Sallie Dawkins

I’m a Southern girl at heart. I grew up in the Southern United States, primarily Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. However, I’ve lived in ten different states and overseas.

I didn’t learn to read until I was in the second grade, but after that, I knew reading could take me places! I read every day and have an extensive personal library.

As a teenager, I kept a diary and had pen pals I wrote to, but I’m sure I wasn’t consistent with keeping up with either. In my twenties, I started experiencing significant health issues, including a neurological disorder. This event led me to write. Documenting everything became part of a daily routine. I relied heavily on calendars and notes to stay on track. In my forties, I started journaling my conversations with God, and I’ve done this consistently for over a decade. Many of these journal notes have found their way into my books.

I was fifty-two years old when I first started writing blog posts, but it was all good practice for when I started writing my first book three years later.

A Master’s degree in education opened doors for me to work in many different settings, including family child care, as a Training and Curriculum Specialist for the military, in public schools, Department of Defense Schools, and as an adjunct professor at the community college level. These experiences taught me the importance of setting goals, scheduling, planning, and preparing. It also taught me to break complex tasks into more manageable bite-sized pieces. In writing, this combination of knowledge and skills allows me to see the big-picture overview and persevere in the daily small-step accomplishments to fulfill my writing and publishing goals.

Honestly, I make many mistakes, but I learn from everything. Much of what I share with others relates to overcoming negative mindsets or other barriers to walking in the fullness of the Lord. If others can learn from my mistakes to shortcut the learning process for hearing or encountering God, writing and publishing books, or growing in spiritual maturity so they can fulfill their God-designed destiny, then that makes it all worth it.

I don’t make anyone believe in anything, but Romans 10:17 tells us, “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (KJV). I suffered from debilitating chronic pain for decades, and doctors offered no hope for a cure. Still, an encounter with God in 2015 changed my life forever. God initiated my healing journey using His Word to free me from limiting beliefs and children to minister healing to my body. I was ordained as a healing evangelist three years later. It’s part of the testimony I share in The Awakening Christian Series. When I share with others all that God has healed me of, it increases their faith to believe what God did for me; He will do for them, too.

Several of my reference books are themed scriptures that I use in ministry. Each of these books grew out of my personal Bible study time. I wanted to know what the Bible says about topics like healing, identity, and finances.

Hearing the voice of God comes naturally to me now, but didn’t always. I’ve discovered that this is an area in which many Christians struggle. Journaling with God is a time of prayer where I’m documenting our conversations. I tend to ask God many questions, but one day, as I was studying the bible, I noticed all of these questions Jesus asked. Curiosity caused me to wonder how many questions there were and how I might respond if Jesus had asked me those questions. This experience helped me grow closer to God, and it was easy to put together in a book format to share with others.

When God first called me to write books, I didn’t know there was a print-on-demand option for self-publishing, and I thought He might be asking me to invest in room-sized copiers. Imagine my relief when I learned about KDP!

I share what God is speaking and teaching. Whether I’m sharing how to hear the voice of God with clarity, sharing prayers for inner healing, or effective ways to write, publish, and market books, everything I share comes from personal experience.

Based on book reviews, many people who read my books are encouraged to believe in God for healing or inspired to write and publish their books even after long delays. Sharing our stories can motivate others and help them successfully navigate similar challenges.

I base my work on lessons learned or encounters with God and how these experiences connect to God’s Word. I wouldn’t know what else to write about.

The concept for this book was simple enough. God challenged me to research every scripture containing the word “Spirit or spirit.” What I discovered while studying the scriptures was eye-opening—particularly regarding how many demonic spirits are identified by name in the Bible.

When I started writing, setbacks were exceptionally frustrating because the process was unfamiliar. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Over time, as I’ve continued to gain experience with writing and publishing, I see the process more clearly. I am learning to trust God’s timing with all things. God is not surprised or caught off guard by our perceived setbacks and delays. Resistance in one area doesn’t prevent me from moving forward in other areas.

I started pulling together notes about the self-publishing process about a year before I sat down to write anything. My initial work on that project was a course outline that a business coach encouraged me to create, but I never felt God’s hand on it. Several months later, God led me to repurpose those notes to develop the outline for The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing for Christians. This project was a collaborative effort and I believe it’s my best work to date.

Know the voice of God and trust in His timing and provision. Do your part and take steps to walk in obedience to His calling for your life, and don’t try to do things on your own. Surround yourself with a faith-based community of writers and authors for encouragement, prayer, and support. Spend time with God to gain clarity on the purpose of the book, what problem the book solves, to whom you’re writing, and the most effective way to share your message.

Honest book reviews often include a mixture of positive and negative reviews. Positive reviews are great, of course, but negative reviews help us learn. One of my first negative reviews came from a reader who would have preferred my scripture references to have come from her preferred version of the Bible rather than the mixture of translations I used. Other negative reviews have come from readers who don’t agree with my charismatic beliefs, practices, or references. In these cases, I missed my target audience. Writers love to advise other writers, and I appreciate constructive criticism from my writers’ community. Their feedback is essential for helping me grow as a writer and author. Still, I’m not writing for man’s approval. I already have God’s approval, and that’s what truly matters.

The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing for Christians, my eleventh book, was just published, so I’m working on marketing. I also have a couple of manuscripts I started last year and hope to publish later this year.

I’m hands-on with all aspects of self-publishing, from pre-writing to writing and editing, formatting and creating book covers, then launching and marketing. Of course, I hire editors and proofreaders and depend on my writers’ community for feedback on content and covers.

The Bible.

I’ve moved fifty-one times in my life.

Marketing your work after publishing can be full-time, and AllAuthor makes that job more manageable. I recommend AllAuthor to others and consider them an essential resource for authors. I love their mockups, GIFS, cover contests, and tweets. Additionally, I use marketing ads and promote my work on various social media outlets.