Profile of client Teresa Slack

Client Teresa Slack’s new book Runaway Heart is scheduled to release this week:

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Kyla Parrish yearns for love and security. But her heart can't be trusted. Can she find what she longs for in the most unlikely place--home? 
 
Running at the first sign of opposition is nothing new to Kyla Parrish. She’s never held onto a relationship for more than a few months, and she’s quit more jobs than most people apply for. Until Will Lachland. He’s the first man who ever made her think of getting serious about something, about putting down roots. But she can’t forget her mother’s ominous warning. Men are users. They take and take and leave nothing but a shell of who she wants to be.  
 
Fear of losing her heart to anyone or anything has kept Kyla running all her life. A new man and a new life seem like the answer to her prayers. But things are never as simple as they seem. Can she find the love she longs for even though she can’t forget Will? Or is something else, something greater, calling her heart toward home?

Teresa began creating stories and characters about the time she learned to hold a pencil. Her first novel, Streams of Mercy, won the Bay Area Independent Publishers’ Assn award for Best First Novel. The third book in her Jenna’s Creek Series, Evidence of Grace, debuted nationwide according to Christian Retailing Magazine. Her latest novel, Runaway Heart, is set for official release March 7, 2014.  She grew up in rural southern Ohio, which provides the background for much of her writing. Her down-to-earth characters and writing style have endeared her to readers and reviewers alike. Teresa believes people who think nothing ever happens in a small town just aren’t paying attention. Her favorite genre to read and write is suspense though she also loves writing romance with a touch of humor.

What was the greatest hurtle for you in getting your writing career successfully underway?

Finding time to write. I have a full time job, a part time business, and a whole lot of other stuff that keeps me from writing or doing writing related stuff. But it's all about discipline and dedication. If I really want to become a writer and not just someone who writes, I must figure out how to prioritize and get stuff done during those little windows of time. We're all busy. We all wish we could pause time like we do with the DVR on our TV. But we can't. Each of us have the same 24 hours every day. It's what we do with them that matters.

What about your writing has brought you the most satisfaction?

At a family gathering two summers ago, someone asked me what I was up to, and for the first time in forever, she didn't ask about my writing. It hit me that she didn't consider me a writer anymore. What was worse, neither did I. My life had become so clogged with everything else, WRITER was no longer part of my identity. Talk about depressing. After child of God, wife & mom, I want to be a writer most of all. But I wasn't. Life had gotten in the way of a major part of my identity. I knew something had to change. And praise God, it has. My greatest satisfaction came from reawakening the passion God put inside me for writing in the first place. He created me to be a storyteller. That's when I'm most fulfilled. It's how I know he placed this calling in my life. It's so exciting to do what you were put on earth to do. To walk in obedience. Not in fear of rejection or discouragement. But in knowing you're doing what you were designed to do.

What one piece of advice would you offer to new writers?

Be sure of what you're meant to do, and then do it. Don't write for the markets. Don't write what you think someone else wants to read. Write the story on your heart. It's there for a reason. God could've given your story to someone more dedicated or prolific or--let's face it--more talented. But he didn't. It's your story. Now sit down and write it. You won't have any peace until you do.