Thank you to Deb Coyt for taking the time to sit down and do an interview with us!
What should readers expect from your book?
More Beauty, Less Beast was the result of hearing repeated comments from women during my travels as an inspirational speaker about their difficulty balancing God’s standard of beauty versus the world’s. I decided to tackle the tricky conundrum of how to keep your focus on the inner beauty that lasts rather than the fleeting outer beauty that is so glorified by our society. Women need the assurance that there’s more
to life than accessorizing.
When did you decide that you wanted to write?
Actually, I’m a late bloomer. The fertilizer didn’t kick in for a few decades. I was an avid reader growing up and always dreamed of writing an inspirational young adult novel like Christy by Catherine Marshall. I wanted to touch someone else’s heart and faith the way Christy touched mine. But life, as life tends to do, intervened, and college, marriage, career, and babies waylaid my dreams. Fast-forward 25 years to a
dentist’s office in 2002 when my youngest chick was about to fly the coop. I felt like something was missing. There was something I should be doing next but I had no idea what it was. I randomly flipped open a magazine to an ad for a writing contest and heard Papa God’s still, small voice whisper to my
heart, “It’s time.” Since then, I’ve been blessed with over 100 articles published in international magazines, newspapers and trade journals, and thirteen books. Too Blessed to be Stressed, the first book in my current faith-based women’s self-help series, just came out in August, and the second book, More Beauty, Less Beast will debut in March.
What do you use for inspiration?
Everyday life. Both the crazy and intensely mundane things that make up the stuff of life. It’s where we all live.
Who is your favorite author and how does that person inspire you?
I began writing women’s inspirational humor because I enjoy reading it so much. My fave authors include Patsy Clairmont, Rhonda Rhea, Martha Bolton, and Karen Scalf Linamen. For fiction, I adore Suzanne Woods Fisher’s wonderful Amish books. And you can never go wrong with anything Liz Curtis Higgs writes.
What background noise, if at all, do you have while writing (music, TV, etc)?
I’m whatever the step is beyond ADD, so I write best in the peace and quiet of my writing studio at my Florida home or in my little remote Smoky Mountain cabin. Otherwise everything distracts me. Plus, I’m a boogie-holic (which generates some insane stories that I share in my book, Mom NEEDS Chocolate). If there’s music playing anywhere within earshot, I’ll be up shaking my booty instead of writing. It’s a curse.
What advice would you give to those who would someday like to get published?
Stop! Stop right now! Stop limiting your potential by fear (Go on! Submit that piece!), low expectations (If Papa God gave you the assignment to write, He will use your abilities to his glory beyond anything you can imagine – check out Eph 3:20), or lack of energy (“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” – Isaiah 40:29).
Learn to view rejection as simply an occupational hazard. In the publishing biz, it’s simply going to happen. Deal with rejection like jockeys deal with horse-poo. Simply step over the piles, wipe the nasty off your boots, and keep moving forward.
Have you taken writing classes or attended workshops?
Yes, indeedy. Many. A crucial way to learn the ropes and keep on top of new industry trends. I’m now enjoying teaching workshops at writing conferences and co-direct the Florida Inspirational Writers Retreat that will be held on Sept 29 this year in Lithia, FL. For more information, click on “writing workshops” then FIWR at www.DeboraCoty.com.
Could you give us a sneak peek into your next book?
More Beauty, Less Beast is a humor-laced self-help book that reads like girlfriends sharing their hearts over mocha lattes. It takes readers on a spiritual journey that exposes the fallacies we believe and explores Papa God’s standard of beauty versus those of society. You know you’re in for an unforgettable experience with chapter titles and topics like “Beauty Can be Such a Crock” (Judging by Appearance), “Flab is Drab” (Keeping Fit), “Wassup in Your Sinkhole?” (Overcoming Adversity), “Patching the Leaky
Cauldron” (Conquering Guilt), “The Weirdness that Binds” (Marriage), and “Transforming the Ogre” (Positive Changes).
As a writer, what are the essentials you just can’t live without?
Godiva, a cup of hot herbal tea, Cadbury with almonds, my thesaurus, Ferrer Roche, and my mini-poodle Fenway snoring in his little bed beside my computer chair. Oh, did I mention chocolate? I consider myself a choco-athlete in training.
Is there anything else you would like to share with your readers?
I’d love to get to know you personally at my More Beauty, Less Beast Facebook launch party on March 22 from 8-9 pm EST. We’ll be giving away tons of great prizes including
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
a Kindle, beauty products, books, and some really cool surprises. You can find out more details by signing up for my free e-newsletter at www.DeboraCoty.com, or visiting my FB author page https://www.facebook.com/deboracoty
Please share your favorite quote with us and what it means to you.
One beautiful spring day in 2004, while my dear friend Sherill was slowly dying of an inoperable brain tumor, she wanted to encourage me about my brand new writing endeavor that she knew she wouldn’t be around to see come to fruition. Sherill took my hand in hers, leaned close, and whispered a quote
that is posted above my computer and will always be my driving force to persevere: “Work to become, not to acquire,” (Elbert Hubbard, American writer, 1856-1915).
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