Love Your Selfie with Tessa Emily Hall q&a

Hello, reader friends! Author Tessa Emily Hall is dropping in for a q&a as part of a JustRead Publicity Tours blog tour and giveaway celebrating her new teen/young adult devotional Love Your Selfie!

 

q&a

Describe Love Your Selfie.

T: Encouraging girls to embrace their unique potential to further God’s Kingdom.

B: That’s a wonderful encouragement!

Share your inspiration behind Love Your Selfie.

T: This book was written from a state of vulnerability. When I was a teen, I often battled feelings of self-shame—feeling as though I didn’t measure up and anger toward myself for not being “more like everyone else.” But as I drew closer to Christ in a personal relationship, my identity became transformed into who He says I am. It’s through this love that I began to rise up in godly confidence and embrace the unique way He created me. I realized that God is intentional with His design for each of us: He has given us gifts and traits that can help us to fulfill our individual role in furthering His Kingdom.

With that being said, I wrote Love Your Selfie with my teen self in mind. I asked myself, What did I need to hear at this age? What are biblically based challenges and activities that could have helped me to overcome this self-shame?    

B: Isn’t it awesome that God has all the answers we’ll ever need?!

What are some of the challenges you faced while writing Love Your Selfie?

T: The main challenge I faced while writing, and promoting, this release involves the overall theme of the book. Embracing self-acceptance/love can become a slippery slope that can potentially lead to pride and selfishness, and that is certainly not the message I hope to preach amongst girls! This is why I made a continuous effort to keep the devotions immersed in prayer and grounded in Scripture while I wrote.

I believe that the world has twisted the message of self-love so much that, now, many Christians automatically assume this is not a biblical concept. That’s why we often refrain from encouraging girls to learn how to love the way God has created them. And I get it. After all, we are called to walk like Christ—in complete humility, selfless love, and dead to our flesh.

But what about those girls who, like my former teen self, are chained to the bondage of insecurity and self-shame? They need to know the truth: Jesus has paid a huge price to grant them freedom. It’s difficult to walk in freedom when you feel paralyzed by insecurity!

I know, from experience, how paralyzing this struggle can be. Insecurity caused me to hide myself in shame when I should have been like “a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” (Matt. 5:14). It kept me silent when I should have spoken up for Christ. This is why I am passionate about encouraging girls to embrace the unique way God has created them—because when they learn to accept themselves, they will then rise up in boldness and confidence. They will be encouraged to discover the unique gifts and strengths God has given them, all of which should be used for the purpose of spreading His Kingdom.

B: It’s so easy to fall into the same trap over and over. Fortunately, God is always here to pull us back out!

What is your next release and/or what are you working on now?

T: My agent is currently shopping around my latest YA fiction manuscript around to publishers, so hopefully, I will have bookish news soon! (God-willing, of course.) As of lately, I have been working on writing the screenplay for my first YA novel, Purple Moon. Screenwriting is a completely different craft than novel writing, but it’s been exciting for me to learn how to translate this story onto the screen!

B: Congratulations! How exciting!

Do you have any writing quirks? (snacking, cozy socks, post-its, etc.)

One word: Coffee. 😉 I have always been a coffee fanatic, and there is something cozy about working on a book while sipping on a creativity- and word-count-igniting latte. I’ll never understand how non-coffee-drinking authors reach their deadlines without it!

B: That stuff fuels more books than anything! Thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us, Tessa!

 

 

tour giveaway

(1) winner will receive a book-inspired prize package including an autographed copy of Love Your Selfie, InnerSparkle coffee blend sample from the book, book swag, prayer journal, pink glitter nail polish, lip gloss, facial mask, etc.!

Be sure to check out each stop on these tours for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight October 13, 2020 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 20, 2020. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only, void where prohibited by law or logistics.  

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

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tour schedule

Follow along at the link above to learn more about Love Your Selfie by Tessa Emily Hall and earn more giveaway entries!