I Am Barabbas!

I am writing this post on Easter Sunday night. This morning our church had an East production about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Live actors gave their view of the event and between each actor a clip from The Passion of the Christ was shown.
One clip that really struck me differently than it had before, (I have seen the movie several times.) was the scene where Pilot asked the crowd who he should release...Barabbas or Jesus. The crowd chose Barabbas and demanded that Jesus be crucified.
When I heard this part of the story as a child, I remember thinking about how terrible Barabus was. This man was undeserving of his freedom while the Son of God was taken to the cross. Barabbas should have to die for the murders he committed.
This morning it struck me. I am Barabbas! My sin was just as bad as the sin of any other person. I am so grateful that the sinless Son of God took my place just like He did for Barabbas.
My son, Mikey phoned us today to tell us Happy Easter. I started telling him about this thought. He asked me to listen to a sermon he preached earlier this week. It was placed on facebook. The last sentence he says is, "I am Barabbas!" His points were strong and the thoughts were much like what hit me this morning. I felt so blessed.
This week I am interviewing Cheryl Morgan.
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
Cheryl Morgan, although I write under C A Morgan. The book is titled “2Friends 4Ever” A Journey to Reunion

2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
Probably that I suffer from a very rare auto immune disorder called retroperitoneal fibrosis and as a result, I’ve been totally disabled for the past 3 years.

3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
That’s a hard question. I’ve always played around with writing, but it took my disability for me to want to become a writer who might be able to earn money writing. Before my disability, I owned my own insurance agency and worked for other insurance companies. When I became disabled, I got so bored laying in bed every day, I had to find something to do. I discovered these note pads I’d been scribbling book ideas on over the years and decided “What the heck! You’ve got nothing to do. Why don’t you give it a shot”. As I began writing my first novel, I discovered how much I enjoyed it and I think that’s probably when I really decided to become a writer.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
I think my strongest point is revealing the inner feelings and thoughts of my characters, really giving my readers a chance to know and understand them. I like writing about the dynamics of human relationships, not just romantic, but all relationships and how characters interact with each other based on those “What makes you tick” moments.
5. Are you a reader?
Avid. I think most writers are and I think out desire to read is what ultimately leads us to writing as well.
6. What are you reading right now?
Right now, I’m reading “Breakthrough” by Stephen Tremp, one of our First Time Authors Only members. I also have two other books written by members of the group waiting on my bed stand.
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
I just finished my 2 book, “A Journey to Redemption”. It’s the story of two brothers whose personalities are so different even though they were raised in the same abusive household. One of the brothers is a woman abuser who is really looking for love but has a hard time learning to be in a relationship with a woman where he has to give up control. The other brother is a homosexual during a period when being one wasn’t talked about as freely as it is today. The book looks at their relationship not just with each other, but with their families, wives, and children. It illustrates how two people can come out of the same environment but still see the world so differently. And, without giving it away, I really like the way I decided to end this book and I think the readers will too. I’m researching publishing options right now and hope it will be available by Summer 2010.

8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome it?
My biggest obstacle is quitting. I have the hardest time saying “The End”. When I think I’ve got the book finished, I’ll start proofing it and I find myself rewriting or changing things every time. Even when I gave my first book up to the publisher, I was not satisfied with it and if they would have given me more time for the proofing, I’d have taken it. I overcome it by setting myself a time limit when I start proofing, like “I’m sending this manuscript to the publisher in 2 months” whether I’m totally satisfied or not.
9. Please put a description of each of your books here. (back matter is ok)
“2Friends 4Ever: A Journey to Reunion” is a story of two 13 year old girls who somehow become friends when one of their mothers is killed by a drunk driver and the other girl’s alcoholic mother deserts the family. The book takes the two girls through a 40 year time period and shares how they support each other throughout the various stages of their lives. From dating to menopause, the book is separated into sections that concentrate on these stages and really takes a good look at how these different personalities look at their problems and how they depend on each other to solve those problems. It’s a wonderful read, particularly for those people who have that one friend they depend on for everything.

10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog .
My web site is www.c-a-morgan.com. And I do write a blog on the site which you can get to directly by typing in www.c-a-morgan.com/blog. I prefer people buy the book from my website because I get my books at a substantial discount from my publisher and so pass that savings on to my readers. It’s also available at amazon.com and bn.com, but the publisher has the retail price set too high. So if you go to www.c-a-morgan.com you can order and pay through PayPal and get the book for $20.00 rather than the $34.95 the websites are asking (unless they are having a sale, and even at that, the lowest I’ve seen it listed at is $24.95. If anyone wants to email me, they can do so at cheryl@c-a-morgan.com.