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Beginning in the Middle
Life starts and stops, and in between those starts and stops, we change. My change in the season of life I was entering began with the words of my daughter, who had come home from college. Her gaze met mine and she said, “Gee, Mom, you need a hobby. You’re too stressed.”
Indeed. I was in the process of leading the Human Resources team in merging three large corporations into one.
So, I thanked her but told her I didn’t have time. But as children do, she followed her gut and signed me up for an online creative writing class, taught by Dr. Eva Shaw. I had no intention of doing it, but found myself giving up much needed sleep and got up at 4:00 a.m. and took that class and it was to give my life so much more than I could ever have imagined. At some point, Dr. Shaw suggested that I start submitting my work. It was a fleeting thought because I didn’t have a clue how to do that.
Then, the unexpected death of my husband was followed by a call from Redbook Magazine. They told me that my story had won the Inspirational Story of the Year Award. I had no idea what they were talking about, but since I was playing the grief game of pretense, I acted like I did. When I got the emailed contract, I saw the title of the story was the first homework assignment I ever had in that class.
Although I don’t remember submitting the story, it was indeed my story and had been written almost a year before he died. It was about our home, our marriage, and the loss of my job, which happened not long before he died. The death of my husband changed me, and I began to write, not as a writer, but as someone who needed someone to hear me and let me be not okay. See how God works if we pay attention?
Linda B. Breeden, Author
Linda is a talented writer whose short stories have been featured in a varitety of publications, including Redbook, Birmingham Arts Journal, Guideposts, Focus on the Family, Southern Writers Magazine, A Widow's Might blog, and Chicken Soup for the Soul's books: Count Your Blessings, Raising Great Kids, and Attitude of Gratitude. Her work has touched the hearts of many readers and showcases her ability to craft engaging and meaningful stories.
My Novel Idea...
It was another Monday morning, and I was driving to work on 575 north of Atlanta in rush hour traffic. My commute was made more productive by first listening to the voice of Reverend Charles Stanley delivering his daily sermon, then switching over to National Public Radio who was interviewing a young man named Benjamin Anderson, CEO of Kearny County Hospital. His hospital is located in Lakin, a small rural town in Southwest Kansas. Its population is approximately 2000 people.
The topic was how difficult it is to attract and retain doctors to work in areas often referred to as a “healthcare desert." Mr. Anderson shared how he used a mission-minded job centered approach to attract and to retain them. I was fascinated, and by the time I got to my office, a book that I never had the intention of writing was outlined in my head. More information to come on this.
Ten years later, today I have not one, but three books outlined, with first drafts completed and ready for edits on two of them. The characters in these stories were inspired by real people who I met on subsequent trips I made there. Their amazing stories of how God moves people to the front of the line when He needs them to serve is the heart of each book in my Promise Series.
