Author Interview: Christine Brooks Martin

Christian author, Christine Brooks Martin, shares about her self-publishing experience and why she writes books that focus on prayer.

WHY DID YOU SELF-PUBLISH? After I wrote my first book, “Pray What God Says,” I went scouting for publishers but at that time, the most popular genres were romance, science fiction, and horror. Even now, the popular books and bestsellers in non-fiction evolve around those genre. As a Christian writer, I didn’t fit into the popular niche at that time. I was a bit discouraged but one day a friend suggested that I publish my book through Amazon as an ebook. For economy sake I did that. Then another friend told me about Smashwords.com. The great thing about Smashwords was they convert your manuscript to about 9 different formats and distribute your book to other online book retailers. And you are not limited to the type of devices you can use to read digital books. My book sold very, very well and became a bestseller for many months through Smashwords.

I realized that there are those who like to have that paper in their hand, dog-ear pages, bookmark, and highlight what they read. Since I couldn’t publish in print without spending a lot of money, besides, I didn’t have the financial resources, I decided to self-publish my paperback through an on-demand printing company called CreateSpace. I published my first print version of the book through them. I am so excited that I can make my books available in both formats: as an ebook for the digital type people and paperback for those who like to hold, dog-ear, bookmark, and highlight. They have been bestsellers, which is even more exhilarating. I am glad that I didn’t sit back and wait until the popular genre changed to religion, I just listened to wise counsel and used the free resources that were available to help me get my books published.

WHY DOES YOUR WRITING FOCUS ON PRAYER? I believe we should pray about everything. And when we do, then we should pray what God says. When we pray, if we know the word of God, what the word has promised to us, then we can use the word of God to pray more effectually. The scriptures should be a foundation for our prayers, so prayer will be more effective and the manifestation of every promise found in the covenant word will be ours. The scripture says “We have not because we ask not and we have not because we ask amiss.” If we use the scriptures as the foundation for every facet of prayer we will not be asking amiss. Praying the scripture puts God in remembrance of His word. When we pray His word He honors His word.

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN AUTHOR? I started writing during personal spiritual study, which was basically journaling. During my time of personal study I would go through the scriptures to get an understanding of what God wanted me to know about His word and the provisions that are available for my life and the different circumstances going on in my life. I started out searching scripture for different challenges that were going on in my personal life. It turned into quite a bit of material through word search and study. I found all the scriptures that related to a certain word or circumstance, like peace, by using concordances and online tools that assist in word study. So if I wanted peace in my life, I could take to heart the scriptures that applied to my need for peace. The scriptures say out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So I would be able to know what God says about peace, embrace that truth, speak that truth over my life, then experience peace.

As an intercessor in my personal time and during church gatherings, people would ask me to pray with or for them regarding their needs or concerns. I was able to pray what the scriptures God said about their situation and the solution. I also shared my journaling information with others. I realized that what I was doing for myself was helping other people. I believe the word that tells us to give liberally. My reason for helping other people, is to use the information I gathered as a tool for myself, and allow it to became a tool for others. It helped them grow spiritually or learn how to pray if they were struggling with prayer or their relationship with God.

I found that many people are afraid to pray or they don’t pray because they don’t know what to say when they do. And many don’t know the word of God. Unfortunately, the least attended gatherings in the church is for prayer and evangelism. I believe people need to reconnect with God and communicate with Him through prayer in addition to spending time in the word of God. My books are a guidepost and a pointer, directing people into the word of God, the bible. It is the word of God that is your healing, deliverance and blessing. My books are merely pointers or guideposts to provoking you to get into the word of God for yourself. It is important to spend time to develop a personal relationship with Him through prayer. When we pray we need to know what the mind and heart of God is towards us so we can live in the kingdom estate that he has prepared and established for us. That provision comes through His scriptures and through a personal relationship with Him. It is through a relationship that you get to know, trust and believe His word.

WHAT ARE THE TAKEAWAYS FOR THE READERS OF YOUR BOOKS? The preface chapters are an introduction, addressing new believers or those who may have grown cold in their relationship with God. I hope to connect or reconnect them to the word of God, the truth about what God has promised to His people. His people are those who have declared a “YESS” to Him, meaning Yielded hearts, Embracing God’s promises and Submitting and Surrendering their will to His.

In my first book, “Pray What God Says,” the later part of the book gives a few topical scriptures as a tool to help you develop your own prayer life. If you don’t have a prayer life or don’t know what God says about your situation, or you think your prayer life is not effective, then this book is a tool to help you learn to commune with God. I wanted to help them learn and know of God as I have learned to know Him. My knowledge is increasing daily and I expect my relationship to grow daily and I don’t put a ceiling on my relationship either. There is no pinnacle to a relationship with God. Wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the word of God and relationship with Him is without measure.

My intention for writing is to get people to want to communicate with God and their spiritual Father. In the book of Revelations He said that we have been called kings and priest unto our God. And a lot of people equate Christianity with sitting in the pews or being in the pulpit. But He has called us as kings and priests. Kings are people who have power, influence, authority and dominion. They are people who can be in the marketplace living a godly lifestyle AND able to do and transact business in the marketplace with integrity and success based on the principles of God. Yes, I love the priestly side of Christianity like sitting in the pews. And I love praising God in the glorious atmosphere, but I also like being out there doing the work, serving God in a godly fashion. It is to help people build their relationship with God, reattaching them to the word of God. Because the word of God is going to tell them who they are, who they belong to, what they can have, and what they can do.

We can live in a kingdom estate because He called us kingdom people. We have to learn how to know who we are and transact business where He places us, and at the same time be able to praise and glorify Him with what we say and do. We can live in that kingdom estate, worship Him and have us be the envy of others who don’t even care about God. We can be people that others are drawn to, because God says we are a city on a hill not hidden. We have to be in a place where we are not hidden. And when we are seen we are glorifying God.

So as I am learning, I am sharing with others through my books as I go and grow. I don’t think anyone, no matter how long their relationship with God, should put a ceiling on their level of communication and relationship with God. I hope that my books will ignite others into getting into a mode of communication with God. He is a God who wants to hear from them, a God who want to speak to them, and make their life fruitful. The scriptures say “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” So I want others to get a taste of the goodness of the Lord. My books will provoke, inspire, motivate and gravitate them to the King.

Christine Brooks Martin
“Pray What God Says”
“Talk to God with Affirmations of Faith”
“He That Healeth Thee”
“El Dios Que Te Sana”
(Spanish edition of “He That Healeth Thee”)
“Christine’s Short-Shorts”
“Little Book, Big Prayers” (4-book series)
Spiritual Growth 
Mental & Physical Wholeness
Career & Finances
Intercession for the Body of Christ

http://www.praywhatgodsays.weebly.com
Areli MediaWorks  |  2014