(I hope y’all don’t mind, but since there was a problem with the server and several wrote to tell me that they couldn’t see the great interview with Cheryl Ricker, I’m reposting it again. I don’t want you to miss this powerful post about an amazing miracle! I hope you understand.)
It’s the 2nd Tuesday, time to learn about another book from author Cheryl Ricker, have a chance to win a free book, and celebrate our Christian Writer’s Den family success!
First of all, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Cheryl Ricker and share her incredibly amazing book, Rush of Heaven: One Woman’s Miraculous Encounter with Jesus, co-written with Ema McKinley, and published by Zondervan. If you’ve ever doubted, this interview and book will assure you that God is still in the miracle business!
Don’t miss Cheryl’s bio below, but I’ll just say here that Cheryl and I met years ago, I believe it was at an Advanced Writers and Speakers Association conference in Denver, CO. She is a beautiful young woman, inside and out, and I’m blessed to call her my friend!
Let’s get started, but don’t forget to leave a comment for Cheryl and you’ll be in the drawing for a free book!
Welcome, Cheryl. Thanks for joining us today. First of all, would you tell us about what it’s like to be a collaborator?
I’d be happy to. First of, it was a huge answer to prayer that God even chose me. I asked him to put it on Ema’s heart and that’s exactly what he did. He spoke to Ema in the middle of the night and told her, “Pick Cheryl Ricker to write your book.” And I’ll never stop thanking him for that.
A collaborator is a lot like being an actor, screenwriter, director, and producer all rolled up into one. As the producer, you need to pull together all your resources, your research, and all the different people you need to interview. As the director, you need to figure out all the people you’d like to have in the story. Then you need to plan how you’d like to include them. As a screenwriter, you need to map out the all the scenes, conversations, and dialogue. And finally, as the actor, you need to become your main character. You need to need to think like her, feel like her, and act like her—so you can pull it off to write like her.
Great analogy. Speaking of scenes, can you tell me your favorite scene in Rush of Heaven?
I love all the scenes, I really do. But I think my favorite scene, besides the big miracle scene itself, is when Ema surprises her sons and grandsons after her miracle healing on Christmas Eve. For some reason, that one makes my husband cry a little more than the other scenes, and I love making my husband cry—about good things.
Cheryl and Ema with their book, Rush of Heaven
But think of it: You have this crooked woman who has been confined to a wheelchair for more than sixteen years. She has never been able to really give her grandchildren a decent hug. All of sudden, she’s standing in front of them with her arms wide open. Okay, go grab me some more tissues.
Me, too, Cheryl! I’m curious, are you anything like Ema McKinley? And was it difficult to get inside her head and write her story?
We have our similarities, but when it comes right down to it, Ema and I are quite different in the way we think, act, and speak.
Because of this, I just needed to “learn” how to get into her mind. And that came from listening to her voice in my ears umpteen hours a day. As I listened to the MP3s of my interviews, it didn’t take long before I found myself catching her phrases in everyday speech. I said “oh my goodness” more, and “absolutely.” And “I just thank my Jesus.”
I became a little Ema impersonator.
By the time I finished writing Rush of Heaven, Ema told me, “It’s like we’re one voice.” And I couldn’t agree with her more.
What do you want your readers to take away from this book?
I want readers to know that our loving Creator is right there, smack in the middle of their ashes, ready to piece them back together and give them a smokin’ wild story for his glory.
And I want people to know that you can’t put God in a box. If he truly never changes, he can truly heal people today.
Amen, Cheryl, amen! Friends, here’s Ema McKinley’s interview with CBN.com. A great way to end this interview. You won’t believe what you see!
Thank you for joining us here today, Cheryl. And readers, if you’d like to win a copy of Rush of Heaven: One Woman’s Miraculous Encounter with Jesus, simply leave a comment for Cheryl or Ema, and you’ll be in the drawing. Be sure to return next week to see if you’re the winner!
You can get your own copy of Rush of Heaven: One Woman’s Miraculous Encounter with Jesus here!
Bio: Cheryl Ricker has an honors degree in creative writing from York University in Toronto, Ontario. She studied theology at Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas, where she participated in drama outreach, street evangelism, and prison ministry. She is the author of three books, including Rush of Heaven, A Friend in the Storm, and Kernels of Hope. She’s also published news stories, poetry, articles, and devotionals, and speaks to audiences of all ages on trusting God’s love, expecting the impossible, and growing in intimacy with Jesus. To learn more about Cheryl, feel free to sign up for her Fresh Air Blog at
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Susan Baganz has another new MoGo7000 entry!
That’s right–Susan has earned another entry for the $100 in cold, hard cash! (Well, it’ll actually be a check, but hey, she can take it to the bank and have it turn into cold, hard cash, right?)
So, #22 is Susan Baganz with 15,719 words
Friends, don’t forget–NaNoWriMo totals also work for MoGo7000 totals, so you could have a double blessing just by working on your book this month!
Don’t know what we’re talking about? Check out the MoGo7000 Challenge page and you could be in the drawing for November and December…and maybe you’ll be $100 richer in January!
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Well, that does it for another Writer’s Headline Tuesday. Be sure to return next week to see who won Cheryl’s book and to see a new list of writing opportunities compiled just for you!
Happy writing!
Vonda
