Shannon Redmon's Blog, page 2

God the Dream Giver

When I started this writing journey, four years ago, I really had no idea where it would lead, but I definitely thought I would get there faster.

God had other plans …

He knew my heart needed work. Still does. But His plans have been a steady, constant grace encouraging me to continue on this writing journey with Him. Even through the frustrating waiting and all the rejections, there is no other way I’d rather tell you my good news!

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Shannon signing her first book contract!

God is a dream giver. After four novels, a couple of awards, several published articles and short stories, God has allowed my book, Cave of Secrets, to be signed by Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense! I signed the contract and will get to see the story God gave me on the shelf in Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and Target in October 2020!

He is so good.

I’ll be releasing my cover in the next few months as the time draws closer. Also, if you haven’t signed up to follow me on Social Media or on my newsletter, now is the time! Once my cover is revealed, I’ll be hosting some cool giveaways and posting writing tips for those who also have a dream of becoming a published author.

For those of you who have a similar dream, I want to encourage you as others did me … don’t give up. Keep following the call God has placed in your heart and …

Keep writing from your soul!

Love,

Shannon

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5 Tips to Simplify Holiday Stress

Is there anything better than this time of year? Pumpkin pie, Christmas lights and the ever-present stress of finding the right gift for everyone on our lists are enough to drive this girl crazy.

Well, I’m all about simplifying the holiday madness and I hope these tips help you too.

Church Fellowship Halls – Tired of traveling around, dragging the kids and dogs from place to place on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. If so, then reserve a local fellowship hall. My family has done this for the past three Thanksgivings and it has worked out splendidly for all. We invite all of our family on both sides and they are welcome to invite their family members also. The only rule: bring a couple of things to eat.

Potluck Dishes or Catering- If you’re tired of cooking for large crowds then have everyone bring a dish to your holiday meal. We always end up with way too much food to eat and everyone leaving satisfied. Perhaps your brood isn’t the cooking type and you’re afraid you’ll end up with nothing but ramen noodles to eat, then supply a catered meal. If you have a generous family, then they shouldn’t mind chipping in to cover the cost in lieu of cooking.

Smaller Christmas Trees – As much as I love a large, live Christmas tree, my wiser age has taught me that vacuuming up pine needles and sacrificing valuable space in my smaller living room is just not worth it in this household. Instead, we decorate two smaller, straighter trees that can be stored away in our back room with the decorations still intact. The week of Thanksgiving, I walked to my back room, picked up my two trees and carried them, already decorated, to their designated spots. Then I added touches around the room with figurines, bells, and quilted stockings. All was completed in about an hour and then I could sit back, admire the lights while sipping hot tea from my Christmas mug … stress-free.

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Online Shopping – I’ve never been one to enjoy endless walking into multitudes of stores to find the right present for someone. I’m more of a “let’s do lunch” girl than a “let’s go shopping” girl. Therefore, on Black Friday, I spend the day in my pajamas with a good cup of coffee and order all my gifts online. I’ve found this allows me to really think about and purchase unique gifts that suit everyone better than settling for some bargain bin gift just to have something to wrap. Plus, I can usually find really good deals and the presents come with a box ready for wrapping.

Give back – Many people need others to help them have a good Christmas and when we help others our stress levels decrease. I’ve never regretted helping someone provide a meal or gifts for their family when they may not have the means to do so themselves. If fact, the joy that comes with giving to others is the best stress-free gift of all. The joy that comes with giving to others is the best stress-free gift of all. Click To Tweet

I hope these tips will help us reduce the stress in our holiday season and provide more time to do what we truly love … spending time with the ones we love during the most wonderful time of the year.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and God’s blessings to all!

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Summer Time Fun

Hi all,

Our summer is about to come to an end with work starting back up next week. I hope you’ve had some lovely vacation time with your family and friends and found some relaxation and peace for your lazy, hazy days.

Here are some of the things we’ve done:

Finish off your playtime of summer well and here are a few writing tips to help you get back into the swing of completing those novels!

1) Set aside time every day to write. Sometimes finding those minutes to get words on the page is difficult, but even five hundred words a day adds up to 90,000 words in six months. That’s a complete novel finished in six months. Several authors publish one book a year. At five hundred words a day that’s two books in the same amount of time!

2) Incorporate friends. I have a writing squad of amazing, talented writers, some published, some not. We meet up three times a week via web conferencing chat about our works in progress then conduct fifteen-minute sprints to get as many possible words as we can in that timeframe. We spend about an hour to an hour and a half getting our words on the page. So helpful in getting writing completed.

3) Pray for God to bless your efforts. As an inspirational author, I always want my stories to build up hope and peace in my reader’s lives. Therefore, I ask the creator of hope and peace to bless my work. Often times, I’m amazed at the lessons in life I learn as God teaches me through my own stories. I hope one day, they will be a blessing in print for my reader’s too.

For now … Step Into Story Click To Tweet

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