Rebecca Coram, Christian Author….Local Hidden Gem
Grace Phillips
Ashland Beacon
It has long been known that the tristate area is overflowing with talented musicians, singers and artists. However, we have an entire treasure trove of those with another talent that many times goes unnoticed….those who are talented with words. Rebecca Coram, a Christian author is a hidden gem right here in our own community.
She has always had a love for books and stories. Rebecca told me, “I have memories of before I’d learned to read. I would look at the pictures in books and make up a story of what I thought the book was about.”
That desire to write down the stories she imagines has led her to become an accomplished writer of children’s books and adult Christian fiction mysteries. Rebecca wrote her first children’s book, The Lost Soldier, at the age of 17. The storyline focused on a little toy soldier in a large department store that felt as if he would never belong. He went on an adventure to find that special love he craved and to find his creator. Sadly, it would be seven years before she would see the book in print. Rebecca began her publishing career under the pen name R.C. Burch. “I never knew how to get a book published. The wonderful KYOWA writer’s group helped me navigate through the publishing process.” Rebecca continued, “I got such an amazing response when that first book was released that I continued writing children’s fiction.”
The first children’s book series was called Life Lessons for Children and included the titles, Sam’s Close Call and Rain’s Bad Day. Rebecca’s new series focuses on kindness in schools. She is very excited to share her latest release, The Prize Money Mystery. It was released on March 1st in conjunction with National Reading Month. “My mission is to share Christian morals in stories that will help children learn how to treat others and themselves as they develop. The Prize Money Mystery does just that.”
The story is written in rhyme form and teaches kids about showing compassion instead of passing judgment on others. Rebecca went on to say, “This book came to me like an epiphany. I simply picked up a pen and paper and wrote it down. I have to believe God gave it to me. This is a difficult topic to write about but one that needs to be written about more.”
Although there was success with the publishing of her children’s books, Rebecca’s heart still longed to enter the Christian fiction market for adults. The recent pandemic presented the opportunity for that desire to come to fruition. “When the pandemic hit, I began spending more time on my first novel, The Secret of the 14th Room. Before I knew it, I had finished it.” She credits her husband, Paul Coram, who she also calls her best friend and hero, for making this possible. Paul also serves as Rebecca’s editorial designer.
An interesting fact is that Rebecca writes under two different names. When asked the reason for the different pen names, she explained that so many of today’s children’s books have inappropriate things in them. “After I wrote my first mystery suspense, I didn’t want anyone getting that impression from me. I knew I would need a new pen name for my adult Christian books. Since my children’s book pen name was R.C. Burch, I knew I wanted to stick with the nature theme but wanted something that said MYSTERY AUTHOR…thus, Rebecca Hemlock was born.”
According to Rebecca, her novels are written in similar fashion to the children’s books. There is an entertaining story with food for thought and an underlying life lesson. At this point, Rebecca has five children’s books, four novels and three novelettes that have been published.
There is no stopping point for this writer! She and Paul have two children and in addition to her writing, she is finishing her bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing that focuses on historical literature and fiction.
What does the future hold for Rebecca Coram? She has four novels and one children’s book in the works. With a twinkle in her eye, she said, “I’m going to let you in on a secret. I’m actually working on a project with a group of other Christian authors from all over the country. There are New York Times best-sellers and USA Today bestsellers in this project. I will have more details in a few months.”
The next novel from Rebecca Hemlock will be released in June of this year. It is book two in the Oakwood Springs PD series. According to Rebecca, if you have read Fury in the Shadows and want to read more from that series, then be on the watch for Fatal Perception.
Rebecca will be at the Gathering Place in Wheelersburg, Ohio on Saturday, April 1st from 10 am- 4 pm with all her books. You can also purchase them from her website rebeccahemlock.com or from amazon.com.