WEBVTT 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:19.140 Hey everyone, my name is Austin, and welcome 00:00:19.140 --> 00:00:21.160 back to another episode of the Unfiltered Faith 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:23.539 Podcast. If this is your first time tuning in, 00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:25.640 I'm so glad you're here, and if you've been here 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:28.859 before, welcome back. I'm so excited for today's 00:00:28.859 --> 00:00:31.640 episode, because we're sitting down with the 00:00:31.640 --> 00:00:34.219 author of love notes from the other side, Susan 00:00:34.219 --> 00:00:36.920 Cottenham. So Susan, why don't you introduce 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:40.340 yourself and tell us why you're here? Well, thank 00:00:40.340 --> 00:00:43.280 you so much for having me today, Austin. I am 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:47.399 so excited to be here and speak with you. I am 00:00:47.399 --> 00:00:51.759 Susan. I am born and raised from Saginaw, Michigan. 00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:55.240 And I've actually called this my home my entire 00:00:55.240 --> 00:00:59.719 life. I'm someone who's driven by goals and I'm 00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:02.200 passionate about anything that involves learning, 00:01:02.560 --> 00:01:05.200 growing, helping others pursue what they love. 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:07.459 And that's why I'm here today. So what inspired 00:01:07.459 --> 00:01:09.530 you to write your book? Was there a specific 00:01:09.530 --> 00:01:12.510 moment or message that sparked it? Well, that's 00:01:12.510 --> 00:01:15.849 a great question. Honestly, the inspiration came 00:01:15.849 --> 00:01:19.430 from a mix of personal experiences like the deep 00:01:19.430 --> 00:01:22.150 desire to connect with others. There wasn't like 00:01:22.150 --> 00:01:27.390 just one moment. It was more like a series of 00:01:27.390 --> 00:01:30.790 quiet realizations over time. I remember like 00:01:30.790 --> 00:01:33.109 waking up quite a few times in the middle of 00:01:33.109 --> 00:01:36.730 the night with this undeniable feeling like almost 00:01:36.730 --> 00:01:41.010 like a divine nudge telling me, like, it's time 00:01:41.010 --> 00:01:44.629 to write. And it wasn't just the feeling. I believe 00:01:44.629 --> 00:01:48.170 it was a calling. So I believe that God made 00:01:48.170 --> 00:01:51.969 it clear that in my journey, it wasn't just for 00:01:51.969 --> 00:01:55.609 me. It was meant to be shared for others to help 00:01:55.609 --> 00:02:00.069 heal, maybe even reflect and, you know, give 00:02:00.069 --> 00:02:03.370 them a piece of themselves in the story. And 00:02:03.370 --> 00:02:08.180 it was deeply personal for me, but also incredibly 00:02:08.180 --> 00:02:11.379 purposeful. So you mentioned being woken up with 00:02:11.379 --> 00:02:14.360 a clear message from God. Kind of like Samuel 00:02:14.360 --> 00:02:17.539 in 1 Samuel 3, when he heard God's voice calling 00:02:17.539 --> 00:02:21.139 him in the night. You experienced your own Samuel 00:02:21.139 --> 00:02:25.479 moment. But unlike Samuel, who was called into 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:28.080 prophetic ministry, God was calling you to write. 00:02:28.539 --> 00:02:30.780 At first, you may have doubted or questioned 00:02:30.780 --> 00:02:33.539 what you were hearing. Is this really God? Could 00:02:33.539 --> 00:02:36.199 He be asking me to write? Much like Samuel went 00:02:36.199 --> 00:02:40.120 to Eli uncertain of what was happening, you may 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:43.180 have looked for confirmation or clarity, but 00:02:43.180 --> 00:02:47.780 as the call became clearer and more insistent, 00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:51.379 it was undeniable. God was inviting you to use 00:02:51.379 --> 00:02:55.539 your words or experiences in your faith to speak 00:02:55.539 --> 00:02:59.180 life into others. Reading became your form of 00:02:59.180 --> 00:03:01.479 obedience. Just as Samuel ultimately responded, 00:03:01.780 --> 00:03:03.520 speak the word for your servant is listening. 00:03:03.659 --> 00:03:07.360 You also responded with a willing heart. Your 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:10.719 pen became your altar, a space of surrender, 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:14.280 of worship, and of proclamation. This calling 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:17.520 to write wasn't just about producing words on 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:21.439 a page. It was about stewarding a divine assignment, 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:24.580 sharing truth, and ministering to hearts through 00:03:24.580 --> 00:03:28.000 story and insight. Your sami moment marked a 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:31.199 turning point, a sacred realization that your 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:34.680 voice shaped by faith. was meant to be echoed 00:03:34.680 --> 00:03:38.159 by the voice of the one who called you. Can you 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:40.419 describe how that felt and what you did next? 00:03:41.340 --> 00:03:43.500 Well, actually, I can tell you the first few 00:03:43.500 --> 00:03:46.520 times after, you know, I was woken up, I just 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:49.199 sat there for a moment thinking to myself, is 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:52.719 this really happening to me? Because it kept 00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:55.680 happening continuously. And like you said, I 00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:59.199 kind of maybe was a little bit in denial. And 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:02.860 then I thought, hmm. Maybe I better not ignore 00:04:02.860 --> 00:04:07.759 this. So actually, I took a leap of faith and 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:12.159 the first step I did was I started Googling and 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:15.840 YouTubing and the words were, how do you write 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:18.240 a book? And I'm sure there were a lot of challenges 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:21.180 along the way. What was the biggest challenge 00:04:21.180 --> 00:04:24.399 you faced while writing and publishing your book? 00:04:25.100 --> 00:04:29.699 I would say the biggest challenge was 95 % of 00:04:29.699 --> 00:04:34.100 the book is true. So it actually happened to 00:04:34.100 --> 00:04:37.759 me. And the biggest challenge for me would be, 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:42.620 do I really want to say all that? And if I do, 00:04:42.779 --> 00:04:45.259 how do I say it professionally and or to get 00:04:45.259 --> 00:04:47.680 someone's attention? That was the biggest challenge. 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:50.720 What does God's timing mean to you personally 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:54.139 and how have you experienced it firsthand? God's 00:04:54.139 --> 00:04:58.540 timing to me is It may not be your timing. You 00:04:58.540 --> 00:05:03.620 may not have any clue at all. And when it's his 00:05:03.620 --> 00:05:07.300 timing, you stay obedient and you fulfill the 00:05:07.300 --> 00:05:10.100 mission. So your book became an international 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:12.980 bestseller with minimal marketing. Why do you 00:05:12.980 --> 00:05:15.560 think it resonated so powerfully with readers? 00:05:16.060 --> 00:05:19.699 I would say it resonated so well because it's 00:05:19.699 --> 00:05:24.180 actually a story about finding love and it happened. 00:05:24.389 --> 00:05:28.490 right during the pandemic where everybody was 00:05:28.490 --> 00:05:31.110 not able to communicate with others. And remember, 00:05:31.110 --> 00:05:35.709 there's many forms of love. So I think it resonated 00:05:35.709 --> 00:05:39.569 with people about loneliness and hope. And also, 00:05:39.889 --> 00:05:44.350 I had to split my time with my career at that 00:05:44.350 --> 00:05:48.389 time. And I knew that I had to keep a strong 00:05:48.389 --> 00:05:52.579 faith that this was God's desire for me. to bring 00:05:52.579 --> 00:05:56.319 this to life because I literally published the 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:59.779 book and said, OK, it's in your hands, Lord. 00:05:59.939 --> 00:06:03.060 And look what happened. What do you want readers 00:06:03.060 --> 00:06:05.600 to walk away with after reading your book? I 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:08.680 would like the reader to walk away with anything 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:11.379 is possible as long as you believe you're going 00:06:11.379 --> 00:06:15.959 to achieve whatever goal you set in your own 00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:19.540 mind, spiritually, physically, mentally, and 00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:22.899 just believe that All things are possible. And 00:06:22.899 --> 00:06:26.579 reading this book is also going to give them, 00:06:26.579 --> 00:06:31.939 again, their own voice that it's okay if you 00:06:31.939 --> 00:06:35.339 experience something like this in life. Feel 00:06:35.339 --> 00:06:38.759 free to talk about it and share with others because 00:06:38.759 --> 00:06:41.720 others really want to talk to you about it. What 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:44.139 would your younger self think if she could see 00:06:44.139 --> 00:06:49.480 everything you're creating now? Oh, wow. She 00:06:49.480 --> 00:06:52.610 would be blown away. My younger self would say 00:06:52.610 --> 00:06:56.110 we really did it with God's guidance the faith 00:06:56.110 --> 00:07:00.990 to believe in ourselves all along But also to 00:07:00.990 --> 00:07:03.850 help others see that it's okay to express their 00:07:03.850 --> 00:07:07.470 own journey, too and you don't have to label 00:07:07.470 --> 00:07:12.170 or be a label as a celebrity and that your story 00:07:12.170 --> 00:07:15.350 matters just as much as anyone else's so it's 00:07:15.350 --> 00:07:18.029 also my understanding that you're turning this 00:07:18.029 --> 00:07:21.829 book into a song and You're working with a local 00:07:21.829 --> 00:07:25.209 artist, Ollie Rogers, and unfortunately, he couldn't 00:07:25.209 --> 00:07:27.449 be here with us today because he's in the studio 00:07:27.449 --> 00:07:30.709 working on The Fishing Duchess. But is there 00:07:30.709 --> 00:07:33.389 a particular story or passage from the book that 00:07:33.389 --> 00:07:36.490 the song is directly based on? Well, the book 00:07:36.490 --> 00:07:40.069 is actually about two people connecting through 00:07:40.069 --> 00:07:43.750 the Internet. So actually not knowing each other 00:07:43.750 --> 00:07:48.129 and truly knowing if that other person or who 00:07:48.129 --> 00:07:51.009 is that other person on the opposite side of 00:07:51.009 --> 00:07:54.850 the computer screen. And so the song is going 00:07:54.850 --> 00:07:59.050 to be, I'm searching for you. Where are you now? 00:07:59.449 --> 00:08:02.430 And I don't want to give too much away about 00:08:02.430 --> 00:08:07.990 it, but I can honestly say that this song is 00:08:07.990 --> 00:08:10.930 absolutely amazing and everybody is going to 00:08:10.930 --> 00:08:14.209 be jamming to it when it comes out. What was 00:08:14.209 --> 00:08:16.329 the inspiration to turn this book into a song? 00:08:16.810 --> 00:08:19.410 I had no clue that I was going to be a writer 00:08:19.410 --> 00:08:22.629 in my life, number one. And number two, I took 00:08:22.629 --> 00:08:25.089 the time to learn it correctly, learn from a 00:08:25.089 --> 00:08:27.730 professional that is awesome and amazing that 00:08:27.730 --> 00:08:31.430 I did find on YouTube. And she helped me reach 00:08:31.430 --> 00:08:35.009 that goal of bringing that book to life. Again, 00:08:35.230 --> 00:08:37.929 a romance with a twist, so it's not your typical 00:08:37.929 --> 00:08:41.490 romance story without telling the ending of the 00:08:41.490 --> 00:08:46.480 book. And then... I've known the artist who actually 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:49.399 is producing the song right now for a little 00:08:49.399 --> 00:08:52.259 over 10 years. And he actually has an amazing 00:08:52.259 --> 00:08:56.519 voice and it just, I had a vision and the vision 00:08:56.519 --> 00:09:00.799 was I want him to sing the song for me. And I 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:04.539 brought it to his attention and he was like, 00:09:04.539 --> 00:09:09.080 absolutely. And so far it's been amazing. Can 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:12.500 you tell us more about the lyrics you wrote? 00:09:12.649 --> 00:09:16.350 What message or emotion were you hoping to capture? 00:09:16.870 --> 00:09:19.129 I would say the message or the emotion to the 00:09:19.129 --> 00:09:23.509 lyrics is, we all want to feel some type of love 00:09:23.509 --> 00:09:27.190 in our life or connection or communication. And 00:09:27.190 --> 00:09:30.409 this song is, don't give up in finding that. 00:09:31.570 --> 00:09:34.809 What was it like collaborating with Allie Rogers 00:09:34.809 --> 00:09:38.399 to bring your words to life through music? It's 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:41.259 been amazing. I actually had no clue that this 00:09:41.259 --> 00:09:43.779 would be just as fun and exciting as writing 00:09:43.779 --> 00:09:49.019 the book. He's spot -on. He's intelligent. He's 00:09:49.019 --> 00:09:53.080 very good singer and I'm just so excited for 00:09:53.080 --> 00:09:56.259 everybody to hear the song once it's finally 00:09:56.259 --> 00:09:59.600 ready. I know for a fact that I'm very excited 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:03.440 to hear it when it comes out. So you're also 00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:06.440 working on a second book. Can you tell us something 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:10.379 about that as well? I absolutely can. Unfortunately, 00:10:10.559 --> 00:10:12.639 I'm not going to share the title yet, but I'm 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:14.879 going to give everybody a little sneak peek. 00:10:15.860 --> 00:10:20.240 On my birthday in April, I ended up flying to 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:24.940 Italy and enjoying my birthday celebration there. 00:10:25.980 --> 00:10:30.539 And the book is going to be based on one of the 00:10:30.539 --> 00:10:34.019 main characters traveling overseas. So we'll 00:10:34.019 --> 00:10:37.759 kind of leave it there. And hopefully I'll have 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:41.799 the opportunity once it is ready for the general 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:46.759 public to read. We'll do another podcast. Absolutely. 00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:49.519 I would love to have you back. Whenever that 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:51.820 gets published, just shoot me an email and let 00:10:51.820 --> 00:10:54.179 me know so I can get you on the schedule. Thank 00:10:54.179 --> 00:10:56.840 you so much, Susan, for joining me on the Unfiltered 00:10:56.840 --> 00:10:58.980 Faith podcast. There's something starting you 00:10:58.980 --> 00:11:02.379 today. Don't ignore it. It's time to pick up 00:11:02.379 --> 00:11:05.200 that pen, dust off that dream, or simply start 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:07.700 the conversation. That you've been avoiding, 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:10.320 whether it's through a book, a song, or a moment 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:13.120 of stillness, God is still speaking. If you were 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:15.220 encouraged today, share this episode with a friend, 00:11:15.620 --> 00:11:17.720 leave a review, and don't forget to follow us 00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:21.059 anywhere. You can stream a podcast, so you never 00:11:21.059 --> 00:11:23.799 miss an episode. Until next time, keep seeking 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:26.080 those fresh perspectives, and keep having those 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:28.360 unfiltered conversations with others to better 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:29.840 understand the world around us.