GROWING UP ZIGLAR - Julie Ziglar Norman - One Free Book

Welcome, Julie. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your book.

My book is non-fiction so I am as authentic as I possibly can be. I write honestly about my faults and failures as well as my strengths and blessings.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I used to dress up in a Police Dog bite suit so our local K-9 officers could train their dogs to search out and detain bad guys.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

My English teachers in high school and college encouraged me and winning the Guideposts Writers Workshop contest helped validate their assessment for me.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I like to read everything from my Bible and my favorite daily devotional My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers to scientific papers on health and Herpetology. I love fiction like the Mitford series by Jan Karon, biographies, business leadership books by Dave Anderson, anything by Andy Andrews, direct marketing and sales books, and publications about horses and trail riding.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I remember that my life is none of my business and I do all that I can to be available to do what God would have me do next. My prayer time and my faith keep me grounded. I don’t worry because I know God is fully aware of all that is going on in my life and I trust Him. My favorite way to relax is to go trail riding on my Quarter Horse Kup.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Most of the people in my life are characters of one sort or another…lively and exciting people…but they come with names already in place since I don’t write fiction. I have been asked on occasion not to use someone’s real name so I let my reader know if I have substituted a fictitious name.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

I am most proud of my blended family. When my husband Jim and I married my little girl Amey was almost 7, his boy/girl twins, Jim and Jenni had just turned 12 and his oldest daughter DeDe was 19. We were blessed that the children all lived with us and with lots of patience, lots of long talks, through both tough times and good times, we were able to build a family unit so strong our children fully accept one another as siblings and the word “step” never enters anyone’s mind or vocabulary. We have strong family traditions and the love we all have for one another is as deep and binding as any traditional family I’ve ever seen. I am immensely proud of our four children and our twelve grandchildren.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

If I were an animal I wouldn’t be typing out this answer but I would love to be the white horse on which my Lord Jesus Christ returns in Revelation 19:11. To assist my King, to see the upturned faces of those who have waited with faith and hope for His return…I can’t imagine an animal more blessed than that!

What is your favorite food?

I consider any good soup that has a chicken or vegetable based broth and if full of great veggies a favorite.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

The only time I get writers block is when I have a deadline. The way I overcome it is to have my husband write the first few lines. I was the editor on 27 of my father Zig Ziglar’s 30 books so when something is down in print I immediately know what I want to say or how I’d say it differently. It makes for a great jump start. Of course it helps that my husband knows what I want to write about on any project that I do. He has been a ghost writer for many years now.

Tell us about the featured book.

I wrote my book, Growing Up Ziglar: A Daughter’s Broken Journey from Heartache to Hope, to encourage women who have deemed themselves unusable by God; for women who have not been able to forgive themselves for their past even though they intellectually know that God has forgiven them and for women who want to get beyond self and serve God fully. It is my hope that women who read my book will see how knowing God’s Word personally and intimately will give them an instruction manual for living a life of peace, contentment and victory. I want women to know and understand that their lives are none of their business and that learning how to be available, willing and obedient to do what God puts before them to do will make them incredibly free. I want Christian women who hide the wrong they once did to know that they are in bondage still! When we know and accept that we are forgiven there is no more shame, only gratitude and relief and the desire to help others know the truth of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. I believe the purpose God has given me is wrapped up in those verses: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” NKJV It is my prayer that women will be comforted when they read my book and that they will come to KNOW, really KNOW, their Lord and Savior and the plans He has for them.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Chapter One

Available, Willing, and Obedient

The Command I Couldn’t Ignore

That Sunday morning in the waning days of the summer of 2005 started out like so many others. Six years earlier, my husband Jim and I had moved from the bustling suburbs of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex to the sleepy little town of Alvord, Texas. It had taken some time and lots of visiting, but we’d found a church we loved, and we treasured all thirty of the regular attendees. We enjoyed knowing, really knowing, everyone in the fellowship so it didn’t seem unusual when my friend Missy pulled me aside as soon as we walked into the church foyer.

It was unusual when Missy began telling me about a dream she’d had the night before. Our church would be considered conservative by most, and what I was about to hear was not an ordinary discussion - even among our most colorful attendees

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I can be found at www.ziglarwomen.com  or www.julieziglarnorman.com .

I also have a blog at www.growingupziglar.com

Thank you, Julie, for sharing your life and book with us.


Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Growing Up Ziglar: A Daughter's Broken Journey from Heartache to Hope (Voices of Faith Series) Growing Up Ziglar (Voices of Faith) - Kindle format


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