Welcome, Sharon Srock, author of Women of Valley View: Terri! Giveaway!

Sharon Srock lives with her husband, Larry, and two dogs in Rural Oklahoma. She is a mother, grandmother, and Sunday School teacher. Sharon has one and three-quarters jobs and writes in her spare time. Her favorite hobby is traveling with her grandchildren. She is a member of the ACFW and currently serves as treasurer for her local chapter. Sharon’s debut novel, The Women of Valley View: Callie released in October 2012. The second in the series, The Women of Valley View: Terri releases in April 2013.

Despite a bustling day care center and a new foster child, Terri Hayes hungers for a family of her own. Then a plumbing mishap leaves her homeless and questioning God’s plan. Steve Evans’s gracious offer of his basement apartment as a temporary solution is an answered prayer. 

Steve is a successful writer and a good father, but Terri is horrified when Steve’s book research leads him to a harsh confrontation with the parents of her foster child.  She needs to distance herself from Steve, but her efforts fall short as his two scheming daughters plot to make Terri their new stepmother. 

Will harsh words and sneaky plans drive Kelsey’s family further apart and put a wedge between Terri and Steve? Or does God have another plan in store?

Sounds like a fascinating read, Sharon, with lots of twists and turns!

What else would you like to tell my readers about yourself and/or your book?

 

I’m a Trekkie at heart.

 

There was a time in my life when that was more apparent than now. When you could come into my living room and find my shelves groaning under the weight of Trek books and videos. Memorabilia hung on walls, Stuffed Star Trek bears rested on my pillows. And, should you peek into the closet you’d find an assortment of uniforms from different generations of the show.

These days the Trek is a little harder to find, but it’s still there in the plates above my cabinets, small mementos tucked inside the glass curio, and the memories still held precious in my heart. Good times.

What was it about Star Trek that made people pay attention? I’ve thought about that a lot over the years and the most compelling answer I can come up with is message. Yes, it was entertainment, but most of the time there was a three day message hidden in that one hour show and they did it all without being preachy.

When I look back on the months spent writing my two published books, that’s what I want. A profound message delivered in such a way, that the reader doesn’t realize, until they’re done, that they learned an important lesson. Lessons about friendship, courage, forgiveness, hope, faith, and love. All under the guise of entertainment.

I'm giggling now, because I have family members who love Star Trek! You bring out an interesting point about the weaving in of a message without knowing it. 

Thanks for sharing with my readers today, Sharon! God's best to you in your writing venture, and in particular, with Women of Valley View!

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For more information about Sharon and her books, visit the following locations:

Blog: http://www.womenofvalleyview.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SharonSrock#!/SharonSrock
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/SharonSrock
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6448789.Sharon_Srock

http://www.amazon.com/Terri-Women-Valley-View-2/dp/1611162378/ref=la_B009OB2HSO_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1365469479&sr=1-2

  

Sharon is also offering a giveaway, so please leave a comment after you read her interview. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  

Breathe Deeply My Grace, Exodus 28:29

Breathe Deeply My Grace, a devotional from God's point of view. 

Exodus 28:29

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The latest news!

I recently completed the manuscript for Breathe Deeply My Grace and have submitted to my editor for her review. Appreciate your prayers for how and where God wants to use this devotional. 

Enjoy the weekend, everyone, as you breathe deeply His grace!

A Special Target

After walking around in an undefined malaise the past couple of days, I woke up this morning with the profound realization that Christian writers are a special target of the Enemy's assaults. When we go into the dark places of abuse, neglect, murder, trafficking, and a host of other dilemmas with our characters, we grieve with them. We expose them to the life-changing redemptive power of Christ and the victory He offers. Sometimes, our characters respond to the offer; other times, they do not. And we grieve all over again. As writers in an oftentimes lonely profession, we sit in front of a computer screen a large bulk of the day and identify with characters working through a variety of issues and offer them hope. Satan hates this! And who does he attack? Not our characters, but the engine behind our creations--US! We sometimes emerge from our story worlds totally spent--mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

That's where the loving Body of Christ comes into play, especially other brothers and sisters who understand the writer's daily journey. We need each others' prayers for victory over the Enemy!

Remember when Moses stood on the hill watching as the Israelites fought the Amalekites? As the story goes in Exodus, chapter seventeen, he lifted his staff with both hands, supported by Aaron and Hur, one on either side of him. As long as his arms were lifted, Israel prevailed, but when his arms dropped, the enemy prevailed.

Oh, how I need you to stand on either side of me today through prayer and support my up-lifted arms, pen in hand. If you're a writer, I suspect you need the same prayer encouragement in your writing journey. Regardless of our ministry or occupation, we all desperately need prayer!

Let's commit to pray for one another, for He is greater than the Enemy, and He will bring the victory!

Joining in prayer with you,

Eileen  

Welcome, James Callan, author of A Ton of Gold! Kindle giveaway!

After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing.  He wrote a monthly column for a national magazine for two years and published several non-fiction books.  He now concentrates on his favorite genre, mystery/suspense, with his fourth book released in February, 2013.

Can long forgotten, old folk tales affect the lives of people today? In A Ton of Gold, one certainly affected young, brilliant Crystal Moore. Two people are killed, others threatened, a house burned and an office fire-bombed – all because of an old folk tale, greed and ignorance. 

On top of that, the man who nearly destroyed Crystal emotionally is coming back. This time he can destroy her career. She’ll need all the help she can get from a former bull rider, her streetwise housemate and her feisty 76 year-old grandmother.

A Ton of Gold

By James R. Callan

From Oak Tree Press, Feb. 2013

Jim, what inspired you to write A Ton of Gold?

I had long thought about writing a book where the protagonist was involved in information retrieval.  I had done a little research in that area while working on a Ph.D. and have a son who is a professor directing research in the area of information retrieval. I thought it might be fun to incorporate some of that in a novel.

Two years ago, I read an old Texas folk tale about a wagon load of precious metal being pushed into a lake to avoid having it captured by the Mexican army.  It was an interesting tale, and I began to wonder, how such a folk tale could affect the lives of people today. 

For some months, these two ideas mulled around in my head and eventually they merged.  I would let information retrieval bring up the folk tale and people would take action based on a belief that the story was true.  It is a contemporary novel, but the old folk tale does play a role. 

Next, I wanted a bright young woman with some baggage to take the role of the protagonist.  And her problems of the past come back to attack her once more.  Crystal Moore has to overcome these problems, while confronting the life and death problems brought on by the folk tale.  

Clearly, she would need some help to deal with all this.  I gave her a former bull rider, a street wise friend, and a very feisty seventy-six year old grandmother who takes no guff from anybody.  Yes, of course, the grandmother has a tender heart. Crystal has to grow in the novel, or else she doesn’t survive.

It was a fun novel to write. Crystal is brilliant in her chosen field, but naive in many ways. Her street-wise friend, with little book-learning, provides valuable help to Crystal.  

Crystal learns a lot from these three. So did I. In developing these characters, I found myself immersed in their view of the world. Each of the three has a different point of reference, a different attitude, a different reaction to the events occurring. In looking at the situations from varying angles, I broadened my view of the situations. So, I learned as I wrote. 

Fascinating plot line, Jim! Isn't it fun to learn and grow along with our characters!  

What fun thing might my readers not know about you?

My wife and I like to travel. Our mode is to decide to visit some place and two weeks later, we are there. We don’t plan ahead, usually having no reservations except for our air tickets. We rent a car and just see where our fancy takes us. When we lived in Connecticut, we often got in the car, drove to a major highway and flipped a coin to decide whether we went east or west, or perhaps whether we drove north or south. This unplanned mode allows for unexpected events, most of them a delight. It is like a good mystery. You don’t know the outcome, but you enjoy the ride, and are often surprised by the ending.

Yes, I can see how this fun mode of travel fits nicely with your interest in writing mysteries. 

 

 Thanks for sharing with my readers today, Jim! 

For more information about Jim and his books, visit the following locations:

On Amazon, in paperback, at:  http://amzn.to/UQrqsZ 

Or the Kindle edition at:  http://amzn.to/12PeHJb    

Or from Oak Tree Press at:  http://bit.ly/WJXcWl 

Website:  www.jamesrcallan.com

Blog site: www.jamesrcallan.com/blog

Book website: www.atonofgold.com

Leave a comment and enter to win a Kindle copy of A Ton of Gold!