📚 A Bookish Chat with 'Connecting With Christ' Yolonda Tonette Sanders @ytsanders #AuthorInterview #BlogTour #Interview

Yolonda Tonette Sanders is the CEO of Yo Productions, LLC and co-founder of the Faith & Fellowship Book Festival. Her writing portfolio includes academic papers, novels, short stories, poems, and other creative works. She is an editor for a national publication, a professor, and serves on several boards and associations. Yolonda holds two bachelor’s degrees, a master’s degree, and is currently completing her Ph.D. in organizational leadership. She treasures her relationships with family and close friends. Yolonda is blessed to be the wife of David; mother of two adults, Tre and Tia; “Nini” to her grandchildren, Khari and Khia; daughter of Eddie; sister to Milton; and dog mom to Paco.

Her latest book is the nonfiction/inspirational Connecting with Christ: 52 Weekly Devotionals to Nurture Spiritual Growth (Yo Productions).

Visit her website at www.yoproductions.net or connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

TWL: Welcome to The Writer's Life! How did you come up with the idea to write your book?

Yolonda Tonette Sanders: I wanted to create a devotional that people could actually finish. It’s so easy to miss a day and fall behind when reading a 365 daily devotional. One missed day easily multiplies to twenty. If catching up is possible, reading becomes a checklist item to get back on par, and the purpose for reading the devotional in the first place becomes secondary or gets lost completely. My goal was to create a yearly devotional that was both practical and applicable. It’s much simpler to commit to reading a weekly devotional than a daily one.

TWL: Can you give us a short excerpt?

Yolonda: Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I see a new wrinkle or mark on my body that wasn’t there the previous day. And seriously, is that another gray hair! Reality hits. No matter how much water I

drink, moisturizing cream I use, how healthy-ish I try to eat, or how often I exercise, it seems that my days of six-pack abs and cellulite-free thighs are likely long gone.

Face it, lady. You’re getting old! I say to myself.

Getting old is one thing; feeling old is another. I don’t lie to people about my age, and I still feel younger than what the calendar says I am. However, I cannot claim eternal youth considering that I have two adult children and two grandchildren. The fact of the matter is that I am aging, and one day this body of mine will eventually stop functioning altogether.

While my outer person is gradually weakening, the opposite is happening with my inner person. My faith is stronger than it was in 2001 when I first accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. My commitment to Christ is firm, and most importantly, my salvation is secure. I don’t say that arrogantly but rather assuredly because I believe in the Word (John 3:16; Romans 10:9). Life has a way of wearing us down sometimes. However, the more I get to know God and experience His faithfulness during the ups and downs of life, the more I rely on and trust Him.

TWL: What part of the book was the most fun to write?

Yolonda: The dedication. It’s the only part of the book that I didn’t drive myself insane about by overthinking.

TWL: What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?

Yolonda: Each time I read a devotional in this book, it feels like I’m reading it for the very first time . . . even the ones that I wrote. I get teary-eyed reading my own works.

TWL: What other books are you working on and when will they be published?

Yolonda: My biggest project that I’m working on right now is my dissertation, which should be complete by the summer. Since no one outside of those in academia will likely read my dissertation, I’ll share that my next non-academic work is a book about helping people realize their worth even when their life is a mess. I hope to finish that in 2023.

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

Yolonda: A spiritual journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Sometimes it takes us longer to learn some lessons than others. Sometimes we have to repeat courses. The goal is not to beat anyone else to the finish line, but simply to get there as best as you can.

TWL: Do you have any final words?

Yolonda: Happy reading! This project took a lot out of me emotionally, but it was a labor of love, and I would do it over again a hundred times. I hope that readers will enjoy it!

Title: CONNECTING WITH CHRIST: 52 WEEKLY DEVOTIONALS TO NURTURE SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Author: Yolonda
Publisher: YO Productions
Pages: 212
Genre: Nonfiction/Inspirational

BOOK BLURB:

Self-care is a buzzword often mentioned when people seek to optimize their health. Suggested self-care practices tend to include activities such as exercising, getting a massage, or eating a healthy diet. While all of these actions have their place, none of them are sufficient enough to provide the soul-care we need to maximize our self-care. Self-care without soul-care equates to temporary solutions that leave us searching for the next new thing. However, when Christ becomes the center of our holistic health journey, we not only find fulfillment in Him but also a dependency on and trust in Him to truly live our best lives-emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

“If ever there has been a time in history when we need to connect with and cling to Christ, it is now. Loud divisive voices vie for our attention. World events distract. Personal challenges overwhelm. Staying connected to Christ takes effort, even for the most devoted believer. Connecting with Christ aids in fostering that connection. Yolonda Sanders chose contributors well, those who provide thoughtful, encouraging, helpful guidance in making connection to Christ a priority.”– Candy Arrington, author, Life on Pause: Learning to Wait Well

“Inspiration can wane when the winds of discouragement blow through our lives. Connecting with Christ offers 52 weeks of easy encouragement everyone can benefit from. Easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to apply to our wind-blown lives. Receiving inspiration from a variety of authors makes you feel like you’re family. Coming together to talk about life and how God’s truth plays an active part for all of us is priceless.”– Linda Goldfarb, Speaker-Trainer-Coach, Award-winning author of the LINKED Personality Series, helping you take your next best step- Relationally-Spiritually-Professionally (www.LivePowerfullyNow.org)

“Connecting with Christ is a unique, faith-filled, inspiring devotional designed to cultivate a thirst for the Word as you grow in your spiritual journey. You will feel the love of God and experience His goodness, grace, and faithfulness, which are woven throughout this work.”– La Verne Tolbert, Ph.D., author of How to Study and Understand the Bible (www.etaworld.org); Founder & CEO of Teaching Like Jesus Ministries, Inc. (http: //teachinglikejesus.org/); and host of Sunday School Made Simple (https: //www.youtube.com/c/SundaySchoolMadeSimple)

“Eternal, intrinsic, and unique, your soul is a touchpoint between you and God. A healthy soul is protection against agnosticism, hatred, prejudice, and superficial materialism. Yolonda Tonette Sanders and others provide a resource for the vital care and feeding of your soul and help you connect with the God who loves you.”– PeggySue Wells is the bestselling author of 29 books, including The Ten Best Decisions A Single Mom Can Make, and the founder of SingleMomCircle.com

Book Information

Release Date: November 30, 2021

Publisher: Yo Productions

Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1732850842; 212 pages; $14.99

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FoBsZh

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3I3410c

Walmart: https://bit.ly/3nk80xu