Where, Oh, Where Are You Tonight?

Michelle Griep here, handing over the reins to an author buddy of mine, Sharon Srock. She went from science fiction to Christian fiction at slightly less than warp speed. Twenty five years ago, she cut her writer's teeth on Star Trek fiction. Today, she writes inspirational stories that focus on ordinary women using their faith to accomplish extraordinary things. Sharon lives in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma with her husband and three very large dogs. Her books include: The Women of Valley View: Callie and The Women of Valley View: Terri, both of which are currently available. The Women of Valley View: Pam will release 11 April 2014.
 

I won’t share the name my favorite fiction author, I’ll only say that I’ve read everything she’s ever published and lived in awe of her ability to crank out  three to four full length novels a year.

About five years ago—RIGHT AFTER God kicked me off the cliff, into my own fiction writing abyss—I saw a video interview with this author. The camera never left her face. Questions were asked and her answers were more than fine, but I remember watching and thinking…where is she?

She was talking, she was answering questions, but her words were almost hesitant and her eyes seemed focused someplace else. Every once in a while her head would tilt or jerk as if she heard something from a distance. If you’ve ever watched Star Trek, The Next Generation, picture Data.

I  thought she was either  high on some extremely good drugs  or incredibly insecure and camera shy. But now I know it wasn’t either of those two extremes. It was the voices. 

She wasn’t high or shy, she was carrying on two conversations, maybe three, at the same time. One with the person doing the interview, the others with the people living inside her head.

Before you call the men in the little white jackets with the really good drugs in their pockets, let me explain.

Writing fiction will take you to a whole, new level of crazy. Think about it in the terms of your own life. Imagine living with a group of people for two or three years straight, without a vacation. Eat with them, sleep with them, worry about them, pray for them, kill them, bring them back to life, argue with them, loose arguments with them…Are you getting the picture?

Available at AMAZON or BARNES & NOBLE

Welcome to the zany world of fiction writing . Sometimes I think romance writers must have the best of this craziness. Their stories generally revolve around two characters, so maybe they’re only living with two extra voices in their head. I have a whole community. And they NEVER shut up. They lay in wait for my eyes pop open in the morning. They whisper around my prayer time. They go to work with me. I worry about their problems. I find myself praying for the situations I put them in. They go to bed with me at night. If I could blame the twenty pounds I’ve gained since I started writing on them, I would. How does the excuse, I’m eating for thirty, sound?

Now I understand the distracted look in the eyes of my favorite author. I’ve seen it staring at me from my own mirror. She wasn’t high or shy, she was listening to the voices and plotting the next story, for which I must thank her.

So, if I seem a little distracted or zoned out at times, please forgive me. It seems to be part of the process.

Interested in Sharon's new book Pam? Here's a blurb:

Pam’s divorce broke her heart. The cruelty of her ex-husband broke her spirit. A bottle of sleeping pills almost took her life. Four years later the scars of Alan Archer’s emotional abuse are beginning to fade under the love of her new husband. When Alan returns to Garfield, Pam must learn that buried secrets and carefully cultivated indifference do not equal forgiveness.

Alan Archer has returned to Garfield with a new wife and a terminal heart condition. His mission? To leave a Christian legacy for his children and to gain Pam’s forgiveness for the sins of his past.

Two hearts hang in the balance waiting for the delicate touch of God’s healing hands.

You can find Sharon at her website, Facebook, Goodreads or Pinterest. You can also receive Sharon's newsletter HERE. 

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