Author Interview: Maria T. Henriksen

Maria T. Henriksen is a Christian author of both fiction and nonfiction. It is her hope that she transforms lives through her writings. Maria's novel, Not Again, is a young adult Christian tale with romantic and tragic elements that follows the spiritual journey of a teenage girl during the 1980s. The story incorporates scripture to demonstrate how to overcome even the darkest of tribulations. In addition, Maria shares her faith in God through her personal trials as a contributor to a 40 day devotional called Love Knots: Stories of Faith, Family, and Friendships. 

Maria has been happily married for over two decades to a sweet and intelligent man of God. She is also blessed to be the mother of amazing boy/girl teenage twins who are in their first year of college.

During the school year, Maria works as a substitute teacher and considers it a privilege to be working with the future leaders of America. 

It's no surprise that Maria's background includes many varied interests such as graphic arts, finance, banking, health, fitness, beauty, and the list keeps growing.

Maria graduated from Shippensburg University with a bachelor's in Communications/Journalism, a concentration in Public Relations, a minor in Psychology and a sequence in Marketing. 

Book description/blurb for Not Again:
Christina De Rosa holds a potentially deadly secret that threatens to get out. As an innocent young teenager, Christina survives a terrifying sexual assault that destroys her self-worth and trust. 

In her daily struggle, Christina searches for ways to keep her torment at bay, so she can function as a "normal" teenager. Meanwhile, Christina's spiritual journey leads her down a path causing conflict within, as she's riddled with guilt and shame. 

A chance encounter with her longtime, hot crush, Avery Evans, sparks a fire in Christina that she can't  extinguish. As the sweet, loving, knight in shining armor he readily portrays, Avery offers the safety and security that Christina craves.

In her quest for internal peace, Christina must make a decision. Will she give her heart, body and soul to the super popular, Avery Evans? 

Will Christina's nightmares become all-consuming or will her discoveries lead her to a renewed way of life?

Find out if true love triumphs in this edgy, faith-based young adult page-tuner, set in the 1980s.

*Not Again is NOT your typical Christian coming-of-age story. Fierce faith doesn't come without a fight. Prepare for heartache, self-harm, traumatic events, real romance, and actual scripture in these pages.

Why I wrote Not Again, a novel:

Imagine being a teenager again in today's world. Suffice it to say that I'm grateful for growing up in the 80s. 

I'm surrounded by teens in most aspects of my life. It's intentional because I feel a calling. 

God placed it on my heart to speak to those teens in various ways. One way is through my novel. 

I describe Not Again as being edgy. It's a risk I took out of obedience to Christ. Some may be offended the descriptive nature of my book or the mature themes. However, I offer no apologies. I'm answering a calling. 

Kids today are exposed to more violence and sin then ever before due to the advent of technology like cell phones & the internet. 

I deal mostly with teens who attend public schools and who may not be exposed to the Christian faith. 

Certain behaviors are acceptable to teenagers, even normal. Not Again offers a different way of looking at body image, bullying, relationships, sex, drugs, alcohol... 

My debut novel, Not Again, offers ways of coping with day to day stress as well as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome).

I have yet to find my target niche - teens.
These are teens who are: 
1.) believers in Christ 
2.) teens who once followed the straight and narrow path but went astray 
3.) teens who are searching for a meaningful way of life that speaks to them on a level beyond their understanding. 

Please help me in my quest of finding these teens. I know they're out there and God wants me to help them realize their identity in Christ. 

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guide your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

If you are interested in supporting my novel and me in this quest to reach out to teens to make this world a better place, send me an email: Authormariathenriksen@gmail.com

If I had a pet unicorn, I would name it Hope. Hope's body would be pure white and her mane and tail would be the colors of a rainbow. Hope's alicorn and hooves would be purple. Now, I really want a unicorn.

I like to listen to classical music while I write. I don't like listening to music with lyrics while I write, because I find it distracting. Otherwise, I would listen to 80s music, pop, or Christian praise music.

Before I begin to write, I make sure I have a water bottle, a notebook, my phone by my side and a blanket that drapes over my legs if it's a little cool. I use a portable desk for my laptop that sits above my thighs. Once I'm situated, I don't get up unless necessary. My family brings me my meals which is so thoughtful and considerate. 

I don't plot anything as I'm a true pantser. I simply put fingers to the keyboard and type. I don't worry too much about the tiny descriptive details in my first draft. I go back and reread what I wrote at a later time and make a few adjustments then. When I finish with the first draft, I go over it a bunch of times before I send it out to Beta readers. After I receive feedback from each Beta, I make changes per their suggestions. Then I send my manuscript to my editor and we go back and forth a few times until I'm satisfied with it. Then it goes through a proofreading process to make sure all the spelling, grammar, and punctuation is accurate.

I wrote my first novel, Not Again,  straight though in chronological order. My second novel, Not Again, the Fallout, surprised me in that I have skipped around all over the place, jumping from one scene in the beginning to a scene in the middle, back to the beginning, and then towards the end. However, it's coming together nicely and I believe Not Again, the Fallout will be even more powerful than its predecessor.

Favorites:
One of my favorite Bible verses is: 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
I don't have a favorite book. That would be like choosing my favorite child, an impossible choice. I can say that I was influenced by The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton and This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti.

My favorite cartoon is the Jetsons, because I like how it's futuristic. When I watched it as a kid, I remember being fascinated by how the Jetsons connected with people via video. We now have that technology.

My favorite cereal is Special K Chocolatey Delight. No, I don't feel guilty for eating chocolate for breakfast. After all, chocolate is a major food group.

My absolute favorite color is purple. I even have a purple bathroom!

My favorite movie will probably stump you. It's Cinema Paradiso with subtitles. The main character and storyline are endearing and I love listening to the movie in Italian.

One of my favorite songs is the remake of Lean on Me by Club Nouveau.

Here's where you can find me online:
linktr.ee/AuthorMaria

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