Author Mini-view:
Hello, readers! I'm pleased to feature author Jerusha Agen on the blog today. Let's get this interview started!
Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing. (How did you get started? How many books have you written? Where are you on your writing journey?)
While I’ve written stories of different lengths from childhood on, my dream of becoming a published author wasn’t realized until I entered a contest with the publisher, Write Integrity Press. I was blessed to place in that contest, and the publisher offered me a contract for a three-book series. Thanks to that contract with Write Integrity, all three books of the Sisters Redeemed Series are now available and more doors have opened for me in the publishing industry.
I now have an agent and am busy writing other novels that I’m aiming to publish, either traditionally or independently. At this point in my writing journey, I’d say I’m in the “hurry up and wait” phase. I need to write and produce novels as quickly as I can, but then those manuscripts often sit in limbo for some time, waiting for improvements or the right editor at the right time.
While I get frustrated during the waiting phase, often blaming others for delays, I’m really waiting on God. He is teaching me during this period that I still don’t trust Him as much as I claim to. I need to lean on Him and really trust that His timing and purposes are perfect. If and when He wants my next novels published, He will bring that about! I just need to be patient and not get so caught up in wanting tangible results. It’s my job to trust and be diligent in working for the Lord as I wait. Easier said than done!
What is your favorite Bible verse?
There are so many amazing ones! But my favorite passage, particularly as a Christian writer, is Job 19:23-27. This passage speaks in beautiful prose of Job’s desperation to have his words recorded, as well as to see his (and my!) Redeemer. “I know that my Redeemer lives,” is all we need!
What have you read lately that you would recommend?
I love to read literary classics, and I just finished re-reading Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. I didn’t really like this book when I read it about eleven years ago, but I appreciated it much more this time around. Dickens’ characters are drawn with incredible skill, often with hilariously comedic results. As a writer, I gleaned a great deal from his character and setting descriptions that I hope to apply to my own writing.
What book are you featuring today?
This Dance, Book One in the Sisters Redeemed Series. This Dance tells the story of Nye Sanders. A tragedy three years ago destroyed Nye's rise to the top of the dancing world as an upcoming tango star, and in the process destroyed her reason for living. She survived the pain and built a new life resembling nothing like the one she left behind, determined never to hurt again.
Nye's emotional walls hold up perfectly until she meets a handsome lawyer and an elderly landowner. They seem harmless, but one awakens feelings she doesn't want and the other makes her face the God she can't forgive.
Will these two men help Nye dance again?
If you could tell people who are going to read/have read your books one thing, what would it be?
We have hope, and His name is Jesus! The Sisters Redeemed Series features three women who, like many of us in this life, are in desperate need of hope. One is suffering from a tragic loss that has robbed her life of purpose, another from darkness more awful than anything she’s ever known, and the third from a prison of abuse.
Through reading these women’s stories, my readers will encounter the only hope in the midst of such pain and darkness. Only Jesus Christ can heal the worst wounds, shine light in the darkest places, and free prisoners from their chains. He is our hope and our Redeemer, and I pray that many will meet Him in the pages of the stories He gives me to write.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing. (How did you get started? How many books have you written? Where are you on your writing journey?)
While I’ve written stories of different lengths from childhood on, my dream of becoming a published author wasn’t realized until I entered a contest with the publisher, Write Integrity Press. I was blessed to place in that contest, and the publisher offered me a contract for a three-book series. Thanks to that contract with Write Integrity, all three books of the Sisters Redeemed Series are now available and more doors have opened for me in the publishing industry.
I now have an agent and am busy writing other novels that I’m aiming to publish, either traditionally or independently. At this point in my writing journey, I’d say I’m in the “hurry up and wait” phase. I need to write and produce novels as quickly as I can, but then those manuscripts often sit in limbo for some time, waiting for improvements or the right editor at the right time.
While I get frustrated during the waiting phase, often blaming others for delays, I’m really waiting on God. He is teaching me during this period that I still don’t trust Him as much as I claim to. I need to lean on Him and really trust that His timing and purposes are perfect. If and when He wants my next novels published, He will bring that about! I just need to be patient and not get so caught up in wanting tangible results. It’s my job to trust and be diligent in working for the Lord as I wait. Easier said than done!
What is your favorite Bible verse?
There are so many amazing ones! But my favorite passage, particularly as a Christian writer, is Job 19:23-27. This passage speaks in beautiful prose of Job’s desperation to have his words recorded, as well as to see his (and my!) Redeemer. “I know that my Redeemer lives,” is all we need!
What have you read lately that you would recommend?
I love to read literary classics, and I just finished re-reading Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. I didn’t really like this book when I read it about eleven years ago, but I appreciated it much more this time around. Dickens’ characters are drawn with incredible skill, often with hilariously comedic results. As a writer, I gleaned a great deal from his character and setting descriptions that I hope to apply to my own writing.
What book are you featuring today?
This Dance, Book One in the Sisters Redeemed Series. This Dance tells the story of Nye Sanders. A tragedy three years ago destroyed Nye's rise to the top of the dancing world as an upcoming tango star, and in the process destroyed her reason for living. She survived the pain and built a new life resembling nothing like the one she left behind, determined never to hurt again.
Nye's emotional walls hold up perfectly until she meets a handsome lawyer and an elderly landowner. They seem harmless, but one awakens feelings she doesn't want and the other makes her face the God she can't forgive.
Will these two men help Nye dance again?
If you could tell people who are going to read/have read your books one thing, what would it be?
We have hope, and His name is Jesus! The Sisters Redeemed Series features three women who, like many of us in this life, are in desperate need of hope. One is suffering from a tragic loss that has robbed her life of purpose, another from darkness more awful than anything she’s ever known, and the third from a prison of abuse.
Through reading these women’s stories, my readers will encounter the only hope in the midst of such pain and darkness. Only Jesus Christ can heal the worst wounds, shine light in the darkest places, and free prisoners from their chains. He is our hope and our Redeemer, and I pray that many will meet Him in the pages of the stories He gives me to write.
About the Author:
AUTHOR BIO:
Jerusha Agen is a lifelong lover of story--a passion that has led her to a B.A. in English and a highly varied career. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Jerusha is the author of the Sisters Redeemed Series, which includes the titles This Dance, This Shadow, and This Redeemer. Jerusha co-authored the e-books A Ruby Christmas, A Dozen Apologies, and The Love Boat Bachelor from Write Integrity Press.
Jerusha relishes snowy Midwest winters spent with her three large, furry dogs and two small, furry cats.
Visit Jerusha’s website at www.SDGwords.com. Follow Jerusha on Twitter @SDGwords and Facebook (Jerusha Agen – SDG Words).
BUY LINKS:
For This Dance on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Sisters-Redeemed-Series-Volume/dp/1938092449/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_z
For all Jerusha's books on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Jerusha-Agen/e/B00ELMNMV2/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1433536888&sr=1-2-ent
For This Dance at Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-dance-jerusha-agen/1117381430?ean=9781938092442
For the Sisters Redeemed Series at Christianbook.com http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?action=Search&Ntk=multiple.series&Nso=1&Ns=product.published_date&Ntt=Sisters%20Redeemed
Jerusha Agen is a lifelong lover of story--a passion that has led her to a B.A. in English and a highly varied career. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Jerusha is the author of the Sisters Redeemed Series, which includes the titles This Dance, This Shadow, and This Redeemer. Jerusha co-authored the e-books A Ruby Christmas, A Dozen Apologies, and The Love Boat Bachelor from Write Integrity Press.
Jerusha relishes snowy Midwest winters spent with her three large, furry dogs and two small, furry cats.
Visit Jerusha’s website at www.SDGwords.com. Follow Jerusha on Twitter @SDGwords and Facebook (Jerusha Agen – SDG Words).
BUY LINKS:
For This Dance on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Sisters-Redeemed-Series-Volume/dp/1938092449/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_z
For all Jerusha's books on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Jerusha-Agen/e/B00ELMNMV2/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1433536888&sr=1-2-ent
For This Dance at Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-dance-jerusha-agen/1117381430?ean=9781938092442
For the Sisters Redeemed Series at Christianbook.com http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?action=Search&Ntk=multiple.series&Nso=1&Ns=product.published_date&Ntt=Sisters%20Redeemed
Giveaway!
Jerusha is giving away a paperback copy of "This Dance" to one lucky winner! To enter the giveaway, simply fill out the Giveaway Tools form below. Giveaway ends 6/16. Good luck and happy reading!
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