Sunday, August 15, 2010

Marlayne Giron: When I Was Just a Kid

News Flash! Desert Rose is the winner of Marlayne's book, The Victor!




Marlayne, When She Was Just a Kid
When Marlayne Giron was just a kid, she wrote her first manuscript and was brave enough to hand it over to her best friend, Lisa, who wanted to be an editor, and let her use the "magic" red pen. Turns out both were headed on a good path. Lisa became a teacher, and Marlayne was destined to write stories.

Her life has been a series of "miracles," as she will explain here in her childhood memoirs. She first came to the altar to accept "Christ" as a child, thinking she was going forward to receive a prize. She didn't understand then why everyone was so happy for her, because they didn't give her anything! From then on this Jewish girl avoided the "Jesus Freaks" whenever possible, but Jesus wasn't avoiding her. He pursued her as His Bride and now she writes stories for Him.

Marlayne's story is fascinating and I think you will want to get her book for the youth in your life--and maybe read it for yourself.


Childhood Ambition:
To be an adult, move out on my own and make my own decisions!

Fondest Memory (from back then):

My 8th birthday party would have to be one of the best. It was in the local park. Lots of friends came and one of the best relay games was where we had two teams that had to run, put on every item of clothing they found in a shopping bag, run back, take it all off and repeat until the entire line had done the same with the first to complete the winner. It was so funny because the clothes were all adult brassieres, negligees and other unmentionables that looked hysterical on little kids. Then we had a pinata and cake.

Proudest Moment (from back then):

I was 13 and it was when my taskmaster of a ballet instructor (who carried around a 6' long bamboo stick to smack us with) took his finger, swiped it across my dripping forehead and held it up for all the other ballet students to see and shouted: "THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SEE!!"

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen: 

 Making friends. I was terrified of other kids (having been teased most of my life.)

My First Job:

I was a papergirl in 6th grade and rode my bike in the wee hours of the morning throwing papers. I did the job until I figured out that I was paying them to do it (they charged me for all the rubber bands, bike bag, everything.) Quite a good racket they had going there.

Childhood Indulgence:

Books!Fortunately my mom worked part-time as a librarian so she brought home stacks and stacks of books each week for me to read. I must have read hundreds.

Favorite Outfit as a Child:

I grew up in the late 60s. The clothes back then were HIDEOUS but if I had to choose it might be the multi-colored granny dress.

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:

Favorite childhood movie would have to be The Sound of Music. I actually got to meet Angela Cartright (one of the "Von Trapp" children named Brigitta) when I was a toddler at Grauman's Chinese Theater. I remember her holding or tickling me. Favorite television show as a kid: what else? The Brady Bunch!! Everyone in my school wanted to be a guest star and be either the love interest of either Greg or Marcia!

Favorite Childhood Book: 

I loved, loved, loved Heidi when I was a kid. I wanted to be Heidi and sleep in her grandfather's hay loft and go to the high meadows with Peter and the goats. When I was 13 the favorite book became Lord of the Rings and nothing has replaced it since.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime:

Reading, drawing, ballet and ice-skating!

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child?

I didn't dare pass notes! I was always too afraid of "breaking the rules!" I did have a lot of pen pals, though.

Best friends?:

My playmate from ages 2-12 was the neighbor boy across the street named Kenny (I actually just found him on Facebook again a year ago.) I haven't seen him since I was 12. In third grade it was Debbie Card until she moved away. From ages 12-17 it was Lisa (who made me the writer I am today) and Marcia, my ballet companion. I'm still friends with Lisa (though we have absolutely nothing in common anymore.) I found Marcia about 10 years ago and we spent a day together. She was still in dance, flexible as ever and didn't look any different.

Any Childhood Pets?

My first dog Heidi (a black lab puppy) got run over. I cried for weeks. Then it was Spunky, a lab/terrier mix that had been brought up on Lucky Charms cereal. He refused to eat dog food for over a week!

Childhood Hero:

Mighty Mouse! I used to stuff a towel into the back of my shirt and run around the house as Mrs. Mighty Mouse. He was my first crush.

Was there anyone in your childhood who pointed you to Jesus?

When I was in my early teens I got witnessed to a lot by "Jesus freaks" who were total strangers, but coming from a nonreligious Jewish home made me very biased against what they were trying to tell me. When I was 13 a friend of mine from middle school became a "Jesus freak" and tricked me into going to one of the first Calvary Chapel concerts in their new building. I went forward at the altar call thinking I was getting some kind of door prize. When I came back out all these strangers were hugging me and congratulating me but I still didn't have a clue. On the way home, I asked my friend if she was trying to convert me and when she said "yes" I told her it was never going to happen. ("Convert" is a dirty word to Jews.) She was so confused because I had just "gone forward" to accept Jesus and came out just as unbelieving as before. Four years later I really did give my heart to the Lord and I hunted her down through old letters I had kept and told her that I was now an on fire believer for Jesus. The irony was she had fallen completely away. It had all been a passing fad to her.

Share your introduction to Christ as a child or teen or if you didn’t meet Jesus as a child, any significant event that led to your walk with Jesus.

As I said, I had a lot of "Jesus freaks" witnessing (more like harassing me) when I was a young teen. One of these incidents happened on the beach in front of a couple of friends. They were praying under their breath but sympathetic to my plight because this girl was just hammering on me. A year ago at a book signing (I found them again on Facebook, too,) they reminded me of this incident and said that they had thought privately to themselves that I would never come to the Lord; I was that closed to it.

The Lord's love finally broke through to me in the form of a made for television movie in 1977 called Jesus of Nazareth. It was the most realistic portrayal I had ever seen of the Gospel and I got very emotionally involved. During the crucifixion scene is when God opened my eyes and gave me the faith to believe in him. I remember thinking: "If he can do that for me, the least I can do is give Him my life!"

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer you have become?

Lisa and Marlayne, Best Friends and Lisa was Marlayne's First Editor

I have to give credit where credit is due. Lisa and I have been friends since we were 12. We would take turns sleeping over each other’s homes every weekend. I fondly remember the feeling of happy anticipation as I watched The Mary Tyler Moore Show on Saturday nights waiting for her to come over. Lisa is the one person I can most credit in my life for helping me to develop my writing skills.  We wrote hundreds of short “Six Million Dollar Man/Steve Austin” stories together (with us as characters in every one.)  Lisa used to "redline” my stories (the aspiring teacher that she was) and it would make me so mad that I became determined to write error-free stories with which she couldn’t find fault.  My writing was greatly influenced both by Lisa’s writing as well as her critiquing of mine. It was also at Lisa’s suggestion that I check into online publishing that led me to Tate Publishing and ultimately to realizing my life-long dream to see my book, The Victor, in print.
Lisa (L) and Marlayne (R,) Older "Kids" Now


The Victor by Marlayne Giron


About Marlayne Giron
Marlayne Giron is a Messianic Jew who found Christ as her Messiah at the age of 17 while watching Franco Zefferelli’s “Jesus of Nazareth” on television in 1977. After coming to faith, she began to read the Old Testament for the first time and was amazed to discover that believing in Jesus was a very Jewish thing to do and not a betrayal of her Jewish religion as she had been taught by her parents and the rabbis in her synagogues.

In the course of her life she has had many small ”miracles” occur; the first major one being coming to faith in Christ when she hadn’t even been looking for it and with a built-in bias against Him. The second was meeting and marrying her future husband Michael whom she had prayed for by name as well as writing and illustrating a story (with his image in it) five years before meeting him.

Marlayne and her husband, Michael
The third is the publication of The Victor after almost 30 years with no previous publication credits to her name. All three of these significant milestones in her life occurred on the Easter holidays. The fourth was becoming a mother of an adopted daughter on Christmas Eve in 1997.

Marlayne, The Author

Marlayne Giron is a full-time career secretary, wife and mother who likes to read, cook, entertain, draw, ice-skate and scrapbook. The Victor is her first novel.

The Victor
Two princes wage the battle for eternity but The Victor has been known from the start…

The verses above from Amy Grant’s “Fairytale” song (Father’s Eyes) was the inspiration behind Giron's book: “The Victor.”

Originally titled “The Victor and His Bride,” she first began writing this story 30 years ago on an IBM Selectric typewriter (at that time it was state-of-the-art) when she was 21.

The Victor is a medieval fantasy/fiction romance for ages 12 to 80. It is the classic tale of good against evil.

Who will emerge the victor?

You’ll have to read it to find out! Peek at the first page. Enjoy.

To Purchase the Book

8 comments:

Janet said...

I would love to read this book! Marlayne has such a wonderful testimony! And the book sounds just awesome!!
Janet

Ann Lee Miller said...

How cool that your friendship persevered throughout your lives.
Ann_Lee_Miller@msn.com

Carmen said...

Interesting you were approached by the "Jesus Freaks." I just read Ed Underwood's book, Reborn to Be Wild, which is about the Jesus Movement. Would love to read/win your book. Please enter me.
desertrose5173 at gmail dot com

Crystal Laine said...

Whoops! Lotus/Steph put this on the wrong interview.

Blogger lotus82 said...

Terrific interview, very touching, one of the best I have read in a long time. I found it interesting that your favorite movie was "Heidi," also the name of your dog? Was there a connection between the two?? And the Mighty Mouse mentioning really touched a place in my heart personally because, "Mighty Mouse" was the first chapter book that I read for pure pleasure. I read it straight thru in just a few hours. When I realized that I really did like to read, that I could read books fairly fast, and I liked the different places that the book took me, I was hooked. Now, I read at least 4 to 5 books a week, every week. I'd love a chance at winning a copy of "The Victor." Thanks for the opportunity.

~Steph
soklad@hotmail.com
fortheluvofsanity.blogspot.com

Shawna K. Williams said...

Hi Marlayne!
I just spoiled my dog Daisy with the left over Lucky Charms after I ate the marshmellows out of them. I would love to read your book!

Vanessa A. Johnson said...

Loved your trip down memory lane. Congratulations on your release of The Victor and continued blessings on all of your endeavors. vanessaajohnson@hughes.net

Beth Reinke said...

Wow, the first page was exciting! Very Lord-of-the-Rings-ish. LOL Such an interesting interview, too, Crystal. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

All best with your book, Marlayne!

Beth
rdwriter at hotmail dot com

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Crystal & Marlayne -

Great interview!

Your testimony made me laugh and cry. As believers, we're sometimes clumsy in our witness, but God still uses us to plant that seed.

Blessings,
Susan :)