Interview with Dr. Nina Gardner

Author of Worship That Touches the Heart of God

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I am from Ponchatoula, Louisiana and currently reside in Southaven, Mississippi.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

I was born in Mobile, AL but shortly thereafter we returned to my father’s hometown of Monticello, Mississippi. Then before I started elementary school we moved to Ponchatoula, Louisiana but then moved around to various little towns in that area. By my 8th grade year we settled in Ponchatoula again where I finished my high school education, got married, and had my first child. Since there were no job opportunities there, we move to a small french community outside of Morgan City, Louisiana where we spent 13 years and my second child was born. In late 1989 we moved to north Mississippi for employment opportunities and lived in Hernando where both of our children graduated from high school. Now we reside in Southaven, Mississippi just 1 mile from Memphis, Tennessee.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I wanted to be a writer and be published since I was a little girl – even when I didn’t know what I wanted to write. My dad and I would write poems in competition to see who would do the best and that instilled a greater love for writing. But after the arrival of 2 very active grandsons and our time of playing in the leaves, I decided to write my first book about the animation of the fall leaves. But that wasn’t my first book in print. My first printed book in 2003 was The Coming Order of Davidic Worship which was about King David of the Bible and his heart of worship because I had always loved to worship God.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

For my children’s books, I love to make people feel happy, to have heartwarming moments, or to make them feel that they can overcome.
For my Christian theology books, I love giving them fresh, new insights that will challenge their thinking and let them know that they can be more than they thought they ever could be.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

For my children’s books, definitely children with their parents and grandparents, but also educators and librarians.
For my Christian theology books, Christian Pastors, Worship Leaders, Teachers, and laity (or anyone willing to read it.)

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

I was surprised at how many steps there were in the publishing process, and in my case, that the contract price did not include editing or printing costs. In addition, I was surprised that my volunteered Christian editor knew so little about theology which slowed the process in helping me.
For the children’s book, I expected the illustrations sooner than what was delivered based upon our conversation so I was frustrated that it was not made clear to me on the timeline of the project.

If you could, what advice would you give to past self yourself before embarking on this journey?

I would advise to be patient with the process and to receive the editors criticism to bring out the best of the book.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

As many as possible. Since I have a children’s book and a worship book in Spanish as well as English, I’d like to reach out to the Spanish culture more. But I also desire for my works to be in other languages.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

I would definitely say that finances and time availability are 2 of my biggest challenges. But working with an editor and receiving corrective criticism was definitely challenging. For the children’s book, I was challenged to describe the art style and descriptions of the pictures and was frustrated when the illustrator couldn’t see what I could see, and I had to settle with illustrations not being what I had originally imagined.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My biggest strength is my passion and knowledge of what I’m writing about and my natural ability to organize the book contents. For publishing, I generally know what package contract I want, and all the details such as the type of paper, font, book cover, etc. But for the marketing, my greatest strength is to delegate that job.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My biggest challenge in writing is in converting what I know to a simplistic form so that even the babes in Christ can understand and be able to apply. For publishing, I am challenged in communications with them because what I think they already know, they sometimes don’t. So I guess I’m weak in communications with them. For marketing, I am weak in most all aspects. I can post on Facebook or website but I don’t have a good concept in this regard so I must defer to others to help me.

When do you think you will you write your next book?

I am currently writing another Christian theology book.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

In the past I self published several Christian theology works and printed through a local printer. Now I have a partnered relationship with Certa Publishing by contracting per book. They convert my manuscript into book format and eBook formats as well as posting on Amazon, warehousing, and many other amenities for a fee when a book is sold.