Christian Author Interviews
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Barney will you please tell a little about your book? Barney: This Bible verse reference and devotional book is currently available in two Bible version editions: the New International Version and the King James Version. The New International Version edition is available in either an 8.5 X 11 paperback or as a PDF eBook. The King James Version is currently available as an eBook only. Coming soon will be a New King James Version which will be initially available as an eBook. Sharon: Where did you grow up and did that influence your decision to write? Barney: I grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota for my elementary school years and then our family moved to southeastern Wisconsin where I attended high school and college. Writing, vocabulary, and foreign languages were my weakest subjects all the way through school. I struggled with any kind of English composition, including essay exams. I was required to take two semesters of freshman English in college which involved writing essays each week. My one page essays usually took me about five hours and involved multiple rewrites. I barely made it through freshman English with C grades in spite of an enormous investment of time and frustration. I had absolutely no interest in writing of any kind. My wife Heidi on the other hand loves writing, scored very high on her entrance exams, and was not required to take any freshman English in college. My writing path began to change in the early 1980's when my employer, IBM, moved to e-mail for its internal communications. To improve my productivity I learned to touch type using a PC software program. I still labored over everything I wrote, but I could make changes very quickly. After years of using e-mail and working with PC's, my ability to turn my thoughts into well organized written sentences developed and improved. I still avoided writing and typing whenever possible. In 2002 Heidi and I decided that I needed to self-publish my personal collection of Bible verses by topic. My Bible verse collection consisted of about 60 8.5 x 11 pages in a binder. It was 99.9 % Scripture. I only decided to commit to this project because I simply planned to reformat what I had already assembled and add a preface and an introduction. In seeking some publishing industry advice I reviewed my idea with a local owner of a small publishing company that produced Christian books for children. She said that I really needed to introduce each of the 41 chapters with a half page of text to help the reader with some perspective and context before jumping right into Bible verses. Everyone I spoke with agreed with this wisdom. I had no choice but to add this to the project. This kind of encounter happened a few more times over the next few years, leading to a longer introduction than originally planned plus six appendices. Volume 1 of my book has a total page count of 528 pages. Scripture now makes up only about 80% of the book's text and my writing makes up the remaining 20%. Self-publishing my first book spanned seven years, significant English tutoring from Heidi, and the study of several English grammar and writing style books in order to complete what I started. I should also mention that I field tested many of my book's chapters in the men's Bible study classes that I taught at my church. Had I really understood what this project would entail I would not have started down the self-publishing path. However, now that I am here I am very thankful. It was actually a blessing that I was too naive to understand the magnitude of the English composition challenges that I would face. Although I don't consider myself to be a talented writer, this book project has resulted in my becoming much more effective in written communications.
Sharon: When did you become Christian? Barney: Christianity was not a significant part of my family life growing up and therefore was not important in my life until several events caught my attention during my late thirties. These led me to investigate several foundational beliefs I held regarding reality and the existence of God. This led to my wife Heidi and I placing our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in 1989.
Sharon: What subgenre of Christian do you write and why? Barney: My book series, Equip Your Mind with the Word of God, falls into the nonfiction category. I have plans for at least seven volumes in total. Each book in the series is designed to be useful as a personal Bible verse reference by topic, a personal devotional book, and as a small group Bible study resource. My calling to produce these books comes from my appreciation for how the Word of God speaks to the issues of life that we face as human beings living in this world--a world that is full of wonder, beauty, and love, yet at the same time is a fallen world where evil, deception, and suffering is commonplace. Sharon Has a certain passage in the Bible inspired your book?
Barney: There are many passages that worked together to inspire my book series: Equip Your Mind with the Word of God. The following are some of my favorites: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Psalm 18:30 Psalm 119:130 Psalm 119:144 Psalm 119:160 Isaiah 40:8 Luke 11:28 Romans 15:4 Hebrews 4:12 Proverbs 3:5-6 John 8:31-32 Psalm 119:105
Sharon: Are you writing a book right now? Barney: Yes and no. Right now I am working on a New King James Version of my current book: Equip Your Mind with the Word of God; Volume 1; Foundational Truths for Living. However, 99% of my effort is replacing 1700 Bible verses with New King James Bible verses to create a new edition. Although this will be an additional book in the series, I am not really composing new text. That will start when I begin Volume 2 this autumn.
Equip Your Mind with the Word of God; Volume 1; Foundational Truths for Living. _________________________________________________________________ 
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