This is a question authors get hear all the time. Today my guest blogger, Naty Matos, shares her answer. Welcome Naty!
This is a very interesting question. I write both fiction and non-fiction. For the non-fiction side, I like to write about the reality of life. I think as human beings we spend too much time worried about the wrong things and wasting life that could be used in what really matters. Guilty as charged, I used to be a repeated offender and still every now and again I have relapses. A society filled with addictions, and compulsions tells me that we take each other too serious or not serious enough.
I like to show the lighter side of life. I remember the pastor at a church I used to attend who said that if the joy of life was taken out of you by your dirty floors, start looking at the ceiling. I’m sure that he didn’t mean that we should live in filth, but at the end of the day spending twenty extra minutes with your family it’s more important than vacuuming the floor right this minute. And, that it’s easier to turn on some music and sing like a lunatic in traffic instead of having a stroke trying to yell at the car next to yours. I promise you the traffic will not move any faster, and you will do better without a stroke.
God created us for a purpose, and I don’t think we do enough to pursue that purpose, not understanding that when we tap into it, life feels so right. We believe we’re unequipped to do anything for others. I know; I have felt that way, and then I have to realize that I don’t equip myself, He does it for me. There’s so much that we can do, and we don’t realize it, something as simple as a smile to that knucklehead co-worker that is always grunting, trust me, give it time and prayer. He or she will change. Besides it must be very miserable to have an ulcer from being angry all the time. These are some of the things I highlight on my book Growth Lessons, including how the Word of God supports these principles.
On the fiction side of my writing, I like to write about life tragedies. With that I’m not saying that tragedy is fun or needs to be glorified, but it’s a reality of our lives. In the midst of the pain brought by our misfortunes many stay stuck and miss the opportunities that each life experience brings. Getting past the pain is not easy, but very possible. There’s not a single human being who cannot overcome something, but they need the right tools and the desire to do so.
Having had a share of difficulties in my life and seeing how God was there every step of the way, I can’t do anything but share that there’s hope and light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how bad it looks now. My fictional stories are filled with raw emotions, some graphic situations that are very real in our society: sexual abuse, domestic violence, divorce, losses, addictions, but with the hope that there is always a way out to a better life. Am I an eternal optimist? Not in the any sense of the word. But I’ve had the opportunity to see with my own eyes lives being transformed by the touch of the Lord, and it would be so selfish of me to hold that in and not share it.
For example, my next book, “The Door Home” which will be released in the spring of 2012, is the story of a woman looking for love in all the wrong places and suffering the consequences from her decisions. After overcoming several life obstacles with the help of her best friend, she finally finds the true love of her life, but she can’t be with him just yet. She needs to figure out a personal dilemma to be able to be with her lover forever. The door home is the journey, she endures to open that door that will take her home to her beloved.
I share with people from all walks of life whose pain has kept them from receiving the love of God, and it grieves my heart. Through my writing, I think I can show that even in those dark places, there’s a ray of sunshine that was designed specifically for them. I certainly don’t have all the answers; I can only share what has worked for me and I can also show them the way to the one who does have all the answers.
Join Naty Matos and 9 of her author friends at Women’s Literary Cafe’s Christian Book Launch, December 13-15. Ten authors will discount their eBooks to just 99 cents. Buy 3 get 1 FREE!
http://www.womensliterarycafe.com/content/december-2011-book-launches
About Naty Matos
Naty Matos was born in the city ofNew York, from Puerto Rican descendant parents. She grew up in the beautifulIslandofPuerto Ricoand now lives in the city ofAtlanta.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical Psychology with a Minor in Mass Media Communications and a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling.
Naty writes Christian fiction and non-fiction. She’s the author of the live changing devotional Growth Lessons. She maintains a blog on Christian Living Topics at www.therisingmuse.com
Growth Lessons on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Growth-Lessons-ebook/dp/B005WZ1BGK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321557564&sr=8-1
Naty Matos on Twitter @natycmatos
Naty Matos on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Naty-Matos/172298772847562
To order Naty’s book via amazon, click on the cover.
About Joy Dekok
“God created us for a purpose, and I don’t think we do enough to pursue that purpose, not understanding that when we tap into it, life feels so right.” — this is SO true. In fact, I experienced this today. I’ve been having to write…needing to write…but God wanted me to write something for Him first. Once I did that, I felt so much better, and now I feel I can conquer anything!
Good for you, Harmony!