Welcome to Author - Tia McCollors

Today I welcome Christian/Inspirational author, Tia McCollors. Tia is the Essence Bestselling author of three novels, A Heart of Devotion, Zora's Cry and her latest title is The Truth About Love.

Welcome Tia! Congratulations on your new novel. Tell us a little about, The Truth About Love:

First of all, it was a joy to write, and I’m happy to see that the characters that readers first met in Zora’s Cry have reached peaceful places in their lives….for now! The Truth About Love is a peek into the lives of four women who grew to be “sisters in the heart” after they were put together in a prayer group. At this point in their lives, they’re all going through situations that force them to question their definition of love – marital strife, problems with a blended family, fear of commitment, and questioning the call of God. Of course, it wouldn’t be a novel without a dash of drama and unexpected twists.

What inspired you to write The Truth About Love?
More than anything else – television. You don’t have to watch late night cable stations these days to see what the world’s definition of love is. In my opinion, the media portrays love mostly as sex, lust, and other acts of perversion. If you read I Corinthians 13, you’ll find that it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Tell us about your writing process?
I wish I could say I had a very disciplined process when it comes to my writing schedule, but these days I’ve learned to go with the flow. With a busy two-year-old, another baby on the way in a couple of months, and an entrepreneurial family, I’m often pulled in many different ways.

When I’m able to sit down and write, I just let the words flow. With my current work in progress I did something I’ve never done before, and that was to outline the book first. I never was an outliner-kind-of-girl. However, I’ve found that it’s helped keep me focused and I’ve been able to get more accomplished in a shorter amount of time.

You’re a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Tell us about the benefits of ACFW and about your leadership position in the organization.

You can’t beat the networking opportunities with aspiring authors, current authors, publishing house editors, and other professional members of the literary community. Everyone is very open and willing to share information, and that’s something you’re not going to find with a lot of professional organizations. Also, there are more opportunities than you can count for honing your craft and skills – whether it be online courses or forums, or workshops held by local ACFW chapters.

As far as leadership, I’m currently serving as the Zone Director for the “Georgia On My Mind” chapters of ACFW. They include the Visions In Print (V.I.P.) and the Writers of Remarkable Design (W.O.R.D.) chapters.

I asked Tia to get personal and she answered these questions:

Favorite color: Orange – the color of fall leaves, not the bright Halloween shade!

Favorite time of the year: Spring (except for the pollen), and the first few weeks of fall

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? It’s a toss up between Africa and Italy. It’s too hard to choose.

If you could have a one hour meeting with the person of your choice (living or deceased) who would it be and why? My maternal grandfather – Abraham. I hear so much about the great man he was and I’d love to meet him, even if it was just for one minute. He passed away before I was born.

If you were going to a deserted island and could only take one fiction book with you, what would it be? Whatever fiction manuscript that I was currently working on because it would be an excruciating experience if I couldn’t use the time to construct what I’m sure would be a bestseller. With no distractions, most authors would probably be amazed with what words would tumble on the page and end up building a masterpiece

What would readers be surprised to know about you?
I couldn’t really think of anything that readers would be surprised to know about me so I asked my husband. His (somewhat truthful) response was that, “You’re spoiled, just under rotten.” When I think about it, I can’t really argue with him.

What’s next for Tia McCollors? I’m currently working on a story for a half-book anthology, which I’m hoping to finish within the next month. After that, your guess is as good as mine. I’m thinking that the new baby will have my creative brain cells scattered about here and there and it’ll take a while for me to pull it together. Of course, with the countless hours I’ll be awake, I just might be able to pull off writing a book in a week. LOL! Pray for a sista!

We'll be praying for ya. Thanks for stopping by and congratulations on the new baby.

To learn more about Tia visit her online home at http://www.tiamccollors.com/ or www.tiawrites.com and www.myspace.com/tiawrites.

Her books can be found in bookstores everywhere.

Readers and writers may also learn more about American Christian Fiction Writers at http://www.americanchristianfictionwriters.com/