The Women of Valley View: Pam by Sharon Srock will be released in early spring. If you haven’t read the first two books in her series, you have time! The Women of Valley View: Callie and The Women of Valley View: Terri.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. ~ Ps 34:17-18 (NIV)

Clarice:  You’re a wife and mother with grown children and a couple of dependent dogs. You’ve worked at the local Air Force Base for over 25 years.  You’ve been an Avon representative for 20 years. And  now you’re a published author. How do you do it all? Besides wife and mother, which career do you most identify with and why?

Sharon:  The answer to how I do it is short and sweet. God. He keeps me focused on the task at hand. I have to make the best use of my time, regardless of which career is demanding my attention at any given time. As for my identity, I’d have to say the writing. It’s what I feel God called me to do and where I feel I can touch lives in a positive way. It’s what I’d like to be remembered for when I’m no longer here.

Clarice:  How long have you been writing? When did you write your first novel?

Sharon:  I wrote my first novel 25 years ago. It was a Star Trek novel that still sits in my closet. Science Fiction wasn’t the path God had for me. It took me a long time to accept that. I wrote the first words of Callie’s story five years ago.

Clarice:  Who was the first person to encourage you, really encourage, you to keep on writing?

Sharon: Jo Smith, a co-worker. She gave me the right nudge at the right time to get back to writing.

Clarice:  As in your The Women of Valley View series—Callie, Terri and Pam— do you have a tight-knit group of female friends you turn to? And why do you think women get so involved in each other’s lives?

Sharon: I’ve attended the same Pentecostal church since I was 14. I have a great group of supportive women. They read, they pray, they let me vent. They cheer my successes and give me a shoulder when I fall on my face. I think we’re taught to nurture from the moment we pick up a baby doll. It just grows from there.

Clarice:  You say you live “in the-middle-of-no-where Oklahoma.” Tell me a little about your state and what makes its people so resilient.

Sharon: The exact town I live in is a small dot on the map called Little Axe. We have a school system, but not our own post office. I don’t know that Oklahoman’s are more resilient than any other place in America. We had back to back tornadoes this last spring. The damage ½ mile for my house is still under repair, but we pull together. We provide for each other. But, isn’t that the same in New York or California?

Clarice:  In Callie, your protagonist is a middle-aged woman drawn to help others. But when her efforts backfire, fear of getting involved takes over. Has that ever happened to you?

Sharon: Honestly, no.  When I was writing Callie’s story, I was struggling so hard with writing issues that I hadn’t focused on since high school. I rewrote the story six times before I hit on a combination that worked.

Clarice:  In Terri, you write about two struggling families and two scheming daughters. How would you counsel someone who is bent on scheming to get their way?

Sharon: Scheming is never a good thing, but it worked out well for Terri and Steve.

Clarice:  In Pam, “Pam’s divorce broke her heart. The cruelty of her ex-husband broke her spirit. A bottle of sleeping pills almost took her life.”  Forgiveness is the theme running through this story. What made you want to tackle this theme?

Sharon: I’ve been in Pam’s shoes. Not abused and suicidal, but divorced and hurt. I’ve had to learn to forgive some hurts that have never been apologized for. But you can’t carry that stuff around with you and survive. Writing Pam’s story made me examine myself.

Author Sharon Srock went from science fiction to Christian fiction at slightly less than warp speed. Twenty-five years ago, she cut her writer’s teeth on Star Trek fiction. Today, she writes inspirational stories that focus on ordinary women using their faith to accomplish extraordinary things. Sharon lives in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma with her husband and three very large dogs. Her books include: The Women of Valley View: Callie and The Women of Valley View: Terri both of which are currently available. The Women of Valley View: Pam will release in May 2014. She also working on The Women of Valley View: Samantha. Connect with her at www.sharonsrock.com.