“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.”
Romans 8:28
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Available Now
Small Talk for Smart People
Book One of Four

Small Talk for Smart People

Shawn M Risner

Communication · Anchored Thinking · Emotional Discipline

Most conversations don’t fail because of what’s said. They fail because of how — and when — it’s said.

This book introduces one powerful idea: backwards thinking leads to backwards talking — and it’s quietly damaging relationships every day. It’s about developing anchored thinking, emotional discipline, and situational awareness so your words align with the moment instead of fighting it.

Because better conversations don’t start with better words. They start with better thinking.

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Learning to Stand
Rise Five — Youth Fiction

Learning to Stand

Shia London R.

Faith · Resilience · Youth Fiction

A young girl was in a horrible accident, leaving her body frail and fragile. She’s hurt — angry even. She became bound to a wheelchair, weighted down by the unbelief of doctors and the pity of others.

She meets a boy who encourages her to try once more. The boy reminds her that not even the “smartest” of doctors have a final say. But a one true God does.

Written by Shia London R. at sixteen — published under Rise Five LLC.

From the pages of Learning to Stand
Opening Line
Nothing.

That’s what you feel when you feel as though the world has turned its back on you — when you feel as though everyone moves on much too fast while you still feel stuck inside of a time loop. When you spend years living in the same cycle — with nothing changing, developing, decreasing or increasing — you begin to feel nothing.

And Grace O’Neal experiences just that.

Learning to Stand by Shia London R.
Chapter III · Try Again

I don’t feel strong, she whispered I feel tired. All the time.
I pray, and I wait, and it’s like God’s just…
quiet. Like He forgot.

Elijah’s answer

“I ain’t saying it’s gonna be easy. Or quick.
Or that you won’t fall a hundred times.
But I do know the One who made you
didn’t bring you this far just to leave you sittin’.”

“Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.” — Habakkuk 2:3
Learning to Stand Chapter 3 — Try Again · Shia London R.
Chapter IX · A Whisper in the Dark

She just sat there in the dark, trembling,
her face buried in her hands, whispering —

“Thank You, Jesus.
Thank You, thank You…”
repeatedly

until the tears soaked through
the sleeves of her nightdress.

Learning to Stand Chapter 9 — A Whisper in the Dark · Shia London R.
Small Moments for Smart People
Companion to Small Talk for Smart People

Small Moments for Smart People

Shawn M Risner

Most relationships don’t fall apart during the big moments. They fall apart during the small conversations we thought didn’t matter. This companion helps you slow down, reflect, and begin showing up differently in the moments that matter most.

15 Chapter Reflections 2026–2028 Calendar 90-Day Challenge Fifteen Guns Inventory Monthly Scripture
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Book 01
Small Talk
Communication
Book 02
My Mirror
Awareness

This is not a series.
It is a sequence.

Each book is the prerequisite for the reader to receive the next one. The order is not chronological — it is the order a man can actually receive the story.

02
Coming Soon

My Mirror

A husband’s confession about how the woman he tried to correct was actually correcting him — not to control him, but to refine him.

Awareness · Reflection · Redemption
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