We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lori Schur a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lori, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

Writing a novel was never on my “to do” list. However, over lunch with a friend, we were discussing our life experiences raising children under unexpected circumstances. The idea to write a novel was born out of this conversation.

What Happened to Normal? is about a mom named Jessie. Her world implodes when her eight-year-old son is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This life-threatening, incurable illness sends Jessie reeling into a “new normal” that feels anything but normal. This sudden halt to life as she knew it leaves Jessie questioning everything she once believed in, from her faith to her friendships. Determined to raise her son to be strong and independent in the face of adversity, Jessie refuses to back down from the challenges forced upon her. Along the way she discovers an inner strength and resolve she didn’t know she possessed.

My son was diagnosed at a young age with type 1 diabetes (T1D). After his diagnosis, our family became involved with Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) and over the years I have fundraised, advocated, and mentored newly diagnosed families. Thinking back on all my experiences and the challenges faced by those raising a child with T1D, I felt I have a lot of knowledge and experience to share. This is not my story. This is a collective story of families faced with these challenges. My goal was to raise awareness about T1D and offer hope and inspiration to others who are facing a “new normal” While it was an emotional process, I challenged myself to tell a story that would not only raise awareness about type 1 diabetes, but would be relatable to anyone experiencing a sudden, life-altering change to their known normal.

Lori, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Prior to writing What Happened to Normal? I had a unique career path. I started out working for a non-profit in client services and fundraising. After gaining that experience, I moved to the corporate world, working for a wealth management firm in their training and development department, where I organized the logistics for manage training programs. My career path took a turn when I moved to South Carolina and accepted a position with an ECHL Hockey team, where I quickly moved into the VP of Sales & Marketing position. When my son was born, I took a break from work and focused on volunteering for Project HOPE Foundation. After my son was diagnosed with T1D, I put all my effort into volunteering with Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF), and eventually opened my own Event Planning business. When I decided to write this novel, I stepped away from my event planning business to focus on this new endeavor.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal writing What Happened to Normal? was to raise awareness about type 1 diabetes and the impact a devastating diagnosis has on every aspect of your life, especially as a parent raising a child with a chronic, life-threatening disease. One of the biggest challenges was to tell the story in a way that is relatable to anyone facing an unexpected, life-altering situation. In reading this story, you can substitute any major life-changing event and still relate to the characters and their emotions. Nothing makes me happier than to hear from a reader sharing their life experience and how they related to this story. I’m especially touched by other T1D parents who reach out to thank me for telling “their” story and validating their experiences.

Have you ever had to pivot?

One of the themes of What Happened to Normal? is how we handle major life-changing situations and learn to adapt to a “new normal.” Along my career path, I have had many times where I had to pivot to adjust to changing circumstances. I was three years into my event planning business when Covid happened. I quickly had to pivot and find ways to keep my business relevant and vibrant in the face of a national shutdown. One of the ways I did that was to offer “virtual” party planning. I would help people organize their virtual bridal showers, birthday celebrations and worked with a few non-profits to organize virtual galas in place of their in-person events. Life will always present challenges and being flexible and willing to adjust to the situation at hand instead of trying to fight it will make life much easier and much more pleasant.

In my personal life, I had to adjust to a “new normal” when my son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Life as we knew it was forever changed, and we quickly had to adjust to those changes and learn how to care for him. My advice to anyone experiencing a sudden change to your life is to seek out people who are in a similar situation. Talking to others, sharing experiences will. help to normalize your current situation and offer you support as you adjust to these changes. I am forever grateful to the T1D community for their support and the opportunity to learn from others experiencing a similar situation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amazon.com/author/aschurnovel
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aschurnovel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/schurthingevents
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-schur-200689153/