The Lessons of 2017

2017 was a great and bad year for me.  For one. I learned I had an incredible strength and it certified that my family and I are blessed.

  I experienced a lot of loss this year.  Losing my mother In November is one of the hardest things I will probably endure, at least I pray it is.  I could not have imagined my life without my mother. My mom dying is the one thing that could have broken me.  But God brought my siblings and me through. He's still carrying us, and for that I'm grateful.

  

In February, I also lost my dear mother-in-law who was one of the sweetest people I knew.  These two women were the matriarchs of our families and held everyone together.  We didn't think we were prepared to live without them, but they in their infinite wisdom knew we could.  They trained their children to continue and to carry on their legacies.  In late February,  a young uninsured woman hit my car, totaling it.  I was hurt, but I experienced stiffness months later.  I received almost all we had paid for it.  My car had not depreciated as much as others. The blessing, I walked away in good health. Thank you, Jesus!

A couple of months before mom died, I suffered an attack of shingles.  Thankfully, the doctors caught it early to treat it before it damaged me.  I also lost several relatives to illness this year.  But this is what I know.  I'm strong with God. With Him in my life, I can handle anything. Though I will never understand why He took her, I know He doesn't make mistakes.  I miss her terribly and will never get over her, but I can move forward knowing I was with her every step of her illness holding her hand and comforting her. 

Through it all, I learned that I have to stop and smell the roses and enjoy life.  I was working so hard and trying to be superwoman.  How much darn money did I need to make?  I had to understand that I had spent my younger days working hard, and now I can sit back and enjoy.  Don't work yourself to the grave.  People are suffering heart attacks overworking and overextending themselves.  Relax more!

Enjoy the simple things in life.  Material things can be taken away.  It is real friendships and family members that hold you down. I was blessed to have several cousins and some great friends who have helped to carry me this year.

Make sure the people who matter the most know you appreciate their love and care.  Sometimes we get so busy; we forget to thank those people who have looked after our well being.  Stop and tell them how important they are to you and how much you appreciate them.  My husband, Cedric, my daughter, and my siblings, nieces, and nephew were here for me and my mom. I'm so grateful to have them in my life.  I have told them this many times.

Finally, make entirely sure you are doing what you love, and you are working with people who support you.  The company I'm affiliated with has an executive officer who held me up this year. I was able to exceed my goals because she understood what I was going through and assure that I could work without stress.  Doing what I loved sustained me.  In that same breath, my husband handled Prioritybooks.  Thanks to everyone for all your support.

This year could have been a horrible year, but for me, I was tested, have a testimony and know that when trouble comes, with God you can survive anything. Be blessed, and I look forward to 2018 and building an even stronger relationship with God.

Q &A with Shana Burton, Author of #Flawbulous

1. Tell us all about you, the author.

 In addition to being an author, I'm a Christian, educator, mother, friend, sister, and occasionally someone's girlfriend. I'm an author because that's the only thing I know how to be. I have no other employable skills aside from writing and teaching, and I don't particularly enjoy teaching. 

2. How long have you been writing and what has the experience been like for you? 

I've been writing for as long as I've been able to hold a pencil! The writing experience has been easy. Writing comes naturally to me, like breathing. It's the selling, promotion, and business side to publishing that's a challenge. If I could just write and hit "send" on my laptop and let the book sell itself, I'd be a happy camper!

3. We like to show support to those who motivate, support, and push us. Please identify any of the people who have helped you on your journey to become a writer. 

So many people to thank for that! My mom, of course, for supporting me in everything I do. My fellow writer chicks Crystal, Traci, and Latravius keep me honest with the writing craft and aren't afraid to tell me when I've written something that sucks. I'm also cool with a lot of authors who keep me motivated and inspired to keep writing.

4. What is your writing process like and how did you come up with your style of writing?

Generally, a guy I'm dating, a co-worker, or a friend does something unfathomable or pisses me off and then I go write a book about it. That's honestly my process! I wish it was more contrived and detailed so I could dazzle you with my ingenuity. Unfortunately, that's pretty much it.

5. Do you write full time or part time? 

I'm always writing, so it's full time in that sense, but I still work so it's part-time from a financial prospective. 

6. How do you come up with the titles for your books? What about the character names? 

I get inspiration for titles from everywhere-- song lyrics, cliches, scriptures. I had to be a little more creative with the Flaws series since the titles had to have the word "flaw" in them somewhere. 

The English teacher in me likes to use symbolism with my characters' names. The names always reveal something about them. "Vashti Hunter" was on the prowl for a man. "Sullivan Webb" is always tangled in her web of lies. "Kina Battle" is always in some sort of fight, be it external or internal. If I base a character around someone I know, I try to use a derivative of that person's name. 

7. What motivates you to write? 

Not liking my day job is a big motivating factor. Plus, once the characters in my head start talking, there's no stopping them until I write. At that point, it's either write or go crazy. I also get great fulfillment in telling stories that make people think, laugh, and feel or just escape whatever is going on in their lives for a few pages.

8. How does writing affect every other area of your life?

It definitely affects my friendships and relationships. My friends are scared to tell me things now and preference statements with, "Now, Shana, don't put this in one of your books!" Guys are often very fearful of ending up characterized in a book, which is good because it makes them act right. Aside from that, it doesn't affect too much. I'm still very much the same person I was before the books. The only difference is that you can Google me now!

9. Tell us about your book(s) in as many words as you'd like. 

My books are about how ordinary people deal with extraordinary circumstances. I like to take those things that people swear they'd never do-- be it cheat on a spouse, betray a best friend, compromise principles for money-- and put my characters in those circumstances. You rarely find "good" characters in my books. They have layers, they're complicated, and they're messy, just like all of us. The reality is that we're all one bad decision away from self-destruction and are saved by grace. That's the message in all of my books. 

About the Book

 

Has there ever been a time when you did the one thing you swore you’d never do?

For fabulously flawed friends Lawson, Sullivan, Kina, Angel, and Reginell, that time is now! When Lawson is pushed against the wall, she fights back by betraying those closest to her. A split decision changes Sullivan’s fate and family dynamics forever. Kina is searching for love again but finds it in all the wrong places. Happiness is finally within Angel’s reach, but another woman may cause it to slip through her fingers once again. Reginell has made her share of mistakes in the past, but she never thought trusting her sister would be one of them until now.

All of the lies, drama, love, fights, and prayers have led to this moment. Join the ladies for one last ride in this critically-acclaimed book series!

About the Author

Shana Burton is the bestselling author of Suddenly Single, First Comes Love, Catt Chasin’, Flaws and All, Flaw Less, Flawfully Wedded Wives, and a memoir, Note to Self: The Diary of a Divorcee. The two-time Georgia Author of the Year nominee is also an educator and resides in Georgia.

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