Author of the Week: Sharon Knudson

Sharon Knudson is the author of Starting from Scratch When You're Single Again. You can find Sharon on-line at her website.
Welcome to our blog, Sharon!


Can you give us a little bit of information about your publishing history?

Back in August, 2000, I resigned from my office job so I could write full time. It took a lot of courage and our income dropped dramatically, but I’ve never looked back. From the start I decided to treat writing like a business rather than just a hobby, and 10 years later, I have 425 published articles, 5 book collaborations, and the new book called Starting from Scratch When You’re Single Again (Strang Communications, September 2008).

What has been the best part about being published?

The best part of being published is the fact that it gives a face to my ministry to people. My co-author and I always say this book is not about us, but the people we’ll be able to help—women who have been widowed or divorced and anyone, male or female, who wants to reach out to them.


What do you want readers to remember and carry with them after reading your book?

Starting from Scratch When You’re Single Again is made up of 24 interviews from women who lost their spouse and were thrust into a crisis situation. The book not only conveys each woman’s compelling story about what happened, we also asked each person to share some advice and to contribute a “made from scratch” recipe. My desire is that readers will conclude that no matter how horrible their present situation is, if they will cling to God in faith, they’ll find hope for a better future. Not only will they survive, they will thrive!

What do you wish you had known when you first started out as a writer for publication?

Looking back, I wish I had not been so afraid. I missed several good writing opportunities early on because I was paralyzed with fear and didn’t think I was capable of doing what was proposed. The good news is that little by little my confidence grew, and today I’m not only a prolific author and frequent speaker, but involved in a myriad of activities for book promotion. I’ve learned that just because I dread doing something new because of its high learning curve doesn’t mean I won’t like it and even flourish in it later.

Has it been a bumpy ride to becoming a published author, or has it been pretty well smooth sailing?

I’d call my journey steady progress along a hard and bumpy road. It has been difficult at times because I believe in doing “whatever it takes” to accomplish something with excellence. That means having high standards, spending long hours at the computer, and sacrificing some of the pleasures I used to enjoy.

How important do you think self-promotion is, and in what ways have you been promoting your book offline and online?

No one cares about your writing or your book as much as you do. It’s best to accept that fact right away and not expect others to champion your cause. I have a problem with “promoting myself” (as do most serious writers), but what works for me is to remember that my book is a ministry, and unless I make people aware of its existence, it can’t help anyone. So my co-author and I hired a publicist for when the book came out. We blog daily at www.startingfromscratchbooks.com, and we send out a monthly E-zine. I updated my www.sharonknudson.com website and have been offering writing workshops and courses. We also schedule booksignings, Starting from Scratch workshops, and drop off copies of the book to bookstores, libraries and women’s shelters. We always have a plate of homemade cherry macaroon cookies along (it’s our signature recipe, made from scratch), and people love that.

Where can readers find a copy of your book?

Starting from Scratch When You’re Single Again is available wherever books are sold. That means at all the major book retailers and Christian bookstores, at Amazon.com and www.Strang.com, and on our blog (www.startingfromscratchbooks.com).

Thanks for taking time for this interview, Sharon. We wish you the very best!