B.C. On the back of the book, I wrote that I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, nurse, author, and child of the King. That summarizes my life and everything else that I am involved in. My number one priority is to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Of course my family is my number one priority on this earth. I have been married to the absolute love of my life for 24 years, and we have 2 boys, ages 16 and 11. That in itself is a full-time job, just keeping up with the 3 of them. I am also a full-time RN; I work as a nurse case manager during the day, and share the journey inside my testimony as an author whenever I can - morning, noon, and night.
K.S. Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?
B.C. I think I was an undercover author for many years prior to realizing my gift as an author. I have always been a writer, but never formally confessed it until this book. The hardest part was actually finding the time to write. Writing was easy and came very naturally. The ideas and thoughts flooded my mind, and I had to find time to keep up with what I was thinking and get everything down on paper.
K.S. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?
B.C. I wrote the book after being divinely inspired by the Lord to share my testimony with others. The book is obviously based on my faith, and I wrote it well aware that not everyone would share my faith, but I am sharing my faith with anyone who chooses to believe. I became one overnight, and in fact, I know the exact night it happened. It was after midnight when January 9, 2009 turned into January 10th, the night I dreamed about this book.
K.S. What genre do you write?
B.C. This is my first book, and its inspirational. However, it also has humor, suspense, mystery, drama, love, and romance.
K.S. What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?
B.C. I don’t really have a favorite author, but I enjoy other inspirational authors of course, people such as Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Stormie Omartian, and Bishop TD Jakes. No one really influenced my writing style; I simply sat down at a blank computer screen and starting typing what came to my mind based on the Lord’s divine inspiration. So I guess I can say the Lord has inspired me the most.
K.S. What does your family think of your writing?
B.C. My family members and church family are my biggest fans. I have their love and support in all of my endeavors, and they are overjoyed that I wrote this book. They have told all their friends and co-workers, and in fact, they are probably my best publicity campaign.
K.S. What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book?
B.C. I wrote the book to encourage and inspire others, but I have been just as encouraged and inspired by their comments. It confirms my original belief that the Lord wanted me to share my journey of faith. As I share my journey, I get feedback from readers that they too have been living inside testimonies, and they are encouraged and inspired after realizing their journeys have been prepared uniquely for them by the ultimate MASTER PLANNER. Believers as well as non-believers enjoy the book because it offers hope in the future, and forces you to take a look at your past and realize that it really wasn’t you that was in control of it anyway.
K.S. What inspired you to write your novel?
B.C. My purpose in writing was to simply encourage and inspire readers to discover that we all live inside testimonies meant to be shared with others. It confirms my original belief that the Lord wanted me to share my journey of faith. I hope to help readers discover the inspiration that lies within each of us because we can all help inspire and encourage others.
K.S. Can you tell us a little about your novel?
It's like watching a Lifetime Movie...You'll go to bed and dream about the characters in the book...
It's a beautiful, heartfelt love story...
It's funny, amusing, and entertaining...
It's very emotional and inspirational...
You'll laugh on one page and cry on the next...
It's all about God's amazing love and abundant blessings...
And it's all true, straight from the heart of the author who has been on an incredible journey!
Your life is never going to be the same after reading this incredible journey of faith. You will discover the inspiration that lies within all of us and that there is a master plan for your life also. The book is a collection of anecdotes revolving around my experiences with family, friends, and other individuals who have contributed, often unknowingly, to the path God has chosen for my life. You will hear the story of how I fell in love at age fourteen (with my future husband), about his near-death experience with emergency brain surgery a week before high school graduation, our experiences in New York a week prior to 9/11, and the frustrating ordeal we overcame when trying to build our dream home.
Comments from book reviewers: L.E. Harvey- I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. What I found surprised me, quite pleasantly. Her story is one of strength, determination and faith. She is very open and honest about her struggles. What I like about this book is that it's as if you're sitting at a table having coffee with Mrs. Collier and she's telling her story. It's warm, familiar, and personal. The one thing I didn't like? I wanted more. That's actually a good thing. They say that the mark of any good artist is to leave your audience wanting more. Mrs. Collier DEFINATELY does that with her book. There is so much to her and her incredible story.
BK Walker- There was humor where at times I found myself laughing with Betty and times that she truly moved me and I found myself feeling so proud of her. This wasn't a book of preaching the gospel, but of pure inspiration. Betty has made herself available at the end of her book should anyone have any questions, or feel led to accept Jesus into their lives. I love how Living Inside The Testimony was written and I think Betty has accomplished what she has set out to do...simply to share and inspire. Well done Betty!
Natasha R. Hines - Betty Collier shares her testimony of trauma, tragedy, tenacity, and triumph with readers. Collier's trust in God and the lessons she learns while living in her testimony will appeal to readers. She learned to understand God's timing, trust God to control situations, and depend solely on God for her success and survival. Full of inspiring victories and taxing disappointments, Living Inside the Testimony is simply a tribute to the omnipotent master from the perspective of an obedient servant.
K.S. Where can we find your novel?
B.C. There is a “purchase here” tab on my website that has direct links to online retailers such as amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Readers can click this link to go to my website’s “purchase here” tab for direct links to online retailers for this specific book:
http://livinginsidethetestimony.com/index.php?p=1_27_Purchase-Here
K.S. Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?
http://livinginsidethetestimony.com
http://www.facebook.com/livinginsidethetestimony
http://twitter.com/BettyCollier
http://webtalkradio.net/shows/living-inside-the-testimony (I’m also an internet radio talk show host– new shows are posted every 2 weeks.)
K.S. Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?
B.C. All of us have something to share with others, and if we would simply take the time to begin the writing process and stay committed to it, we could all write something to share. I definitely encourage anyone who wants to write to simply sit down and begin writing.