Somerville Baptist inspires women through novels

It is tempting in this day and age to presume that hearing God’s voice vividly is an art predominantly lost to biblical antiquity. But on that point, Kathleen “Kathi” Sherwood, a member of Shiloh Baptist Church, Somerville, in Morgan Baptist Association, might disagree with you.
  
Not that the Christian author claims to be privy to a special word from God, but she said her story — in fact, the story of how her stories came to be — lends strong testimony to the argument that many of His mysterious communicative ways still maintain an element of the transcendental.
  
Take, for example, Sherwood’s first novel, “McKenna.”
  
“Back in July of ’04, I would dream about this girl and I would even wake up in the middle of the night, go back to sleep and I’d pick up where the dream left off. I’d never done that before,” she said. “The next night, I’d continue with the same dream. It was so weird.” 
  
After prayerfully considering the meaning behind what would eventually add up to two weeks’ worth of visions, Sherwood, an Indiana native living in Priceville and a registered nurse at Decatur General hospital, found an answer at her computer keyboard and took action.
  
In less than a month’s time, she spun the faces and themes of her dreams into the characters and plot of “McKenna.” 
  
In doing so, Sherwood, whose writing experience up to that point included little beyond college English papers, quickly discovered a talent that normally takes years to develop — a talent she almost kept to herself. 
  
“I just thought it was an obedience thing between me and God. I didn’t tell anybody,” Sherwood said. “I would just kind of sneak-write when my husband left for work early in the morning and when my daughter was at school when I wasn’t working.” 
  
After about three weeks, she realized she had a novel.
  
Though Sherwood claims she initially intended to delete her manuscript, she was persuaded not only to keep the computer file intact but also to seek a publisher for its content — though still only in secret.
  
“I sent it off but I still didn’t tell anyone because I’d heard how hard it was to get published, but three weeks later, I got an e-mail saying they had accepted it,” Sherwood said. 
  
It was only then that she told her family the news. “They were kind of shocked,” Sherwood said laughing. 
  
Karen Knight, Shiloh Baptist’s children’s minister, read “McKenna” before it was offered to the public. “Kathi wanted me to read it to see if I thought other women would enjoy it, and after I was through, I said, ‘Of course!’ It’s a good book,” she said.  
 
For Sherwood, the quick and positive response affirmed her belief that “McKenna” was indeed divinely inspired. 
  
It was an affirmation that helped generate not only a sequel — “All My Tomorrows” released in November 2006 — but also five separately conceived books, several of which have also been accepted for publication. 
  
And if reactions to Sherwood’s first work — many from people she had never before met — are any indication, then her writing is making an impact. 
  
“One woman’s daughter had been unchurched for a long time, and after she read it, she got down on her knees and asked Christ into her life,” Sherwood said. 
  
She calls “McKenna” just “a simple, Christian love story” but adds that she sees “God’s hand in it so strongly.”  
  
Sherwood’s publisher for “All My Tomorrows” at Christian-owned-and-operated Tate Publishing agrees. 
  
“It’s apparent from her writings that Kathi is a very strong Christian and she’s well-versed in the Bible,” said Kylie Lyons, conceptual editor for Tate. 
  
“I think a lot of women out there are searching for their own love story. For Kathi to take that desire and put in biblical applications instructing women on certain aspects they can strive to have in their relationship is great,” Lyons said. 
  
“All My Tomorrows” has already led a woman who read it to start going to church again, Sherwood said.
  
The life-altering implications between the covers of her novels — “All My Tomorrows” goes into the plan of salvation with even more depth than “McKenna,” according to Sherwood — are unexpected qualities for books filed as “Christian romance.” 
  
Though she doesn’t mind the term, it is evident in the spiritual renewals experienced by at least a handful of readers that her novels are much more than sentimental fluff. 
  
“I can’t write in flowery terms. I can’t describe wallpaper for three pages — I can’t do that. But I could sit down and if God gives me an idea, I could have a book written in three weeks,” Sherwood said. “I just write what God tells me to write.” 
  
Sherwood’s books are available in Decatur-area bookstores, as well as major online outlets such as Amazon.com.