JOY'S SPRING BLOG~FEST / APRIL AUTHOR #2

What an exciting day this is!

"She says that every time she has a featured author, you know."

But, it's true - this time is special for a different reason!

"Right, and what is Sooooo special about THIS time?

Joy is hosting her very first time ever MALE AUTHOR!

"Oh, and who is this first time male author that's so special?"

EDDIE SNIPES AND HIS BRAND NEW RELEASE: "I CALLED HIM DANCER"

"Really? Well, I guess that does make this an exciting day all right."

Let's join Joy and her JoyFul ~ JOURNALING in welcoming Eddie Snipes for a great interview and some insight into his latest release.

Let me begin with an introduction by giving you a short bio of

this (young) man.

Eddie Snipes has been taking writing seriously for the last 15 years.

His writing journey began when doing prison ministry and prisoners began asking for study material. He decided to write out each message and give it out at the end of service.

When he began taking writing seriously, Eddie felt the need to connect with like-minded writers. Over the next few years, he joined the Christian Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and the Atlanta

Writers Club. In 2011 he began serving as President of the Christian Authors Guild in Woodstock, GA.

Over the last decade, Eddie has written thirty-thousand pages of Bible studies, two full length manuscripts, and won five writing contests. In 2011 he published his first book.

"How about some answers to some pointed questions beyond the formal bio?"

Eddie, I'm so happy to have you have you here and hope to give all both of our readers an idea of what prompted you to write a book like, 'I CALLED HIM DANCER' but first I'd like to ask some questions more about YOU, the person.

What prompted you to write - to begin with?

Life is an irony. I hated writing when I was young. To encourage me to over come my lack of motivation, a teacher once gave me an assignment to write a one-page essay. She warned that the assignment would be doubled each day I failed to turn in my work. I topped 54 pages before I finally decided to start climbing the mountain. Today, I look for opportunities to get back to the keyboard.

I didn't get the idea of writing fiction until about 3 years ago. While visiting a website, I saw a contest to write flash fiction. I decided to enter on a whim. Though I didn't win the contest, I did discover something about myself while writing. A creative yearning I had never felt before began to emerge. I liked the story I wrote, so I refined it and entered into another contest and won first place.

This might seem odd, but I never read fiction before I started writing it. Three years ago, I could count on one hand the number of fiction books I had read. When my interest in writing fiction grew, I decided to read fiction to get a feel for how a good story worked. Since then, I have read more than a hundred and fifty novels from all genres.

Writing fiction drove me to start connecting with other writers. In the past, I wrote for Bible studies and my web ministry, but I didn't know a single Christian writer. Fiction showed me that I needed help. I read books on the craft of writing, but also realized I needed guidance from those who understood the challenges of creative writing.

I found ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and began connecting with other writers, but also recognized the value of seeing people face-to-face. I also joined the Atlanta Writers Club. Later, I found a Christian group called the Christian Authors Guild. I found a lot of value in this group and became more involved. In 2011 I began serving as President of CAG.

Eddie;

How did you come to write this book (I CALLED HIM DANCER) specifically?

During a meeting at the Atlanta Writers Club, Tralena Walker and Tom Webster came to the group to speak about song writing. The AWC meetings are divided into two sessions, and I had come to hear an author speak about her writing experience.

I have the musical talent of a crow, so listening to someone talk about writing songs didn't appeal to me. During the break between sessions, I headed down the hallway toward the door, but something tugged at my mind, so I turned to my wife and said, "Maybe we should stay and listen. It might be interesting."

During their talk, the man and woman talked about the challenges of fitting a story into a few lyrics. They then performed the song, 'I Called Him Dancer'. After singing, Tralena said, 'We've always wanted someone to write a novel about this song. We think it would make a great story."

Until she uttered those words, I was merely a spectator. It was interesting, but little more than entertainment. Suddenly, there was a moment of inspiration. More like an epiphany. In an instant, the story unfolded in my mind and the plot was born. I knew exactly what happened to Dancer, how his life fell apart, and how the story would end. The whole thing exploded into my mind.

I asked if they would email me the lyrics and I would write the story. I spent the next six weeks writing the first draft to completion, and the next two years rewriting, editing, and shaping the story into what it is today. I'm in close contact with Tralena and Tom, and we've worked together to bring the dancer's story to life.

I'm glad I asked. What's behind the story is nearly as good as the story itself - but - I get ahead of myself - Tell us more about YOU, the person, Eddie.

Is Eddie Snipes your real name?

Yep. Some people call me other things, but they aren't names I want to remember.

Do you write any other genres - if so, under pseudonyms?

I strongly considered pseudonyms, but could never figure out how to use it properly in a sentence.

Since I've had a web presence for so many years, I decided that it would be better for people who already knew me to be able to find my books.

I do write other genres. I write Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, technical info, and fiction that isn't specifically for only a Christian audience. Each of these

is under a derivative of my name. I Called Him Dancer is by G. Edward Snipes. My non-fiction work is under Eddie Snipes.

I love to ask this question of authors I feature - only because of the reaction I get. How old are you, Eddie?

This year I will celebrate my 17th anniversary of my 30th birthday.

Oh, that was a good come-back - hmmm, comedy writing might be in your future.

Eddie, Are you married? If so, do you have children?

I've been married for 20 years and have five kids - all girls.

How about pets, do you have any - do you even like animals?

I have a Boston Terrier. He had to be a boy. How else can I get another man in the house?

What is your personal favorite reading material(s) / genres?

I'm partial to non-fiction. I like reading about real events or biographies.

Though I prefer true stories, I read more fiction than non-fiction. I like to get a feel for all genres, so I read Christian to secular, mysteries to romance (don't tell my friends - it will be our little secret), and everything in between. I don't read erotica or sleazy novels. I close my eyes when I hit a sex scene in a novel and don't open my eyes until it's over. I also hate vulgar language in books. I can tolerate a little bit if I must, but if it's excessive, I scrub the pages with soap. It ruins the book, but cleans up the language. It's a shame that good stories fall by the wayside because some knucklehead thought vulgarity would make the story more artistic.

I'm curious about how you KNOW when to open your eyes, Eddie but won't make you reveal that little secret right now.

Do you have any hobbies?

I like swatting flies with a sledge hammer. I also do wood working (I've won 12 ribbons in competitions) and vegetable gardening. Oh, and did I mention that I like writing?

Do you write full-time?

I am a word avenger by night, but by day I disguise myself as a lowly manager of a technical call center. Even my employees have no clue as to my secret identity.

Eddie, what is the ONE thing you want most out of life?

I want my work to have eternal significance. Everything I write isn't necessary religious; however, I hope that even my non-Christian works will have a positive message, and hopefully readers will be drawn to the work which holds strong faith content. Ultimately, if my efforts have no eternal significance, they are destined for the dust heap.

What goals (if any) do you have, personally and spiritually?

Someone once said, "I want to be half the man my dog thinks I am." That's a fairly lofty goal, but I strive for that. I want my life to be a strong influence for good in the life of my kids.

Like most writers, my goal is to be able to support myself so I can write full time. Even if that doesn't happen, I want to put enough effort into my work to produce positive content with quality craftsmanship. My writing goal is to finish and publish the five books in my head. Unless more pop in. Then my goal will be to finish the future books that pop into my head.

My spiritual goal is to have a genuine faith. Life isn't pretending to be holy, but knowing God with a deep intimacy so that my relationship with God affects every area of my life. I want to be deeper than spiritual jargon and act with the full understanding that God is here with me.

The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. May God grant me the ability to always keep in mind that I will one day stand before him to give an account.

That way I will seek to do the good of his will for the joy of standing before him, and I will avoid unholy behavior for the fear of standing before him.

May the beginning of wisdom where I consider the cost eventually grow into mature wisdom where I consider the value, and choose what is right solely because I see the worth of doing what is right.

Eddie, how can people find you and learn more about the day-to-day, Eddie Snipes?

facebook - http:www.facebook.com/eddiesnipes

blog - http:www.eddiesnipes.com

website- is the same as my blog

twitter - @eddiesnipes

Any other sources?

I'm on goodreads, linkedin and both have eddiesnipes as the username.

Now, let's discuss this book you've written that is to be released TODAY!

Give the readers and me a blurb about this terrific book, please.

When people see a breathtaking performance, it looks like natural, raw talent. The truth is, behind the performer is a long road filled with struggle, pain, and hardship. In front of every winner is a mountain of failure they must first climb and conquer. The greater the mountain, the sweeter the taste of success. Michael Camp was an award winning dancer.

For a moment, Michael danced on top of the world, but one bad choice turned his life upside down. The once promising Broadway star now washes windows for tips and lives among the homeless. When his former dance partner recognizes him behind the fray of whiskers, shame drives him away from her. Angry at God and the world, the Dancer refuses anyone into his life.

Beyond his short-lived success, stand a valley of despair with terrain so rugged, his very life will hang in the balances. If he survives, the mountain awaits. It has been said, unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it cannot blossom into life. Can Michael Camp trust enough to die, when life seems out of reach?

When everything is stripped away, three things remain: faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love. I CALLED HIM DANCER is a story about how one woman's enduring faith and unconditional love drives her to reach out to a homeless man who has given up on life.

TO EDDIE SNIPES

This has been an amazing interview and book preview. Thank you, Eddie, for accepting me as one of those who was allowed to preview The Dancer and to submitting to this interviewer and her crazy questions. You were a gracious and witty interviewee.

I have to admit, I was unsure if I'd be reading a book I could honestly influence others to purchase and read because I'd never read any of yourwork in the past. I was intrigued by the book when I'd read postings on the ACFW loop in response to some questions other writers had posed. I was interested in finding out more about the writer and this new book to be released in April.

TO JOY'S JOY~FUL JOURNALING READERS

I have no hesitation in telling you this is worth the time, effort and expense to obtain this book and to read it. I couldn't put it down and go to bed the night I began reading it after I'd put in a full day of hard work. It took me a bit to adjust to Eddie's style due to my fatigued state BUT once I got into the beginning of the story of The Dancer, I forgot to look for style, voice, punctuation, point-of-view, show, versus telling, and all those things a writer should study when reading another author's work.

I really, really wanted to find out what was going to happen with the DANCER.

You will NOT be disappointed in the reading of the story woven in such an amazing way by Eddie Snipes ~ I CALLED HIM DANCER ~