Talkshow Thursday: Meet Tom Donnan
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| Tom Donnan on right/Bob Crittenden on left |
Tom: It is threefold Linda, first looking into the face of my own mortality did change my life. The focus now is on the things that matter, (Family and loving others) and serving God. Second, while I was in the afterlife I heard God speak to me. His voice was deep, masculine, and like thunder. He said to me, “It is only while you are on earth that you can work for Jesus!” I love doing the work. In addition, I have had a life-changing experience with God showing me the fall of America if we did not seek Him and repent. That event is what brought me to begin writing. God gets all the glory here. I am mechanically orientated in my thinking and could not construct a proper sentence. Does God have a sense of humor?
LM: How do you decide which topic to tackle in your books?
Tom: I wrote the first three books as instructional. The book Healing the Nation is for people to see how we can receive God’s healing of our nation. I was in my local library for Authors Day when it hit me; people like a good story. The next three books were written based true stories, weaving in the supernatural accounts in their lives. I have written two books on two lady pastors who early in their lives God was very active.
LM: What sort of research goes into writing your books?
Tom: My research continues to improve as I progress. In book four, Angels on Assignment, I was part
of the story. Meaning I was there from the beginning and onsite where things took place. Now I do use creative license when writing about supernatural happenings. In book five; One Door Between Us, I did a lot of historical study, online and continued interviews by phone and text with the subject of the story. Then chapter by chapter I did touchup as needed after she and her husband proofread them. Book six, Jessalyn, being a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers group I queried a question to the group, “Should I go to the location of the person I am writing about?” It was an overwhelming response to yes. I spent a week in Bethany, Oklahoma going to places to learn the feel of the community. It was worth it. Invaluable information came with this adventure. (Jessalyn is a free ebook, a free PDF, and can be found on http://www.zoehealingcenter.com in the book tab.)
LM: In addition to your writing, you are also a lay minister. How do you juggle your various responsibilities?
Tom: Yes, I have been a volunteer of Need Him Ministry’s Evangelistic Chat forum http://www.chataboutjesus.com since 2004. I can login from home as time avails itself. From February 2020 until August I logged in for up to eight hours a day. I have had nearly ten thousand chats with people around the world since 2004. I also travel with a Pastor that has a healing revival ministry since 2009. I have been speaking in churches since that time and of course numbers interviews of all kinds. I like to help people get connected to the Holy Spirit and experience Him. It has become a way of life. Making myself available to serve the Lord. There is great joy in it. I will say, now that I am retired the time crunch doesn’t happen as much.
LM: If you could sit down with one author, who would it be and why?
Tom: I would choose two authors. First, James A Mitchener. He didn’t consider his writings to be a book until he had penned over two hundred thousand words. Then to hear of his adventures while gathering information for each book. From there my second choice would be Laura Hillenbrand. How she brought the characters to life is exceptional. I would like to glean styles from each of them.
LM: What is one thing you wish you knew how to do?
Tom: Discover how to bridge the word of mouth barrier. Very often the readers of my books are spiritually impacted by them. My niece, while reading One Door Between Us said; “Uncle Tom, I have had to stop reading the book because the Holy Spirit overwhelms me. I stay in those moments before I return to reading it.” To me, it does not make sense that the sales of books are low when the spiritual impact to people is high.
LM: Now that you have several books published, what advice can you give to fledgling writers?
Tom: In most Authors I know, they feel called by God to write. Let me give you a case in point. In January of 2018 I had a dream. The message in the dream was to hire a Publicist. That brought me to Helen Cook of PrimeStar Publicity. When God leads, He provides. From the first words penned to completion I followed Him. From a person who for the most part was grammar illiterate to a published writer, it is all due to Him. My advice is to seek God first in your writing career. He opens doors we cannot.
LM: What is your next project?
LM: Where can folks find you on the web?
Tom:
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