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Author finds healing in Lake George after serious car accident

Posted: 7/8/2020

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Author finds healing in Lake George after serious car accident

The following is a guest post written by author Suzanne La Voie of New Jersey (pictured above), whose book "Knight Shift" takes place in Lake George. Ms. La Voie was a featured author at Caldwell Lake George Library when her novella debuted.

As an author and avid reader, I am more than familiar with the term plot twist. How many times have I said to myself, I didn’t see that coming. I utilized this process within my own solo novella, “Knight Shift” and often heard this comment as part of feedback received. While it is fun to design and distribute plot twists throughout a book story, it is quite another to face these unexpected twists in our daily lives.

Whoa, I didn’t see that coming.

I didn’t expect this.

What do I do now?

These are questions I have had to confront countless times throughout my nearly fifty years of life. Especially now. 2020 is not the year anyone, including myself, expected.

I reflected on the title of my book as I wrote this post, particularly the word shift. Change. New direction. Not always something I want to happen. Very often a shift involves loss of some kind. When this happens, I seek out that which I can always count on (i.e. my faith) and what brings me joy and solace.

I have been questioned numerous times as to why I selected Lake George and the Adirondack Region as the setting for my book series. (Yes, there are more to come.) For the very reasons I mentioned above: I can count on those mountains and the lake always welcoming me and my loved ones and bringing comfort and happiness. Ever since I was six years old, Lake George has been a constant in my life. Even during some of the most turbulent alterations in my life, Lake George was the place that I felt safe, full of vigor and freedom to be my true self.

Twenty years ago, I was involved in a serious car accident. I was hit by an SUV that ran a red light. I sustained multiple injuries, one being permanent nerve damage throughout several parts of my body. A year full of physical therapy and other treatments. Definitely not a plot twist I was expecting or would even want to have happen. And then the losses kept piling up like a house of cards until everything just blew apart. The final blow was when my primary doctor at the time had to provide me the news that due to the extent of injuries I suffered, there would be a significant likelihood that I would eventually end up in a wheelchair in my later years. I was 29 years old at the time, and this certainly was not the news I wanted or anticipated hearing. Depression set in and extreme wonder of what now?

caldwell library sign showing suzanne lavoie's name

Lake George provides healing

As the years went on, every time I would travel to Lake George I felt small changes within my physical health and a very strong resolve. Where we stayed at the time was right in the heart of the Village, so we often walked to our destinations instead of driving. I still struggled with pain, but I was determined to keep moving. I was grateful for every step I took and activity accomplished. I prayed for help and received it. Each passing year I was able to take on more activity. I parasailed, rode the water tubes and then went whitewater rafting with a dear friend just a couple of years ago. I also completed a moderate hike at one of the local farms. After being told I may not be able to walk without help. I do believe that Lake George and the Adirondacks played a big part in my healing. I still have some residuals that I deal with on a daily basis, but overall I beat the odds. I have so much more on my Adirondack bucket list to complete, including snowmobiling, riding a waverunner, and the Revolution Rail. I was besieged with another health plot twist in between all of this, but that led to my becoming an author and editor.

My mother and I have referred Lake George to countless people over time. We even wrote up our own itineraries for friends. They fell in love with it as much as we have. Using the area as the backdrop of my books is a tribute to what Lake George has done for me. It has saved me in more ways than I can describe.

I would not want to go through a lot of the plot twists that I endured again, but I believe that God brought huge blessings out of those shifts and losses. I am being called to Lake George in deeper ways, which will only enhance the books and my life as a whole. But that is for another post.

More about "Knight Shift"

What does it feel like when your life is suddenly turned upside down? What happens when a life event occurs that you were not expecting, and your personal and professional plans are thwarted?
Nothing makes sense.
The path you are now on is nothing like the one you were walking before, and there is nothing but the overwhelming darkness of uncertainty and fear.
Meet Sage Knight, whose life has become this new reality, and is now faced with a trail of anxiety and confusion. It is at those times when one is seeking answers, she or he must be open to new possibilities. For Sage, it is going to a calming spot near her home in the town of Lake George in the Adirondack Mountain region and praying for a fresh direction. When her
prayer is answered, she has no idea how her path will pave the way for another person in her journey to receive much-needed healing and a brand new perspective. Knight Shift is about the power of starting over, dealing with and overcoming adversity, and discovering new skills and abilities, sometimes even a career that was never considered before.
Come along on Sage's journey and immerse yourself in her story and the characters whom she comes in
contact with along the way.
The shifts in our lives can become our greatest blessings if we allow them to.

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Author finds healing in Lake George after serious car accident

Lake George provides healing

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