About Alicia Yost:
Alicia Yost is a writer and teacher. She loves Jesus and her writing encourages people to live in the freedom God offers. She's written for The Upper Room devotional, various blogs and is a featured monthly writer for the GoMobilize app which helps connect and build community for believers as they seek Jesus. She also co-leads a women's ministry called "Something To Chew On" which provides a platform for women to share personal stories of how God is working in their lives. Alicia's writing is honest and relatable. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, three kids and two dogs.
What inspires you to write?
My writing is inspired by Galatians 5:13, "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love." I know what it's like to live in bondage and have been freed by the blood of Jesus. I want to encourage others to live in freedom. There are many people who still wear chains and I long to see them living unburdened and standing in the power of Jesus.
Tell us about your writing process.
I always begin with prayer. I try to imagine God sitting next to me, whispering words into my mind and heart. When I write my calls to action for GoMobilize, I do a lot of research on scriptures and read a lot of Bible verses. I listen to what God is telling me through the scripture and I usually feel inspired to share something. When it came to writing a book, I had to learn to be scheduled. I write every day and work hard to be completely honest. I believe that readers can sniff out a fake in a second. I know I can! And I want my readers to see my heart. The only way to do this is to let them see all of me so I step outside of my comfort zone and write vulnerably.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I write Non-Fiction
What advice would you give other writers?
We can't do it alone. Get around other writers who will encourage and support you, people who are invested in your writing and in you. I was held back in my writing for too long because I had this crazy idea that I had to do everything myself. Writing, as with most things, requires community. We cannot do things on our own. I've had to learn to trust people. I also had to learn to set aside my pride and separate myself from my writing. This enabled me to accept critique without taking it personally. It allowed me to improve my writing dramatically because my goal was not to be perfect but to present something beautiful to God. In order to do that, I had to let other people tell me what needed to be improved.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I decided to self-publish because I attended a conference and learned a lot about the different ways to publish and doing it myself felt like the right fit. I was told that in order to secure a big publisher, I needed a platform but I wondered how I'd grow a platform without first writing a book. The publishing world is changing and the perks previously available to authors aren't the same these days. Now, authors have to do a lot more work for a lot less pay because it's cost prohibitive for publishing houses to do it the "old" way. Since I knew I'd have to do a lot of work on my own, I figured I may as well skip the middle man and bask in the creative freedom afforded by self-publishing.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I know the publishing world is definitely a changin'. It's changed even in the year since I began writing my book! Self-publishing is gaining more and more momentum, will likely continue to grow and may soon burst through the current constraints of online publishers into greater autonomy through block chains.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Non-Fiction
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Alicia Yost Home Page Link
Link To Alicia Yost Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Instagram
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
