Last month The Amazing Crab Alley Revival—my debut novel—released to the world. The week after its release, I turned sixty. As a young girl dreaming of someday being a novelist, I never could have imagined the journey would take as long as it did. And yet, I’m glad for the wait.

I submitted my first book proposal in 1994. It was, of all things, a Christian dating book called Someday Your Prince May Come: So What Do You Do in the Meantime? Though two major publishers were interested, both ultimately turned it down.

Then life happened. I started homeschooling and continued for thirteen years. My husband decided he wanted to make movies, so I helped him pursue his dreams. Along the way I did freelance writing and self-published homeschool curriculum, but my desire to write novels never went away.

In 2020 I launched All God’s Women, a podcast about women in the Bible. That turned into a radio show and a full website Bible women resource. I wrote Women of Prayer, a Bible study about praying women in the Bible.

Throughout all that I was doing, I kept writing novels, but nothing ever came of them. Until Elk Lake Publishing accepted The Amazing Crab Alley Revival, a story about an older woman getting discouraged because life is passing her by, and she’s yet to do anything amazing.

Don’t you love God’s sense of humor?

The response has been totally unexpected. I’m bombarded with women thanking me for it and saying how it spoke to their soul. Now I’m working on my next book and can’t wait to see what God has in store for it.

I can’t help but think about what my life would have been like had I been published earlier. Each door that closed opened up doors to new experiences. Many added layers to my writing that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. Now that I look back, I can truly appreciate the way He worked it all out in a way I would have never expected but is so much better than my way.

If you’re in a season of waiting, take a moment to thank God for the blessing of His perfect will. Ask Him to use this time to prepare you for what He has in store for you. Then just take the next step as He leads, trusting that He will get you where you need to be at just the right time.

Meet Sharon…

Through the years, Sharon Wilharm has worn many hats–author, speaker, Bible teacher, podcaster, radio host, and filmmaker. The common thread of all her activities is women and storytelling. She loves to tell stories that inspire and encourage women in their walk with the Lord.

Sharon is the author of Women of Prayer, a 10-week Bible study about praying women in the Bible, and The Amazing Crab Alley Revival, a Southern historical retelling of Lydia in the Bible. She’s also the host of All God’s Women podcast and internationally syndicated radio show heard daily on Moody Radio Network and Faith Radio Network.

Learn more at Sharon’s website or her BRRC Author Profile Page.

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