Interview with Cherie Burbach, Author of 'Painting the Psalms' @cherieburbach #interview

Today's guest is Christian/nonfiction author, Cherie Burbach. Her new book is Painting the Psalms and she is on a virtual book tour this month with Pump Up Your Book! We're very glad to have her here today to talk about her book, writing and what surprised her about getting her book published.

Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? When did you come up with the idea to write your book?

Thanks for having me! I came up with the idea for Painting the Psalms because of the art ecourses I created by the same name. Each ecourse consists of a mixed media painting that varies in terms of style, composition, and process. The only commonality is that each painting is inspired by the Psalms in some way. Sometimes I include the words from the Psalm on the painting itself and sometimes the imagery of the Psalms provides the inspiration for the work.

The Psalms are something that have inspired me in my artistic process, since I was a young girl. I have always included words and images together and feel like my style has evolved to that of visual poetry, which to me fits with the feel and emotion of the Psalms.

For my book Painting the Psalms, I wanted someone to feel inspiration and hope. The pages include my mixed media paintings and a short story about each work, which acts as a devotional. I also include the verse from the Psalms that I feel relates to the painting, as well as the elements that made up the work.

Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

My very first book was over 15 years ago, entitled The Difference Now. It was a book of poetry that I wanted to publish for myself. But once I did, the book became available online and to my great surprise it sold well. I started hearing from others who could relate to the book, and this encouraged me to keep writing the poetry and stories that where in my heart.

Do you believe a book cover plays an important role in the selling process?

Absolutely. The visual nature of book covers helps convey the feel of the book and in many cases, gives an instant representation of the genre. In this fast-paced world, where we are bombarded with information and social media posts, I think book covers are very important.

How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

My advice for any writer is to understand the difference between writing the kind of book that you were meant to write and how it might fit into the world of publishing. Publishing is a business, and in order to sell your book publishers will have to label it in some way in order to get it on shelves. But perhaps your book doesn’t quite fit with the labels they use. My books certainly don’t. I write books that combine art and faith and some other element like poetry or fiction.

Painting the Psalms is part art book and part devotional, and while I have people who have read it and loved it, there might be publishers who would feel it doesn’t fit neatly into a certain category. I would advise any writer to not let this deter them from writing their book. Instead, put the best book you can out there and then find the audience yourself. Perhaps your book will fall into more traditional methods of marketing and publishing, and perhaps you will have to get creative to find the right readers. The good news is that today it is easy to find your ideal audience. Newsletters, blogs, and social media are all good ways to connect with the people who will want to buy your work.

Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?

More than anything, I want my work to be a reflection of God’s love. Not the stereotypes about religion or the negativity that exists in the world, but the individual, unique acceptance you can find with God. It is my hope that people find inspiration and hope in Painting the Psalms each time they open the book.

Cherie Burbach is a poet, mixed media artist, and freelance writer. She has penned and contributed to articles for Readers Digest, Family Circle, About.com (NY Times), NBC/Universal, Match.com, Christianity Today, and more.

Cherie also likes to express herself with mixed media art, combining Bible verses and her own poetry with special papers, acrylics, oils, ink, and more. She includes book pages, music sheets, and other random things in her art to create something that celebrates a hopeful, faith-filled message.
Cherie has been especially inspired by the Psalms, and has created a series of ecourses called Painting the Psalms, which includes mixed media painting projects all inspired by the Psalms in some way. Each project is diverse in terms supplies, technique, and composition.

She is also the author of Painting the Psalms, which is part art book, part devotional.

Website: https://www.cherieburbach.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CherieBurbach

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CherieBurbach/

Title: PAINTING THE PSALMS
Author: Cherie Burbach
Publisher: Bonjour Publishing
Pages: 104
Genre: Christian Nonfiction

In Painting the Psalms, artist Cherie Burbach shares original, mixed-media paintings that contain a positive, faith-filled message. Each painting contains inspiration from the Psalms in some way, through the imagery, words, or emotion contained within the verses. Cherie uses a variety of mediums and techniques to create art that is filled with depth and whimsy. It is her hope that this book will inspire you to look at the Psalms in a new way so you can celebrate your faith and believe in the message. Some of the paintings were created during Cherie’s popular “Painting the Psalms” series of ecourses, where she demonstrates step-by-step progress from start to finish, including all the small details that make mixed media paintings come alive with texture and color.