Interview with Biblical Fiction Author Sharron Lael

 Today I am excited to welcome a good friend of mine to Stitches Thru Time. Sharron has just released her first book, and I think ya'll will find it very interesting.

Sharron Martell was born and raised in the mountainous region of northern Colorado. She has a natural, creative flair for writing stories.
Some of her favorite activities include hiking, reading, drinking tea, and blogging. She has a little rat terrier called Chester, who has a sparkling personality of his own.
Not only does she wish to share her personal experiences through the books that she writes, she hopes that she also conveys Christ's love for you.

Welcome Sharron! We're so glad you could visit us today. Tell us about your book.

 “Zarek ben Nadin – The Chronicles of Nineveh” shadows the Biblical story of Jonah, a prophet of God who was reluctant to deliver the message of repentance to Nineveh, Israel’s enemy. Taken from the perspective of an Assyrian guard, Zarek’s story spans the experience of a lifetime from early childhood to adulthood. Zarek experiences the pain and regret of poor choices, but also experiences the ultimate power of forgiveness.

Where did the inspiration for your story come from?

 The inspiration for my story came from watching a play about Jonah at “Sight & Sound Theater” several years ago. It made wonder: what could have caused the complete repentance of a population of 120,000 (roughly the population of Fort Collins, Colorado) within 40 days? What kind of condition were the people in that made their hearts responsive to the message Jonah brought? Thus, the character of Zarek ben Nadin was born!

Sounds intriguing! How does your faith and spirituality work in with your writing? 

 Forgiveness is crucial to living an empowered life. The Bible says that if you don’t forgive others, God cannot forgive you. Without forgiveness, a person becomes embittered and angry. Working in different ministries, I have found that forgiveness is the key to peace and the foundation of a strong Christian walk. I believe through God’s selfless example of forgiveness and mercy, we can learn and show the same kind of love to others.

Nineveh is an interesting location. Did you have to do a lot of research? Can you share a few tidbits with us?

 Nineveh is a very interesting location and I found myself having to tweak my perspective on the story. Nineveh is an ancient city, but some artifacts have survived. This made research very interesting. I knew Nineveh was large, with numerous gates and portals.

   However, I didn’t know there were two large temples next to the palace, or that a river ran through the middle of the city (which probably made it difficult to cross over since bridges were few and far between, however it made a perfect natural barrier between the wealthy and poorer inhabitants of the city.

Why did you choose this genre?

 I love all the stories in the Bible, and they are not just stories. It is history, a written testament of God’s love and devotion to His children. I loved “Acts of Faith” by Janette Oke & Davis Bunn, and I’m also a fan of Jill Eileen Smith’s various books and series.

What are you working on next? 

I am debating between Priests, Prophets & Kings, Daughters of Israel, or perhaps an allegory. I am also interested in writing a story from a guardian angel’s perspective as he teams together with the main character to fight darkness and evil.

Very interesting. Looks like you have some great stuff going on. Thank you so much for being with us! 
You can find Sharron's books on Amazon and B&N, but the best price is on her website:
https://sharronlaelcoloradoauthor.weebly.com

Weaving Fact & Fiction

One of my favorite questions to ask authors, is how they weave facts in with their fiction, and what true facts inspired the story. So today I thought it'd be fun to show how some of those real-life aspects have woven into my own books.

For my Christmas book, The Swaddling Clothes, I actually had to study the art of weaving. In order to craft a story about the creation of the swaddling clothes, I had to study how threads were spun, how many threads would be used to create a fabric, etc. I was amazed at the amount of skill it would take to weave thousands of tiny threads into a single piece. Weaving stories is much the same. We have to take history, truth,

inspiration, character, faults, habits, then draw in something likable about the character, a plot twist, a red herring...and before you know it there are a thousand threads that make up the story. This information molded the beginning portion of the book when King David summons all the skilled weavers of the land to choose one to create the swaddling clothes for his soon-to-be-born son, Solomon. In addition to selecting the weaver, he then has to carefully choose the threads, because color, thickness, texture, all affects the fabric and each and every thread has to be able to work with the others.


In The Healer's Touch, (the first book in the Days of Messiah series) I wanted to write a story about a leper healed by Jesus. This required study of the Hebraic laws on leprosy. Most of us know that they typically lived in leper colonies segregated from the rest of society. But it was much more than that. Many of them never saw their families again. And if they happened to be out and about when someone 'normal' was coming toward them, they had to shout out a warning proclaiming themselves 'unclean' so that individual could avoid them. All of this tradition and law made it especially hard on my poor Aaliyah. Appearing before Jesus, especially with the size of the crowd that was always around Him, made such an act life-threatening. Because being caught among 'clean' people meant they could (and probably would) stone you for endangering the health of others.

In Dawn of Liberty, Samuel Adams and the Declaration of Independence were my subjects. There's LOTS of fun history to draw from there. I dug pretty deep into the lives of many of the members of Congress, and I found out so many juicy tidbits. There were several delegates that were opposed to the Declaration, so I studied out WHY. What I came away with was a story of how those delegates changed their minds or decided to abstain their votes so that liberty could pass.

Now it's your turn! What have been your favorite instances of fact woven in fiction? (This can be a book you read, or for you authors, one you wrote.)

 Tell me the book and author in the comments below to get your name in the drawing for A Flute in the Willows by Carole Brown!

*****

Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".  Her title, Dawn of Liberty, was awarded the 2017 CSPA Book of the Year award in Historical Fiction. She lives in Colorado and spends half her time volunteering in the Ozarks. Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at www.AmberSchamel.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

Abi of Cyrene

Abi of Cyrene 

by Mary Lou Cheatham

This novel is Biblical fiction, sort of. Abi (a completely fictional character) is the wife of Simon of Cyrene, the man who carried Jesus’ cross. It begins with Abi as a young woman whose father negotiates a husband for her. She leaves everything she’s ever known and travels far to the land of her new spouse. She must learn a new language, and figure out her place in the world with very little help.

She takes her internal struggles to the God of the Jewish nation. She is part of the diaspora, raised in Africa, and committed to Adonai. The story follows her coming of age, her family, and intersects Biblical events in a very sweet way. The Biblical scenes bring a fresh perspective which truly enable the reader to see those events in a new way.

While the romance starts out as the main focus, as the novel progresses, it turns to the deep thoughts and struggles of Abi, and how God answered (and didn't answer) her prayers. Her feelings and attitudes change as she ages, but her one desire in life remains the same. The book was a gift for Christmas. I'm not sure I would have picked it up on my own, but I'm glad I was encouraged to read Abi of Cyrene. It reads quickly and it's worth the effort.

Are you a fan of Biblical fiction? What is your favorite era of the Bible to read about?