Amber
Neben is a decorated international road cyclist with victories in 11 countries
and multiple UCI Category 1 stage race wins. She is a 2x Olympian, 2x World
Champion, 2x Pan American Champion and 2x National Champion. She holds a B.S.
from The University of Nebraska and an M.S. from UC Irvine. Amber and her
husband, Jason, reside in Lake Forest, CA. For information on speaking
engagements or coaching visit amberneben.com.
Twitter: @amberneben
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Santa
Ana, Orange, and Anaheim, California.
When did you begin writing?
I began writing
blogs about my cycling adventures back in 2006.
I wrote a few articles published on Velonews years ago, too. However, I didn’t start WRITING until last
summer, when I was inspired to write When
SHMACK Happens.
What is this book about?
At first glance, When SHMACK Happens is my story about
perseverance, overcoming adversity, and the journey of achieving (and not
quite) achieving big goals. However, the
bigger theme of the book is to encourage and share the tools the reader can use
in their own lives to overcome their own challenges. Adversity, or SHMACK, is universal to all of
us. It is not if but when. And although the type and the intensity is
unique, the tools we can use to overcome are the same. I’ve used my life as a context to relate
these in a tangible way… while also taking the reader on a ride where they will
laugh, cry, and cheer. I know my
challenges are really minimal compared to many, but this God I know wants to
act in everyone’s lives as much as He has in mine. I hope to point people back to Him – to His
love, His peace, and His strength. In
addition, hopefully I can open eyes and hearts to the idea that success comes
with lots of hard work and perseverance.
Achieving a goal is going to be hard.
Adversity, failure, and redirection are all part of the process. We need to remember that we are refined in
the fires of life and rarely does growth come without struggle or stress.
What inspired you to write it?
I wrote When SHMACK Happens
as I recovered from the Tour of California crash mentioned above. In the immediate aftermath, I had an amazing
peace and stillness about me. Although
my world had been rocked, and I was experiencing one of the most painful physical
challenges ever, I had a very clear mind.
I could hear God pounding on my heart to “write the story that I (the
Lord) have written into your life.”
After weeks of prayer, I realized that I needed to share how God had
gotten me through everything, how timeless His word really was, and how
incredible His peace and strength can be in the midst of our challenges.
How is it similar to other books in its genre? How is it different?
It’s an
autobiography that covers the highs and lows of life through the eyes of an
athlete. It’s a story about overcoming
adversity that will encourage and inspire.
It’s different
because I actually think it crosses genres and is something young and old, male
and female, athletes or not would enjoy reading.
My goal is for the
reader to see what God can do more than to see what I’ve done. I’ve tried to weave the scripture that has
carried me through life into the
story, so that it can be easily reapplied to their own lives. I’ve also paralleled each part of my journey
with a bible character to help show how timeless God’s word is while again
demonstrating another way to apply it. Finally,
I wanted to juxtapose the pursuit of becoming a champion in sport (which could
easily be a metaphor for whatever the reader’s individual pursuit in life is) with
what God was doing in me as He worked (and is still working) through my SHMACKS
to make me a spiritual champion. Of
course, it is a process that won’t be completed until I receive the crown of
life, but it is still possible to share and encourage by talking about what has
happened to date! I think the
combination of my experiences and the approach I took makes it very unique.
What is the most important thing readers can learn from your book?
If we can stand on
the ROCK (Jesus) in the midst of our storms, not only will we survive, but God
will be able to do great things in us and through us.
Where can readers purchase a copy?
It is
available on Amazon’s USA site or the Europe site.
Here is
the USA link: http://www.amazon.com/When-Shmack-Happens-Spiritual-Champion/dp/0991303008/
What is up next for you?
Right now, I am
healing from a sacrum fracture while praying about the next steps in my cycling
career.
I’m enjoying the
opportunities to speak and share my story as they come.
I’m coaching, and
I’m working on a new hand cycle vision for my nonprofit, The Dare To Be
Project.
Is there anything you would like to add?
Nobody
is too small, too weak, too young…or too anything in God’s hands. It’s not about us or our job titles, because
He will use us where we are. It’s about
what can happen when we make ourselves available and trust Him in the midst of
our SHMACKS. Christ’s power is always
perfected in our weakness, and He wants to do immeasurably more than all we ask
or imagine. The challenge is to
persevere and be patient while trying to take on the perspective that comes
from God’s viewpoint.
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