Tell us about the book – can
you share the blurb?
Christina De Rosa holds a
potentially deadly secret that threatens to get out. As an innocent young
teenager, Christina survives a terrifying detailed sexual assault that destroys
her self-worth and trust.
In her daily struggle,
Christina searches for ways to keep her torment at bay, so she can function as
a "normal" teenager. Meanwhile, Christina's spiritual journey leads
her down a path causing conflict within, as she's riddled with guilt and shame.
A chance encounter with her
longtime, hot crush, Avery Evans, sparks a fire in Christina that she can't extinguish.
As the sweet, loving, knight in shining armor he readily portrays, Avery offers
the safety and security that Christina craves.
In her quest for internal
peace, Christina must make a decision. Will she give her heart, body and soul
to the super popular, Avery Evans?
Will Christina's nightmares
become all-consuming or will her discoveries lead her to a renewed way of life?
Find out if true love
triumphs in this edgy, faith-based young adult page-tuner, set in the 1980s.
*Not Again is NOT your
typical Christian coming of age story. Fierce faith doesn't come without a
fight. Prepare for heartache, self-harm, traumatic events, real romance, and
actual scripture in these pages.
Where do you get your
inspiration for your books?
I use actual experiences as a
springboard for my creativity in developing a unique and entertaining story line.
After recalling how those memories made me feel, I try to evoke similar,
perhaps even deeper feelings for the reader to experience. From there, ideas
pop in my head and onto the computer screen.
What's your key environment
that helps you get to writing? Do you have a writer’s nook, corner, getaway?
Where do you do your most productive writing?
I write all over the place.
When I started writing my debut novel about a decade ago, I had a desktop
computer down in my finished basement. I carved out a nook for myself using a
beautiful cherry desk as my anchor. I didn’t write anywhere else because my computer
wasn’t portable and I never wrote by hand. Now, I take my laptop all over the
house, in my living room, bedroom, basement, and outdoors. I even take it with
me on vacation as I am able to get quite a bit of work done down the shore.
What are you saying in
your book(s) that will encourage Christians today?
Not Again offers practical
and spiritual ways to reduce stress and help combat the negative affects of
traumatic events. One of the messages teaches how to rely on Christ by using
scripture like, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phillippians
4:13 KJV). Not only will Not Again encourage Christians, it has the potential
to bring about salvation to the unsaved. My greatest gift would be knowing that
Not Again had such an impact on someone’s life that they became a believer as a
result of reading it. Changing lives and healing hearts one page at a time is
the motivation behind my writing.
How do you pick names for
your characters?
I tend to pick names that I
like for characters that I like, but that’s not a hard and fast rule. For the most
part, I choose names that come to mind right away. Then I go back and change most
of the names. I have to think hard when referring to characters because so many
names have been changed.
How important are reviews to
you?
Reviews are important to me,
but I haven’t been as proactive in getting reviews as I should be. I heard it
takes at least 50 reviews to be recognized in Amazon. At present, I have only
16 reviews and I know more are to come. I don’t want to be known as that author
who pesters their readers for reviews. My wish is that more readers would reach
out to me. As an extravert, I crave the interaction, so don’t be shy in
contacting me. I’m more than happy to get to know my readers better.
Who are some of your favorite
authors? What genre is your favorite? What books have you enjoyed lately?
I really don’t have a favorite
author. As far as genres go, I enjoy murder mysteries, romantic suspense, young
adult, sweet romance and pretty much anything Christian. I also enjoy reading
memoirs, biographies and inspirational books. The last book I finished was Knit
2, Purl 2, Kill 2 by Erina Ring. I also enjoy getting to know fellow authors and
writing reviews.
Bio
Giving back to the community has always been a part of
Maria’s life as demonstrated by her mother throughout her life. In high school,
Maria volunteered at the local town library and raised money for the local hospital.
As a single young woman, Maria, along with her mother and aunt, was part of a nonprofit
ministry called CityTeam in Chester, Pennsylvania. Although knowing that this
was a dangerous area infested with violent crimes, Maria and the other volunteers
nonetheless selflessly gave of their time to feed the hungry. Even after hearing
gunshots outside of the building, they continued to serve the less fortunate. It
was Maria’s hope that someday she could volunteer side-by-side with her
children as she did with her mother. That desire came true when her children were
in elementary school and they all served together at the local soup kitchen.
Publishing Not Again is another dream that has become
realized and was inspired by God. Maria considers her novel to be part of her
ministry and she is blessed to have the love and support of her family. In fact,
Maria had the distinct pleasure of filming her daughter as featured in Not
Again’s book trailer which can be seen on Maria’s website: https://www.mariathenriksen.com
As
with any ministry, it takes vision and a passion to spread the gospel. Maria
would be honored for others to unite with her in her quest to reach teens by
sharing Not Again to make the world a better place one reader at a time. Join Maria
in changing lives and healing hearts one page at a time.
Links – social media and to
buy
You can join the Facebook group called Maria’s Muses:
Inspirational, Christian and Close-to-The-Heart Readers to be a part of an interactive,
uplifting and caring community. www.facebook.com/groups/292254218386413
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47789132-not-again?from_search=true&qid=iSQSyF6K7F&rank=1
Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/author/mariathenriksen
New subscribers to my blog/newsletter
receive a FREE relaxation audio download. Go to the bottom sections of the
website to sign up for a free subscription.
https://www.mariathenriksen.com
5 comments:
Laura, you did a beautiful job arranging this interview on your blog. Thank you so much for your hard work in putting it together.
Maria
Beautifully done! This is awesome!
Lori, you are a fabulous support!
Maria,you always have my total support dear friend!
Nice to have a glimpse of behind the book story. Thank you for sharing.
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