PAMELA NANCE JOHNSON: Finding Freedom Through Writing

Pamela Nance Johnson, born in Okinawa, Japan, now resides in Central Virginia. She spent most of her career in service to others. Pamela served as a parent volunteer and Policy Council Representative, Instructional Assistant and Family Services Coordinator at her local Head Start program. She also served at the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board as a Child & Adolescent Mental Health Case Manager. She was an AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) through the Corporation for National and Community Service at Bragg Hill Family Life Center, a faith-based non-profit. Pamela volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children. Since 2012, she has been a Legal Administrative Specialist for the federal government.

Today, Pamela continues to serve in ministry as a member of Kingdom Family Worship Center where she was ordained as a minister in 2015. She sings on the Praise Team/Choir, ushers, teaches Sunday school and is part of the church administration team.

Pamela also sings with a community choir, Voices of the Gospel. Pamela’s debut literary effort was co-authoring the Back in the Day Anthology (2019 Christian Book Lover’s Retreat). This was followed by The Day She Left, a Survivor’s Diary vol.2 in 2021. She has been a guest blogger for Hope-in-Christ Ministries. She won the Community Service Award at the 2020 Christian Book Lover’s Retreat and was a host for CBLR Monday Motivational Moment. Pamela has also been published internationally in Ordained Magazine with a feature article on Self-Care in the summer of 2021. She seeks to use her testimony to encourage others in their faith journey.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Pamela’s inspiration to write started in elementary school from her natural love for reading, which birthed her inclination to write. She developed a deep interest in creative writing in school. As a member of her high school’s newspaper staff, she explored journalism as a reporter and sports editor. She always wanted to see her name on a book cover and have millions reading what she had written.

“Journaling is what gave me my literary voice and it is the foundation for both my anthologies,” Pamela explains. “I have been keeping journals since my teens, recording every life event.” This gave her the space to find clarity, celebrate victories, and find peace while going through life’s storms.

Pamela always dreamed of becoming a published author. In 2017, on a search of the internet for Christian writing seminars, she discovered the Christian Book Lover’s Retreat. With that, her professional writing journey began.

INSPIRATION TO WRITE

“My greatest desire is to share my testimony so that others, especially women, will be encouraged and empowered to rise above their circumstances,” states Pamela, whose mother passed when she was sixteen. “I understand what turning trauma into triumph really means.”

Pamela writes for the young woman who doesn’t have her mother in her life, for the single mother, and for the divorcee. She believes that though life brings challenges, it is easier when done with God leading the way and that it is possible to not just survive but also to thrive.

WRITING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Non-fiction is Pamela’s genre of choice, and her two anthologies were written in autobiographical format. “Better With God on My Side” is her title chapter in Back in the Day Anthology released at the 2019 Christian Book Lover’s Retreat.

“Free Indeed,” released in 2021, is the title chapter in The Day She Left, A Survivor’s Diary Volume 2 with Tamara C. Gooch as Visionary Author.

“Recently, I tagged myself as ‘Meet the Anthology Author’ and it was mostly due to a question received about my book. In a conversation, it was implied that I only have a chapter in a collection, so it’s not really my book and that perhaps I am not officially an author.” Rather than get into a debate, Pamela wisely decided to make it a teachable moment. She explained that her purpose for writing was to share her personal testimony to encourage and empower others. Pamela uses the Bible as the ultimate example of an anthology.

FAMILY CONNECTIONS IN WRITING

Pamela is not the first author in her family. Sonya Nance Herndon, one of her aunts, wrote children’s books—Uncle Deek’s Garden, Uncle Deek’s Boating Adventure, and Uncle Deek’s Singing Dilemma—which will be relaunched soon. A Heritage Preserved and A Heritage Preserved Too (Nance-Tatum family history) is a compilation of Pamela’s paternal family history from 1500 to 2022 was written by another aunt, Juanita Nance Gatewood.

LATEST RELEASE

Based on St. John 8:36, Free Indeed was written by Pamela from a place of forgiveness for herself and for others. “I thought I had worked through some of my life experiences, most significantly, a volatile situation after divorce,” Pamela reveals. “But there were some unresolved feelings and writing was my release. The hardest part of writing Free Indeed was coming to terms with old feelings I thought I had successfully suppressed. However, I feel that this was a necessary part of the process, and I made peace with it all.”

ADVICE FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS

· Trust the process and be patient.

· Take your time and be sure to invest in a good editor.

· Be open to the editing process.

· Make your characters relatable (fiction) and tell your truth (non-fiction).

ON THE HORIZON

“I am working on a devotional. I have written several devotionals as a guest blogger for Hope-in-Christ Ministries. I have also shared prayer, Scripture, and songs on my Facebook page during my commute to work via train and bus. I realize that people looked forward to my posts so that gave me the idea to put a selection together for a 30-day devotional which can be read while traveling. I feel I may reach those who are no longer able to visit a church, but still need to get an encouraging word.”

Click & Visit: Pamela Nance Johnson

Book Link: https://pamelanjohnson.com

PAMELA NANCE JOHNSON: Finding Freedom Through Writing

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