E.N. Joy's Blog
January 26, 2018
You don't have to be black to read my books
In plenty of interviews, when asked who do I write for, I unapologetically say, "My target audience is African American women. I write for my sisters. If anyone outside of my target audience decides to pick up my books, that is a blessing."
Please read the email below regarding my book, The Sunday Only Christian, I received from one of my readers:
"I began reading your books when I noticed a book on a books-waiting-to-be-re-shelved cart at one of our libraries in Augusta, Georgia. It was "The Sunday Only Christian." When I discovered it was the second book of a series and mis-read the card catalog and thought our library did not have the first one, I went to Barnes and Noble and bought the first one, intending to donate it to the library. They actually have six copies. Well, I have now read all the "Still Divas" series and just completed "She Who Finds a Husband," and have already checked out "Been There, Prayed That" and can hardly wait to begin it.
"As I said earlier, I really enjoy the easy read style you have and that the Holy Spirit guides you. I am a Christian, too, and your books have strengthened my witness to the community around our church, which is a melting pot.
"The next thing I'm going to tell you is for your demographic knowledge, and to tell you why the books mean so much to me. You keep it real and you capture the spiritual warfare every Christian encounters. I am 55 years old and white. I love a melting pot kind of life. Our church has a great mixture of people from all races and cultures. I'm a musician who loves all types of music, provided it is encouraging.
I look forward to reading many more of your books. Keep on witnessing in a mighty way! Our young women need it!"
I'm aware that several of my #BossReaders are non-African American, and, again, that is a blessing. I say all of this to say that even though my books are categorized as African American, my main characters are African American, my target audience is African American, and I’m an African American author, you don't have to be black to read my books. My ghostwriter, the Holy Ghost, does not discriminate, and neither does God's Word.
Please read the email below regarding my book, The Sunday Only Christian, I received from one of my readers:
"I began reading your books when I noticed a book on a books-waiting-to-be-re-shelved cart at one of our libraries in Augusta, Georgia. It was "The Sunday Only Christian." When I discovered it was the second book of a series and mis-read the card catalog and thought our library did not have the first one, I went to Barnes and Noble and bought the first one, intending to donate it to the library. They actually have six copies. Well, I have now read all the "Still Divas" series and just completed "She Who Finds a Husband," and have already checked out "Been There, Prayed That" and can hardly wait to begin it.
"As I said earlier, I really enjoy the easy read style you have and that the Holy Spirit guides you. I am a Christian, too, and your books have strengthened my witness to the community around our church, which is a melting pot.
"The next thing I'm going to tell you is for your demographic knowledge, and to tell you why the books mean so much to me. You keep it real and you capture the spiritual warfare every Christian encounters. I am 55 years old and white. I love a melting pot kind of life. Our church has a great mixture of people from all races and cultures. I'm a musician who loves all types of music, provided it is encouraging.
I look forward to reading many more of your books. Keep on witnessing in a mighty way! Our young women need it!"
I'm aware that several of my #BossReaders are non-African American, and, again, that is a blessing. I say all of this to say that even though my books are categorized as African American, my main characters are African American, my target audience is African American, and I’m an African American author, you don't have to be black to read my books. My ghostwriter, the Holy Ghost, does not discriminate, and neither does God's Word.
August 16, 2016
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Author E. N. Joy
1). E. N. Joy started off writing secular works under the name Joylynn M. Jossel.
2) E. N. Joy wrote street lit under the name JOY.
3) E. N. Joy was the first content development editor for Vickie Stringer’s Triple Crown Publications.
4) E. N. Joy wrote a children’s book, The Secret Olivia Told Me, under the name N. Joy and it received the Coretta Scott King Honor from The American Library Association.
5) The initials E.N. in E. N. Joy’s name stand for Everybody Needs (Joy).
6) E. N. Joy was the acquisitions editor for Carl Weber’s Urban Christian imprint for ten years.
7) E. N. Joy’s must have treat when on book signings is Red Vines licorice.
8) E. N. Joy’s favorite book that she’s written herself is titled If I Ruled the World, a book that earned her a book blurb from Grammy Award Winning Artist, Erykah Badu.
9) E. N. Joy does editing and literary consulting in which some of her clients have included actor Christian Keyes, singer Olivia Longott, and Reality Television star Shereé M. Whitfield.
10) E. N. Joy played the character of Helen in the stage play that sold out in LA titled
“She Who Finds a Husband,” which was based on her book with the same title.
2) E. N. Joy wrote street lit under the name JOY.
3) E. N. Joy was the first content development editor for Vickie Stringer’s Triple Crown Publications.
4) E. N. Joy wrote a children’s book, The Secret Olivia Told Me, under the name N. Joy and it received the Coretta Scott King Honor from The American Library Association.
5) The initials E.N. in E. N. Joy’s name stand for Everybody Needs (Joy).
6) E. N. Joy was the acquisitions editor for Carl Weber’s Urban Christian imprint for ten years.
7) E. N. Joy’s must have treat when on book signings is Red Vines licorice.
8) E. N. Joy’s favorite book that she’s written herself is titled If I Ruled the World, a book that earned her a book blurb from Grammy Award Winning Artist, Erykah Badu.
9) E. N. Joy does editing and literary consulting in which some of her clients have included actor Christian Keyes, singer Olivia Longott, and Reality Television star Shereé M. Whitfield.
10) E. N. Joy played the character of Helen in the stage play that sold out in LA titled
“She Who Finds a Husband,” which was based on her book with the same title.
March 8, 2016
Ah Ha!!!
I always say that the greatest "Ah Ha" moment a person could ever have is when their life begins to make sense. I live, breathe, see, hear, eat, sleep, think, taste, feel, smell the written word. It is my life. I've made bestsellers lists, won awards, appeared in magazines, had books translated to different languages, put on audio and more, but I was always yearning/desiring/chasing more. I can’t put my finger on one specific thing. Perhaps I was longing for more notoriety, money or what have you. I achieved things that I am most proud of and that other authors have yet to accomplish. But nothing was filling on a long-term basis. Nothing made me feel like I knew what my purpose in this writing thing was. I just knew that it took up all of my time and all of my money, and in most cases, with a very small financial return.
Of course the wonderful feeling of gratitude I receive from readers is priceless. I love love love my readers, their testimonies, support and reviews. They are the boss of me. They give me a high, but then eventually I find myself back in that space again where I'm seeking , not just an answer, but a feeling; that feeling of everything making sense.
"Why am I doing this outside of the fact that I love writing so much?" "Is this what I'm called to be doing or only what I want to be doing?” “Is there something else I should be doing instead?" "Why?" "Why not?"
I was at a literary event and at times I felt inferior to some of the National Bestselling authors that occupied the room because their literary reputations preceded them. Everyone in the room seemed to have known who they were and greeted them with huge applause. I reflected back on that moment and said in prayer, “God, I want to know what it feels like to enter people's presence and everyone in the room already knows who I am." His reply to me was, "Me too."
It was then I had my greatest “Ah Ha” moment. My ministry is delivering God's message through the written word in the form of literary entertainment in order to point the world in the direction of the kingdom. In doing so I FINALLY realized that E. N. Joy's job is not to make herself famous, but to make God famous. In spite of what some may think, not everybody knows God. Even God Himself knows that; He told me so!
I feel so free now knowing that even though my husband, children and so many family members, friends, readers and strangers have supported me in my literary endeavors, that I don’t have to prove to them that their love and support and bragging about me was not in vain by becoming the most famed and riches author in the world. I don't have to make the New York Times, my books don't have to be turned into Lifetime movies or chosen as Oprah's book of the month. My job is not to become a famous author through my writing, but to make God famous through my writing. So no longer is my motivation to become Bestselling Author E. N. Joy-One Million Copies Sold, but instead: BLESSEDselling Author E. N. Joy-One Million Souls Saved!
Of course the wonderful feeling of gratitude I receive from readers is priceless. I love love love my readers, their testimonies, support and reviews. They are the boss of me. They give me a high, but then eventually I find myself back in that space again where I'm seeking , not just an answer, but a feeling; that feeling of everything making sense.
"Why am I doing this outside of the fact that I love writing so much?" "Is this what I'm called to be doing or only what I want to be doing?” “Is there something else I should be doing instead?" "Why?" "Why not?"
I was at a literary event and at times I felt inferior to some of the National Bestselling authors that occupied the room because their literary reputations preceded them. Everyone in the room seemed to have known who they were and greeted them with huge applause. I reflected back on that moment and said in prayer, “God, I want to know what it feels like to enter people's presence and everyone in the room already knows who I am." His reply to me was, "Me too."
It was then I had my greatest “Ah Ha” moment. My ministry is delivering God's message through the written word in the form of literary entertainment in order to point the world in the direction of the kingdom. In doing so I FINALLY realized that E. N. Joy's job is not to make herself famous, but to make God famous. In spite of what some may think, not everybody knows God. Even God Himself knows that; He told me so!
I feel so free now knowing that even though my husband, children and so many family members, friends, readers and strangers have supported me in my literary endeavors, that I don’t have to prove to them that their love and support and bragging about me was not in vain by becoming the most famed and riches author in the world. I don't have to make the New York Times, my books don't have to be turned into Lifetime movies or chosen as Oprah's book of the month. My job is not to become a famous author through my writing, but to make God famous through my writing. So no longer is my motivation to become Bestselling Author E. N. Joy-One Million Copies Sold, but instead: BLESSEDselling Author E. N. Joy-One Million Souls Saved!
Chose or Chosen?
There are Christian fiction writers and then there are Christians who write fiction. There is Christian fiction, then there is what some consider to be church fiction or church drama. You have some authors who didn’t necessarily set out to write Christian fiction, but they were placed in that category by either their publisher, or the book stores simply shelved them that way. And of course you have the writers whose work is categorized as Christian fiction but they do not write for a Christian fiction imprint, which means they are not necessarily writing with any type of guidelines.
I can’t speak for any other Christian fiction author or author who either chose or by default was placed in the Christian fiction genre, but I am a Christian fiction writer who writes for a Christian fiction imprint. That is my choice on purpose.
I’ll be the first to admit that, yes, I have a ghostwriter; the Holy Ghost! I take dictation from the Holy Spirit when I write my stories. My Holy Spirit does not cuss nor does He describe explicit sex scenes for me to deliver to God’s people. I write Christian fiction, not inspirational fiction, not faith based fiction or anything else. Christ is in what I do; “CHRISTian” fiction. I’m not solely concerned with keepin’ it real as much as I am keepin’ it holy. The Bible is as real as it gets and if the Holy Spirit didn’t instruct the authors of the Bible to cuss people out and describe explicit sex scenes, then I’m okay with Him not choosing me to do it either.
I believe that in my writing I have managed to both “keep it real” (as the world would say) while keepin’ it holy (for the kingdom). My ultimate goal is, yes, to please the readers, but I must first please God. I believe with everything in my heart that God will get my book into the hands of those He intended to receive it…With my hard work and obedience of course. I urge every author to be obedient to what their own assignment is and the instructions as to how they are to complete it.
Do books with cussing, sex or even things that some Christians might find offensive to the Word of God minister to people’s heart, spirit and soul? Absolutely. To this day the book I get the most feedback on from readers as to how it changed and/or saved their lives is from my secular book titled If I Ruled the World. So with that being said, who am I to say who and what God will and won’t use to deliver His children a message? Sometimes other authors get offensive when I say I don’t use cussing and sex in my books. They begin justifying why they do. It shouldn’t provoke a person to go into defense mode just because I’m following specific instructions. Some even get mad at me. All I do is shake my head and say to myself, “Don’t get mad at me, get mad at the Holy Spirit, because it sure ain’t me who is making you feel convicted or some sort of way. I don’t have that kind of power.”
Real writers, on the other hand, are totally unaffected. Real writers write what they want no matter what anyone says or what other writers are writing.
My writing style and who I am as an author is personal for me. Never do I try to push my style of writing on anyone else. I ultimately turned my pen away from writing street lit, erotica and women's lit filled with sexual tension and expletives in order to serve God with my talent.
God has always been there keeping, watching over and protecting me, but it wasn’t until I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior did I acknowledge and understand just how much God loves me. Now I live to glorify Him in everything I do, including my writing. So I’m not only proud to be a Christian, but proud to be a Christian who writes Christian fiction.
In writing in the Christian fiction genre, I try very hard to keep my mind clear; to make sure I’m in tune with the Holy Spirit when I’m writing. But I’m going to tell the truth and shame the devil; I’m human, so just like in everyday life, when it comes to my writing, I do sometimes allow my flesh to rise up and do its own thing. I have written things that I thought the reader might want to read without consulting the true author. Do I get convicted for it? Yes, via readers’ emails and reviews…And some of them, unlike God, have no mercy. So I try my best to stick to ghostwriting…Holy Ghost writing that is.
When I dedicated my life to Christ, a great deal of things changed for me and in me. I couldn’t do some of the things I used to do. I couldn’t say some of the things I used to say, and I couldn’t go some of the places I used to go. Well, I soon found that I couldn’t write some of the things I used to write. That’s what prompted the change in the genres I chose to write in.
Joylynn M. Jossel and JOY the authors are retired for good. Are the Joylynn M. Jossel and JOY books still available? Yes, they are. They can still be found and ordered in bookstores and are in pretty much in every online book store. My die-hard fans can even still find Joylynn at www.joylynnjossel.com. That's part of my testimony, my history and foundation as an author. But for readers who want to know what flows through my spirit today can find me at www.enjoywrites.com.
Let me close by saying that once upon a time my goal was to write what readers wanted to read and become a famous author through my writings. But now I know that my purpose is to make God famous through my writings, not myself.
I can’t speak for any other Christian fiction author or author who either chose or by default was placed in the Christian fiction genre, but I am a Christian fiction writer who writes for a Christian fiction imprint. That is my choice on purpose.
I’ll be the first to admit that, yes, I have a ghostwriter; the Holy Ghost! I take dictation from the Holy Spirit when I write my stories. My Holy Spirit does not cuss nor does He describe explicit sex scenes for me to deliver to God’s people. I write Christian fiction, not inspirational fiction, not faith based fiction or anything else. Christ is in what I do; “CHRISTian” fiction. I’m not solely concerned with keepin’ it real as much as I am keepin’ it holy. The Bible is as real as it gets and if the Holy Spirit didn’t instruct the authors of the Bible to cuss people out and describe explicit sex scenes, then I’m okay with Him not choosing me to do it either.
I believe that in my writing I have managed to both “keep it real” (as the world would say) while keepin’ it holy (for the kingdom). My ultimate goal is, yes, to please the readers, but I must first please God. I believe with everything in my heart that God will get my book into the hands of those He intended to receive it…With my hard work and obedience of course. I urge every author to be obedient to what their own assignment is and the instructions as to how they are to complete it.
Do books with cussing, sex or even things that some Christians might find offensive to the Word of God minister to people’s heart, spirit and soul? Absolutely. To this day the book I get the most feedback on from readers as to how it changed and/or saved their lives is from my secular book titled If I Ruled the World. So with that being said, who am I to say who and what God will and won’t use to deliver His children a message? Sometimes other authors get offensive when I say I don’t use cussing and sex in my books. They begin justifying why they do. It shouldn’t provoke a person to go into defense mode just because I’m following specific instructions. Some even get mad at me. All I do is shake my head and say to myself, “Don’t get mad at me, get mad at the Holy Spirit, because it sure ain’t me who is making you feel convicted or some sort of way. I don’t have that kind of power.”
Real writers, on the other hand, are totally unaffected. Real writers write what they want no matter what anyone says or what other writers are writing.
My writing style and who I am as an author is personal for me. Never do I try to push my style of writing on anyone else. I ultimately turned my pen away from writing street lit, erotica and women's lit filled with sexual tension and expletives in order to serve God with my talent.
God has always been there keeping, watching over and protecting me, but it wasn’t until I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior did I acknowledge and understand just how much God loves me. Now I live to glorify Him in everything I do, including my writing. So I’m not only proud to be a Christian, but proud to be a Christian who writes Christian fiction.
In writing in the Christian fiction genre, I try very hard to keep my mind clear; to make sure I’m in tune with the Holy Spirit when I’m writing. But I’m going to tell the truth and shame the devil; I’m human, so just like in everyday life, when it comes to my writing, I do sometimes allow my flesh to rise up and do its own thing. I have written things that I thought the reader might want to read without consulting the true author. Do I get convicted for it? Yes, via readers’ emails and reviews…And some of them, unlike God, have no mercy. So I try my best to stick to ghostwriting…Holy Ghost writing that is.
When I dedicated my life to Christ, a great deal of things changed for me and in me. I couldn’t do some of the things I used to do. I couldn’t say some of the things I used to say, and I couldn’t go some of the places I used to go. Well, I soon found that I couldn’t write some of the things I used to write. That’s what prompted the change in the genres I chose to write in.
Joylynn M. Jossel and JOY the authors are retired for good. Are the Joylynn M. Jossel and JOY books still available? Yes, they are. They can still be found and ordered in bookstores and are in pretty much in every online book store. My die-hard fans can even still find Joylynn at www.joylynnjossel.com. That's part of my testimony, my history and foundation as an author. But for readers who want to know what flows through my spirit today can find me at www.enjoywrites.com.
Let me close by saying that once upon a time my goal was to write what readers wanted to read and become a famous author through my writings. But now I know that my purpose is to make God famous through my writings, not myself.
