Tell us a bit about yourself.
This is always hard for me talking about myself. But here goes, my name is Troia Butcher and I was born and raised in Lancaster, PA. I am the daughter of Pastor Louis and Sister Katie Butcher. I am their second born of 5 children. I served 8 years in the military. I am the mother of two daughters, and I have 6 beautiful grandchildren. I am an ordained minister and I love God’s Word and His people. I am the founder of Understanding God’s Word with Troia and our goal and mission are the same to help those who have any questions about the Word of God they have and a place to ask those questions. We strive to create an environment where brokenness can be healed and made whole.
Describe your new book, "Your Scars Tell your Story,” in a few sentences.
Scars is a book about my journey from cancer to healing and the scar that it left behind. The Scars that were left has been a source of inspiration for others and it has allowed me to tell my story. My scar is visible, but I hope to inspire those who have visible and invisible scars to tell their story.
Who do you think would most appreciate this book?
Those who have gone through difficult times but came through them better than when they started, with scars to tell others about the journey.
What inspired you to write a book about the stories of our scars?
In Feb 2011, I was diagnosis with Thyroid cancer, and a few weeks ago I saw a post on IG that said it was National Cancer Survivors Day. The person went on to comment on how cancer affects you in many ways…and when I responded to her post, the words your Scar tells the story hit me. I joked about it being a good sermon topic and it was.
You have been teaching the Word of God since you were a young age. Did you have a single moment when you realized you were called to teach God’s Word? Or was it something that developed gradually?
Yes, I have been teaching Sunday School since I was 13, I have always had a love for helping others understand God’s Word. There were two moments that I knew that God gifted me with the gift of teaching…once when there was no one to teach Youth Bible Study so I taught the class and there were children from age 6 – 16 in the class…somehow I was able to reach all of them on their level. So much so that the parents of the younger children saw me and asked if I was the teacher. At first, I was nervous because I thought I did something wrong…but they said my sons have never been this excited about learning the Bible and if you are teaching, they will be back. That was confirmation and when I had an older lady in another class and she was my grandmother’s age. I didn’t feel like I had anything to teach her…until she said that I don’t get Psalms, and I said read the story of Esther instead. She came back the following week happy. That is when I truly knew I was on the right path.
Did writing the book take you to unexpected places or reveal things you hadn’t thought about before?
The funny thing was I never thought of myself as a writer, a good friend of mine declared that I would write a book. I laughed, until it came to fruition…I believe the unexpected thing was that I was becoming a writer.
What was the most challenging aspect of writing the book?
The writing. Not because it is hard for me to write, but I am extremely hard on myself and if it doesn’t look or sound correct, I will continue to write it or second guess myself. Coupled with finding the time to commit to writing and accepting that God has given me a story to tell.
How did the book evolve from the initial idea to the finished manuscript?
Since I have never written a nook before, I had to do a lot of research. It also helped that a good friend of mine has already gone through the process. I was familiar with writing because I had to write papers for my secondary classes. However, finding an editor and then trusting them with my work was a hard transition.
In addition to writing, you also have a radio show. What got you interested in doing radio?
The radio show is in the works. Again, I was never interested in a radio show, but my Father has a radio station and he asked me if I wanted to have a program on his station. Since I was already teaching a women’s group every week.
You are also active with blogging and video blogging. What kind of content do you share on these platforms? And how can people find out more about your blogging?
My blog and the videos are both on my website. www.justtroia.com. The blogging began because I wanted people to know who I was and why I started my Business/ministry. Because I am an ordained minister and a Pastor’s kid people naturally assumed that when I started Understanding God’s Word with Troia…that I was starting a church. So, the blog and the videos helped with the clarity of my vision and mission.
What do you hope readers will gain from your radio show and writing?
My prayer is that I will help those who feel unloved., feel loved. Those who may have questions about their spiritual walk, and they need someone to talk to that they know that they have an advocate and a friend. Most importantly…help those who feel broken to help them become whole again.
How have readers responded to your book so far?
Everyone who has seen the cover a very excited. I believe they connect it in a way that is real. We have all had tests and trials in life that has left us with a scar…mine is a visible representation of my journey. Others are not visible, but the journey is still very real, and it needs to be told.
Can you share how your interest in writing developed? Did you always know you wanted to write or was it something that evolved with time?
No, I cannot say that I have always wanted to write. I did write stories a young child. Writing is something that does come easy to us…my siblings and I, our parents made sure that our grammar was always correct. My Dad was an English major in college and we had family members who loved to write. For me, I believe my writing evolved but again it was always some thing that came very easy for me. I remember in undergrad I had a paper that was due and I forgot about it and it was due at midnight. I finished the paper in a few hours during downtime at work and that was one of my higher graded papers. That is when I knew that writing was something that came easy to me.
Are they any authors who have influenced your writing style?
Sheila Walsh, Iyanla Vanzant, J California Cooper
In ten years, where would you like your writing career to be?
I hope to be in a position where my grandchildren are growing up to be happy young people and I can enjoy my time with them. As far as my ministry is concerned, I hope that I am able to look back over my life and say if I helped somebody in word or deed then my living was not in vain.
How do you feel about the increasing popularity of ebooks?
eBooks are great and I plan to release my book in the ebook format. However, I am very old school and I love the feel of books in my hand. I am also a serial margin note writer. I had a Philosophy professor who graded us by not only how many books we read, but also what we wrote in the margins, so it stuck with me.
What do you have in mind for your next writing project?
I actually have two additional books in the works after ‘Scars”. Girl, you are dynamite: Plug into your Power: this one came from another friend of mine who said to me that she wished she was as powerful as I was and I told her Girl you are dynamite and more powerful than you know! and Who has your key? The concept for this book also came from a friend of mine, when she was telling me about an incident, she had with the guy she was dating. As I listened to her story, I kept hearing he is looking for the right words to string together to unlock her heart, but not in a good way. And it hit me that there are people who are trying to unlock the love that is in your heart, both for good and evil intent. But the one that is truly for you will unlock all the God given virtues in you.
Is there anything else you'd like potential readers to know about your book or other projects?
I believe I want potential readers or my book or people that I will be blessed to meet to know, that I do not have all the answers. I am just Troia, and I happen to have an immense love for people, and it is my true desire to see all people, happy, health, whole and to know that they are loved.
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