What does it imply to glorify God within the arts? As a author and a believer, Sydney Schmied ‘28 considers that query as she articulates the motivation behind her written works. Sydney brings an entertaining mixture of hope and historical past to her readers by means of crafting tales which are each truthful and redemptive.
A sophomore learning English writing and advertising and marketing, Sydney Schmied is an creator of historic romantic suspense novels. Across the time she graduated highschool, Sydney started contacting editors and brokers for her fifth manuscript, ultimately securing her first e book publishing deal for a three-part sequence with Wild Coronary heart Books.
Set in early 1900s Chillicothe, Ohio, The Majestic Theater Collection transports readers right into a world of secrets and techniques, intrigue, and sudden redemption. The primary e book within the sequence, entitled The Darling’s Daughter, presents a chilling homicide thriller that unravels throughout the historic Majestic Theater. The Darling’s Daughter is ready to be revealed in August 2026, with the 2 sequels launched within the following 12 months.
Sydney explains the place the thought for the sequence got here from. “I had this concept of an actress’ homicide and I wanted a theater. The Majestic Theater is barely about 4 or 5 hours from the place I dwell. It’s nonetheless operating at the moment.”
Sydney enjoys having the ability to share a chunk of historical past from her dwelling state, noting that there aren’t many books set in Ohio. She discovered her analysis participating and tried to protect as a lot factual historical past as she might in her writing.
“There are simply so many little-known, on a regular basis life issues that aren’t actually written about,” Sydney remarks as she explains her curiosity in historic fiction and the time interval between 1880 and 1920 particularly.
Though a part of her objective with The Darling’s Daughter was merely to create a really entertaining story, Sydney additionally sees her activity as one thing deeper. “I would like somebody to choose up the e book and discover that there’s hope for wherever you’re at in life in Jesus. That’s the inspiration I actually attempt to work with.”
The theme of redemption was what acquired Sydney writing for the Christian market within the first place. “You allow one thing necessary out of books which are hopeless, which is redemption in Christ. In highschool, I used to be not discovering the tales I actually wanted to learn — hopeful, however not fluffy. Books which are truthful and present actual human battle by means of a Christian worldview matter.”
This was one thing that Sydney continued to study throughout her first 12 months at Geneva by means of her humanities core courses. Considering by means of the that means of loss of life, love, and neighborhood impressed her. She began to fastidiously take into account what taking advantage of our time right here seems like and the implications that has for work in any discipline. Even non-Christian authors offered worthwhile perception into understanding all the world as God’s creation, ready expectantly for full redemption.
“All of the writers we learn, even when they’re seeing issues from a distinct perspective, are looking for one thing. It provides me peace realizing the hope that they’re on the lookout for is within the Bible.”
Whereas the Bible stays our final supply of hope and reality as believers, Sydney additionally views literature as a solution to partially uncover this stuff.
“A number of tales replicate how we dwell our lives and actual issues that we have now skilled. For those who decide up a e book the place a personality is experiencing one thing that you’ve and it’s from a biblical worldview, generally yow will discover peace and therapeutic in that.”
What began as reduction and a artistic outlet throughout highschool when combating intense migraines, Sydney’s writing has grown right into a ardour, profession path, and approach to make use of her abilities to glorify God. As she continues to outline her writing abilities, she can also be gaining hands-on data of the publishing course of and business, by which she ultimately aspires to work.
Sydney is an American Christian Fiction Writers 2023 First Impressions Contest finalist and a 2024 Genesis Contest semi-finalist. Keep updated on her work on Instagram @SydneySchmiedAuthor.
By Reagan Shields ‘26
