Changing Seasons by Sue A. Fairchild
Changing Seasons by Sue A. Fairchild
Don’t we all simply want to find God’s purpose for our lives?
I certainly did, for the longest time. In college, I studied graphic design and after schooling worked five years in that field. I’ve always been artistic and creating ads, church bulletins, and various other printing projects utilized my skills and let my creative side soar. But in 2001 when 9/11 occurred, I lost my job and couldn’t find another one. Design and the arts were the last thing people wanted to spend their money on.
When I did acquire a job, it was as a secretary in an insurance agency. It paid the bills, and I liked the people. Then they asked if I’d like to be an insurance agent. I didn’t, but they agreed to pay for the fees, so I did it and worked for the next fifteen years in that capacity. The job was far from creative, but it paid the bills.
I chose options for my career and life based on what I could do, how it would pay the bills, and to create a stable life. But those creative juices kept backing up inside, wanting to get out.
That’s how Nora Harper feels in my novel Changing Seasons. Nora senses something is missing in her life. She’s tried different things, but nothing seems to stick.
Nora was a secondary character in my book Changing Tides. She is a tourist in the Outer Banks who meets my protagonist Gabe. Readers are told Nora is also dealing with some traumatic issue, but I didn’t tell them what. In fact, I wasn’t sure myself until I began to contemplate what her story would entail.
As I considered this, I met a woman who was writing a small book for people caring for their loved ones who were suffering from dementia. She had worked for years as a caregiver and wanted to create something to help others with the difficult task. Although I have never experienced a loved one with dementia, her book opened my eyes to the true challenges brought on by this disease. I knew then this would be one of the roadblocks my character Nora would have to face.
Nora returns from the Outer Banks and is immediately thrust back into a scenario she would have never picked for herself—a father with dementia and a family business she has no desire to run. Her days of making carefree choices for her own benefit are gone. She begins to wonder, like we all do, what is God’s plan for me?
Along the way, I added in bits and pieces I had learned from my friend’s book about what it’s like to live with a person with dementia and how best to maneuver various situations. Readers have said my writing about this area feels genuine—a praise I will gladly accept as I sought to be true to the struggles caregivers face.
In 2014, I decided insurance was no longer for me, and I quit my office job to edit and write full-time. I know this is the purpose God has given me, and I’m glad to be living it today. Without God’s call on my life, I wouldn’t be able to help others in ways I never imagined I would with my artistic degree—editing novels, designing book covers, and teaching others how to do the same.
Back Cover Blurb:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven
Ecclesiastes 3:1
As Nora deals with her father’s dementia, the end of her long-time relationship, and the additional duties at their family’s funeral home business, she feels trapped. She had wanted so much more for her life than to be stuck in the same patterns of her father, grandfather, and now brother. She doesn’t want to be a funeral home director. She wants to take photos, to see the world, to live life … not deal with death every day.
As her father’s disease worsens, an unusual request sparks a new idea within Nora’s heart and mind. Is there a place for her passion and her responsibilities to work in harmony to create a new season in her life?
Purchase here.
Sue A. Fairchild is an editor, writer, and speaker. In 2024, Sue traditionally published two Christian Contemporary novels, one of which, Changing Tides, won honorable mention in the AWSA Golden Scrolls awards. When she is not writing her own books for God’s kingdom, Sue loves working with clients who are working toward the greater good of sharing God’s message in this world. Learn more about Sue on her website sueafairchild.wordpress.com or on Instagram @suefairchildedits or email her to talk about working together sueafairchild74@gmail.com.
