Here\u2019s today’s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.<\/p>\n
From the back of the book:<\/p>\n
From the back cover of The Summer of Hammers & Angels<\/em> by Shannon Wiersbitzky:<\/p>\n Delia’s summer is getting off to a terrible start. First, an inspector shows up at the house and threatens to condemn it. Then lightning strikes, literally, and Mama ends up in the hospital. To make matters even worse, with no other family to speak of, Delia is forced to move in with her nemesis, Tommy “as-dense-as-a-stump” Parker.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0Not one to sit around doing nothing, Delia huddles with her best friend, Mae, and reluctantly recruits Tommy, to help. The three of them resolve to tackle the long list of repairs, one by one. But Delia quickly discovers that it takes more than energy and willingness to handle some problems. When things go from bad to worse, Delia has to take another tack, one that starts with admitting she just can’t do what needs to be done without a lot more help.<\/em><\/p>\n Just do it!<\/strong> With apologies to Nike, that slogan might also describe Shannon Wiersbitzky’s advice to any of you would-be writers out with a story in your heart.\u00a0 Maybe it’s time you put in on paper too. I recently chatted with the 42-year-old institutional marketing executive\/wife and mother about how she hammered out a new career as an author.\u00a0The Summer of Hammers and Angels<\/em>, her first book, is pure fiction in the best sense of the term. But, like most successful authors, she draws on aspects of her own life to create her tale — things like growing up in West Virginia and the sense of community she felt volunteering Habitat for Humanity<\/a> as a young woman. A portion of her book proceeds, BTW, are going toward supporting the organization which describes itself as a “nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry<\/a> that has helped to build over 500,000 decent, affordable houses and served 2.5 million people worldwide.”<\/em><\/p>\n Speaking of giving, she’s also offered to give a signed copy of her book to the first reader who writes me at john@jwkmedia.<\/p>\n My interview with Shannon appears below.\u00a0 But, first, here’s what I recently wrote<\/a> about her book:<\/p>\n The Summer of Hammers & Angels <\/em>by Shannon Wiersbitzky<\/a><\/strong> Sentimental? Yeah \u2014 but not falsely so. The characters of the fictional Tucker\u2019s Ferry, West Virginia ring true to me. And the story is told with a deft combination of wit and heart.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong>JWK: <\/strong>What inspired you to get into the novel-writing business? SHANNON WIERSBITZKY:<\/strong> I have always loved stories and always loved writing but never thought about doing it as a career. My career path has gone off in its own direction and, honestly, once I had children I started thinking about writing again. Probably some of it was a little bit of time off for maternity leave.<\/p>\n JWK: <\/strong><\/strong>Do you work outside the home?<\/p>\n SW:<\/strong> I\u2019m the head of institutional marketing for Vanguard, a financial services company.\u00a0 Totally different!<\/p>\n JWK:<\/strong><\/strong> <\/strong>From that to writing. You certainly exercise another part of your brain there. SW:<\/strong> Exactly. A lot of my career \u2013 in fact all of my career — I\u2019ve been very analytical.\u00a0 I think in some ways it was the same. It was telling stories about data and over time I said \u201cWow, I really need to find a creative outlet just to tell stories that don\u2019t come from data…I\u2019m 42. I started writing again roughly when I was 30 and really got serious about it in my late thirties.\u00a0 You know, where I said \u201cHey, I actually think I can be successful publishing a book!”<\/p>\n \u00a0JWK:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> <\/strong>Why this particular story? Is it based on your own West Virginia memories?<\/p>\n SW:<\/strong> I think it definitely ties to some of my memories. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents during the summer. They lived in West Virginia.\u00a0 My summer vacations were at my grandma\u2019s house. I think the other component that really inspired the story, as often stories are inspired that things that happened to you a long time ago, was work that I had done as a teenager for Habitat for Humanity and this sense of \u201cWow, what can a group accomplish together when they put their mind to it (to) help somebody else?” And I really wanted\u00a0 to be able to convey that feeling through a story. So, even though it doesn\u2019t include Habitat exactly, that same sense of community coming together and helping (does come through).<\/p>\n JWK:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> Well, seeing as the plot of your story concerns renovating a house, I guess your Habitat experience helped on the technical end. At least you knew something about working on a house.<\/p>\n SW:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> Yeah, except that, you know, when (I) get brought into\u00a0 those\u00a0 things I always feel like you have very meager skills to contribute. I was like I can cook.<\/p>\n JWK:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> How’d the plot come to you?<\/p>\n SW:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> I think all of these different threads of the story wove themselves together, if that makes sense.\u00a0 Literally, one day I had left a writing conference and was driving down the highway and the main character just began speaking to me. I could hear her voice and her story was just there. In the background somewhere, I had been tying it all together.<\/p>\n JWK: <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>It’s a very gentle and kind story — more Hallmark Hall of Fame<\/em> than Fifty Shades of Grey<\/em>. Are you drawn to these kinds of compassionate stories.<\/p>\n SW:<\/strong> Yeah, exactly. I think I do have a natural inclination to language that is lyrical, to stories that speak to the heart. \u00a0I couldn\u2019t write something extremely edgy. That just isn\u2019t my experience with life.<\/p>\n JWK:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\u00a0What do you hope your readers get out of this book?<\/p>\n SW:<\/strong> I hope that folks would see \u2013 and kids would say – that \u201cI can make a difference,\u201d you know, the world can be a better place if we all work together. It sounds so idealistic but, you know, it\u2019s true.<\/p>\n JWK:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> How did you come up with the title?<\/p>\n SW:<\/strong> I have to give my editor credit for that. The original title for my working manuscript was\u00a0 Hammers, Angels and Fried Chicken<\/em> and my editor said \u201cThat will not work.\u201d He actually came up with the title.<\/p>\n JWK:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\u00a0 Your book is not self published. You somehow got it to the publishing house Namelos<\/a>. I’m sure new and struggling writers would like to know how you made that happen.<\/p>\n
\nThis first novel by Shannon Wiersbitzky is a heartfelt story of a small-town girl desperately trying to keep herself together while, at the same time, keeping her house from being condemned after a serious storm sends her mother to the hospital in a coma.\u00a0 The resulting events speak to the importance of friendships, community and faith.<\/em><\/p>\n
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