Dear Reader,

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference director. She is the cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministries and executive editor for ChristianDevotions.us. Cindy’s newest book, ‘The Eyes of River–An Appalachian Novel’ is the story of Lizzy Haney and the lengths she will go to protect her brother. You can find Cindy at www.cindysproles.com

Cindy is giving away three copies of ‘The Eyes of River.’ To enter the drawing, send an email to cindyksproles@gmail.com Please include your shipping address in case you’re a winner.

Welcome back to the book club, Cindy…

Never say never–

Things were different when I was a child. As a baby boomer, kids with imagination were called daydreamers, and if you had a difficult time learning, you simply had to figure it out. There was no such thing as special education.

By all due rights, I shouldn’t be able to write a novel. I have a comprehensive reading disability. I can read, but I’m a very slow reader. It takes extra time for words on the page to process. I read then backtrack to make sure I have the gist. But, like other kids who had learning disabilities, I found a way around the disability, and I found it in storytelling. When reading was difficult, I learned to tell a story. Some were funny, others sad, but when I couldn’t absorb a paragraph on the fly, telling a story was a great way to deflect.

Often, we experience hard things that we think we can never overcome. It’s easy for the “I can’ts” to take hold and convince us there is no way we can be successful at the one thing we might love the most. That’s when we must dig deep inside our souls and find the determination not to succumb.

Individuals such as Andrea Bocelli, diagnosed with congenital glaucoma just after birth, is one of today’s most prolific tenors, while Daniel Radcliffe has dyspraxia, a neurologic condition that affects motor and memory skills. Yet, he went on to become the famed Harry Potter and an award-winning actor in film and on Broadway. Dan Akyroyd, a Saturday Night Live alum, lives with Tourette’s Syndrome and Asperger’s Syndrome, yet he’s a famed director, actor, and screenwriter. The list could go on. The point is these individuals chose to never say never.

Finding their success was a little more difficult, yet they persevered until they found a way around their disability. The love of telling stories made me determined to write them and gave me the desire to encourage others. If a kid who had difficulty comprehending what she read can become a novelist, you can do what you dream. You may not have a physical disability that hinders you but a slow business like the publication industry might push you into thinking you can’t do the task or that your work is not good enough. I’m here to tell you perseverance pays off. The cliche, “You can do whatever you set your mind to,” is true. You simply have to decide to say, “never say never,” and then do it.

— Cindy K. Sproles

Cindy is giving away three copies of ‘The Eyes of River.’ To enter the drawing, send an email to cindyksproles@gmail.com Please include your shipping address in case you’re a winner.

Thanks for reading with me. It’s so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com