Meet Shirley Corder

Shirley Corder
Jun 2
4 min read

1. How has your journey of faith influenced your decision to become a writer?

I never intended to become a writer. I was a nursing sister (a.k.a. registered nurse or RN) and happy to remain so. Then, in 1997, I was diagnosed with aggressive cancer with a prognosis of less than a year.

During my months of chemotherapy, the Lord spoke to me through two passages of Scripture: I will live and not die and proclaim the wondrous things the Lord has done (Psalm 118:17) and Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run (Habakkuk 2:2).

A year after my treatment ended, we moved to another part of South Africa. During my quiet time, the Lord spoke to me again, this time out of a devotional book I was reading, using the exact same two verses of Scripture. I got the message! I was to write about the wonderful things He had done for me. Hence my first book, published by Revell/Baker: Strength Renewed, Meditations for Your Journey through Breast Cancer.

2. What role does prayer or reflection play in your creative process?

Although I am now busy with books 15 and 16, I have always written Christian material. I’ve written several books of devotions, two novels (and the third on the go), and I’m busy with a series of ‘Out of the Shadow’ historical fiction books which have required a lot of research. I only write material I believe the Lord lays on my heart, and so I pray before, during, and after the writing. (After as in the marketing process.)

3. How do you navigate challenges like writer’s block while maintaining a faith-filled perspective?

I normally write two books at a time. So, if I hit writer’s block or any other challenge, I switch to the other book for a few days and spend time praying about the problem. I also often dream about the book issue. Sometimes I wake refreshed and ready to go back to it. Other times my dreams are so off the charts I wonder if there’s any way I can continue! But, because I am certain the Lord has led me to the topic, I know there’s a solution, and I must wait until He shows me what it is.

4. How do you connect with readers who may not share your faith but love your stories?

I attempt to avoid writing in ‘Christianese’, using words and phrases only understood by Christians. We become so used to certain phrases that it’s easy to slip into using them, and they are such a switch-off to non-Christians.

I also make every effort to avoid being ‘preachy’. I ask my critique partner to pull me up short if I have written anything in either of these veins.

I have also occasionally asked someone I’ve known is not a Christian to critique my book. I had an interesting experience with that once when a lady who I knew to be an atheist, offered to critique my latest book. The book was Eve, Mother of All — the last sort of book I would expect a non-Christian to approve of. She not only loved the book, she wrote me a startling review — she did have an interesting perspective on Adam’s ‘other wife’!

5. What’s the most rewarding feedback you’ve received from a reader about your work?

This is a very difficult question! I suppose one of the most rewarding would be this one from Tracy Crump:

“Shirley Corder has a way of bringing people from the pages of the Bible right into my home. She makes me see things I never noticed before, no matter how many times I've read it. The book may be named after Ruth, but Naomi was the one Ruth followed into a relationship with Yahweh. I loved getting to know the spunky older woman who left her homeland and returned with her daughter-in-law in tow.”

This review shows me that the reader got the point of my ‘Out of the Shadows’ series. In Naomi, Beloved Mother-in-law, my goal was to bring Naomi out of the shadow of Ruth. The book of Ruth starts with Naomi’s story, ends with Naomi’s story, and tells Naomi’s story. Yet the title of the book is Ruth.

6. What has been the most surprising or rewarding part of your writing career so far?

The feedback. Even when I’m not entirely happy with the book, or when I’ve battled with a piece of work because of challenging circumstances, I somehow receive positive reviews, and readers say the book drew them closer to God and ask for more. That keeps me humble and reminds me that it’s not about me. It’s all about God.