hold until the manuscript is finished. I have great friends and they pray me through these seasons.

Q: When they write your obituary, what do you hope they will say about your book/s and writing? What do you hope they will say about you?

If I’m known for anything, I want to be known for knowing Christ. I want to be remembered as someone whose passions revolved around my relationship with Him. My heart for the hurting, the broken, and the slave all come from Him. My heart for attempting the impossible and believing for the inconceivable, come from Him. My refusal to be defined by painful memories and experiences that I might become the person God intended me to be, comes from Him.

As an author, speaker, occasional radio host, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend (and so on), I want to be remembered as someone who inspired countless others to live out this same God-given call.

Q: Is there anyone who has inspired, motivated, encouraged or supported your writing?

Hands down, my husband is the one who has most supported and encouraged me. I started out as speaker for women’s retreats and conferences, but deep in my heart I longed to write books as well. It seemed like an impossible dream. I remember the day he approached me and handed me a Dictaphone and pointed me to our family computer. I said, “What’s this about?” He said, “It’s time for you to start writing your first book. You’ll never start if you don’t start now. Start writing. Start recording your thoughts. It’s time to start moving towards your dream.” We had three active boys at the time and not a lot of money. Moreover, I hadn’t the foggiest idea of where to start, but start, I did. From there, we scraped together enough money to send me to my first writer’s conference. And the rest is history. I love my husband.

Q: Is there anything you’d go back and do differently now that you have been published, in regards to your writing career?

I believe I was on track with God’s best timing for me with regards to publishing books. But here’s one thing I wish I had done differently: in those earlier years, I was a little shy about assembling a mailing list and acquiring email addresses. It all seemed too self-promoting to me to ask for emails when I didn’t even have a book to offer. Nowadays you have blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and a host of other ways to communicate with your subscribers. Even if you don’t have a book to offer your subscribers, you can stay connected with them. It’s important to establish your platform in a consistent, professional way.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

I wrote my latest book, Embracing Your Freedom out of a burning desire to see Christians set free from fears, past mistakes, insecurities, personal hang ups, and other’s opinions. God has made it possible for us to be free from everything that binds us, and for a specific reason. We are called to be world-changers. We have it written in our spiritual DNA to minister that same freedom to others. Since we live in a wealthy nation, it’s easy to medicate our pain and prop ourselves up with things that keep us comfortable in our captivity. But as a result, we end up living small, insignificant lives.

Embracing Your Freedom calls Believers out of ‘ Self-preserving-Western-Suburban Christianity’ into a powerful life of risk-taking, freedom, significance and influence.

It is my prayer that your readers will embrace their own call to absolute freedom, that they might become the world-changers God intended them to be. Pick up a copy of my book, Embracing Your Freedom and let me know what you think! God’s blessings to you all!

Connect with Susie:

Susie’s Books and CD’s: http://www.susielarson.com/store/

Susie’s Website: http://www.susielarson.com/

Weekly Devotional Blog: http://susielarsonblog.typepad.com/

Every Wednesday I post a devotional blog. Once a month I give away a $10.00 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. Stop by and check it out!

Quarterly E-zine: http://www.susielarson.com/contact/

Four times a year I send out a quarterly E-zine with book giveaways from my fellow author friends, a devotional insight, book recommendations, and ministry updates. People love this E-zine!

Monthly post on Christian Author’s Network Blog: http://canblog.typepad.com/

On the last Thursday of each month I write a post on the different aspects of establishing a speaking platform. Check it out!

Susie’s Speaking Itinerary: http://www.susielarson.com/schedule/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/deeperlifeinchrist