Sit-Down with Sharon K Connell

Howdy y'all! Crystal here and I'm joined to today by my fellow Texan Sharon K Connell. She's giving us a peek behind the curtain on her new release and then some. 

Welcome to Stitches Thru Time, Sharon. For those of us who don't have the privilege of knowing you, tell us a bit about yourself.

Sharon: To begin with, I was born in Wisconsin, but only lived there for five days. I lived and went to school mostly in Chicago, Illinois through college and a career in the clerical world until 1988 when I moved to Pensacola, Florida to attend Bible School. Other places in which I’ve lived include Long Beach, California, St. Louis, MO, Cincinnati, OH, and Houston, TX.

Florida was my home for just under twenty years after graduating from the Pensacola Bible Institute. At the end of 2012, I retired to Houston, Texas, and now enjoy every minute of my writing career, which daily involves at least one to six hours writing stories about people who discover, as I have, that God will only allow those things into your life that will help you grow and/or increase your faith. These are the truths that I try to bring out in my novels.

At the age of twelve, I asked the Lord to be my Savior. Never had a moment of regret over that decision. He has seen me through many trials, most of which I brought on myself. But through everything, I never once felt He had deserted me or that he didn’t love me. My Lord has always been there for me.

My stories are written to honor my Lord Jesus Christ and to be a blessing to others. My genre is Christian Romance Suspense, with a little mystery mixed in.

Crystal: Congratulations on your newest release! What is your story about?

Sharon: His Perfect Love is the story about a young woman who became totally taken up in the world and her own desires to the point where she was mixed up with a very handsome, rich, and dangerous man. After running away from him, she fears he will never stop looking for her. Patricia is convinced that God would never listen to someone who has led the life she has.

Crystal: Where did you get the inspiration for your story?

Sharon: Usually the stories just pop into my head and I start writing. However, the inspiration for writing this book came from Patricia herself. She appears in a couple of my previous books, but the reader doesn’t have to read those to get her story. Patricia wouldn’t let me alone. She kept getting into my mind and saying, “You just can’t leave me like that.” LOL So, I didn’t.

Crystal: Just love those characters. I've got one that's getting his story now too. 
What do you hope folks will take away from His Perfect Love?

Sharon: My hope is that readers will see God’s mercy and grace, His protection and longsuffering. No matter what happens in a person’s life, no matter what kind of life they’ve led, there is hope and a God that will not turn His back on them, if they call upon Him.

Crystal: A wonderful takeaway. Do you have a favorite scene in the book? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?

Sharon: There are many scenes in His Perfect Love that I can say are my favorites. But to avoid giving a spoiler, I’ll say the scene where Patricia is walking down the hallway in an upper floor of a high-rise condo in downtown Chicago, overlooking one of the harbors of Lake Michigan is one of those. She almost succumbs to vertigo and has to hold onto the wall to steady herself. I’ve been there and done that. Here’s a paragraph from that scene.

On the ninth floor, she stepped from the elevator and ambled down the length of hall. Atop the marble floor, her high heels clicked to the rapid rhythm of her pulse. To her left, the floor-to-ceiling windows extended to the far corner of the hallway. Her reflected image appeared to be gliding over the distant surface of Lake Michigan. She (Patricia) raised her hand to the wall at her right to keep balance and focused on the floor to avoid the dizziness.

Crystal: Thanks so much for that sneak peek. Vertigo is no fun! 
What do you plan to work on next?

Sharon: My first published novel is what I’m working on now, rewriting it into deep point of view. After I finish rewriting all of my first three novels into my new writing style and have them republished, I’ll start in earnest on my fifth novel. I’ve already made many notes about that story and have written some scenes.

Crystal: Ooo, that sounds like quite the chore. Where can readers connect with you? Where can readers buy your book(s)?

Sharon: Following are my links:

• Website: http://sharonkconnell.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonkconnell
• Author’s book page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/averypresenthelpbook1
• Group Forum on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/writersandauthorsforum/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SharonKConnell
• Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/sharonkconnell
• Blogging on WordPress: https://sharonkconnell.wordpress.com/
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/SharonKConnell
• Blogging on Niume: https://niume.com/pages/profile/?userID=52569

• To buy His Perfect Love, go to: http://amzn.to/2iCMALI
• To view the book trailer for His Perfect Love by Sharon K. Connell, go to: https://youtu.be/e3tRr6mLzZk

Crystal: Thanks for those. Last but not least, what is the quirkiest thing you've ever done?

Sharon: Hmmm…I’ve done a lot of things that could be considered quirky. Selling my home and leaving a good paying job in Illinois to move to Pensacola, Florida for Bible School, without having a job or a place to live waiting for me would qualify. But I knew God wanted me to do just that.

Crystal: I totally understand that Abraham-type experience, Sharon. Thanks so much for joining us today. 

Thank you for having me on your site, Crystal. I appreciate the time you’ve taken out of your busy schedule to let others know about another author.

It's our pleasure. 
Folks, let's keep the conversation going. Do you have any questions for Sharon? How about a funny moving story to share? Have you ever had one of those Abraham-type experience?