Hello, and welcome to the last edition of Interviews to Empower. Anita here with you, and I am so glad you are with us today. These interviews have inspired me and my colleague, S. J. Wells, and we pray that they have been an encouragement to you. As it is our last post, I thought I would interview S. J. So, without further adue, here is author of Christian fiction and my friend, S. J. Wells.
Q: What is your eye condition, and how long have you been blind?
A: I was born with congenital glaucoma, catteracts and scar tissue. I had some vision in my left eye for 21 years, but the summer of 2000 my pressure went down to 4, and I lost my remaining vision.
Q: I remember now; you had to have an eye removed. How did that affect you and your family? Was it a hard decision, or was it just a necessity?
A: Losing my vision was the hard part; losing the eye was easy. I was in pain, and the eye did not look normal. I think it was harder on my family, though, than it was for me. And, I had only been married for a few months, so my husband got to hear me complain more than the rest of them. The person who hurt the most over it, I think was my mom.
Q: Are you the only one in your family who is blind?
A: Yes. I am the oldest of 4 girls, and except for needing glasses or contacts, I am the only one considered blind. My parents didn’t treat me any different, though. Mom taught me to wash dishes and clean house alongside my sisters, Dad taught me to ride a tricycle, and blindness was never an excuse for bad grades. :)
Q: How old were you when you started to receive orientation and mobility?
A: I was introduced to the cane when I was 10. It made me feel different than my classmates, so I wouldn’t use it, though. Then, in 7th grade I was taught to use it properly. I used to rely on friends to be sighted guides, but when my dependence on them kept them from wanting to be my friend, I gladly took up the cane and became more independent.
Q: Did you go to public school, then?
A: Mostly. I attended public school until my junior year of high school. Then, I went to the West Virginia School for the Blind. I graduated from there in 1997 as Salutatorian of my class.
Q: Did you attend college?
A: For a semester I went to Kutztown University in Kutztown, PA, but I got home sick and begged my parents to bring me home. I took some independent living classes from the West Virginia Rehabilitation Center, such as cooking, O&M, and computers. Those 3 months of intense O&M were important and would become the single most useful blindness skill in my life.
Q: You use a cane, then?
A: Yes, but I did have a guide dog from 1998 to 2006.
Q: Let’s talk about now. What do you do for a living?
A: Well, I got married in 2000, so I am a wife. My first daughter was born in 2005. My youngest was born in 2007, so I am a mom. I homeschool my girls, I attend church with my minister husband, and I write books.
Q: Tell us about your writing. What made you want to be an author?
A: I used to get books on records or tapes from my local Library Commission, and for years those books were my best friends. Then, when I was 15, I thought, why not write a Christian story like these Westerns I’ve been reading. That idea over the next 15 years became my first novel, “Wild Heart”
Q: A reader driven author. But, you didn’t stop with “Wild Heart”, which, BTW, I remember helping you with in high school.
A: No, I didn’t stop there. :) “Wild Heart” needed a sequel, so I wrote one. It’s called, “To Tame A Heart”. Then, I wrote a Scottish, time travel romance called, “A Moment in Time”. My 4th book is “His Yankee Wife”. Last May I published a book based on a true story about a man who became paralyzed when he dove into a 4 foot pool called, “Caleb’s Story”.
Q: Wow! And, folks can read more about you and your books on your website?
A: Yes, it’s www.sjwellsauthor.com.
Q: What made you decide to come on board with our book, “Ducking into UEB”?
A: First, I knew the book would be good and helpful for students and teachers, alike. Your love for your students comes out in everything you do. Also, I love writing kids’ fiction, even though I don’t feel it is my strong point. I wanted your book to succeed, and I wanted to be a part of it. I wrote “A Quackin’ Adventure” one night after telling the story to my girls before bed. But, I had no plans for it, and I was having difficulty finding an illustrator. So, when you asked if I had any fictional material lying around, I gave it to you, willingly. I am thrilled to see it doing so well.
Q: So, what is next?
A: I’m currently working on my 6th book called, “You Belong to Me”. It’s about a man who is called by God to go preach in the colonies who is captured by pirates and sold to a sharp-tongued woman desperate to save her farm.
Q” Sounds interesting. Can folks follow you on Facebook, too?
A: Yes. facebook.com/sjwellsuathor/
Q: If you were to give any advice to someone facing sight loss, what would it be?
A: Don’t give up. There is always a way. Trust in God; He will not fail you. Get in touch with those in the blindness community, and learn all you can. Don’t be afraid of your cane or of your blindness, but embrace your differences and learn to laugh.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
A: Yes, there is. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing on this blog with you. I have been challenged and encouraged by those whom we have interviewed and by you pushing me out of my comfort zone. I may not have ever tried to get a book published, if you had not believed in me all those years ago. Thank you for being my friend and for being tough on me.
Well, I have learned a lot from this writing project with you. And, faithful readers, keep in mind that while we will not be posting any new material to this blog, it will remain up for you to come back to as often as you want.
Thank you, S. J. Wells for being the interviewee this time.
Thank you, Anita for allowing me to be a part of your project.
Together we make a good team. :) Y’all come over and be with us on Facebook, okay? facebook/com/adkinsandwells/ and you can always email us at adkinsandwells@gmail.com
Blessings to you all
Anita Adkins and S. J. Wells
Authors of “Ducking into UEB”
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