Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I am a wife to Bobby. We’ve been married 14 years in October. A mother to Carson, 12 and Chase, 10. I Live in Naples, Florida, moving here 28 years ago, from Southeastern Ohio. I love dogs and coffee and Jesus. I’m not into religion, but relationship, learning how to walk out my faith in real life. I grew up on a farm and have a degree in Livestock Production, which I do not use now, but have a dream of raising pygmy goats sometime in the near future … maybe. I love serving people, thus my job as chief coffee chick at church. (I brew the coffee … it’s really not so glamorous!)
How did you start your writing career? Did you always know you wanted to write?
I was going through a difficult period of my life and I started emailing my thoughts to a friend. Those emails turned into chapters and the chapters eventually became my first book, Chili and Chocolate Cake. I had thoughts of writing as a child, but I had put those dreams up on the shelf years ago. But God didn’t forget. He brought them back down, dusted them off and started me dreaming again.
Can you tell us about each of your books?
Chili and Chocolate Cake
My Recipe for Staying Anchored in the Storms of Life
Chili and Chocolate Cake is not your average inspirational book; and is as unique as the title. The author shares her message of forgiveness, restoration, and hope for hurting women– especially those who have experienced the loss of a child through abortion, miscarriage, or stillborn birth. This book is a shining testimony to the power of God to heal the broken heart. Author Joyce Schneider’s dramatic life and the miraculous change from a tortured young women to a great woman of God will encourage every reader. God even used the stablilty gained from preparing chili and chocolate cake to weave the thread of His grace throughout her troubled life. Get ready for an outpouring–from the barren days of the past, to springs of living waters; rivers that will refresh long after you close the pages of this book.
LIFE IS … More Than $100 Bills
Letting Go of the Past and Living the Abundant Life
Popular author Joyce Schneider’s newest book, Life Is More Than $100 Bills, will hit you where you live. This inspirational book full of life lessons will touch your heart, make you smile, and challenge you to grow in Christ. It is an inspirational book of life-lessons geared towards those who want to strengthen their walk of faith. Joyce Schneider offers this personal collection of lessons and true-life stories. In her warm, vulnerable style, this gifted story teller takes the reader along as she faces everyday challenges that test her patience and commitment. Life is more than wasted days, more than empty pursuits, more than misplaced priorities — Life Is More Than $100 Bills!
LIFE IS… Not About Perfect
A Daily Dose of Encouragement
In her third work, Life Is Not About Perfect; Joyce Schneider gives us a glimpse into how to enjoy living amidst the trials and tribulations of everyday life. This unique devotional proclaims a message of hope and encouragement through family antics, inspiring us to see life situations for what they truly are—opportunities to live out our faith.
Grass Stains and Giggles
Experiencing God in the Midst of Motherhood
Grass Stains and Giggles by Joyce Schneider invites you to look again in the daily grind of life. Through heartwarming and colloquial tales about her life adventures of parenting, Joyce offers a glimpse of how to live out your faith in real time, every single day. Allow God to nourish your spirit and bring hope through the journey not in spite of, but in the midst of the frenzy of day-to-day affairs. Grass Stains and Giggles reminds us that God is ever present in caring for His children if we are willing to listen, even when we don’t expect Him to speak.
Who would you say is your target audience?
I think my target audience is actually anyone. My first two books are focused more on a woman’s point of view, but sometimes men need to know how women think and I’ve had many men read my books, who’ve appreciated this viewpoint. My last two books are stories on how to live out our faith in day to day life … stories that anyone can relate to.
What inspires your writing? Where do you get your ideas?
That’s easy …my family, my life. God gives me the inspiration and the ideas and I use day to day life situations and turn them into real life lessons on how to walk out my faith.
You are a busy lady. How do you balance life with writing?
I try to write a little every day. I write either first thing in the morning or last thing at night. When I’m involved in editing of a book, or the actual publishing process, I have to spend more time on them. I’ve found that when I tithe my time to God, he makes sure I have plenty for the other areas of my life.
If you could spend a day with any one person, past or present, who would it be?
YIKES … that’s a hard question, there are so many. Honestly, I don’t want to sound corny or religous, but I love Joseph, from the Old Testament. I would love to spend a day with him, hearing his stories. It’s so easy to be faithful when life is treating us well, but Joseph went through so many trials, yet he stayed faithful to the end and God blessed that faithfulness.
One last silly question. If you were granted 3 wishes to come true, what would they be?
For Carson and Chase to grow up to be Godly men.
To grow old with Bobby.
And for present day, I’d love to have a center for women to come for healing and hope. A place that offered counseling, bible studies, discussion groups, a coffee shop, and child care. A safe place where they would find the love of Jesus; healing from their past and hope for their future.
What a beautiful and giving heart you have Joyce. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me interview you!
Joyce has graciously offered up a copy of each of her books to any commenters on the blog. That means four different winners! I will draw from a hat (or rather a bowl) next week, Saturday, March 21st. Please leave a comment with you email (like this: sherrinda[at]gmail[dot]com) so that I can get a hold of you if you win. Good luck!
All the books are on Amazon … Here are the links.
Sherrinda 
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