About Suzanne's Christian Journey
- I was blessed to grow up in a Christian family. We attended church almost every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening, and sometimes Sunday nights. I was familiar with and believed all the Bible stories, but I didn't feel the need to act upon my beliefs until a discussion I had with two cousins who attended a church of a different denomination.
Somehow, we got onto the topic of a denominational difference. They explained the way they did things in their church, and I explained what the Bible said about the matter. Suddenly I realized that if I knew the Bible well enough to explain something as esoteric as the priesthood of the believer (although I didn't know that's what it was called at the time), I understood it well enough to obey God's command regarding how to come to Him.
Shortly after that discussion, I chose to follow God's path--to come to Him through his Son, Jesus Christ. I prayed and admitted that I was a sinner. I told Him I believed that Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins then rose again three days later. And finally, I asked God to be a part of my life. Not long afterwards I made my confession of faith public when I was baptized.
It would be easy to say my Christian journey ended there, but that was just the beginning. God has slowly, painstakingly, and lovingly led me along the path He prepared for me. He has molded me and changed me from the inside out, although I'm far from a completed project. He has taught me through church leaders, through Christian friends, through books and Bible studies, through my husband and especially through my children. Sometimes He has had to smack me upside the head to get my attention. Other times, He has allowed me time to make the choice He knew was best for me.
My Christian journey will not be completed until the day I stand before God in heaven. Until that time, I continue to learn and grow, and God continues to mold me. My writing journey is simply the most recent way He is at work in my life.
About Suzanne's Writing Journey
Unlike most fiction authors, who often started writing stories in high school or college, my interest in writing fiction didn't begin until 2006 after a nudge from the Lord. I had been crafting stories to occupy my mind while my kids had violin lessons, soccer and baseball practice, and children's choir practice. One day, I was thinking about one of these stories as I walked through the neighborhood and a thought crossed my mind. "Why don't you write them into a book?" My next thought was, "Gee, I never thought about that before."
So I started writing, but not without a great many doubts, including "Is this an early mid-life crisis?" I was so uncertain about whether I would be able to accomplish my goal that I didn't even tell my husband what I was doing for six weeks.
God steadily led me along the writing path. After I finished my first draft, He led me to a wonderful critique group and a couple of critique partners (I'd never heard of either before joining several writing forums after I finished my first draft). These lovely ladies helped me hone my writing skills and rework my story. I can't thank them enough!
From the time I first began to work on my novel, I knew that if anything came of my efforts, it would have to be a God-thing, because I had no training in how to write fiction other than decades of avid reading. And it has been. It has been an amazing journey, full of doubts, anguish, and joy. But God has faithfully sent affirmations and encouraged me along the way as I revised my manuscript, then revised it again, then tweaked it some more.
I am still at awe over the way He led me to literary agent, Terry Burns, and from there to publication of my suspense novels Peril and Conspiracy. Eventually things fell apart with that contract, and I requested my rights back, but if it hadn't been for experiencing the process first-hand, I'm not sure I would have had the nerve to step out on the next phase of God's plan for me: joining Phyllis Wheeler to create Castle Gate Press, home of Christian fiction with a twist of the strange.
What a journey God has set me on! I never could have anticipated any of these twists and turns, and I can't imagine where else He'll take me, but I'm sure it will be exciting and someplace that will require me to trust Him to lead me through.
Create Your Own Website With Webador