It takes nine months to birth a baby and four years to earn a college degree. In Erin Biller’s case it took 12 years to publish her first novel “Ammi.”
The book was released Aug. 1. From 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 9, folks can stop by Olita Gifts & Goods in downtown Hutchinson to meet Biller and get a signed copy of the book.
“Ammi” is the story of redemption, healing and the power of God’s redeeming love. The protagonist is Ammi, a young woman striving for a life of independence in Los Angeles. Loneliness fades as she develops a friendship with Joel Hayes, an architect she meets over lunch at a park. Then she meets Nathem, a striking club owner who sweeps her off her feet introducing her to a world where passions reign and boundaries are blurred. Will her choices lead into the freedom she seeks or bondage beyond imagination?
The genesis for Biller’s novel dates back to when she was working as a paraprofessional at an elementary school in Sherburn, Minnesota. She noticed children were reading the bestselling “Twilight” series by Stephenie Meyer. It implies only vampires will love you forever. As Biller was cleaning, she thought, there actually is a love that works forever and it’s not a dream and it’s not a vampire.
“Honestly, I enjoyed the (‘Twilight’) story,” she said. “I got into it. I felt that 10-year-olds shouldn’t be reading this. It led into this weird picture of love.”
Biller set out to write an analogy novel of unconditional love. She used the Bible and some of the analogies in it for her inspiration.
“My imagination went to dark places,” she said. “I shared it with my mentor, Ruth. I thought there was something wrong with me.”
At the time, Ruth was also mentoring Danielle Freitag, a young woman who had recently come out of the commercial sex industry. She had been working in a Twin Cities strip club and also was dealing with substance abuse. She eventually put herself in an out-patient treatment program, gave her life to the Lord and began working with Ruth.
Ruth connected the two women by inviting them to her house for supper. They were cooking together when Ruth asked Erin to share the storyline of her book with Danielle. After listening, she told Erin she had just told her life story.
“I was kind of blown away,” Biller said. “I was very naive. People are really experiencing these things.”
The two women clicked and Danielle opened up and shared her experiences. Biller wondered if it was a sign of the Lord encouraging her.
“I started researching exploitation and human trafficking,” she said. “There wasn’t a lot of information available at that time. Knowledge of human trafficking existing in the United States wasn’t as prevalent at that time. I spent all those years, rewriting, researching, rewriting as I learned how it actually functions. The sensationalistic pictures we sometimes get now — women in handcuffs with their mouths covered. According to The Center for Missing and Exploited children, actually only 3% of human trafficking cases for children are kidnapping cases. The rest of them are typically family or friends of family — people you know — especially if we are talking about child trafficking.”
Biller said it can happen when someone builds a relationship in a chat room, responds to social media or a modeling ad.
“That’s typically how someone ends up being exploited,” she said. “My character experiences that. She gets into a relationship that develops into exploitation.”
Biller said her book is geared for adults or young adults because of the content.
“It covers child abuse and the commercial sex industry,” she said. “It’s not super graphic. It’s a view into the sex industry, how this all takes place, suicide attempts. It covers a lot of heavy topics. It is a redemption story and hope is strung throughout it.”
MAKING IT HAPPEN
Biller credited her Hutchinson friend, Molly Daggett, for giving her the final push she needed to move forward with her book project.
“We have been friends for four years,” Biller said. “She became one of my best friends from our first conversation we ever had.”
Last fall after the birth of Biller’s fourth child, Kenna, Biller and Daggett spent an afternoon together.
“I asked her amid 2020, the year when we all gave up so much: ‘Erin, what are you dreaming for?’” Daggett said. “Her response was instantaneous — to publish her novel. She graciously let me read her draft and together her and I read it as a ‘book club’ discussing each chapter along the way with objectivity and curiosity. I knew immediately her story needed to be released into the world. Her storytelling and writing style is on-par with Francine Rivers (an American author of fiction with Christian themes). I was captivated and read for hours on end unable to put it down.”
“She was the final push,” Biller admitted. “I had read my book so many times. I had quite a few people look at it. I’ve had amazing feedback, but Molly was the final push.”
Biller had connected with a publisher and editor when she lived in Redding, California. When she was ready to move forward, she found her contacts had moved on to new challenges.
“I could make it happen on my own,” she said. “I did my research and reached out with questions — it all came together and I had help from many people.”
The book is available in paperback and in the EPub e-book format at Biller’s website: authorerinbiller.com. It is not available for Kindle.
Next up for the first-time author? She and her husband Ryan and children Rowan, Noble, Zion and Kenna are ready for their next adventure.
“This is what we did when we moved to Redding, (California),” she said. “It was exciting and fulfilling and we’re being led to do it again. We’re moving the end of October to the Fort Worth area in Texas.”
Looking back, Biller said she has made “some really amazing friends” during the four years she has lived in the Hutchinson/Glencoe area.
“They all have kids,” she said. “While our kids are on play dates, we talk. My friendships have been so meaningful.”
Is there another book in her future? We’ll just have to wait and see.
