Led of God....to write!
Cheri Kallner is an unusual 19-year old. She realizes she is not typical in the least.
Yes…she’s a preacher’s kid, the daughter of Sean Kallner who directs the Springhill School of Hope. But she is much more. She is actually a published author.
And it was an unusual road that brought her to where she is today.
Cheri Kallner, author of The Despised Promise
“I was born in a little town in Washington state,” says the young author. “I was a pastor’s kid and homeschooled with my older brother, Casey. We moved around a lot during my first few years of life.”
But that was all an important part of her journey in what she calls “life in the leadership of the Spirit.”
When she was about seven, the family was living in central California. Then when she was about ten, her life took a “pivotal change” when her family adopted a little boy from Guatamala named Josiah. The family spent about a month in Guatamala City working on the adoption.
She recalls the magic of falling completely in love with someone the first time she laid eyes on him.
“It was just amazing to meet this little person and know he was now a part of our family,” said Kallner, eyes shining.
About that time another change was taking place in her life. Her grandmother suggested that she start writing down some of the thoughts that were rambling around in her head. She would find herself waking at 5 in the morning, excitedly writing down thoughts before she would begin her day of school work.
When she was 13, Kallner’s family moved to Missouri.
“It was a tough time, because we were having problems with chronic illness,” recalls Kallner. But she realizes now the challenges brought the whole family closer to God.
“That is when God really became personal to me,” she says.
She finished her schooling there at her church’s school, graduating a year ahead of schedule, when she was just 17. That is about the time she completed her first novel, “The Despised Promise”.
Why did she write a novel at such a young age?
“Practicality,” she answers.
Jacket cover of The Despised Promise by A. Cheri Kallner
She found that there seemed to be a shortage of novels for young adults with a Christian message, so she decided she would write such a novel herself. Now she realizes the call to write is a call from God, just as some are called to preach, or to be a missionary. A lover of fantasy herself, she wanted to bring the genre to Christians with an authentic Christian voice.
“I wanted to write something that would glorify God, and give young people something to think about,” said Kallner.
Still, she lacked some confidence in herself as a writer.
“I didn’t know that it would ever find its way to anyone’s book shelf,” she confides. But thanks to God and the internet, the book has found a home on many book shelves through www.acherikallner.com.
What has she learned from the experience?
“I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn,” laughs Kallner. “I learned that being afraid of failure is never a reason to stop trying. I’ve learned that life rarely turns out as we expect, and God’s plan is always bigger and better than what we can imagine. And, I’ve learned constructive criticism is really an author’s best friend.”
“The Despised Promise” is currently on sale for $7.99, and is available through the website. Originally, the book retailed for $19.99.
The story mixes fantasy, romance, action and humor, but with that authentic Christian voice. The primary characters are all young people, given the world-changing task of ending war to their land.
Why clear out the books?
To make room for new books, of course.