Stormie Omartian (/ˈmɑːrtiən/) is an American Christian author. She is married to Michael Omartian, with whom she recorded five musical albums before she launched her writing career.

Stormie Omartian
BornVirginia J. Sherk[1]
(1942-09-16) September 16, 1942 (age 81)
Scottsbluff, Nebraska, U.S.
OccupationAuthor, actress, singer
GenreChristian literature
Spouse
(m. 1973)
[2]
Children2[3]
Website
www.stormieomartian.com

Early career edit

Omartian aspired to be a singer and actress at a young age. While still in college at UCLA, she started work as a singer, dancer, and actress, appearing in several professional theatrical productions in the California area and later on The Dean Martin Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Mac Davis Show, and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, along with many other roles.[4] She worked as a backup singer for Glen Campbell, Neil Diamond, Ray Charles, The Imperials, and other well-known artists.[2] She also sang for a time in the Norman Luboff Choir and toured with The Sandpipers.[5] The duo Stormie & Sunny released a pop single in 1967 titled "All The Warm Is Gone" but it did not make the charts.[6][7]

Recordings edit

Omartian and her husband have written hundreds of songs, including the Christian musical Child of the Promise.[8][9] They have released several singles and albums containing familiar worship songs plus original music arranged and produced by Michael Omartian, and multiple audiobooks including The Prayer that Changes Everything.

Books edit

Stormie Omartian has sold more than 28 million copies of her series of Christian-oriented books worldwide. She has written over 50 books.

In May 2002, The Power of a Praying Wife broke a 21-year-old industry record by claiming the top spot on the Christian Booksellers Association bestsellers list for 27 consecutive months,[10] selling over eight million copies. The Power of a Praying Husband has sold over 1,500,000 copies. The Power of a Praying Parent has sold over two million copies, and The Power of a Praying Woman has sold over 1,600,000 copies.

Omartian.net edit

In July 2014, Omartian announced that she and her daughter-in-law Paige Omartian would be launching a new online community called Omartian.net (now defunct). This online community gave its members an opportunity to receive exclusive, members-only content from Stormie and Paige.

Personal life edit

Born in 1942 in Nebraska to Herbert Richard and Virginia Faith (Campbell) Sherk, Omartian was raised on a small farm in eastern Wyoming before moving with her family to Compton, California at age eight. She has a sister, Susan, 12 years younger.[11][12]

In the early 1960s she had a romantic relationship with comedian Steve Martin when they were both aspiring theater performers at Knotts Berry Farm. He credited her with introducing him to philosophy and other topics that "reconfigured his thinking".[13][14]

After a 1971 marriage to Michael Piano of the Sandpipers,[15] she married Michael Omartian in 1973. They are the parents of two children, Christopher (b. 1976, wife Paige Omartian) and Amanda (b. 1981), plus a "spiritually adopted" ward, John Kendrick (b. 1979).[16][17] The family has resided in the Nashville area since 1993.[2][3][18]

References edit

  1. ^ Nicknamed "Stormie" as a child. She later used Sherric professionally for television credits and song copyrights.
  2. ^ a b c "Michael and Stormie Omartian". FamilyLife. 2019.
  3. ^ a b Alberti, Fred (September 27, 2001). "Stormie Omartian Chat Transcripts". crosswalk.com.
  4. ^ Stafford, Tim (July 1, 2004). "Where Stormie Finds Her Power: Stormie Omartian is a bestselling author precisely because she doesn't have a picture-perfect life". Christianity Today.
  5. ^ Omartian, Stormie (2015). Out of Darkness: My Story of Finding True Light and Liberation. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers. pp. 80–84. ISBN 978-0736950572.
  6. ^ "Stormie & Sunny". www.45cat.com.
  7. ^ "Best Bets - Stormy & Sunny" (PDF). Cash Box. December 30, 1967.
  8. ^ Joyce, Mike (December 8, 2000). "Various Artists: 'Child of the Promise' (Sparrow)" (review), The Washington Post.
  9. ^ "Christian Stars Unite in Christmas Show", The Cincinnati Post, November 30, 2000.
  10. ^ "CBA Historical Timeline", Christian Booksellers Association website (accessed March 1, 2013),
  11. ^ Bandfield, Stacey (January 9, 2019). "Interview with Stormie Omartian Part 1 - The Power of Prayer". Hotze Health & Wellness Center Intl.
  12. ^ Hilliard, Juli Cragg (March 26, 2013). "Stormie and Paige Omartian: A Heart for Young Women". Publishers Weekly.
  13. ^ Martin, Steve (October 22, 2007). "In The Bird Cage". New Yorker Magazine.
  14. ^ Omartian, Stormie (1997). Stormie - A Story of Forgiveness and Healing. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers. p. 70. ISBN 978-0736933391.
  15. ^ Omartian, Stormie (2015). Out of Darkness: My Story of Finding True Light and Liberation. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers. p. 106. ISBN 978-0736950572.
  16. ^ Omartian, Stormie (2018). The Power of a Praying Parent. Eugene, OR: Harvest House. p. 5. ISBN 978-0736915984.
  17. ^ Omartian, Stormie (2018). Praying God's Will for Your Life. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. p. 178. ISBN 978-0785261148.
  18. ^ Bandfield, Stacey (January 10, 2019). "Interview with Stormie Omartian Part 2 - Greater Health God's Way". Hotze Health & Wellness Center Intl.

External links edit