Brookhaven native Sheila Williams is so excited she can barely stand it.

She just recently received the first physical copy of her very first novel, and said she can’t wait to share it with as many people as possible.

A life-long fan of mysteries and scary stories, Williams has poured love and effort into “Black Flames of Fire” for more than 25 years. She’s proud to have the work completed, but also proud of what it represents for her.

“In 1996, I had a problem with drugs,” she said. “This is what God gave to me to help me.”

When she had the idea for the book, she knew just how it would start and just how it would end. All that remained was to fill in the middle.

“I wrote the beginning and end in 1996, and I’ve been working on it for years,” Williams said. “It’s not as easy as it seems. It takes lots of concentration and lots of revising.”

But the concentration required was what helped her focus on a purpose for her life, rather than an escape. God used it, she said, to move her where she needed to be.

“It was time for peace, to have something to focus on,” said Williams. “It took time but I finally did it.”

Now that the book of science fiction, mystery and horror is completed, she is eager to have it read by others. The story involves “rebellious Katie Reed, a once high entity” who has settled in the fictional town of Brooksville, Mississippi. While Reed is visiting an injured friend, she gets pulled into a violent exchange with an unknown power or being. The repeated discovery of mutilated bodies sends Reed and two other citizens “on a chilling path to a conclusive, yet unbelievable truth.”

“I wrote it so everyone else can see what I see in the story, what you see in your mind,” Williams said. “I want people to read it and enjoy it, and I hope it affects them as it did me while I was writing it.”

“Black Flames of Fire” is available as an e-book on Amazon Kindle for $9.99 and will soon be available in paperback for $25.

She’s already almost finished with her second book, one focused more on God. It focuses on providing answers for questions she had about the Bible and the Creator. Until it comes out, she wants people to dive into her first fiction offering.

“I just want people to get it and read it,” Williams said. “I’m leaving it in God’s hands and thanking Him.”