Bio

Sharon M. Himsl has a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies, with an emphasis on American history/culture and English, but she started out in elementary school education. Marriage and travels with her then Air Force husband (and a few jobs in between) took her away from school for awhile and it was many years later (after her two children grew up) that she returned to finish her degree.

By then her interest in becoming a teacher had evolved into a desire to write and study history. She developed a love of Native American history along the way, something she still enjoys a lot, which has also opened her eyes to other cultures. She and her husband lived in Malaysia in 1995-1996 for one year, where their next door neighbors were Malay, Indian and Chinese, an experience she has never forgotten. It is little wonder that Malaysia is one of the settings she chose for her current novel about a half-Malay teen girl and her brother who seek their family there.


Sharon lives in Eastern Washington in the Columbia Basin where the sage brush grows, the clouds hang low in the sky, and the tumbleweed blows in the wind. Hmm.....that almost sounds like a song.

She does not have any four-legged pets (do coyote count?), although she would vote for a cat any day. She loves their snarky attitude. She has befriended a neighbor's black and white kitty, who visits regularly and sometimes purrs on her lap.

BOOKS:
(Fiction)

The Shells of Mersing (YA) (Mystery, Suspense, Romance, Adventure) (14+) 
Evernight Teen, June 2017

When notorious Uncle Azman disobeys orders, and secretly sends Callie and her younger brother Lucas to meet their mother's sisters in Mersing, Malaysia, 14-year-old Callie hopes their troubles are over. After all they have endured, what more could go wrong? Their American dad is dead, Mom is missing, and their foster dad in Seattle was murdered, with Callie falsely accused. Pawns in a crime operation gone awry, Callie and Lucas barely escaped being targeted by their uncle's sinister boss for sale in Thailand’s human trafficking market. Although Azman's  turnaround was a miracle, Callie knows that real safety lies with family in Mersing, where they can begin searching for Mom, but a shell box, a ruby, and a boy named Sam from Chicago are about to change everything. 



on August 25, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Excellent book! Great read for all ages! Adventure and intrigue will await you as you read about 14 year Callie with 
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on October 9, 2017
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This book brought back many fond memories of my time in Mersing.
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on August 4, 2017
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Great story! Haven't been able to put it down
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on July 27, 2017
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Get ready for a bumpy ride as Callie (14) and her brother Lucas (8) find themselves entangled with criminals who 
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on October 6, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
This was a right rollicking read, with excitement and tension in just about every page. The author clearly knows the 
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on October 15, 2017
Format: Paperback
The Shells of Mersing is a mystery, a first love story, and a tale about human trafficking, family loyalty, and courage.


(Nonfiction)

Events That Changed the World: 1920-1940, Greenhaven Press, 2003. (age 12 up)
Ratification of Nineteenth Amendment, first assembly of League of Nations (United States was absent), Mussolini's March on Rome, Lindbergh's transatlantic flight, Jazz Singer debut, Gandhi's "Salt March," Hitler's rise, stock market crash, and "Operation Dynamo" (rescue at Dunkirk) are among the events discussed, describing a highly transitional period that begins with the aftermath of World War I and ends with the outbreak of World War II. Based on primary sources.



ARTICLES:

Himsl, Marie. "Jungle Train, A Window on True Malaysia." The International Railway Traveler, September 1996, pp. 6-7. 


PUBLISHED ON BLOG:

"Female Scientists Before Our Time" (26 posts), April 2017 (famous women of antiquity)


"Pioneer Women in Aviaton A-Z" (26 posts), April 2016 ("intrepid" was their middle name)

"Inventions by Women A-Z" (26 posts), April 2015 (some surprising inventions)


"Yummy Fruits A-Z" (26 posts), April 2014 (learn the nutritional value of fruit and more)


"Stereoviews A-Z" (26 posts) April 2013 (a collection from family archives)



OTHER - COMPLETED BUT NOT PUBLISHED:

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Indigenous People of North America: The Shoshone 
Publisher - Lucent Books. 



Series was cancelled in 2005, before book could be published. Accepted kill fee for completed book. 

2 comments:

  1. Sharon, it's nice to get to know you a little better. I admit I don't visit the "About Me" page of my fellow bloggers like I should. I use to, but over the years I got too pressed to do this simple task. I think I will stop to smell the roses more frequently to learn more about my pals in Blogosphere. I would love to visit the Pacific Northwest someday. The pictures are gorgeous and I see that as an awesome opportunity to take a zillion photos, if I'm ever blessed to visit out that way. *cross fingers* I would definitely vote for a kitty any day, too, but it would have to be an outdoor pet. I'm allergic to these fur-babies. Please let me know, if I can be of any help with promoting your future work. I love being a friend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Cathy for your kind words of friendship and offer to help!

    ReplyDelete

"Stay" is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary
(A.B. Alcott). Stay and visit awhile. Your comments mean a lot to me.

About Me

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You could call me an eternal optimist, but I'm really just a dreamer. l believe in dream fulfillment, because 'sometimes' dreams come true. This is a blog about my journey as a writer and things that inspire and motivate me.