Merita Atherly Engen weaves true stories with a novel (as in creative) twist. These real experiences focus on discovering one’s authentic personhood and subsequent freedom through the power and grace of God. Breaking silence enforced by shame and trauma is a recurring theme.

From the time she began talking, she told stories to her dolls and siblings. At the age of ten, she eagerly took a class in story-telling, and in her teen years, she collected her favorite stories in a folder. As an adult, she began to write among the mountains and streams of western North Carolina. Currently, she finds quiet writing time in historical northern Virginia, where the nearby mountains of Appalachia and the beauty of nature continue to provide inspiration.

While she holds an Associate Degree in Fine Arts, she admits to gaining most of her education by practicing the fine art of living her story. This storyline includes everything from giving birth to holding the dying, nurturing relationships to breaking them, living near penniless, and living in plenty.

Her collection of meditations, Garden Surrender, is available through this website. Her blog, Penpoints of Light — Stories that Shine on an Awesome God, provides an opportunity to combine her passion for the truth of God’s heart toward the abused with her passion for writing. She delights in finding how God’s way of love can work in every situation, in every personality, and through every culture.

Her first full-length book, Heartache of Promise – A Prison of Silence Unlocked , is based on her own journey of gaining freedom from the culture of silence that kept her heart bound. It will be available for purchase in the Fall of 2024. This volume is the first in the series, Sisters of Silence.

She and her pilot husband enjoy their children and grandchildren. She stays physically active by hiking, biking, snow skiing, and working the land.