An interview with Deb Porter!

I did an interview with Deb Porter aka BreathFreshAir from FaithWriters. Here it is!

It was too long though and had to be chopped so I thought I would share with you all some of the parts I had to remove. Remember… this is he stuff I deleted! So be sure to check out the rest of it!

Shirley : Australia sounds absolutely wondrous! I would love to visit one day. You’ve visited the US before… what are some differences?

Deb : You know, it’s the strangest of things… although there are some differences, I felt so at home. I love the US and the people. If I could spend nine months in Australia and three months in the US each year, I’d be ecstatic. I remember one night when I was sitting with friends in their home in Michigan and I completely forgot I was in a different country. It all felt so very normal.

But there were differences and, for the most part, they were delightful. I was like a little girl getting all excited over the everyday things I was seeing. Simple things like lightning bugs, fire hydrants (we don’t have ones above the ground over here), and flags hanging from clapboard houses in  small towns. That everyday sense of pride is something I’m only just starting to see develop in Australia now. It’s precious and should be treasured.

I found the money very different, too. Our bank notes are a variety of colors so we can easily see the difference, but I was constantly confused (not unusual for me) with the US notes and coins. And don’t get me started on pennies! I brought home a purse full of them, We got rid of our one cent and two cent coins years ago, and I have to admit I was bit sorry when they were taken out of use, but after experiencing pennies, I;m glad they’re gone. Oh my, and the sales tax caught me straightaway. I ordered a hamburger at the Los Angeles airport and had the exact change in my hand – I just didn’t realize the sales tax is added onto the price shown. Over here our tax is included in he price. Once I worked that out, though, I was fine.

Of course, you drive on the wrong side of the road, and that caused my heart to leap into my throat more than a few times. I also kept trying to get into the driver’s seat (as that’s the passenger side in Australia). Okay, okay… you all  made the first road rules, so we’re probably the ones driving on the wrong side. I’m nervously looking forward to hiring a car on our next trip and trying it for myself. (You might all want to keep off the roads around that time.)

For all the differences, I’ve discovered that no matter where you are, people are people – particularly brothers and sisters in Christ. The connection is instant and transcends culture, accents, and skin color. It’s something you really don’t comprehend until you spend time out of your comfort zone. For me, I was blessed to discover my comfort zone actually traveled with me.

Shirley : How did you become involved with FaithWriters?

Deb : Remember what I said about God opening doors? Well that’s how I became involved with FaithWriters. He opened a door and pushed me in and I’m so thankful He did.

I was the eleventh member of FaithWriters, but was actually a member before it even began. Prior to FaithWriters the owner, Scott Lindsay, started a smaller site called FaithMania and I was a member of that almost from the start. So my connection with FaithWriters is a very long one.

I’ve always recognized the incredible value of FaithWriters. The encourager in me knows it’s the perfect way for writers to hone their skills and gain confidence so they can become everything God created them to be. So, although I didn’t post a lot of my own writing at FaithWriters (as I had my own website), I made a point of encouraging as many people as possible by leaving feedback on their articles.

I think Scott saw my heart, so when some major problems developed in the very early days of the Writing Challenge and members were getting a little bent out of shape, Scott was open to my suggestions as to how it could be fixed. That was back in May 2004 and my involvement has snowballed from that point to where I’m now basically Scott’s right hand person at FaithWriters.

Shirley : What are your responsibilities? And do you actually have a title?

Deb : Scott once asked me to write down everything I do at FaithWriters and when I sent the list through to him… I think he was a little more than shocked. My role has evolved over the years into a variety of things that help to keep FaithWriters functioning. There were some very specific roles such as the Writing Challenge Coordinator, editor for the FaithWriters Anthologies, and Book Review Coordinator. There are also some very general roles such as replying to queries from members, overseeing the health of the FaithWriters community, encouraging members as much as possible, and keeping my finger on the pulse of any potential problems… even down to chasing spammers out of the general articles.

I always have my eye open for ways to help FaithWriters grow so the members will have even more opportunities and exposure. This constant alertness to new possibilities is what led to the creation of the annual Page Turner Contest, now in it’s third year. We wanted to keep repaying those members who are financially helping to support FaithWriters and the Page Turner contest is a wonderful way of doing that for these very faithful members. It’s one of a couple of ways my business, Finesse, combines with FaithWriters to provide something special for members. That desire to keep blessing the FaithWriters members is also one of the reasons I’m starting Breath of Fresh Air Press. It will provide an in-house way to publish the Faithwriters Anthologies while also opening the door to other publishing options for members.

Shirley : Tell us what you envision for FaithWriters and what changes are coming.

Deb : There are new things I’d love to start for members at FaithWriters, but I am understandably taking every step fairly slowly. Once you open a door it can be very hard to close it, so it’s a case of making sure the time is right for starting anything new.

One of the not-too-distant future plans regarding the Weekly Challenge is to start a ratings feedback service for members so they can see the specific strengths and weaknesses of their entries based on the judges ratings. There is such a need for this sort of feedback but it;s one of those doors that I can’t open until I have everything in place administratively.

Another goal I have may not seem all that exciting to individual members but it really is a huge thing for everyone. I really want to start spreading the word about FaithWriters on a local church basis. Not just to encourage new members to join, but… more importantly, to promote our members’ writing for use in church newsletters, magazines, sermons, etc. This is a vital step for FaithWriters and one I’m keen to see happen. There is a wealth of material at FaithWriters, particularly in the Free Reprints section. The exposure for members is already great but it could be huge. Ultimately I’d love to see a team of FaithWriters members involved in this.

As I mentioned earlier. another main goal is to get Breath of Fresh Air Press up and running this year.- the sooner the better. The link with FaithWriters will be an important one for members. Scott receives emails on regular basis form people wanting to know if we will publish their work so this will provide more options and, together with the editing service available, will really turn FaithWriters into a full service writers site.

Shirley : Wow…. that is so exciting! I can’t wait to see how it all pans out. You said you are indeed coming to the US for the FaithWriters conference.. tell us more about that.

Deb : A FaithWriters conference isn’t like your average writers’ conference. For one thing most of the people attending already know each other so it’s more like a family reunion. The other reason is that it’s all about encouragement, information, and inspiration from fellow FaithWriters sharing wisdom and knowledge from various fields of writing. This coming year we’ll have sessions by both of our Best of the Best and Page Turner winners form 2008, Jan Ackerson and Corinne Smelker. Their input alone makes attending the conference a must.

I’ll be taking a session or two, as well as providing some special critiquing sessions for interested members. We’ll also be providing book table once again for conference attendees to sell their books. That was a great success last time.

The US conference will be held on August 7th and 8th at the Radisson Hotel in Livonia, Michigan, and I am really looking forward to seeing old friends and new.