When Anticipation Turns To Shock by DL Larson

The last few days have been harrowing at my house. My daughter is nine months pregnant and we're all very excited to see and hold this new addition to our family. It's also stressful because her husband is working in Indiana which leaves her alone at night. As a mom, I worry. I worry for reasons only another mom will understand.

We have been focused on the future, looking forward to this special time when new life will be a part of our family. That's perhaps one of the reasons I was so shocked to receive the phone call from my niece. She wasn't asking about the upcoming baby, she had her own news to deliver. My sister had a massive heart attack!

The gears in my mind refused to turn. I couldn't grasp the severity of my niece's words. My sister is healthy! She's active and social, she eats right, exercises daily and has never smoked!

My sister will roll her eyes when she realizes I have compared her health problems with book writing. But great suspense has a way of leading us down one trail only to jerk us into another reality. The reality is my daughter is fine, my worry is frivolous compared to my concern over my sister. The shock of what happened has me thinking and pondering a different scenario. Good writing not only captures our attention, it also lures us in, only to shock us to our core. We love the unexpected. We thrive on surprise. Shock is a readers adrenalin fix. The suspense of what will happen next, drives us on, propels us to find out more.

In a perfect world, my sister will be fine with no complications and my daughter will deliver a beautiful healthy baby! Unlike my books, I can't write the ending to this suspense. But I can ask for guidance and ask that my prayers be heard. Have I mentioned, I like happy endings?

Or would that be new beginnings? I ask for that too.

Til next time ~

DL Larson