Diva's Literary World : BLOG TOUR: Yvette Allen-Tatum

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

·         An Author, Teacher, Conference Host, Public Speaker, Encourager, Motivator, Ordained Minister of The Gospel, Radical for Christ, the list goes on ...

·         Married (10 years); this is a second marriage for both of us. We have five children between us – All Girls; women actually since the youngest is 18.

·         I’m in the process of earning a Master of Arts in Human Services – Executive Leadership from Liberty University. I am also a graduate of Grace Christian College where I earned my Master's of Divinity and a Bachelor of Arts in Theology; and a graduate of the University of Richmond, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Concentration in Finance and a Minor in Leadership Studies.

·         I am the Founder of Surrounded By Faith Ministries, Inc. Surrounded By Faith Ministries is a women's ministry ordained by God to transform the lives of women with the Word of God. You can find out more about Surrounded By Faith Ministries by visiting us on the web at http://wwww.surroundedbyfaith.org.

·         To date, I have authored two books Welcome to my Morning Glory and I Didn't Know, taught numerous Bible Studies, have been a featured speaker at several conferences and hosted numerous ministry events; most notably The Throw Yo' Hands Up Conferences sponsored by Surrounded By Faith Ministries.

·         What began as a mandate from God to train and equip women in the ways of the Lord so they would become like the Proverbs 31 woman in the Bible, has expanded to a platform of child advocacy. Actually, my spiritual focus has always been on the family unit – to receive and achieve spiritual wholeness.    First, targeting women – to strengthen them as the nurturing forces they were created to be; and now giving a voice to the voiceless – our children.

What type of jobs or careers have you worked in the past?

For the most part I’ve always worked in Corporate America in the capacity of an analyst. I’ve always had a fascination with numbers

Who are your favorite authors?

That’s a good question. Let’s see; I like Bee Bee More Campbell, Maya Angelou, Rick Joyner, Joyce Meyer and Juanita Bynum.

What are your favorite books?

Wow, I’ve never thought about this before and I can’t really say that I have a favorite book or books. I remember buying a collection of books by Maya Angelou and how much I really enjoyed reading them.

I would say that I like a variety of books by various authors but I cannot recall all the names of the books; but to mention a few: Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine, The Call, The Final Quest, The Five Love Languages, How To Enjoy Where You Are On The Way To Where You Are Going and The Threshing Floor.

I actually read in spurts and sometimes do not complete reading the entire book once I’ve gotten from it what I want/need.

Are you a full-time writer? If so, describe your day?

No, I’m not a full-time writer. I write by inspiration. I can usually go from concept to paper in just a few days; typically a weekend. From there, it depends on the nature and the purpose of the book as to how many revisions and/or research is needs to be added to complete the book.

Tell us about your journey to publication.

The journey of publishing my first book was simple and easy. As I previously stated, I had written the book for myself not knowing that it was a book at the time. In short, I did not set out write a book. My second book was written intentionally. I purposefully wanted to share my story and hopefully do my part to prevent it from happening to others.

Specifically, I wrote the book:

§ To expose the enemy (I believe this lessens his power)

§ To overcome the guilt & shame by being able to confront it head on

§ To encourage and educate others on how to identify, confront & overcome child sexual abuse

§ To set the captives FREE

When did you begin to realize you wanted to write?

Well, I’ve always written in some form or another and I believe that’s because I’ve always been a dreamer. I enjoy journaling and writing plays. I did not realize that I had the capacity to write for an audience until some of my school papers were reviewed for a counseling class. From there I sat down one weekend and wrote my first book. At the time I did not know it was a book because I was merely just getting/putting my thoughts and feelings on paper for me. After my husband read it he said I should publish it. From there I met with a publisher, who was also my husband’s publisher (he writes poetry), and I guess I can say the rest is history.

I DIDN’T KNOW VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR with YVETTE ALLEN- TATUM

Paperback: 110 pages

Publisher: Kingdom Publishing Group, Inc. (March 15, 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0988312670/ ISBN-13: 978-0988312678

About The Book

“I Didn't Know" is for more than just an audience of one. If you look to your left, look to your right, or directly in the mirror, you will see or know someone who has been sexually abused... even if you look in the mirror, and the person is YOU! More than the tragedy of sexual abuse is the tragedy of the silence of sexual abuse. It must be talked about. Our stories have to be shared; someone's life is literally depending upon YOU to BREAK THE IGNORANCE OF SILENCE! "I Didn't Know" brings to the forefront the many hidden faces of child sexual abuse. The author, Yvette L. Allen-Tatum, shares not only her story, but the compelling testimonies of others--everyone from the actual victim, to the offender, to those who standby by in disbelief and allow these heinous crimes against our children to continue. Our voices have to be heard, our children must be free or freed to tell the TRUTH: that someone touched them. Who can they run to? Will it be you?