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​book reviews

Fiercely Faithful By Elizabeth Clamon

12/14/2020

27 Comments

 
Multi-volume, multi-genre author, Elizabeth Clamon introduces us to her latest book about how God is good, even when we go through trials, “Fiercely Faithful”:
Have you been discouraged? Found yourself wondering where God is in the midst of your storm? These fourteen authors have been there and chose to share their stories of when God was Fiercely Faithful. Everyone has difficulties, traumas, setbacks, and tragedies. Despite the difficult situations these authors found themselves in, they chose to trust God to get them through. Come on the journey with these amazing people as they share some very challenging situations and how they made it through what may have seemed like insurmountable odds with Fierce Faith.

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This is a collection of testimonies about how God rescues us from the consequences of our choices and circumstances sometimes beyond our control when we turn to Him. The hope that is exemplified in these pages is very similar to experiences I have had also. This hope is available to anyone, at any time, in any circumstance. The details are laid out clearly in the book.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I award a score of 4.8 stars. 
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You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/fiercely-faithful
https://www.goodreads.com/-fiercely-faithful

 
You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/ClamonElizabeth
https://www.elizabethclamon.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ElizabethClamon
http://www.instagram.com/ElizabethClamon
https://facebook.com/ElizabethClamonspeaker
https://www.youtube.com/channel/ElizabthClamon
https://www.pinterest.com/ElizabethClamon

I have reviewed another book by Elizabeth, “Beauty Rising from Brokenness” here is the link: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/beauty-rising-from-brokenness-by-elizabeth-m-clamon

​Tags: self-help, parenting, families, dysfunctional family, PTSD, relationships, spiritual life
​
Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction.
27 Comments
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/16/2020 06:45:41 pm

I am amazed at the reach and positive feedback of this amazing book. Thank you, Mark

Reply
Mark
12/16/2020 07:04:36 pm

You have an international best seller on your hands! Congratulations. I just checked and your book is also in the top 10 in several Amazon categories!
Thanks for taking the time to join me in the interview.
First question.
Please, tell us more about yourself. Perhaps something a little bit beyond your bio.

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/16/2020 07:19:51 pm

I am married to the most handsome, amazing Air Force Lt. Colonial for thirty-six years. He is a cat person and I am a dog person. He has five cats and I have one dog, a one year old Interlbutcher mountain dog named Addie. I thought I would start off with something Gizz would appreciate.

Reply
Mark
12/16/2020 07:23:09 pm

We have much in common, my dad is an Air Force colonel, retired and I was in the Oregon Air National Guard for 8 years myself.
Grizz would appreciate that, no doubt.
New questions.
Are you a full-time or part-time writer?
If you are, how long have you been a full-time writer, and how much time did it take you to make the transition from part time?

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/17/2020 10:02:31 am

I am a part-time writer. I love to tell stories, not just my own, but other people’s as well. So I write my own books (next one coming out Spring 2021). I also am a collaborator, like in Fiercely Faithful where I help others publish their story, as well as, being a storytelling coach who helps others craft and share their story. I work with speakers, authors, and businesses who want to share their brand story. It is very fulfilling work for someone raised on great stories!

Reply
Mark
12/17/2020 11:24:04 am

That sounds wonderful, helping others achieve their goals is fulfilling. We have that in common also.
New questions.
Are you in the writing business for love of writing or for money?Does your work, or past work if you are retired, have any influence on your writing?
What inspired you to write this book?

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/17/2020 02:37:25 pm

I am in the business of storytelling for both the love of stories and to earn extra income for my family. We have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren, number five is due in March 2021. Above anything else I love spending time with them, so my business is my means to treat our family to special events and travel to spend time with them.

When I was employed and other businesses I’ve owned have had nothing to do with writing. I have done many things in my life, but what I am doing now is by far my passion and purpose.

What inspired me to write this book was honestly a Devine calling. After Covid-19 hit and my speaking engagements were canceled I needed to redirect my focus. In April I felt God was leading me to do a virtual summit entitled Faith through the Fire based on the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego found in the book of Daniel in scripture. I did that and then felt God leading me to take it another step, so the anthology was birthed. As this process has continued God has added a live event to be held in Branson, MO February 6-7, 2021. More information can be found about the event here https://www.braveheartworkshops.com/events/fiercely-faithful-life-conference/

Reply
Mark
12/17/2020 02:51:57 pm

Another thing we have in common, our fifth grandchild, first grandson, arrived almost a year ago. We have three adult children also.
One step at a time is how Father leads us usually. Everything works out for the better when we don't stray from His plan.
The live event sounds exciting.
New questions.
Who designed the cover of your book? Feel free to drop a link if appropriate.
This next question might seem obvious, except that I sometimes miss something the author intended. What do the elements on the cover represent?
Was it hard to come up with the title? What was the process?

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/17/2020 06:50:51 pm

My cover designer was another God send. During the author pre-interviews one perspective author was also a graphic designer, she ended up becoming an author in the book and also doing the cover. Her name is Brittney Thompson and her contact information is below.

My process in cover design is just this simple...”I’ll know it when I see it.” I went on Google and searched images of the words in the title until I saw an image or two that spoke to me. I sent them to Britney and let her do her magic. The image of the women stepping out on water is a picture of her taking a step of faith, but but knowing what would happen. There is an image of a lion superimposed in the background, you may have to look closer to see it. The lion represents, The Lion of Judah mentioned in the Book of Revelation, as a term representing Jesus, according to Christian theology. It represents God’s Fierce Faithfulness in watching over us.

The title is another collaborative effort. I have been in a small coaching group for the last year and after hearing my story they tagged me with the Knick name “Fierce”. My personal brand became Fiercely Unstoppable Life and as we worked on titles for this particular book Fiercely Faithful: Be Inspired, Find True Purpose, and Live a Miraculous Life seemed to summarize the message I wanted potential readers to get.

Britney is Founder and CEO of Britney Renae Thompson, LLC,
B. Renae Design Company http://www.britneythompson.com/

Reply
Mark
12/17/2020 07:10:01 pm

I missed the lion. I love that. That is why I ask that question.
Very good use of the word and brand fierce. I like it. It makes a lot of sense. It reminds me of stalwart determination or unwavering commitment.
New questions.
Your book is available as an e-book. Are you planning any other formats?
This is your fourth book on Amazon. What is the status of your next book and what is it about?
What are the Amazon categories you chose for your book?

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/18/2020 08:14:31 am

Thanks! I never saw myself as fierce, but apparently, others do. I see myself more as stubborn than fierce.

Fiercely Faithful will be available in softcover in about a month. The marketing company I used recommends you just publish the e-book for the launch and then fix any errors and submit everything for the softcover. It will be available by the event, so you can grab a copy there and most of the authors will be there to sign it for you. (Link to conference information below). It will also be available in softcover on my website https://elizabethclamon.com by Monday, December 21, 2021, for pre-sale. If you get a pre-sale copy on my website you will receive a signed copy, delivered to your door after the conference.

My next book will be coming out in the spring of 2021 and it’s the second book in the trilogy, Fiercely Unstoppable Life. Beauty Rising from Brokenness is book one (the first part one of my story), book two Fiercely Unstoppable Love is book two in the series. It begins where Beauty Rising from Brokenness ends, with the auto-semi accident that left me disabled and bedridden for twelve years. My husband and I wrote it together telling the story of the most difficult time in our life from our separate points of view and experience.

Honestly, I don’t know the categories. That is something the marketing company chose and I haven’t slowed down enough since launch to look. I just know we hit #1 bestseller in 28 categories and bestseller in 38 categories in 5 countries.
https://www.braveheartworkshops.com/events/fiercely-faithful-life-conference/

Reply
Mark
12/18/2020 09:40:20 am

That was a terrible accident, I have a hunch that the survival of you and your husband was nothing short of a miracle.
Congratulations on achieving international bestseller status! That is impressive.
New questions.
How did you achieve international bestseller status? Can you walk us through that? You are the first author I have encountered with that accolade. It must be complicated.

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/18/2020 01:10:08 pm

Yes, it was a horrible accident, my entire family was in it and I’m so thankful I was the only one with severe injuries.

As for International bestselling author, I’m a goal setter and a goal getter, so I set the goal of #1 bestseller for Beauty Rising from Brokenness and achieved that. I did all the marketing and promotion for that one myself and it was quite a monumental task. This time I decided to hire a marketing team to help me because naturally, I wanted to achieve the next level of success with this book.

There are quite a few moving parts to hitting #1 International Bestseller. It depends on the categories you chose, other books launching in those categories, social and email reach among many other things. The team I hired to help with the launch is very experienced and made the entire process stress free. I will definitely use them with my next launch. If anyone wants more information about the team I hired here is the website https://yourpurposedrivenpractice.com/writing-opportunities/launch-your-book-as-a-best-seller/

Reply
Mark
12/18/2020 02:42:18 pm

Marketing is a lot of work, no question about that. Thanks for sharing the link, I am sure others will be looing at that website.
New questions.
Have you entered any writing contests?
Have you won awards of any kind for your writing?
Have you thought about writing fiction short stories or a novel?

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/19/2020 10:02:48 am

Oh my heavens No. being an author was never on my radar. I have always loved numbers, so much so, I took five upper-level math classes in high school when I only had to have three. I worked as a bookkeeper and office manager for fifteen years, so other than an occasional letter I was not a writer.

The only award you could say I’ve received, up until now, for my writing is a world's worse speller. Thank God for tools to check spelling and grammar errors and editors, like yourself.

As far as writing a novel, by the time I finish my trilogy, it could be put into one volume as a novel, but I don’t know that I’ll do that because there aren’t a lot of novel readers anymore. You can reach more people with shorter books in a series than with novels. Let’s face it people just don’t have the attention span they used to.

I haven’t thought about writing fiction. When you have lived the life I have there is no real reason to create content there is plenty of real-life experiences to write about. I know I will be writing two more memoir-type books about my life and then who knows I might tackle fiction. I’m always up for a new challenge.

Reply
Mark
12/19/2020 10:22:22 am

You make a good point about attention span. It seems that has been shrinking for a long time.
I have a client that writes and publishes books that are about 10,000 words long. For some authors that is only a chapter or two. She will put out four to six of these in a series. I have no doubt that she is not the only one creating short story books.
There are quite a few programs that go far beyond what a spellchecker does. They are very useful to an extent. Too many writers and editors trust them extensively for finding spelling errors. That is why I find spelling errors in more than 95% of the books I read.
Most people really enjoy fiction, it has a large share of the marketplace for books that are sold. It is also a wonderful vehicle for sharing hope and truth with people. Just like parables.
New questions.
Every genre's fans have expectations about what they are going to want to read. Fans of cozy mysteries have a set of expectations that can differ greatly from the expectations of fans of hard-boiled murder mysteries.
What expectations do fans of the self-help genre have in mind, when they are looking for another book to read?
If you were going to launch into a different genre, which one interests you the most?

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/19/2020 06:23:51 pm

I had to think about this one for a little while. As a reader of self-help myself what I’m looking for in that genre is new ideas, different ways to think about hardships, tips to help me get through, and encouraging stories of people who have been through a difficult time and were able to overcome it. I also read self-help books that are about specific things I need to work on. Such as the book Boundaries by Dr. Cloud, I read in a time in my life I had know idea how to set boundaries or enforce them.

My next collaboration book due out in June of 2020 is a different genre. It is a business book and will be my first of this type. I am interviewing potential authors now to be a part of my next #1 International Bestseller. This book will be entitled The Fiercely Unstoppable Entrepreneur: Lead with Purpose, Overcome Challenges, and take Control of Your Destiny and will have chapters from 20 authors sharing the purpose and mission of their business. These authors will share with you how they Lead with Purpose, Overcome Challenges, and take Control of their our Destiny to have the business and life of their dreams. Anyone interested in being part of this amazing book can reach out the me through email at Elizabeth@ElizabethClamon.com for next steps. I am only taking 20 authors and 5 spots are already filled so first come, first serve.

Reply
Mark
12/19/2020 06:39:50 pm

The self-help genre is pretty active, things are always changing there. I think I read that book by Cloud, I found it very helpful and informative also.
That business book sounds like a good idea. Hearing from people who have already gone down that path is quite helpful for the person just getting started.
I hope you get lots of takers so you need to put out multiple volumes. Don't stop at just one.
New questions.
I noticed that you didn’t put your book in Kindle Unlimited. Why is that?
Have you ever gone through the query process, seeking an agent or submitting directly to publishers or did you go straight to indie publishing or self-publishing, and why?

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/20/2020 10:55:30 am

I’m not sure I know what Kindle Unlimited is. I published Beauty Rising from Brokenness over two years ago and a lot has changed on Kindle since I did. This was a new learning curve for me, being in the collaborator role. I have to say sometimes it felt like herding cats! I will check into Kindle Unlimited.

I have never reached out to an agent or publisher, I have self-published everything. For the most part, my reason is I want to keep and control my own intellectual property. I really don’t like the idea of anyone else owning my story and having the final say on it. I have had many people tell me I should go for the New York Times Bestseller, but I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.

Reply
Mark
12/20/2020 11:05:54 am

You will find out that KU is a program that ties your book to Amazon exclusively for at least three months. Program members can read your book for free, you get paid by how many pages a person reads.
I am of the opinion that it is better for authors to go wide, publish on as many platforms as possible.
I think self-publishing is the better choice for authors as you enumerated so well. Maintain control of your book and you maintain control of your future. You get to keep all of the profits and bear all of the expenses. There is a new way to fund the expenses of publishing a book. Crowdfunding like Kickstarter and others is becoming more popular for authors as time goes by. Many authors are starting to do that. Here is a copy-and-paste link to an article that explains it quite well: https://kriswrites.com/2020/07/22/business-musings-the-kickstarted-game-changer-part-two/
New questions.
How was the experience publishing your book with Amazon? What was easy and what was hard?
Is using Twitter and other social media part of your marketing strategy?
Did you use ads on Amazon or other platforms such as Facebook or Bookbub?

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/20/2020 02:45:58 pm

Thanks for the information I will look that up for sure. I found KDP quite easy to use and they even have a new interior layout tool that was super easy to use and looks very professional.

Yes, I marketed on all my social media platforms, but I didn’t pay for any ads. It has been my experience that the ROI is not great when paying for ads since Facebook changed its algorithms. I just post it myself and put it in all the groups I’m part of.

Reply
Mark
12/20/2020 04:42:54 pm

I hope that you find it useful. Katherine provides a great perspective about the future of publishing, traditional and independent.
I know everything is hard the first time. Remember learning to ride a bicycle? Experience makes almost everything easier. I am glad to hear that Kindle direct publishing is improving.
Some people have good results with Amazon ads and not with Facebook, others are just the opposite. I have often wondered if the ROI ever balanced out. It does make a difference if you are playing the long game. Every impression builds on the one before it. The more books you write the more books you sell. The more ads you can buy the more books you sell. It does take a lot of work to rise above the surface of a million new books published every year.
New questions.
Do you subscribe to any author newsletters? There are so many ways to put out a newsletter.
Do you have a newsletter you send out to fans? Why or why not?
If you do have a newsletter, which mailing service do you use?
Is it the same one you started with or not? Why?

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/21/2020 09:44:29 am

I do subscribe to a couple of newsletters but can’t remember the name off the top of my head. Yes I have a newsletter for fans to keep them up to date on where I’m speaking, new books coming out, and when a new training drops. I use Mailchimp email service right now. I have tried several others, but theirs is very easy to use for a tech challenged individual like me and the price is right (FREE). If anyone wants to get on the list go here https://storytellercoach.groovepages.com/expert%20storyteller/

Reply
Mark
12/21/2020 10:16:41 am

I think a lot of authors start with Mailchimp. As their mailing list grows they move to a different provider.
For many authors an active newsletter and mailing list represents their fan club. It is designed to get people who like their books to visit their website and by more books and other themed merchandise. Licensing their brand and books onto merchandise is a good way to bond closer to the fans.
Their are some publishers who won't consider an author unless the author has several thousand members on the mailing list. That list represents some guaranteed sales in the publisher's mind.
Last questions.
In your experience, which marketing avenues have been the most rewarding or profitable?
Speaking of marketing, why did you pick me to help promote your book?

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/21/2020 10:56:26 am

I of course use email marketing, social media, and selling books when I speak are the best way to market. With this book I had the power of 14 authors and my marketing team, so that made it much easier. What I enjoy most is speaking, so selling books that I personally sign and meeting that audience member is my favorite way to market. I will often give a discount like buy one give one, buy 2 books and get the 3rd 1/2 price or free. That increases my sales, bonds me with audience members and I always leave them wanting more.

I saw you on Twitter and decided to get you to edit Beauty Rising from Brokenness and signed up for this interview. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to do it again. I hope to get on your very busy calendar for the three (yes, you read that right) three books I’ll be releasing in 2021.

Reply
Mark
12/21/2020 04:11:50 pm

All of the authors in the anthology are pushing the book also. That is brilliant!
Meeting the people who are interested in your book must be very satisfying. I have always enjoyed going to book fairs and talking with authors. The last few I attended were to offer my services to them.
I hope I am able to accommodate your needs for the new books. Three books in 2021 is very ambitious. I wish you the best for that.
I want to thank you for joining me in the interview on wordrefiner.com. I have enjoyed our conversation, I learn something new every time.
Keep writing and we will talk again soon.

Reply
Elizabeth Clamon link
12/21/2020 11:36:05 pm

It has definitely been my pure pleasure to discuss this amazing book with you. However, I must admit it is my personality that I would rather be one of those authors meeting you and other readers in person. If you or any of your readers want to make a trip to Branson, MO to meet the authors of this powerful book and get a signed copy it would make my 2021!

I look forward to discussing my 2021 new releases with you.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year!
We will talk again soon.
Abundant Blessings to you and your loved ones,
Elizabeth

Fiercely Faithful Life Conference February 5-7, 2021
https://www.braveheartworkshops.com/events/fiercely-faithful-life-conference/

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