Welcome readers. This month’s guest blog I’ll be interviewing Mary Kathryn Sommers, the author of Forever 29. Before I start the interview, I want to give you some background information. I have known Mary for several years. My oldest brother Josiah knew her because he was a good friend to her son TJ and through him I got to know her and the rest of the family. As time went on, we became close friends. We grew from our similar interests in writing and faith. Though now I don’t see her often, we stayed connected through Facebook. While I interviewed authors who write fiction this is a good opportunity to know what it's like to write a true story about your life. Now you know how I came to know this person, let’s welcome Mary Kathryn Sommers.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Mary: “My name is Mary. I am married to Tim Sommers, my childhood sweetheart, who lived across the street, when we were twenty years old. We have a daughter, Shana and a son, TJ. Sadly, we lost TJ thirteen years ago due to a severe head injury while playing softball. His story is the first published book I wrote. Our daughter Shana is married to Jeremy Schrock. They have three sons, Hunter, Sawyer and Tanner.
We lived in Hartville, Ohio all our life. Tim was the youth pastor at Bethany Mennonite Church for twenty years. We were involved in other programs at the church too. We said goodbye to our families, our friends and wonderful church family and community five years ago and moved to South Carolina to be with our daughter and her family who had moved two years before.
We love it in S.C. where we get to be with our growing grandsons who also help us in our new Kettle Corn business.”
That’s sweet. You and Tim knew each other growing up. And yes, I remembered you’d mention you were moving to a different state. We could catch up last year, even though it was only for a short time. I like Kettle Corn. I hear you have good success doing that in flea markets. That’s awesome! Now I’m curious, when did you write?
Mary: “I remember writing short stories when I was young and would read them to my younger sisters. At school we were asked to write a short story on an index card every week and I loved it! It was an easy and enjoyable assignment for me. I always got good grades as far as content and learned a lot from the corrected grammar on those cards!”
Writing a short story is a great way to get started. I started off writing short stories too. May I ask, what was your first story you wrote?
Mary: “I don’t quite remember the story line, but it was filled with mystery and suspense. When my sister told me she knew who the villain was before I came to the end of the story, I decided ‘mystery’ may not be the way to go!”
I understand. There are some genres that are not worth going for and some are. That’s funny because I had a similar situation. I wrote a short murder mystery and apparently they know who the murder was. I decided not to write any murder/suspense story. So, you are not alone. I am more comfortable writing contemporary, sometimes historical fiction, fantasy or inspirational fiction. What genre do you like writing?
Mary: “I’ve had two novels going for many years which are fiction. I love it, because I can make the story go any way my creative mind wants it to! However, I do enjoy writing about life, true stories I see happening around me everyday!”
Yes, that's a good way to describe it. I can’t wait for your stories sometime. Now Forever 29 is not a fiction, but a biography aboutJ as well as yourself. Who encouraged you to write this story?
Mary: “TJ had gone through some tough stuff before we lost him. Oddly enough, I’d asked him a couple years before he died if I could write his story. He said, ‘Sure mom, I’m sure you would do a good job.’ I’m so glad I had asked him because I don’t think I would’ve written his story, something so personal, if I wouldn’t have had his permission. TJ had accepted what he went through long before he died, probably better than I had.
Our church family was so very supportive through TJ’s tough time and when we lost him. My friends would ask questions like, ‘What is it like to have your son in jail?’ and ‘Does TJ know how many other kids he could help with his story?’ Finally, one night while having dinner with friends and talking about TJ’s ‘story,’ Gary McElfresh said to me very emphatically, ‘Mary, write the book!’ He repeated it again when I looked doubtful. TJ was an organ donor. Tim Saylor received TJ’s heart and both lungs. He and his wife Patti became close friends of ours, and one night at dinner also said, ‘Mary, write that book!’ So, I did!”
Sometimes it takes more than one person to encourage you to write the story. I can’t imagine it was easy for you to write it. Will you tell us what was the hardest part of the writing process?
Mary: “Probably two things. First, I doubted myself, felt maybe the story was too personal. You are putting yourself out there and even though I wrote about some things I could have kept out, I am amazed now how many people have contacted me or told me they can identify, that it was good to know they are not alone in different circumstances. The second thing, time. When would I find the time to put it all together? I had a lot of things already written, but I needed time to put it in a book! We were going to go to Florida one Spring for vacation. We always stayed with Tim’s brother Mike and his wife Ruby. This time Ruby said, ‘Oh dear Mary, we are going to be out of town that week! But, come anyway, you will have the house to yourself!’ We did! I sat at the computer from early morning till about 5 o’clock every day. Tim would cook and run errands and I got my book put together that week! I now tease Tim, telling him he needs to take me away so I can finish my other work!”
I understand. Writing takes time. I’m glad you can write it. But I’m sure writing a story about losing someone you love isn’t easy. How did you process the grief and find healing through all of it?
Mary: “First of all, I know it is easy to say, ‘God carries you!’ But He really does! He also uses those around you to help Him! Our families and close friends, our church family and community were such a blessing to us, all going out of the way to show they cared. Facebook was an outlet for me. I would put TJ ‘out there’ on his birthday, the anniversary of his passing and my Facebook friends far and wide, some who I never see, let me know they were praying and lifting us up. You don’t want your loved one to be forgotten and they let me know they hadn’t. And TJ being an organ donor, telling me why he was one when I doubted his decision, turned out to be very healing for us when we met and became friends with three of his recipients.”
Yes, it’s important to have people being there for you and your family. To show support and love. I remembered the testimonies about people who’d received TJ’s organs and it’s amazing to see God using him to change peoples’ lives and use this for His glory. Now you’ve finished the story. What led you to self-publish the book?
Mary: “I’d no clue how to go about publishing a book. A published author told me if she ever writes another book, she’ll go through Amazon to self-publish. I looked into it, and they had three different packages to choose from. I was ready to go that route when my friend Marietta was in the process of writing her book, For The Love of Benny. It was about her physically challenged son. She was so helpful to me and told me who to get to print the book. Her sister owns Faith View Books in Fredericksburg, Ohio and is a distributor for 100 other Amish and Mennonite bookstores across the country. That is the route I chose for TJ’s story and would do it again, along with publishing on Amazon also.”
Amazon is a great way to get started. I used KDP (Kindle Directed Publisher aka Amazon) to publish A Forever Summer. Are you planning to publish more stories?
Mary: “Yes! I want to finish the work I have going now. Time is not my friend right now. Maybe I need to have Tim whisk me away again where I have no distractions etc. It would be fiction unless I write about ‘life stories.’ That may be fun.”
Ha-ha, I hope you find a quiet place to write. And take the time you need to work on your stories. Now before we close in the interview, if someone is planning to write a story about a loved one, what is your advice?
Mary: “Be honest and genuine because this is life in its rawest form. We all experience tough stuff. Readers will be able to identify. However, since it is so personal, have a few people you respect and who will be honest with you, read your manuscript first, to make sure you didn’t write something that could offend or hurt somebody.”
Mary, I’d a pleasant time hearing your story and the journey of writing a biography. I pray your story encourages others to know they are not alone, and God is there for them, even in the midst of pain. And your son, TJ’s story, blesses others as well.
Mary: “Thank you, Havelah, for all the encouragement and helpful advice you have given me in writing, especially when I want to publish more. Hearing from other writers is the best and learning from others who have published also.”
Do you want to read more about her journey and her son's story? Then you can by visiting her website to purchase your copy today. You can follow her on Facebook or go https://maryksommers.com to see more of her works.
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