An Interview With Author Sheryl Young

I had a chance to interview another author, the wonderful, sweet Sheryl Young. Thankfully, she lives locally, so I get to visit with her every once in a while. She talked about her new release, God, Am I Nobody? Here's what she had to say:

Sheryl Young’s new pocket-sized devotional is called God, Am I Nobody? Subtitled Yielding Our Desire for Success to God's Will for Our Lives, it deals with how Christians might be conflicted between wanting personal “success” as the world defines it, versus following God's plan for their lives – or whether we can have both!

Sheryl explores why God uses some people in the spotlight, and others in the shadows.

What made you write a devotional on “worldly success” versus God’s plans for us?

I had spent three years proposing an earlier book to publishers. I received lots of interest within that time from five major Christian publishing houses. But one by one, they decided that I was too unknown for them to take a gamble on…

Within that time, I also did quite a bit of article writing for newspapers, magazines and websites. Then the economy crashed.

One day, while having a pity party about many of my freelance writing venues closing down, I  brushed against a shelf in a Christian bookstore. Out tumbled a book that landed open to a short sermon by Hudson Taylor entitled A Higher Calling.

Taylor, a 19^th century missionary who devoted his life to serving the people of China, begged Christians to fully turn themselves over to the Lord, no matter the cost, and to put our pride aside even if we had to work in obscurity. This really touched me and made me feel like a self-absorbed fool! It became the basis for the devotional.

It sounds like a good topic to study. So how is the devotional structured?

It’s a convenient, carry-anywhere little book consisting of 17 chapters. Each chapter includes segments of Taylor's sermonette, along with parallel Bible verses and thoughts for everyday application. The chapters are short enough to be studied one per day, but can also be absorbed at a reader’s own leisurely pace.

It’s really good for Christians of all ages looking for God’s next open door…teens wondering what direction to take, empty nesters, career people, ministry leaders, stay-at-home moms; and it would also make a good small group study on a number of topics like waiting on the Lord, humility versus pride, low self-esteem, or just folks struggling with the desire for their “15 minutes,” like I was!

And, did you get a “big” publisher this time?

Sheryl Young

(She smiles) - No, but it was my choice this time. In proposing it around, it was suggested to me by two large companies that if I could stretch this little devotional into 90 days by adding other missionaries’ pieces, it would stand a good chance. But in researching possible additions, I realized that coming across Taylor's piece was a Godsend that I couldn't duplicate…

I felt it would be selling out on the topic, which includes the struggle with pride, if I expanded the book just to get a bigger publisher. So it’s published by a small press, Treble Heart Books, that saw value in its pocket-sized coverage of the subject. 

God, Am I Nobody? was released in November 2011 by Treble Heart’s nonfiction division, MountainView. Although it’s not in bookstores, it’s available at many places online:

-At Amazon.com in paperback: http://www.amazon.com/God-Am-Nobody-Sheryl  

-Amazon for Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/God-Am-I-Nobody-ebook/dp/B006E88XRO/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1329862262&sr=8-1

-At the publisher’s website in paperback or e-book (Treble Heart Books): http://www.trebleheartbooks.com/MVSherylYoung.html

- Barnes & Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/god-am-i-nobody-sherylyoung/1107956290?ean=2940032890683&itm=1&usri=god%2c+am+i+nobody

-Smashwords as an e-book: http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=god+am+i+nobody

As of May 2012, 10 great reviews have been placed at Amazon!

By the way, Sheryl’s first book, What Every Christian Should Know about the Jewish People (she’s a Jewish believer in Jesus), is still available at Amazon, too: http://www.amazon.com/Every-Christian-Should-Jewish-People/dp/141411074X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329925650&sr=8-1.. She and her husband prayed about it and ended up self-publishing that earlier work.

“It was a very rewarding experience, and we have faith that it has reached the hands of those Christians who are interested in being good witnesses and friends to the Jewish people,” she says.

Sheryl blogs about stuff like politics, faith and entertainment at http://20-20faithsight.blogspot.com.  

Sheryl, thanks so much for stopping by the blog! I am excited about the other books you have in store for us in the future! I always love your work.