INTERVIEW WITH LAURA GREINER & BOOK GIVEAWAY

Today it is my privilege to welcome Laura Greiner to my blog. I met Laura through the Christian Authors Network.

Laura Greiner has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Denver and a Masters in Journalism from the University of Colorado. Laura is an author, women’s event speaker and she teaches college courses in Sociology. Laura also is a Bible study leader and hospice volunteer. She and her husband, Bruce, have three children and live in Golden, Colorado. Laura loves to hike and mountain bike ride and spends a lot of time with her family up at their Winter Park cabin. Laura also loves to travel and has a heart to do mission work with her family.

**Laura is giving away a copy of TruthDare to one of my readers.**



Laura, your two books, Where Women Walked and TruthDare, both contain true inspirational stories. How long have you been collecting stories and what inspired you to write about them?

I have been collecting stories since I can remember! As a little girl I use to read books about martyrs and saints because even then I felt the stories move me closer to God. I am an avid believer in the faith-breathing impact of real life stories that tell about the messy stuff in life. I think they take us “farther up and further in” to God as C.S. Lewis put it in The Last Battle. And that is what TruthDare is about. It is a collection of stories about men and women who dared to live the Truth they believe in the midst of everyday messy life.

In TruthDare, you dare us to live as if we truly believe the things we proclaim. What are some ways your life changed as you worked through this manuscript?

My faith grew stronger as I wrote the book. I wove pieces of my own spiritual journey with the true stories in the book and it was a faith-building, cathartic process. The people I write about in the book were also major faith-boosters!

What are you currently working on?

I am currently not working on a new book. I have been in a major writing mode for the past several years and now I feel like I am in a God-appointed season of waiting on Him. I also have felt Him move me into arenas where I am working with people instead of just me and my computer all day. I am teaching at a local university and I am also working part-time as a victim advocate. I feel that this work is not separate from my writing but an important part of it.

What has been your most satisfactory experience as a writer?

I think TruthDare has been my most satisfactory experience because it was the first time I allowed myself to be myself. It is raw and real whereas in the past my writing has portrayed a more polished Laura.

Julia Cameron talks about the concept of “artist dates” in her book, The Artist’s Way. What are some things you do to revitalize and reenergize your writer’s soul?

Being inspired revitalizes my writer’s soul. I am inspired in different ways at different times. Sometimes I am inspired when I am alone and the Holy Spirit is whispering to me. Sometimes I am inspired by deeply sharing with another person. I love to read really good writing to stay inspired too. I soak in words and how they are put together. I love reading memoirs and learning from and connecting with people I have never met but feel like I know.

In what ways has your success changed you, both personally and as a writer? Is there any aspect of writing that hasn’t changed much?

I try and stay away from success because it messes with my mind. It takes me off the simple, obedient path I long to stay on. I have found success diverts my attention away from Christ. I am sure writer’s can do it well, but I have yet to figure out how to be totally consumed with Christ if I am out promoting my book. It just gets all muddled for me. I even struggle being Christ-consumed when I go out and speak. Try as I might not to worry about how well I did, I inevitably do.

What can readers expect to see next from you? Where can they find you on the internet?

They can find me at lauragreiner.com