Sharon Dunn's Blog

It is the question that is never answered. If God is good, why does he allow suffering and pain? In 1000 Gifts Ann Vosskamp begins to address that dilemma. Though it can never totally be answered. She talks about her son cutting his hand in a farm accident, but living and keeping the hand. That same week a neighboring farm boy dies and she recalls a brother in law who has watched two of his children die from a rare disease. Why are some people spared and others not? God seems so arbitrary in...

Currently reading Ann Voskamp’s 1000 gifts. This book could not have come at a better time in my life. I am learning to practice gratitude in all things. It’s easy to be grateful for a promotion, paychecks and a date on prom night, but Ann shows how to be grateful for the small beautiful gifts God gives us everyday. On her list of a thousand gifts, she has simple things like mail in the mailbox or the way light plays across a room. On my list beautiful things like the flutter of bird’s wings...

Currently reading Ann Voskamp’s 1000 gifts. This book could not have come at a better time in my life. I am learning to practice gratitude in all things. It easy to be grateful for promotion, paychecks and a date on prom night, but Ann shows how to be grateful for the small beautiful gifts God gives us everyday. On her list of a thousand gifts, she has simple things like mail in the mailbox. On my list beautiful things like the flutter of bird’s wings above me, a full moon, a meaningful conve...

It is not that I am without a brain. The physical brain is still inside my head. But when my hubby died something inside of me broke, snapped in two. I am usually a very capable, goal oriented person. No longer. I can’t focus. I make a plan and then move in a different direction entirely. Writing is hard. Forming a sentence is a challenge, let alone writing a whole book. I forget the way to familiar places when I am driving. In short, I have become a flaky space cadet. I actually prefer the w...

Beloved Michael
1955-2014
I miss you

Two very different Before and Afters have happened in my life. One is very positive and the other unbearably sad. First, the good before and after. After seven months of work, I finally lost 75 pounds. I exercised and watched what I ate, but to be honest some of the weight loss was due to the stress of watching my husband of 26 years fade before my eyes. Posting about the weight loss feels a little bit bittersweet. I wanted to take steps to insure that I woul...

I've been thinking a lot about what direction I want to go with my writing since my life has changed so dramatically due my husband's recent death. It has made me realize my own mortality and I have been asking God "What am I supposed to do with the gifts you gave me? How am I supposed to spend my time left her on Planet Earth?"

The answer that I came up with was that I need to write the book that changes the world or die trying. It sounds arrogant I know. But without some sort of vision for my life I could just be pushed around by life's circumstances like a ball in a pinball machine. I need some sort of vision and goal to clarify things for me. So what I'm saying is I don't know if I have the talent and the tenacity to write a book that changes the world, but it gives me a direction to go and that is what I need.

So in order to write a book that changes the world, you must first study the books that changed the world. Today, I am brainstorming a list of those books. Off the top of my head, here is what comes to mind. Right now I am thinking in terms of fiction. I may expand my study to look at non-fiction as well

Uncles Tom's Cabin
Les Miserables
1984
Brave New World

Why I would put these books on the list is the subject of
future blogs. I wonder dear reader, what books would you put on a list under the subtitle "Books that Changed the World"

Honestly when the scale got over 200 lbs. I stopped paying attention to my weight. It was too depressing. So after a month of exercise and minor diet changes, I can only estimate what my weight loss is–somewhere between 10 and 13 lbs. And I reached my first goal–being able to fit into my size 18 jeans. Yeah!!! Victory!!! At my age and after 3 kids finding jeans that fit is a challenge. I wasn’t going to toss those jeans for anything.

How did all of this start. Having a hubby with stage 4 cance...

Just found out that my November release from Love Inspired, Montana Standoff was a Romantic Times Top Pick. Yeah! This is a victory in more ways than one. I wrote that book while my husband was undergoing chemo. Part of it was written in cancer center waiting rooms. There was even one night when we had to go to the ER, not for an emergency but for a routine (if anything with cancer is routine) evening treatment. I propped my laptop up on the counter and just kept writing. With hubby not worki...

Most Recent picture of me with Bart

Since my newest book Guard Duty is about a K-9 unit, I am feeling the freedom to share more about my own buddy Bart. Definitely not K-9 unit material (way too jumpy) but really beautiful and very loving to every member of the family. I loved writing about the special bond between dog and owner in Guard Duty. Something I totally understand.

My new book Guard Duty is part of a larger Love Inspired Suspense series called the Texas K-9 Unit. Each book features a separate police officer and their canine partner and of course has a romance element to it. My book had the only female officer in the series. Valerie’s K-9 partner is aRottweiler named Lexi.

Though you can read any book separately and get a complete suspense and romance story, all the books are linked together by a big storyline which concerns a missing police dog and a cri...