Young Christian girl. dogged by Satan, impacts the lives of many by overcoming adversity and achieving her earthly distiny.
Sharene Marsena, a beautiful girl from Alabama, is raped during a visit to her grandmother's in 1978, and infected with a new, deadly disease we now know as A.I.D.S.
Her journey toward emotional and spiritual healing includes a court scene where she shocks jurors and those in attendance by extending forgiveness to her rapist. Her fortunes take an unusual twist when, while attending a community college in Georgia, she encounters and experiences a touch of romance from the novel's most complex character, Sherm Purcell.
Purcell, employing a mixture of flattery,lies, and truth, introduces Sharene to an opportunity to invest her final days in an attempt to save the life of a girl who looks just like Sharene and is held captive by a drug lord in Colombia, South America.
Trained by the CIA in Paraguay, Sharene enters the drug lord's compound in Colombia where she encounters the drug lord and Purcell; and minutes later, Satan.
The novel begins with Sharene's funeral and ends with unexpected hope.
Excerpt
"It wasn't her possible escape that bothered the hunter, but the manner in which it was being accomplished. She was putting total faith in the only one he feared. Her death now could shorten his personal time clock. For time, to the hunter, was only measured in the number of pure souls who went directly from life on earth to heaven. Minutes and seconds meant nothing. What mattered was the inevitable toll toward that magical number of saints that would trigger cataclysmic events and a Second Coming of the Christ. At that time, the hunter--also known as Satan--would be thrown into a fiery pit of damnation where he, and many others, would wish for, and not receive, an end to their existence."
Professional Reviews
Reader Views, Carol Hoyer, PhD
In a time when most believe in a higher power, the author gives us a story about innocence taken away in just one second. Where was the higher power to protect us and how does that impact our lives?
Sharene Marsens is a wonderful teenager, full of life and lives within the holiness of God. In just one brief encounter from Evon Trask she is violated and her innocence is no longer there. Her whole life changes as she looks at her now blackened life and those she loves. She is afraid to tell anyone that she is infected. She stays away from any relationships and becomes hardened. Through the help of her pastor she starts to recover emotionally, but yet has to testify against the animal that took her life. She does things she would have never done before and trusts no one.
When she encounters her old love Jordan, she is trying to explain to him what has happened and he is trying to help her. His intentions are to help her, but he crosses the line and she can no longer be there with him.
Little does she know that somewhere there is a woman who looks just like her that has also been taken advantage of yet, she loves her lifestyle. When Sharene is tempted to go underground to solve the mystery of the identical person, she is in danger and is fighting for her life.
This is a fast-paced book with vivid descriptions of scenes and the thought process of victims. Rocky Wilson catches you in his first page of "Sharene." The author shows that through the grace of God we can forgive, when no one will believe we did.
New York Literary Agency, Cynthia Sherman, literary critic
This is an amazing manuscript. The characters are fabulous, as is the plot. I am impressed by your imagination, writing skills, and storytelling ability. The readers will truly love this material. This will be a great success. I sincerely wish you luck with this endeavor. However you will not need luck, as you have a gift of writing. The readers will love the constant movement throughout. Your characters are strong and completely enjoyable. I do expect to read more of your work in the future, as you are a natural. The readers can see themselves within each scene with these characters Nicely accomplished.
ForeWord Clarion Reviews, Jeannine Chartier Hanscom
Rocky Wilson's unusual novel, Sharene, begins with the title character's funeral. The remainder of the book explores the last few years in the life of Sharene Marsena, a remarkably devout teenager, as she moves from one test of faith to the next, beginning with a rape. Infected with HIV from the assault, she prays for strength, rather than healing. "Sharene didn't pray for a cure for her disease. Not that she didn't believe in His powers to provide such a cure, but because she felt unworthy to receive such healing in this lifetime."
Sharene's unwavering trust in God's will leads her on a harrowing and incredible journey. As she deals with the aftermath of the rape, her path eventually brings her to South America, placing her in the unlikely position of infiltrating a drug lord's operation for the CIA based on a resemblance to his girlfriend. While the circumstances may stretch the limit of credulity, the scenes of her CIA training and adventures at the drug lord's compound give the most depth to Sharene's character, allowing her to show determination and strength beyond her religious devotion.
Sharene's agreement to take part in the CIA's plan intensifies the overall impression of her as a selfless martyr. Rather than spending her last days with family and the young man she loves, Sharene continues to follow the course she feels God has set before her. Relentlessly "hunted" by Satan throughout the story, she confronts and ultimately defeats evil with the depth of her faith even as she nears a final collapse.
For those who like a few flaws in their heroes or heroines, Sharene may be too perfect. Her extraordinary physical beauty is described frequently, evidently meant to convey a reflection of the pure beauty within. "God obviously had smiled when He made this child," we are told. Her faithful devotion to God impresses everyone she meets; most are significantly changed after crossing her path, with many left questioning their own lack of faith.
Wilson, a freelance writer, shows skill in the structure of his novel, with the final chapter neatly echoing the first, and several well-crafted metaphors and interesting images throughout. His writing style is competent and unique, though there is a peculiar tendency to refer to characters by both first and last names well beyond their initial introduction. Equally distracting is a penchant for avoiding pronouns, occasionally replacing them with descriptive phrases like "the young traveler from Alabama," or "the beautiful virgin."
The author's strong message regarding Christianity is clearly represented in the exceptionally devout character of Sharene. While some readers will surely find the story inspirational, others may find it preachy and unrealistic. Regardless, Rocky Wilson is a capable writer who may well find his nich in Christian or inspirational literature.
Everyone has secrets of the heart, Follow each character as each one's life is transformed!
"Secrets of the Heart" is a novel which was birthed from Psalm 44:20,21... "If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange
