THE SHATTERING II - Marsha Barth - One Free Book

Welcome back, Marsha. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I like to write all of my books as inspirational books to give others hope so that they may know that joy does come in the morning. I also, like to write them in novel form to develop the characters and theme, describe the beauty, instill the moral, and proclaim the victory in the end.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

There have been so many of them. Nothing compares to coming to know the Lord and truly experiencing the reality of His love. But meeting and marrying my Mike and having each other to climb the mountains, fight the battles, and claim the promises is at the top of the list, along with the birth of my two children. But then, so are the days of each and every birth of my nine grandchildren and every special day that I get to grow with them and be a part of their lives. “This is the day, that the Lord has made-and truly I rejoice in all of them.”

How has being published changed your life?

Being published has been life-changing for me. My stories are true stories, so writing them were very healing to me. Also, every time that I hear that God changed a life because someone read my books, gives me more joy than I could have ever known when writing them. Having the books published has opened many doors for me to go to many diverse venues and advocate, speak, and present to others how that we can overcome, and become whole, and that we are not defined by what has happened to us in our lives.

What are you reading right now? 

I sometimes read several books at one time. I use different sides of my brain. Just kidding. I have been enjoying both The Paradigm and The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn. On a lighter side- It's a Wonderful Life-The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern who wrote this short story which the movie “It's a Wonderful Life” was based on. Which is my favorite movie of all times. And I want to reread the book that inspired me to write my books, Not My Will by Francena H. Arnold, as I haven't read it for a long time.

What is your current work in progress?

I write like I read—usually doing several projects at one time. I have some different ideas that I want to develop. One, is a story based in heaven. In heaven, I keep running into this person that I can't quite recognize in my heart as I have all the others. As I continually run into him, each time the familiarity becomes clearer but still vague until one day as I'm walking and talking with the Lord, He reveals to me who it is....   I also am busy writing a four-week study titled, “Victim to Victor” for Teen Challenge and will present and teach it as an elective for their curriculum. I would also like to develop this study into a book. I love writing children's stories and poems and would like to make a compilation of these in an easy-to-read book.

What would be your dream vacation? 

Have you ever watched the movie, The Shack?

Yes.

There is a little cottage in the woods surrounded by beautiful flowers everywhere with a lovely lake. I would love to be there, where I could walk, and decompress and write and write. It would also have to have a piano there, so my husband could sit and write his music. And to be truly perfect, there would have to be a waterfall somewhere within walking distance.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Actually, my books have been true stories and the settings are real places. But, also, whether I write fictional or true, I actually see the setting in my mind's eye. I can see it as if it is a painting or picture in front of me and I just begin to write it in detail-like a painter paints a picture, except I paint it with words.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

Wow. This answer will probably get a rise one way or the other from people. But, truly, I'd like to spend an evening with Donald Trump. The reason why? Because, I believe he would truly listen to what I have to say. I would talk to him about the needs here in America, with our children, the broken foster care system, the need for better preventive care and intervention that works for our abused children. I would ask for more accountability for the perpetrators and for the needs of the children to be put first. I would ask him to make it a federal law that our broken social worker system would be fixed, that each state would be required a certain amount of social workers for our children per capita and that the social workers would get paid more than what they are now, which is usually just a little above minimum wage. With this, also, that there would be more accountability to these social services when these state agencies have dropped the ball and a child has suffered or died because of this. Sorry, you got me on a passionate subject with this question. But, truly, I believe he'd listen to me, and I believe he'd care, and I actually believe he'd at the very least look into it.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I love to play sports-all kinds, from swimming to playing all types of ball. Good thing, because out of the nine grandchildren, eight are boys and only one little girl. I love to play games, too. My favorite thing to totally chill out and enjoy is drawing landscape pictures on an Etch-A-Sketch. Quite challenging-try it-but relaxing also.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

I find that time itself is my greatest obstacle. There is so much that I love to do that if I live to be 100, I'd still have just touched the top of the list. Also, second in place as an obstacle is the crazy stupid distractions and interruptions—like solicitation calls, junk mail, and e-mail. Often, I will write at night where I can be totally absorbed in my work, way into the morning. Only problem is, it makes for a rough next day.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

I tell those who really like to write—write from your heart first. Don't focus on the grammar, spelling, or even your complete story line. Just let what you want to write flow forth. Then secondly, put it down and let it set. Then go back to it and clean it up good. Hack it, edit it, rewrite it, and make every word important to the story or take it out. I also tell people that everyone who has a story to tell may still not be true writers. I tell them if they want to go the way of writing a book, be prepared to write it, rewrite it, rewrite it, and did I say rewrite it, and then edit it, over and over again, until you know that it is the complete and perfect creation of what you wanted to express. Anything short of this-just enjoy journaling.

Tell us about the featured book.

This featured book is The Shattering II- Breaking the Silence. It is a sequel to my first book- The Shattering-A Child's Innocence Betrayed. Both books can be read in any sequence and stand on their own as an individual read. This book again is an inspirational book of the joy of overcoming more than victimization. This book lets the reader embark with the main character, Julie. You are able to experience with her the hope that prodded her forward at every crossroad, through every obstacle, and share the sweetness of discovering with her the reality of a God who truly never left her alone—loved and carried her in the darkest hours, and led her on a healing journey that made her whole. 

Please give us the first page of the book.

Julie nervously paced the floor, back and forth. Her mind raced. No matter how hard she tried, she could not organize her thoughts. They bounced around inside her head like ping pong balls, ricocheting one against the other, until Julie thought that her head would burst. What can I do? What can I do? Julie could hear the sound of voices rise from downstairs as the argument escalated. There was no stopping them. Julie had tried and tried countless times before to help settle her dad and stepmom’s arguments, but tonight, this would be impossible. Things had gone too far. There was no turning back. Julie walked quickly to the window and pulled down the blind with a quick jerk. As she let it go, it snapped at the top and continued to spin. Julie reached and unlocked the window, and then with a quick thrust pushed it upward. Dampness had made the wood frame swell as Julie tugged at the window earnestly to get it to open further. It was late. Julie leaned out the window. She shivered as the cold air rushed past her. Looking up into the sky, tiny snowflakes caught onto her eyelids causing her to blink. The full moon cast its light, brightening the surroundings. The porch roof on the other side of the opened window was covered with a fine dusting of snow. Julie pulled the blind back down and left the jammed window open.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://marshabarth.com         

https://www.facebook.com/The-Shattering-215752548593960/     

https://twitter.com/mbarthmbarth    

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marsha-marty-barth-9865a840/

Thank you, Marsha, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me.

Readers, here are links to the book.

The Shattering II: Breaking the Silence - Paperback
The Shattering II: Breaking the Silence - Kindle

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