➺author’s profile The Pine Cone Jackson, MS
Sherye Simmons Green A former Miss Mississippi who juggles family, teaching school, and a budding career as a writer.
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LIKE us on Facebook 22 MAY 2013 ❘ Metro Christian Living
MCL: Tell me a little about your family background and your faith background. SHERYE: I was blessed to be born into a Christian family with a loving mother and father. I have one brother who is two years younger. We had a pretty typical upbringing. Our family attended St. James Episcopal Church, and going to church and Sunday school was a normal part of our lives. My husband, Mark, and I were high school sweethearts and will celebrate our 32nd anniversary in August. We have two grown children. Forty years ago this year, my life changed in a much more profound way. In the spring of 1973, I gave my life to Jesus at a youth rally held by First Baptist Church Jackson at the city auditorium in Jackson. I was 13 years old and in the middle of my eighth grade year, just the age of my students. I attended junior high school at Jackson Preparatory School, where I now teach. That season of my life was one filled with angst and frustration. Although life didn’t seem to miraculously change overnight for me, the simple truths of God’s Word that I was learning to hide in my heart helped me navigate the troubled waters of my junior high years. My testimony is a rather quiet one, but one for which I am so thankful. One of the things I’ve learned these 40 years that I’ve been walking with Jesus is that the Christian life is not a competition. Sometimes it seems to me that Satan would like me to believe that my life’s story is not as exciting or interesting as another’s. How thankful I am that I serve the one true God who loves me just the way I am, but also didn’t want to leave me that way. He continues to teach me that He can weave all the loose threads of my life and of yours into a beautiful tapestry that can be used to bring honor and glory to His name. Since 1985, First Baptist Jackson has also been our church home. We have been so blessed to be a part of such a loving church family. Both of our children came to know the Lord at an early age. God has taught us so many lessons as a family. Writing has been a
venue through which to share many of those truths and life lessons with others.
MCL: How long have you loved writing and “storytelling?” What inspired you in the beginning and what continues to nurture that interest? SHERYE: I’ve enjoyed books and stories for as long as I can remember. My mother instilled in me a love of literature, as she read to me and to my brother every night before bedtime. I actually have a photocopy of an article I wrote for the Jackson Prep junior high newspaper. That’s perhaps my first published writing. My family moved to a new house when I was 10, an old home that my parents lovingly renovated. I had just finished reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and imagined myself as my favorite character, Jo. My other writing inspiration as a young girl came from the lead character in another favorite book, Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh. I was a big tomboy growing up and readily identified with this characteristic in Harriet. She fills a number of lined school notebooks with her thoughts about life, her family, friends, and neighbors. She writes in all capital letters, so of course, I, too, went through my “all capital letter” phase. The past 12 or so years have been the ones of greatest growth for me as a writer. I am largely a self-taught writer. Over the years, I’ve collected a personal library of books on the mechanical aspects of writing, as well as advice from famous writers and books from my favorite authors. I’ve attended many writing classes and workshops and am a part of several writing associations, including the Southern Christian Writer’s Conference and the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. I have had over 20 articles published in magazines, newsletters, and newspapers, and am a regularly featured writer with Our South magazine. What has meant the most to me personally are the friendships I’ve been privileged to cultivate with authors of various genres, who