Local author Heather Stover shares hopeful message in her memoir, The Change in Us
Heather Stover released her memoir, The Change in Us, in August of 2022. “It’s my journey from not knowing the Lord to becoming Christian,” she said. The memoir includes stories of events that happened in Stover’s life that allowed her to see the work that God was doing. The story follows her journey to finding the Lord through addiction and not knowing her purpose in life. Stover briefly mentioned suffering abuse as a child and growing up “lost.”
“My family didn’t know the Lord, didn’t go to church, didn’t read the Bible, had no foundation,” she said. Once Stover found the Lord in her adulthood, she was able to look back at these experiences and rise above them. The Change in Us shows how Stover was able to overcome these challenges and become stronger in her faith and understanding of life itself. She also mentioned that the process of writing a book was its own exciting journey as well as seeing the finished product in the Ontario Barnes & Noble. Her walk with faith allowed her to have these experiences.
Stover grew up in Shelby on West Park Dr. (the photo used on the cover of her book was taken there) and graduated from Shelby High School. She graduated in 2002 and her father passed away unexpectedly. “It just made me start to wonder. Okay, there’s gotta be more, he can’t just be gone,” she said. She had no understanding of Heaven or Hell, or really any kind of afterlife. Stover explained that losing her father began her wonder and search for more in life.
Stover mentioned that growing up on West Park Dr. allowed her to play with other children her age and make a lot of friends. She also said she had a positive experience during her time at Shelby City Schools. “I liked it better than home. The teachers were great, I was treated well, and I just really enjoyed the whole experience of high school,” Stover said. She was able to take a trip to New York City with the choir and played on the softball and tennis teams.
Stover now lives in Crestline with her husband Jayson and her two children, Savannah (15) and Noah (11). She met her husband after she graduated high school and she described him and his family as really helping to pull her out of a bad situation. The couple has been playing music together since 2003 and most recently have led worship for five years at Olive Tree Christian Fellowship. They have written worship songs together and are in the process of recording them. Within the next year, the songs will be available on Spotify under the name, The Stovers. Stover and her husband plan to visit 50 churches in 2023 in order to grow and learn more about the Lord.
The Change in Us has sold out at Barnes & Noble in Ontario four times since it has been released! However, it has been restocked and is available there now. You can also find Stover’s book online at Barnes & Noble, Target, Amazon, Christianbook. com, and Redemption Press. She said that the local support has been amazing and encouraging between Crestline, Shelby, and Mansfield. If you want to read more from Stover, including her monthly blog posts, visit her website: heatherstover.com. She also has a Facebook page and Instagram account.
Stover wants to spread a message of hope to those who read her memoir. She wants readers to know that it is possible to overcome challenges, especially with the help of the Lord. Stover’s story shows that it is possible to find your soulmate, develop a passion for playing music, write and record songs, have a healthy, happy family, write and publish a book, and experience healing.
Here’s the synopsis for The Change in Us:
“At twelve years old, Heather Petersen wanted to die.”
“Growing up amid arguments, addiction, and abuse, Heather spirals from despair into rebellion. By the seventh grade, she’s drinking, smoking, and doing drugs. As a teen, she settles into playing the victim and drowning in self-pity. Then she meets Jayson Stover.”
“Jayson dreams of making it as a musician. Drawn to his hopefulness, which had been entirely absent in her upbringing, Heather confesses that she loves to sing. And so they became a duo . . . in both music and love. But the too-familiar pattern of her childhood follows her into adulthood, easily enabled by the bars where they play their gigs. It takes a death in the family and a series of health scares for Heather to ask, ‘Where do people go when they die? Can there be something greater than this life on earth?’”
“In this candid and moving journey through abuse, addiction, sobriety, and redemption,heather Stover shares her very real story of meeting God in the darkest of places. Learning to trust Him, run to Him in prayer, and rest in Him for comfort, Heather finds the key to the healthy and lasting change He wants for all of us. Are you ready for God to work a change in you?”