Sharon Srock: An Ordinary Woman Using Her Faith To Do Extraordinary Things

Everyone's Story is pleased to welcome soon-to-be debut author Sharon Srock. I became acquainted with Sharon on her lovely blog, The Women Of Valley View, saying that when both of us are published we'll be siting next to each other in a book signing since our last names are almost alike. Well, I may have some catching up to do with Sharon, but I'm happy for her that the first in a series she has sold to Harbourlight Books will be released in 3 months. It's been great getting to know Sharon better; like her own characters, Sharon is indeed a woman who uses her faith to do extraordinary things but truthfully, I should have used the term "extraordinary" to describe Sharon in the title of this segment!

Sharon will be sharing an interview, as well as an excerpt from her first book. If you're an author with an unexpected debut story, or a reader looking for inspiration within a novel, Sharon looks forward to hearing from you. Plus, she has a special treat:

Book Giveaway

If you don't mind first receiving Book 1 of the WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW, CALLIE, upon its release in October, Sharon is offering one copy to one viewer who leaves a comment. The randomly chosen winner will be announced on Friday, August 10th. Please leave you email within the body of the comment. Thanks!

Here's a blurb (the excerpt follows):

Three dire circumstances. Three desperate prayers. One miracle to save them all.

Callie Stillman is drawn to the evasive girl who’s befriended her granddaughter, but the last time Callie tried to help a child, her efforts backfired. Memories of the tiny coffin still haunt her.

Samantha and Iris Evans should be worried about homework, not whether they can pool enough cash to survive another week of caring for an infant while evading the authorities.

Steve Evans wants a second chance at fatherhood, but his children are missing.  And no one seems to want to help the former addict who deserted his family.

For Steve to regain the relationship he abandoned, for his girls to receive the care they deserve, Callie must surrender her fear and rely on God to work the miracle they all need.

WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: CALLIE

By Sharon Srock

1

Callie Stillman dabbed raindrops from her face with a linen napkin as Benton dodged a server with a loaded tray and took his place across from her. She smiled into her husband’s blue eyes and reached across to wipe water from his beard. “We’ll both have pneumonia if we don’t dry off soon.”

Benton took the napkin and finished the job. “I’ve been told the food is very good. A few sniffles should be worth it.”

Callie’s gaze roamed the room. “It’s…” Recognition slammed into her chest, forcing the air from her lungs. The man crossing the room behind her husband nodded and continued to his table. Was that the bailiff? Do you swear to tell the truth… She gulped for breath and fought the familiar darkness that crowded the edges of her vision.

Callie ran a finger around her collar, tugging the neck of the blouse away from skin suddenly dewed with a fine film of sweat. Too hot. She took a sip of water, dismayed at the tremor in her hand as she lifted the glass to her lips. Not here, not tonight. Callie closed her eyes and practiced the breathing techniques she’d learned over the last six months. In through her nose, hold for a few seconds, and out through her mouth. Concentrate only on the current step in the process, the next breath. The tightness in her chest began to fade away. Thank you, Jesus. She raised her water again and held the cold glass to her flushed cheek.

“Callie?”

Callie met Benton’s eyes across the table. The concern etched on her husband’s face threatened to break her heart. Benton had been so supportive during the last few months, so protective while she tried to heal. She would beat this. For him, she would move on.

“You OK?”

Callie smiled. “I’m fine. It’s just a little warm in here all of a sudden.”

Benton cocked his head to the side. “You sure? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

A ghost? She closed her eyes, the images unbidden but ever present. Sawyer’s pale, lifeless face. Callie’s hand reaching out to stroke baby-fine hair, bruises the mortician’s makeup couldn’t hide. That tiny coffin lowered into the ground. Callie could have lived with a ghost, but her haunted memories and the never-ending what ifs that traveled with them would drive her crazy.

Two more breaths, another swallow of cold water. Callie smiled at Benton. “This was a nice surprise. Thanks for thinking of it.”

Benton took her hand. “Anything for the woman I love. Have you decided what you’d like for dinner?”

“I—“ A vicious bolt of lightning lit the dark Oklahoma sky outside the windows of the restaurant. Thunder exploded across the sky. The lights flickered and went off, plunging the room into sudden darkness and silence except for the terrified cries of a frightened child.

Callie jumped to her feet. Her chair tipped sideways onto the carpeted floor. Oh Jesus, please make the crying stop. A harsh voice cut across the child’s frantic cries. “Andy, sit down and stop that noise. It’s just thunder.”

The lights came back up and Callie’s awareness narrowed to the cries of the child. Is that how Sawyer sounded? Frightened howls as his eighteen months of life surrendered to the beating his father dealt him. Oh Jesus, I’m so sorry. So sorry I let Janette deceive me. So sorry I didn’t ask you before I testified. I know you’ve forgiven me. Please help me forgive myself. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Callie bolted from the restaurant.

“Callie!” Benton called.

She was letting him down. Still she ran for the door.

When Benton found her several minutes later, she stood by the car. Rain cascaded over her, mixing with her tears. Benton pulled her into his arms, wet and all. He held her close, his bearded chin rested on her head. “Shh, baby, it’s OK. I’m sorry. This was a bad idea.”

Callie clung to him like the lifeline between sanity and madness he was. “Benton, no. It was a great idea. I know you were trying to distract me. Trying to make me forget Sawyer’s birthday. I thought I could.” She allowed Benton to help her into the car, only to bend double in the seat as the panicked adrenalin gave way to nausea. “How could I have been so stupid?”

Benton started the car and turned the heater up to high. “Callie, you weren’t stupid. You thought you were doing the right thing.”

Callie shook her head. “I just wanted to help. I knew Janette wasn’t abusing her kids. She didn’t deserve to lose them. Testifying to that…being at the hearing to support her…celebrating when it was over. I just wanted to help,” she repeated.

Her husband navigated the rain-washed streets while Callie huddled in the seat, head down, arms wrapped around her middle. The images in her mind took on a life of their own. Janette, sitting in her office, tearful over charges of alleged child abuse, frantic because her babies had been taken from her. Callie’s unhesitating agreement to appear in court as a character witness. The custody hearing, her nervous testimony, the endless waiting for the judge to make a decision, the joy of seeing those two babies reunited with their mother. And Sawyer died because of my interference. Jesus, give me strength. Give me the wisdom I need to never put myself in that situation again.

Some Questions For Sharon:

You openly admit your age (you brave woman) on your blog site, The Women of Valley View. Unlike actors, models, or just about anyone in a field that is deemed by society as age-controlled, writers have a bit more leeway that publication can begin at any age. Please share with us about your journey to publication. Do you accept the status of “late-bloomer” or do you see it as a misnomer?

I know that God called me to write 25 years ago. But looking back at the things I’ve walked through between now and then, and the flood gate that opened in my heart 3 years ago, I have to think that I’m blooming right where, and when, God wanted me to. Late in life, maybe. Late in God’s plan, nope.

Your characters are women who attend church together. They are ordinary women that through faith accomplish extraordinary things. Did you keep this in mind when writing your novel to entertain a specific reading audience or did you write the novel you wanted and hoped to reach the masses?

I think ordinary women accomplish extraordinary things in their lives every day. With the three stories I’ve written, Callie and Terri (contracted) and Pam (my almost completed work in progress) I tried to settle on that one thing. Callie’s was trust, Terri’s will be obedience, Pam will learn to forgive. I hope those things speak to all of us.

On your blog you also admit to following God’s call to writing 25 years ago…yet, it has taken a while. I say this as a person with a similar history. Now that your novel(s) has sold, and you have an agent working on your behalf, are you able to look back in hindsight and take a few guesses as to why God may have taken you on a detour? Or, do you believe it was all a matter of 25 years of honing your writing skills, hard work, and being in the right place at the right time?

Any detours in my life were mine, not God’s. I wonder, often, where I’d be right now if I’d stuck with writing 25 years ago. That’s a pointless question. Like I said, I’ve come to accept that I’m right where God wanted me, when He wanted me there.

How do you manage to write efficiently around working full-time at an air force base, selling Avon products, and being a loving wife, mom, and grandmother?

I’ve given up just about anything that resembles entertainment. I don’t get to read much anymore. I had to switch from reviewing books on my blog to offering excerpts because I was having problems reading a book every 2-3 weeks to review. I write on breaks and lunch periods. An hour here, thirty minutes there. I had just about developed a system that worked pretty well then the need for social media involvement raised its ugly head. That’s an hour plus out of my home time every evening. I’m thankful that my daughters are grown. My youngest grandchild is almost 12, so they are all to the self involved teenaged stage, and my husband is understanding enough that if he has to make his own dinner an extra night a week, he’s good with that.

Would you say Sharon Srock has finally arrived at the place in life she always dreamed about, or is she still traveling there?

Still traveling. Yes, my name on that book is a dream fulfilled, but what happens when you quit dreaming? We have to keep moving forward in this world or we stagnate.

Elaine, here is my little testimony. It might help viewers to understand the 25-year-thing:

I’ve been a reader all my life, but writing was never my dream. I remember cringing in English classes when a single page paper was due. One night I went to bed a reader and woke up determined to write a book. I was very involved in Star Trek fandom, had some short stories and poetry published in a fanzine here and there. My first full length project was a Star Trek story. Now, I’m Pentecostal, so you’ll have to work with me here…One night, about 25 years ago, we were in a revival. The evangelist, who didn’t know me from Eve spoke a word of prophecy over me. In para phrase…  “I’ve put a pen in your hand and a light by your side. Use it for me.” Well at that point in my life the only Christian writing I knew about were lessons or theological works of non fiction. That didn’t seem like me, so I stopped writing altogether. Three and a half years ago, a new employee stopped by my desk to introduce herself. In the course of the conversation, she mentioned that she was a writer. I told her that that was my dream at one time. She gave me the oddest look and spoke five words that have changed my life. “You gave up too soon.” That night I started writing Callie’s story.

Author Bio:

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 writing credits include numerous poems and short stories published in science fiction fanzines.

You can reach Sharon at:

BLOG: http://www.womenofvalleyview.blogspot.com/

Connect on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SharonSrock#!/SharonSrock

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/SharonSrock

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6448789.Sharon_Srock