Changing Seasons by Sharee Stover

I love autumn. Everything about the season appeals to me, from the beautiful rich colors in the changing leaves and the crisp air to wearing fuzzy warm sweaters. And of course, pumpkin spice in abundance. There’s something so defining about the change from summer to autumn, a definite turning of the page so to speak.

But it never seems to last long enough. Before I’ve had a chance to enjoy the gorgeous morphing landscape, the leaves have fallen off the trees leaving bare branches for winter’s arrival. When October ends, I feel as though someone hit the fast-forward button. November and December just seem to whiz by. Or maybe it’s that I’m not prepared for the rush of the holidays.

IN A WORLD OF WHAT IFS? By Sharee Stover

A favorite book plotting tool I use is the “What If?” game. I ask myself the question throughout the course of a story’s development. Of course, in the beginning when I’m researching, I ask “what if?” in a general sense, for instance when I’m pondering a possible plot.

When I’m in a scene and want to up the ante, I ask, “What if?”

And when I’m doing edits I ask, “What if?”

Amazon Buy Link

The whole point of asking, “what if?” is to make our characters’ lives a little more miserable. I know that sounds incredibly cruel but, the bigger their challenges, the bigger their victories. Or failures. It’s okay to have both.

The risks and adventures in their journey give our characters life. The way they handle situations brings out their inner fears, beauty, and values.

And in the end, our characters grow and mature. At least we hope so, because an unchanged character is boring.

I can’t help but wonder if God allows the “what if?” periods of our lives for similar reasons. When we have life all figured out, we’re busy being busy. In those times when I feel most in control, I’m checking off things in my dayplanner, scheduling appointments, meetings, and events. I’m crossing off items on my To Do list and feeling like I have got this thing handled. And it’s those moments where I fall into the false sense of security that I’m in control of my life.

But throw in a “what if?”, mix it up, take away my planner, add in a pandemic … and “what if?” becomes an in-my-face reality.

In those uncertain times, the “what ifs” free us to ask questions, explore new ideas, and admit we don’t have a clue how to handle a situation. It’s where we throw up our hands in full surrender and admit we aren’t in control.

Like that’s news to God.

But friend, sometimes, it’s news to us because those “what if?” moments ground us in reality, setting us back where we should be. On our knees admitting to God that we are not in control and honestly, it’s all a little unnerving.

And it’s there in the quiet, in the place where I’ve cast my care that I find He is fully in control.

What if God loves me enough to take care of today?

What if God loves me enough to take care of tomorrow?

Does that mean I’ll live sheltered in a bubble fully protected from every bad thing? Of course not. In fact, this year has been one of the toughest I’ve faced and it’s not even summertime.

But it does mean I am not alone. And neither are you. No matter what is on the other side of “what if?”, God’s in control. And because I belong to Him, because you belong to Him, He’s got us. And if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).

Someone’s after a deadly weapon…

and only she can stop them.

It’s undercover ATF agent Randee Jareau’s job to make sure the government’s 3-D printed “ghost gun” doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. So when someone goes after scientist Ace Steele, she must protect him…before she loses the undetectable weapon and its creator. But with a mole inside Ace’s company and everyone a suspect, this assignment could become Randee’s last.

Colorado native Sharee Stover lives in Nebraska with her real-life-hero husband, three too-good-to-be-true children, and a ridiculously spoiled dog. A self-proclaimed word nerd, she loves the power of the written word to ignite, transform, and restore. She writes Christian romantic suspense combining heart-racing, nail-biting suspense and the delight of falling in love all in one. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime, and Nebraska Writer’s Guild. Sharee is a triple Daphne du Maurier finalist, winner of the 2017 Wisconsin Fabulous Five Silver Quill Award, and her debut, Secret Past, won Best First Book in the 2019 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards. When she isn’t writing, Sharee enjoys reading, crocheting and long walks with her obnoxiously lovable German Shepherd. Visit her at www.shareestover.com.

Social media and buy links:

Website: https://shareestover.com/

Email: authorshareestover@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shareestover

Newsletter:  http://eepurl.com/c99ej9

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorshareestover/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shareestover/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sharee-stover

Buy link for Untraceable Evidence: https://amzn.to/2SrYfhn

Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/author/shareestover

A Writer's Perseverance by Sharee Stover

Do you ever see words and cringe because you know there’s a lesson behind them? For instance, the word perseverance for me conjures images of slogging through quicksand while carrying an oversized backpack. Okay, that might be a tad dramatic, but you get the idea. Perseverance means you keep on, keeping on when it’s tough and you want to give up.

Writing takes a lot of perseverance. On those days when I’m staring at my computer screen, desperate for some semblance of brilliant words to flow through my fingers and nothing happens. When all I can hear is the clock ticking away precious quiet moments before my household is crazy with everyday life. When my calendar is so full I wonder how I’ll ever get anything done, and the introvert in me wants to hide under the bed. When the demands on my time and schedule are more than I can bear. Those days demand perseverance and, if possible, having a cheerleader doesn’t hurt either. My cheering section is packaged in my 100-pound German Shepherd, Niko.

Can dogs be life coaches? Therapists? I’m not sure, but Niko is quite brilliant in his non-speaking sort of way. He communicates great messages without saying a word. Either that, or my overactive imagination finds ways to fill in the blanks. Regardless, Niko’s given me important lessons in perseverance, usually on our daily walks.

Niko keeps me walking. Every. Single. Day. He doesn’t mind if it’s 10 below zero outside, or if the wind is blowing 50 miles per hour. He doesn’t care if it’s snowing, raining, or any combination of the two. He loves his walks. So, we have a daily tromping through the neighborhood to an area where he can run off-leash and play fetch. It’s his favorite game, and even if I don’t have ball or stick for him to chase after, he’ll find his own and carry it around. 

The problem is, Niko has no concept of taking on too big a challenge. He doesn’t mind if the stick he’s trying to play fetch with is as big or bigger than him.

He doesn’t understand that I can’t possibly throw that enormous thing. He sees the stick and thinks “time to play”.

Writing is like that. Some days it’s a huge undertaking that seems impossible. Against the voices of critics, bad reviews, rejections from publishers, agents, or editors, we writers must keep on keeping on. Maybe we don’t notice how big the stick is because we’re determined to get to the other side, plunging forward, even when it seems impossible.

Perseverance is something we either have or need to refine as writers. Like Niko, we’re determined to reach the goal and obtain the prize. Sometimes that means trudging through the snow, aiming for things that seem beyond our reach, and hoping past our current reality. But when we get through…when we get that prize—it’s so worth it, and we’ve become stronger just by not giving up.

Do you have that cheering section that encourages you to keep on keeping on when it comes to your writing?

~~~~~~

Colorado native Sharee Stover lives in Nebraska with her real-life-hero husband, three too-good-to-be-true children, and two ridiculously spoiled dogs. A self-proclaimed word nerd, she loves the power of the written word to ignite, transform, and restore. She writes Christian romantic suspense combining heart-racing, nail-biting suspense and the delight of falling in love all in one. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America and Nebraska Writer’s Guild. Sharee is a two-time Daphne du Maurier finalist and the winner of the 2017 Wisconsin Fabulous Five Silver Quill Award. When she isn’t writing, Sharee enjoys reading, crocheting and long walks with her obnoxiously lovable German Shepherd. Visit her at www.shareestover.com.