When you touch lives through your novels, it's an experience like no other.
Rewind my life about three years and you'd find me in the classroom at the local high school almost every day. At that time I worked as a substitute teacher, almost exclusively at the high school level, and I enjoyed it. Most of the students liked me and they nicknamed me "The Awesome Sub". Most of my former students have graduated now and my career focused on writing so much that I'm seldom at school these days. Some of my students though managed to work their way into my heart forever and some are even friends. Now instead of being a sub at the high school level, I have two daughters in high school.
My life in a year's time shifted dramatically from local columnist and freelance writer to romance author. Back in the heyday of my subbing years I often talked to students about my writing, sometimes sharing a story found online or in an anthology. Most of the kids found my other occupation cool and intriguing. More than I can count confided their own aspirations in writing and several penned their own novels.
Of all the kids, some connected with me on a deeper level. One girl, unhappy in foster parent care, considered running away until I spent a long hour talking to her in a blunt, straight way about her life. Months later, she saw me somewhere, ran to me and hugged me to say "You gave me hope when I didn't have any left." I comforted another young lady who'd lost her virginity to another student who didn't want any more to do with her after the deed was done. I wept with kids who lost a loved one and when I came back to school after losing my own dad unexpectedly, the outpouring of hugs and sympathy from teens all but overwhelmed me.
I think I made a positive difference in some young lives and realized just this last week that I still am, through my novels. With eight novels out, ten by the end of 2011 and signed contract for another five so far in 2012, it's not uncommon for former students to offer me congratulations or mention it. On a spring day last year, subbing I overhead a high school girl whisper that I now "writes dirty books". That's one of the few comments I didn't like.
But one student, one now a friend and an adult warmed my heart this week when he finished reading Love Never Fails, a second chance at love romance novel out in both ebook and paperback from Rebel Ink Press. He texted me. He phoned me. And we messaged back and forth because he loved the story. For him, it resonated. The novel is set in the same small town where I live and he liked that. Familiar places appear in the story and he found that "cool". Most of all, he identified with the hero, Reid. Like Reid, this young man lost his mother as a teenager and he's a poor kid from the "wrong side of the tracks". He showed the book to his father,who said, "Your teacher wrote this?" and proceeded to read enough to recognize his own hometown. He showed it to his new wife and between them, they were wowed by the imagery of the local scene. My former student shared all this with me and I wanted to either dance for joy or weep with emotion.
This student in high school didn't like to read. He never cracked a book of any kind willingly. He didn't enjoy any of his required English or Lit courses. I don't think he'd ever considered reading a book for pleasure. Music was his thing and we often talked about our shared musical tastes back then. But now what music did and does for him, he's found out reading can do that too. He never imagined books existed about "people just like him". Now that he has, it's opened up new worlds for him with the written world.
His former English instructors would faint if they knew but I'm happy I helped him find something new to resonate.
I write stories because I like stories. I read because I enjoy the escape, the involvement, the entertainment. But when I touch lives, I am humbled and grateful that somehow my words, a story I spun makes such a difference.
Love Never Fails.
My other novels include Witness Protection Program, Kinfolk, A Time To Love, The Love Covenant Series (Love Tattoo, Love Scars, Love Knots and coming in December 2011 Love Shadows) and more.
Sing We Now of Christmas my first Christmas release debuts on December 3 from Rebel Ink Press.
Coming in 2012 look for A Patient Heart (Feb 3, Valentine's release) In Love's Own Time (Feb 17 ghost/time travel/romance) Miss Good Samaritan (April 3 sweet suspense novel), Guy's Angel (June 3 historical 1920's romance), and In The Shadow of War, (World War II historical romance),all from Rebel Ink Press. Also look for my novella Long Live The King coming in May 2012 from Champagne Books.
Visit me at http://leeannsontheimermurphywriterauthor.blogspot.com A Page In The LIfe
http://leeannsontheimermurphy.blogspot.com Rebel Writer: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy
http://leeannwriter.weebly.com my website
Follow me on Facebook: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy or Twitter @leeannwriter
Rewind my life about three years and you'd find me in the classroom at the local high school almost every day. At that time I worked as a substitute teacher, almost exclusively at the high school level, and I enjoyed it. Most of the students liked me and they nicknamed me "The Awesome Sub". Most of my former students have graduated now and my career focused on writing so much that I'm seldom at school these days. Some of my students though managed to work their way into my heart forever and some are even friends. Now instead of being a sub at the high school level, I have two daughters in high school.
My life in a year's time shifted dramatically from local columnist and freelance writer to romance author. Back in the heyday of my subbing years I often talked to students about my writing, sometimes sharing a story found online or in an anthology. Most of the kids found my other occupation cool and intriguing. More than I can count confided their own aspirations in writing and several penned their own novels.
Of all the kids, some connected with me on a deeper level. One girl, unhappy in foster parent care, considered running away until I spent a long hour talking to her in a blunt, straight way about her life. Months later, she saw me somewhere, ran to me and hugged me to say "You gave me hope when I didn't have any left." I comforted another young lady who'd lost her virginity to another student who didn't want any more to do with her after the deed was done. I wept with kids who lost a loved one and when I came back to school after losing my own dad unexpectedly, the outpouring of hugs and sympathy from teens all but overwhelmed me.
I think I made a positive difference in some young lives and realized just this last week that I still am, through my novels. With eight novels out, ten by the end of 2011 and signed contract for another five so far in 2012, it's not uncommon for former students to offer me congratulations or mention it. On a spring day last year, subbing I overhead a high school girl whisper that I now "writes dirty books". That's one of the few comments I didn't like.
But one student, one now a friend and an adult warmed my heart this week when he finished reading Love Never Fails, a second chance at love romance novel out in both ebook and paperback from Rebel Ink Press. He texted me. He phoned me. And we messaged back and forth because he loved the story. For him, it resonated. The novel is set in the same small town where I live and he liked that. Familiar places appear in the story and he found that "cool". Most of all, he identified with the hero, Reid. Like Reid, this young man lost his mother as a teenager and he's a poor kid from the "wrong side of the tracks". He showed the book to his father,who said, "Your teacher wrote this?" and proceeded to read enough to recognize his own hometown. He showed it to his new wife and between them, they were wowed by the imagery of the local scene. My former student shared all this with me and I wanted to either dance for joy or weep with emotion.
This student in high school didn't like to read. He never cracked a book of any kind willingly. He didn't enjoy any of his required English or Lit courses. I don't think he'd ever considered reading a book for pleasure. Music was his thing and we often talked about our shared musical tastes back then. But now what music did and does for him, he's found out reading can do that too. He never imagined books existed about "people just like him". Now that he has, it's opened up new worlds for him with the written world.
His former English instructors would faint if they knew but I'm happy I helped him find something new to resonate.
I write stories because I like stories. I read because I enjoy the escape, the involvement, the entertainment. But when I touch lives, I am humbled and grateful that somehow my words, a story I spun makes such a difference.
Love Never Fails.
My other novels include Witness Protection Program, Kinfolk, A Time To Love, The Love Covenant Series (Love Tattoo, Love Scars, Love Knots and coming in December 2011 Love Shadows) and more.
Sing We Now of Christmas my first Christmas release debuts on December 3 from Rebel Ink Press.
Coming in 2012 look for A Patient Heart (Feb 3, Valentine's release) In Love's Own Time (Feb 17 ghost/time travel/romance) Miss Good Samaritan (April 3 sweet suspense novel), Guy's Angel (June 3 historical 1920's romance), and In The Shadow of War, (World War II historical romance),all from Rebel Ink Press. Also look for my novella Long Live The King coming in May 2012 from Champagne Books.
Visit me at http://leeannsontheimermurphywriterauthor.blogspot.com A Page In The LIfe
http://leeannsontheimermurphy.blogspot.com Rebel Writer: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy
http://leeannwriter.weebly.com my website
Follow me on Facebook: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy or Twitter @leeannwriter
Posts
3 comments:
What a great story!
You write good stuff, hope to be as good someday!
What a wonderful story. One of my personal premises is that we touch the lives of everyone we meet, even if it's only passing by. So it might help a lot if you do it with a smile. Jean
Post a Comment