Introducing Alexis A. Goring. She will be my guest devotional writer this year. Each month, we’ll have the pleasure of reading one of her devotionals. She’s a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ.

So let’s learn a little more about Alexis.

Tell us about your writing. Do you write fiction and nonfiction as well as devotions?

 I write in two genres: Contemporary Romance (fiction) and devotionals (nonfiction). I have written and published four books. All four of my books are available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Hope in My Heart: A Collection of Heartwarming Stories

• A short, inspirational romance book filled with fictional stories about characters who are in need of hope.

 A Second Chance

• A Contemporary Romance standalone fiction story about two journalists hurt by what they thought was love until they find true love with each other.

 Love in Pictures

• A Contemporary Romance standalone fiction story about a wedding photographer who has never been in love and how she inspires a journalist who was devastated by love to want to love again.

 Stories and Songs of Faith: My Journey with God

• A 52-week devotional (nonfiction) filled with stories and songs of faith that inspired my real-life journey with God.

Tell us about your writing journey?

 My writing journey started when my mother required my brother and I to write in journals when we were children. I was in Kindergarten when I first started taking pencil to paper. I had to write down what happened in school every day. I started on this journey reluctantly but grew to love it and started sharing my completed journals with my teachers.

They would write encouraging notes in it to me. I still remember that the Reading Specialist for my elementary school wrote in one of my completed journals, “Alexis the Superstar does in again!” My wonderful mother and maternal grandmother would also write encouraging notes in my completed journals.

Words of affirmation really fueled my desire to make writing a forever part of my life. As I grew to love it, my desire and drive to learn everything I could about how to be a writer grew too!

They say that every good writer is an avid reader so by third grade, I was reading chapter books. I continued to excel in all of my writing and reading related classes. When I reached high school, I joined the Newspaper and Yearbook staff and eventually was assigned to write most of the stories. By the time I reached college, I knew that I wanted to study whatever major would help me continue to grow as a writer. I started as an English major but found after a while that wasn’t the right fit. Around that time, God sent Stacy who was the Journalism Professor, to recruit me. After reading the course guide for Print Journalism and seeing that studying this major would prepare me to write for magazines, newspapers, book publishing houses and radio, I knew that this was the perfect fit! So I pursued it. And those first few classes with Stacy were like the sun rising! Everything made sense. I believed that I’d found my calling as a journalist.

I graduated from college with my B.A. in Print Journalism and immediately started an internship at a faith-based magazine that God blessed me with that summer. At the end of that internship, my supervisor told me that I did a wonderful job. She had no suggestions for improvement; just an idea that if I decide to become an editor, she thinks I’d be really great at that too. Amazing how God works because I had never thought of being an editor but today I am!

After that magazine internship, I thought I’d land a full-time job in Journalism. But God had other plans: He led me on a series of life-enriching detours, including a few years spent in the Education career field as a teacher. My students were the most precious gifts and the biggest blessing from that experience. However, after a few years in that field, that door closed and God opened the door for me to be a full-time freelance reporter for a county newspaper. I still remember my first day “on the beat” … once again, it felt like the sun rising! I was at peace.

During my fourth year of working for the newspaper, I went to grad school and earned my MFA in Creative Writing (another childhood dream). I finally had the capstone on my quest to become a writer! I had finally reached the pinnacle of my dreams. I had trained all of the writing talent that God gave me and was now waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it all for God’s glory.

God continues, to this day, to give me opportunities to write for Him and be paid for this talent He has given me. I am so grateful! He has enabled me to write blog posts, columns, devotionals, articles for newspapers, feature stories for magazines, and my own books! Last year, that dream to be an editor came true on a deeper level when God enabled me and my editorial team to professionally edit and independently publish a book of devotionals called Devotionals for the Heart: Revelations of God’s Love. It’s filled with original devotions created by nine of my original writers from my “God is Love” blog’s “Devotionals for the Heart” series.

It’s such a blessing to see how God leads when you trust Him with the gifts He has given! I am so happy that God enabled all of my writing dreams to come true and I hope to be able to give back one day and help others reach their God-given dreams to write for Him too!

Do you have a “day job” or is writing your only job?

 I currently do not have a day job. Writing is my only job for now. I keep busy blogging, writing, editing, networking and looking for more work.

I have two blogs: “God is Love” and “On My Heart.” The most popular series on my “God is Love” blog is “Devotionals for the Heart” where my team of wonderful writers provide a new devotional for my readers every Monday/Wednesday/Friday since January 2018. The only series on my other blog (On My Heart) is “Sharing Our Stories.” It is a weekly series that runs on Sundays with a new post by my team of amazing writers who want to be the change they seek.

I own a company called “Writer at Heart Editorial Services.” I provide editorial services for authors, business owners and other professionals. I also market books for authors on social media and offer virtual assistant (VA) services.

I enjoy networking with other creatives in person and online!

 What do you like to do for fun?

For fun, I love to go shopping solo and eat good food with loved ones.

 How can readers get in contact with you?

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PennedbyAlex

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capturing_the_idea/

Website: https://alexisagoring.jimdofree.com

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/capturingidea/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7260528.Alexis_A_Goring

“God is Love” (blog): https://capturingtheidea.blogspot.com

“On My Heart” (blog): https://coveringitall.blogspot.com

Thanks for telling us a little about your life, Alexis. And welcome to Power Up With God. I’m looking forward to reading your devotions this year. First one will be later this week and it’s a two-parter so it will post on Saturday and Sunday.