A local author will debut her latest historical romance novel next month on amazon.com.
“The Time for Healing,” written by Ramona K. Cecil of Seymour, will be released Aug. 7. The novel won best in fiction in the 2014 Indiana Faith and Writing contest.
Cecil said fans of “Light in the Forest” by Conrad Richter, the “White Indian” series by Donald Clayton Porter or James Alexander Thom’s “Follow the River” and “Red Heart” will love her new release.
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“’The Time for Healing’ reaffirms the truth that God has a purpose for our lives,” Cecil said. “It’s only through forgiveness and yielding our will to his that we can understand that purpose and live the abundant life he has planned for us.”
Cecil grew up in Jackson County and lived in Acme on State Road 258 until the age of 12.
“We then moved to the Honeytown area, my mom’s homeplace, to care for my aging grandfather,” she said. “I graduated from Seymour High School in 1969 and lived in Honeytown until the age of 22 when I married James R. Cecil.”
The Seymour couple have been married for 47 years and have two grown daughters, Jennifer R. Richards of Garland, Texas, and Kelly D. Smith of McCordsville.
“I’ve written creatively all my life. I began to compose poetry at about age 4,” Cecil said. “In the mid-1980s, I sold about 90 verses to Dicksons Inc., who published my poems on a vast array of Christian gift items.”
About that same time, she became interested in novel writing after being inspired by a trip to Conner Prairie, a living history museum in Fishers.
In 2006, that inspiration became her first published novel, “Larkspur.”
The idea for her latest novel, “The Time for Healing,” came years ago after Cecil learned about the Pigeon Roost Massacre, a tragic event that happened in Scott County.
“In September of 1812, a contingent of hostile Shawnee warriors set upon the frontier settlement of Pigeon Roost, killing 15 children and nine adults,” Cecil said. “The story is told of a little girl taken captive and found many years later, a grown woman living among the Shawnee.”
Cecil said the compelling story sparked her imagination, leading her to reimagine and fictionalize the story, resulting in her latest novel.
The author often stops working on a story to focus on a more pressing project, so the work is not always linear. Altogether, it took her about seven months to write the book.
“I am in several writing organizations, including American Christian Fiction Writers, American Christian Fiction Writers Indiana Chapter,” she said. “I’m also in a small local writers group called Writerly Sisters.”
Cecil mainly writes historical romance novels for the Christian market. “The Time for Healing” is her 13th published novel/novella.
Some of Cecil’s books are available from the Jackson County Public Library. Otherwise, her books can be found online by going to Amazon Books and typing in Ramona K. Cecil.
“I advise all aspiring writers to join at least one large writing group. Get into a critique group with others who write your same genre,” she said. “Attend writing workshops online or in person.”
She also suggests attending writers’ conferences, where writers can get to know and network with published authors.
“You can also pitch your story/story idea to publishers at conferences,” Cecil said. “Honestly, I believe I wouldn’t now be traditionally published if I hadn’t joined American Christian Fiction Writers.”
When Cecil is not writing, she enjoys reading, watching movies on Amazon Prime and tending to her flowers.
“My husband is retired now, and we used to enjoy attending festivals and visiting places of historical interest,” she said. “But with COVID-19, we are staying much closer to home.”
Presently, Cecil is working on another full-length historical romance novel titled “The Bridge at Bramble Ford,” which is inspired by the history of Seymour.
“I hope to have it finished and find a publishing home for it sometime next year,” Cecil said.