Seriously Good...

Hello, dear readers! It's been a while since I've posted a spotlight over here at my book club (lots happening in my world, right now, as you can imagine--Alaska, here we come!). But there are so many good books coming out, this spring, I can't pass up telling you about. So, here we go with the first one, written by my good author friend, Sharon Srock. Number three in her "Women of Vally View" series, and it's called PAM. Following is my review, and a short excerpt...enjoy!

My Review...

Pam is another woman of Valley View. Part of a group who meet and pray for each other every week in the small town of Garfield, Oklahoma. They attend the same church, and a few have grown up there. Some haven’t. But they still have a history together. It comes from being open and transparent with each other about what is really happening in their lives. Something not everyone is willing to share, especially when things aren’t going so well.

Such is the case when Pam is suddenly confronted with someone out of a past she would rather not remember. Someone who not only threatens to topple her wonderfully peaceful life, but snatch away the people closest to her who have made that new life possible. A person so entangled in those horrible secrets of her past she could never admit them to a prayer group. What would they think about her?

Thus begins the slow decline of Pam as she tries to deal with things that are much too big to handle all by herself. In watching her struggles, readers begin to wonder what they might do in similar situations… what can anyone do?

This book deals with huge issues. But they are intensely personal ones. The kind that cross the paths of ordinary people sometime during their lifetimes, no matter who they are. So, even though this is a fictional story, it plays out in a way that shines a truthful light on the way things happen in real life. How one might actually deal with such things should they ever happen to you. Sharon Srock’s talent for creating worlds one can step into and literally “live in” for awhile, gives this book the potential to become priceless.

I would recommend it to anybody.

Excerpt...

"Oh, dear Jesus. What have I done?"

Four years later

1

A fall storm system hovered over Garfield, Oklahoma. Rain fell in sheets. A vicious wind whipped acorns from the trees and skipped them across the roof with the sound of rapid gunfire. Pam Lake paced her shadowed living room. The tempest in her spirit rivaled the one outside. If Alan Archer thinks I’ll take this lying down...

The Old Testament prescribed death by stoning for individuals caught in adultery. That was a punishment Pam could stand behind. God must have known that if cheating ex-spouses were dead, they couldn’t resurface four years later to rip your soul out a second time and threaten your newfound happiness.

The rational part of her brain shifted her troubled thoughts into neutral. You need to stop. You’re giving him too much control over your life. What would Dr. Sylvester say? Pam stopped her pacing. Her counselor had warned her about this four years ago.

Pam could still see Dr. Sylvester, hands clasped on her desk blotter as she leaned forward. “Pam, there are a whole bunch of fancy words I could use for the scars and trauma caused by the emotional abuse you’ve suffered. If you don’t start learning how to deal with it, it’s going to eat you from the inside out.”

“I am dealing with it..."

Author Sharon Srock writes inspirational stories that focus on ordinary women using their faith to accomplish extraordinary things. A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Sharon serves her local chapter in the role of treasurer. 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, Pam is the third in the series, and all are available now.

Connect with her at www.sharonsrock.com..

The View is Amazing...

My review of the WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: TERRI...

When I first heard of the "Women of Valley View," I wondered what could be so interesting there. Was it a neighborhood? Was it a home for women? Was there something mysterious going on? Well, sort of. You see, Valley View is a church, and the women are a circle of friends who attend there.

Each book spotlights one of the women, and Terri's story gives us an excellent look at what is most special about this series. It's the way all these women react to each other. They hold each other up during hard times, do fun things together, and they are best friends. The stick-by kind. The kind you wish you had more of. 

Terri is a single woman looking for "Mr. Right," and has been looking for him so long that she begins to go ahead with her plans in spite of not having found him, yet. There's someone on her mind, of course, but he has older children and a granddaughter, already, while Terri wants very much to have babies. So, she becomes a foster parent. In hopes that this will fulfill some of the desires of her heart whether she finds a husband, or not. 

That's the premise. A lot of things happen to both thwart and encourage her, and one finds themselves reading to the last page just to see how everything turns out for everybody. It's a good read based on that alone. Very well-written, too. Ms. Srock brings people and place alive so vividly that you will actually recognize people you know there. Or at least wish you knew. But that isn't what makes it special.

What sets this book apart from most is the perspective. I might even go so far as to call it "the view." Like a movie running across the window of your mind, it gives you a front row seat to not only observe how Terri works out her problems, but how we can possibly apply those same methods to work on ours. Because that part of the story is real. Something you can take home with you.

Would I recommend the WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: TERRI? You bet. Because in my opinion, anytime you can walk away with something that valuable from an enjoyable piece of entertainment makes it priceless. Which is why I think everyone should meet the "Women of Valley View." By the way, you can get a delightful little introduction to them by visiting http://bitly.com/SmQmUs

Meet Sharon Srock...

Click here to find out about Sharon, read 
excerpts of  her books, and much more!

After I read the WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: TERRI, there were a few questions I just had to ask Sharon, myself. The first was: How did you come to choose foster care as a background for this book?

Well, Lilly, Terri is a baby person. I wanted her to have a child. As an unmarried woman, foster care seemed the fastest way to get that done for the sake of the story.

It worked because foster care will definitely take a person right to the heart of the matter, ready or not. Speaking of which, you seemed to know a lot about youth and family services and the entire foster care system. Have you ever had any personal experience with it, yourself?

Not personal. But I have good friends who fostered 3 sisters just about the time I started on Terri's story. I picked her brain about the parenting side and I contacted a social worker to get some input about the administrative side. By the way, my friends adopted those three little girls to go with their 3 natural sons. It's nice when there's a happy ending to what is often a sad situation. 

I think that's what makes it so rewarding for those who are willing to share their homes in that way. Having good friends around can really be a help, too. Your "women of valley view" seemed to be the kind of friends we would all like to have, is this group based on special relationships you have enjoyed in real life?

I've worshiped at the same Pentecostal church since I was 14. These people are my "forever" family. I have been on the giving and receiving end of the very relationships Terri and her friends portray.

A "forever family" is a wonderful way to look at it. I like that. And you did a great job of showing us just how that works. Besides being an example of Christian community, what do you hope readers will take away from Terri's story?

I think it would have to be that God keeps his promises. Terri feels like God made a promise to her. That if she gave her life to Him and folowed His direction, He would give her the desires of her heart. Sometimes it might look like God is taking us in the opposite direction, but if we'll trust, we'll end up where He wants us. I hope that's the message in Terri's story. Turst.

Watching her find her way was a strong thread in the story, and it was fascinating. Now, I'm wondering if, after spending so much time with your characters during the writing process, do you ever miss them when it's time to go on to another story? Will you be writing other books about these same women?

The WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: TERRI is the second in the series. The WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: CALLIE was released last October. The WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: PAM is under contract and I'm expecting an early 2014 release date. I'm about half done with The WOMEN OF VALLEY VIEW: SAMANTHA, and  Kate and Karla will also have stories.  So you see, I haven't had a chance to "miss" them.  (SMILE)

Well, they're easy ladies to get attached to, that's for sure. Thanks so much for visiting with me here, today, Sharon. I'll definitely be looking forward to meeting more Women of Valley View! 

Thank you for having me, Lilly.

Could I interest you in staying for some seaweed tea and mermaid cakes?

Sure... what are they made out of?