An Interview with Susan Sleeman

 by Pat Trainum writing as Patricia Bradley

I first met Susan Sleeman a couple of years ago when I read Nipped in the Bud. Susan is a gifted writer who will keep you on the edge of your seat with her newest release from Love Inspired. But let her tell you about it...

I like to be in charge. There I’ve said it. I like being the boss. I like having things my way. I like to control things. Not a bad thing on the surface, but it’s the reason that underlies my desire to control that makes it bad.

I’m a lot like Kat Justice in Dead Wrong, my November release. Kat lost both her birth and adoptive parents to violence. She fears losing her four siblings, too. So, she thinks she has to keep an eye on them to make sure nothing bad happens to them. If someone comes into their lives that she fears will hurt her siblings, she warns that person off. In her own life, she tries to control every little thing to make sure nothing bad happens to her. And she feels as if she must worry about them as well.

I never lost family members like Kat, but I was bullied in school. So, I learned that if I could preempt the bullying by taking matters into my own hands, then I wouldn’t have to go through the pain. I transferred this to my life as an adult by thinking like Kat. If I could control things, then I wouldn’t have to experience any pain.

But you know what? No matter how hard you control things, pain is an inevitable part of life. One that the Bible tells us to expect. One that helps grow our faith and spiritual maturity. And if you are in charge, then you’re responsible for the outcome which sets up the perfect opportunity to worry.

Through the years, I have worried with the best of them over little things and big things. But when my husband lost his job, we had zero income and had spent all of our savings on my medical bills, I knew I could do nothing about it and worrying about it wouldn’t improve my life in any way. As the Bible says, worry certainly didn’t add an hour to my life. In fact, all worrying accomplishes is to tell God that we don’t trust His timing. We don’t trust Him to work things out in His way. Point blank, we don’t trust Him to know what’s best for us. He does of course and He doesn’t want us to step ahead of Him or worry about things that are out of our hands.

So what did I do? I stopped focusing on the problem and left it in God’s hands. Of course, He not only took care of the problem, but gave my husband the best job he’s ever had. A blessing far beyond income.

Have I given up worry for good? No, but every time I am tempted to worry, I remember that whenever I focus on anything, be it good, bad or indifferent, it will grow in my life and take over everything else. I made a commitment to myself that as soon as I realized I was worrying that I would turn the thing I was worrying about over to God and each time it came back up, I’d recommit it. It took time and lots of effort to let it go, but the ensuing peace was well worth the effort.

So when you have that feeling in the pit of your stomach, your hands start sweating, or maybe you just don’t feel peaceful, give it to God in prayer. Leave it with Him and wait with expectation for Him to solve your problem.

Have you been dealing with a problem lately? Leave a comment and tell how you handled it.

Dead Wrong –
A KILLER’S CLOSING IN…
When her client and old college friend is murdered, P.I. Kat Justice knows the killer will come for her next. Her survival depends on finding her unknown enemy first…and working with homicide detective Mitch Elliot, her onetime crush.
It’ll take all her professional skills to ignore the sparks between them, but Kat can’t allow the handsome cop to get close. She’s seen too many people she loves die, so she vows just to do her job without getting emotionally involved. Yet keeping her distance may not be the best way to protect her heart—or their lives.
For more info about and to read and except for Dead Wrong visit Susan’s website at about http://www.susansleeman.com/books/dead-wrong/

BIO -

SUSAN SLEEMAN is a best-selling author of inspirational romantic suspense and mystery novels. Her first romantic suspense title, High-Stakes Inheritance earned a spot on the ECPA bestseller list and her Garden Gate Mystery series, which features Nipped in the Bud, and Read Between the Tines has enjoyed time on Amazon bestseller lists as well. And The Christmas Witness was named a finalist in the 2011 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. In addition to writing, Susan hosts the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com.

She currently lives in Florida, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. Her husband is a church music director and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law, and an adorable grandson. To learn more about Susan stop by any of these locations on the web.

To learn more about Susan stop by any of these locations on the web.

Website           www.SusanSleeman.com

Facebook        www.Facebook.com/SusanSleeemanBooks

Twitter            www.Twitter.com/SusanSleeman

Review Site     www.TheSuspenseZone.com