Bette A. Stevens, Maine Author

Sheila Deeth: author of The Five-Minute Bible Story Series & self-proclaimed ‘Mongrel Christian Mathematician’

“Tell me a bedtime Bible story…”

Author Sheila Deeth has a whole series of bedtime Bible stories for us and she’s working on more!

GENESIS PEOPLE from her Five-Minute Bible Story Series is FREE on Amazon until January 14th; and, you won’t want to miss out on BETHLEHEM’S BABY. READERS: Here’s a sneak preview in Sheila’s own words from the interview—:

“With forty individual tales based on the first Christmas story, Bethlehem’s Baby brings the real world where Jesus was born to life, peopling it with characters children can relate to, and inviting readers to imagine themselves in the scene. “

Hi, Sheila. It’s great to have you with us today. I can’t wait to share what you’re doing to bring the stories of old to the latest generation. 

Sheila’s stories draw readers and listeners right into the scenes.

That is exciting, Sheila. Tell us a little about you and about your life …

Well… I was meant to complete this interview before Christmas, and I completely forgot until January. I guess that tells you I’m fairly disorganized. But I try to read, write, and write some more, in between networking and doing the everyday stuff of shopping, cleaning, washing… I used to write computer programs. Then I got paid to break them. Then I lost my job and wrote books instead.

How about your family?

We have three sons, two of whom came home for Christmas, effectively distracting me and making my life even more disorganized than usual. Can I use the fact that they hijacked my computer to kill aliens as my excuse for failing to get back in touch with you? The third son is a doctor and had to work over Christmas, but we’ll see him soon, so we’re keeping the lights on and extending our Christmas celebration to the middle of January.

How long have you been writing and what type of writing do you normally do?

I learned to write, eventually, in elementary school, and I’ve been writing stories ever since. I tried my hand at novels before I lost my job, but never had time for such a concentrated relationship with my characters. When the job went away, I wrote to keep my spirits up—fiction being so much more fun to write than job applications. Some of the stories grew into novellas and novels. Others stayed short and simple because I wanted to tell them to children.

Can you give us a brief synopsis of your book?

Bethlehem’s Baby came out as an ebook just before Christmas, but it’s going to be released as a real, physical book soon! I’m seriously excited, and so looking forward to holding it in my hands. My Mum’s excited too—she’s visiting from England and hopes to take some copies back with her. But you asked for a synopsis. Sorry…

With forty individual tales based on the first Christmas story, Bethlehem’s Baby brings the real world where Jesus was born to life, peopling it with characters children can relate to, and inviting readers to imagine themselves in the scene. Meet the shepherd boy whose grandfather keeps complaining about the noise until angels sing. Meet the Babylonian research student who discovers the meaning of the star but never gets the credit. A girl on the road from Jerusalem to Egypt keeps asking, “Are we nearly there?” And a baby boy grows into a small child on the streets of Nazareth.

What prompted you to write…

I’ve always told stories, as long ago as I can remember. But I took forever to learn to read or write. Then, one day, the elementary school principal brought a reel to reel tape recorder into class. She said if I wouldn’t write my stories she’d have to tape them. I decided the pencil was considerably less scary (and smaller) than the microphone, and I’ve been writing ever since.

Do you have a favorite line from the book?

Hmm. That’s an interesting question. I think my favorite line from Bethlehem’s Baby is: “God didn’t hang the world on a wall when he’d finished. He didn’t leave the Bible on a bookshelf to look nice. And he didn’t sell his program to people who wanted to play humans on their computer.”

Who is your favorite character and why?

I’m rather fond of the wise research student because he likes to play with numbers, and I’m a mathematician.

What was the hardest part about writing your book?

I did quite a lot of research to learn what life would have been like in Israel when Jesus was born. That was probably the hardest part of writing the book, but it was also great fun.

Do you do anything besides write?

I cook, clean, wash… I used to walk the dog (I really miss her!)… And I read, a lot. I’m a very fast reader. Then I write book reviews, but I guess that’s writing again.

How can my readers get copies of your books?

Soon you’ll be able to get print copies from Amazon and other sites as well, but at the moment you’d have to get an eCopy, from:

Amazon kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EY172MA/

Barnes and Noble nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s?store=allproducts&keyword=Bethlehem%27s+Baby+by+Sheila+Deeth

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/bethlehem-s-baby

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/357261

What’s next for you, …?

Bethlehem’s Baby is the sixth book in the Five Minute Bible Story^TM Series. Nazareth Neighbors, the seventh book, was released at the end of December, by Cape Arago Press. And I’m working on Galilee’s Gift and Jerusalem Journey which should come out later this year. I’ve also signed contracts with Second Wind Publishing for three novels which are scheduled for 2014, so there’ll be lots of last-minute editing and rewriting taking place on my computer. It’s just as well the sons removed the computer aliens, I suppose.

Sheila Deeth’s Five-Minute Bible Stories… Click the photok to download your copy of GENESIS PEOPLE for FREE before January 14th! Take a look inside her other books too.

Sheila, it’s been wonderful having you here at 4writersandreaders today. I can hardly wait for your series to come out in paperback for my grandson. Meanwhile, I’m ordering copies of Bethlehem’s Baby and GENESIS PEOPLE for my kindle today. Thanks so much for stopping by and keep those great stories coming our way! ~ Bette A. Stevens at http://www.4writersandreaders.com