Carter pens second novel, signing in Sully Saturday

A burst of writing inspiration back in 2004 left Sully resident Sheryl Carter with the beginnings of a handful of stories. Fast forward more than a decade and those stories are, one by one, starting to take shape.

One of those stories turned into Carter’s first published book, “The Quiet Road,” in 2012, and now a second one has become a published book as well – “The House on Cadron Creek.”img_1954-web

Carter said the impetus for getting her first book finished was when The Write Place in Pella held a writing contest four years ago, and she wanted to enter “The Quiet Road.” Carter had her runner-up entry, "The Quiet Road," published and received positive reader feedback. This encouraged Carter to enter another story when The Write Place announced it was holding another contest in the fall of 2015.

Upon reviewing the beginnings of stories she had kept from 2004, Carter knew “The House on Cadron Creek” was the next one to pursue.

“This is the one that I thought God wanted me to do next,” she explained. “I just felt moved by the Spirit of God to finish it.”

Surprisingly, even though it had been a decade since she wrote the opening chapters, it wasn’t hard for Carter to pick up where she had left off. In fact, after rereading the start to the story, “the juices started flowing” for Carter.

She worked on it from September 2015 until February 2016, finishing it up just in time to meet The Write Place’s contest deadline.

Looking back, Carter said she almost gave up on finishing her second book. Just a few weeks before the contest deadline, her husband, Loren, had a health scare and ended up in the hospital. Carter told herself to just forget about the book.

“As soon as I thought that, the Spirit inside of me said, ‘Oh no. You are not giving this up. You are going to finish it, so get busy,’” Carter recalled.

She buckled down and finished the book – and is so glad she did.

“The House on Cadron Creek” tells the story of a young couple living in a run-down house in the Ozarks during the 1930s. Like “The Quiet Road,” Carter’s second book is also Christian historical fiction. It is not a sequel, however. The characters in “The House on Cadron Creek” are totally different people separated by 100 years from “The Quiet Road.” Still, Carter loves the characters from both books.

“You fall in love with them,” she said, adding, “they actually almost create themselves.”

Carter explained her writing process and how parts of the story surprised even her with how they played out.

“As I was working on this, I wrote down some thoughts that I wanted to see happen,” she said. “But how it was going to happen or what was going to lead up to those things, I had no idea. I never knew until I sat down at my computer to write.”

Around chapter 22 was a particularly hard and even frightening part in the writing process for Carter. She was writing about how God was working in one of the characters’ lives and how they were faced with a decision to either accept or reject Him. Carter said she felt the battle between good and evil while writing that week, and she pondered three different directions before finally feeling at peace with an ending.

Though writing this second book was easier in some ways as she understood the overall process better, Carter said keeping track of the details as the story unfolded was still a big challenge.

“It’s fun, but it’s also hard work because you’re dealing with time, space, emotion, all of these characters – everything’s got to fit properly,” she said.

Having the book finished as well as having people tell her they like it has been a very gratifying feeling for Carter. She’s thankful to all who have encouraged her along the way.

“I never get over the gratefulness,” she said.

Those wanting to read more of Carter’s work in the future may be in luck. With a few story ideas waiting to be developed and the slower winter months ahead, Carter hopes to possibly get a third book in the works. “We will see how that works out,” she said. “However the Lord leads.”

In conjunction with Sully Community Christ-mas, Carter will have copies of “The House on Cadron Creek” available for $15 (which includes tax) at the Sully Library this Saturday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. to noon. She will also have copies of her first book, “The Quiet Road,” available for $13. The public is invited to stop by to pick up a copy for themselves or multiple copies to give as Christmas gifts – all personally autographed by Carter.

“The House on Cadron Creek” is also available online at Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com. Autographed copies of the book can be purchased from Carter at any time and can also be shipped for a small fee. Carter can be reached at 641-594-4297 or lscarter@netins.net. “I appreciate when people purchase from me personally,” Carter said, “as the proceeds help fund any new writings. I only receive a one dollar royalty from online purchases.”

Book Summary

Set in the hills, valleys, and mountains of the Ozarks during the Depression, “The House on Cadron Creek” tells the story of Virgie and Dan McDonald. When Dan’s job is eliminated, the McDon-alds move deep into the mountains in pursuit of logging work. Married less than two years and expecting their first child, the couple is thrust into a strange backwoods world for which Virgie is totally unprepared. Selfishness and pride clash as Virgie and Dan try to turn their ramshackle house into a home. They soon learn the mountains can be a dangerous place for outsiders, and a nightmare they never imagined becomes an appalling reality — one from which Virgie might never escape. Equal parts suspenseful and heartwarming, “The House on Cadron Creek” will keep readers on the edge of their seats from the first page until its dazzling conclusion.

 

Cover Story

The cover for “The House on Cadron Creek” comes from an oil painting Carter did in October 1981. And it has quite the story behind it.

Back in the early ’80s, Carter had a dream of painting outside, and an abandoned house on someone’s property near Sully had caught her eye. She received permission to paint it from the three siblings who owned the house and lived next door to it.

“I spent the entire day out there,” Carter recalled. After finishing the painting and letting it dry at home, she brought it back to the three siblings and told them they could have the painting. She wrote her name and address on the back of it, so they could contact her in case they ever decided they didn’t want it anymore.

“Well, about 20 years later, I got a call,” Carter said. “Two of the people had passed away. There was just one sister left, and she said, ‘You can come and get your painting.’”

The painting made its way back to Carter’s house. Now, 15 years later, that painting has found another purpose, serving as the cover for Carter’s new book 35 years after it was painted. Carter loves how God orchestrated the details for that to happen. “My goodness – God does know how to plan ahead, doesn’t He?” she said with a laugh.

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