By Alec Johnson

Photo: Tracy Line is the author of “Chasing God: Finding Faith from the Outside Looking In.” (Submitted photo)

A local author’s passion that started as a fun hobby after quitting her full time job to be a stay-at-home mom became a freelance writing career. This, in turn, has led her to publish her first book.

Tracy Line is set to have her book released July 1 by Carmel-based Hawthorne Publishing, who has published Indiana authors for the past 25 years. It is titled Chasing God: Finding Faith from the Outside Looking In.

The book is a spiritual memoir, but according to Line, it’s different from a typical spiritual memoir. She says she didn’t grow up going to church, but found herself looking for God at a young age. As a little kid, she watched televangelists on TV, for example, and was reading one of their books at age 11.

“This book is a compilation of my experiences. There’s a lot of touching moments, but there’s a lot of humor in it. I went to church camp when I was 15, and it was a bit more zealous than I was used to, and a lot of people were getting saved, and it was really awkward for me. There’s some humor in there, but there’s also a lot of seriousness about how to build a relationship with God in the book,” Line said.

Line wrote the book in the same style she used in writing freelance articles for magazines, newspapers, newsletters and her blog. She calls it a conversational style written with a combination of essays, and her 1st person perspective in the book.

“I feel like the reader goes through the experience with me. It’s the way that works the best for me. I can write an article in a business format or whatever you have to do, but that’s the way…when I’m writing from the heart, that’s the way I write, its conversational style,” Line said.

Another aspect of the book’s publishing is the role Line’s mother played. She had always been encouraging, Line says. Even though she passed away, Line believes her mom would be proud of her for writing the book.

“If there was anyone that was a cheerleader for me in my writing, it was definitely my mom. She always encouraged me to write,” Line said.

The author is in the process of planning book signings for July and beyond. One is already lined up for October 10, which will be held at the Fishers branch of the Hamilton County Library. People can also look at her website, tracyline.com, for a schedule of events and locations where the book will be sold.