Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 14

At Her Fingertips, Blog Tour & Launch, Day 1 – Introduction

Hello everyone! Believe it or not … At Her Fingertips will be live on Amazon this Saturday, and you will be able to purchase it or borrow it on Kindle Unlimited … which is beyond exciting.

It’s so weird to think that I’ve finally done it. I finished my rewrites. The book will finally be out in its final form.

Given the fact that I had already published a version several years ago that I, at the time, thought was the final version, this moment is bittersweet. In some ways, it means the old version is dead forever. (It’s certainly no longer canon!)

Today I’m here to announce the first day of the blog tour – and the Instagram tag – and the GIVEAWAY which is now open for entries! (EEEK!) The giveaway is super fun so I especially hope you’ll check that out. It features a cool little notebook which I’ll talk about later in addition to the 3 books in the series!

As you can see on the schedule below, we’ll be having a fun little post every day … so let’s get ready for the AHF blog tour!

ABOUT THE BOOK

She’s willing to do anything to follow her plan.

Debutante Alice Knight is ready for her first social season in London. She’s determined to impress society and her mother with an affluent match, at last escaping her past and embracing a future of her own making.

Peter Strauss, an American reporter visiting England, isn’t exactly what Alice had in mind. However, his friendship proves invaluable as Alice faces the challenges of her debut. Almost immediately, she attracts the attention of a well-born gentleman—perfect save for the simple fact that he’s not a Christian.

The life she longs for is finally at her fingertips, but between her own heart and the convictions of her faith, she isn’t sure she ought to grasp it.

 

Buy on Amazon | Add on Goodreads

SCHEDULE

Wednesday, July 14th

Introduction Post // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Review // Hannah E.M. @ Precious Book Stacks

Thursday, July 15th

Introducing Alice // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Interview with Gibson Ashfield // SawyerMarie @ SundropGirls

Review // Kristina Hall, Author

Friday, July 16th

Introducing … Love Interests!? // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Interview with Ivy Knight // Grace A. Johnson @ Gabbing with Grace

Review // Jenavieve Rose @ Living Outside the Lines

Saturday, July 17th

Launch Day // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Review // Loretta Marchize @ Just Writing

Interview // Vanessa Hall

Sunday, July 18th

Themes // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Interview with Alice Knight // Katja L. @ Little Blossoms for Jesus

Monday, July 19th

Siblings // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Guest Post // Andrea Cox @ Writing To Inspire

Review // Tara Savanna @ Tower in the Plains

Interview with Nettie Jameson // Ryana Lynn @ Life of Heritage Corner

Tuesday, July 20th

Mothers // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Character Spotlight with Peter Strauss // Abigail Kay Harris @ Read Review Rejoice

Wednesday, July 21st

Wrapup Post // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Review // Michaela Bush @ Tangled Up in Writing

Saturday, July 24th

Giveaway Wrapup // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

GIVEAWAY!

For the blog tour, I’m giving away this special prize bundle!

Enter Now!

#ATHERFINGERTIPSBOOKISHTAG

To celebrate this relaunch, I’m hosting an Instagram tag!

RulesFollow the tags to enter the giveawayTo make sure your entries get counted, tag @kellynrothauthor!If possible, use the tag #AtHerFingertipsBookishTag

Participants will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card and an ebook copy of At Her Fingertips.

Post Ideas:

3rd — Sweetest Couples

Books that contain sweet (romantic) couples or thoughts about what makes a sweet couple.

10th — Platonic Love

Books that contain awesome platonic relationships or thoughts about platonic love.

17th — Launch Day

A post about At Her Fingertips launching (could work as a freebie day).

24th — Emotional Reads

Books that made you cry or thoughts about emotional reads.

TTFN

~Kell~

P.S.

Are you as excited for the launch as I am? I can’t wait to share this book with the rest of the world!

I Got Engaged (& other random updates!)

Hey folks! I haven’t written a post in a while because … I’ve gotten engaged, and I’m getting married in August (yeah, that’s not a typo) – so plainly I don’t have a lot of time on my hands.

Add to that the launch of At Her Fingertips this July, training someone to take over at my old job, and a plethora of random responsibilities … “coping” is not the word I would use. I am currently alive.

But aliveness is enough! So let’s do a quick breakdown of the last several months, introduce my fiancé Matthew, and then do some random updates.

(Random story: so we tried to do engagement photos … and failed … so I ended up with like 200 bad pictures of us, which was all mostly my fault … anyways, apparently we’ve got one of Mathew just covering up the ring for unknown reasons! And a lot of these photos are bad engagement photo pictures, so yup. If you’re wondering what the heck is going on, that’s what the heck is going on.)

So first of all … no, I wasn’t dating Matthew until March. Yes, we are getting married in August. No, I’m not entering an arranged marriage, experiencing a shotgun-wedding-type situation, or running away from home*. Yes, we are a little insane.

*I’ve had two separate people ask me if I have a bad home situation I’m escaping from, and I keep having to be like, “No, I’m actually the third most horrible person in my family – and they haven’t run away from me yet.” In reality, my parents are great, and save for my beliefs about independence (namely, everyone needs to work toward being independent), I wouldn’t have any problems staying here for a bit longer. Now, my siblings are all monsters, but then so I am.

All that out of the way, I’ve known Matthew for a long time (our families went to church together, and I was close with one of his sisters), but we only really started noticing each other and talking last year. Mostly about politics.

And … yeah. We decided to go for a hike, ended up having a lot (and I mean a lot) of serious talks in a hurry. And by the time we’d been dating a couple months, it didn’t really make sense to wait. So we just went ahead and got engaged.

And everyone asks, “What’s your story?” and that’s all I have to tell them. I try to warn them like, “It’s not much of a story!” but they literally do not listen. *sigh* Oh well. Y’all are getting to hear that lame story now, too.

And now we gotta talk about the future, too. So we’re getting hitched in August, and that’s crazy. I’m quite busy and stressed and all that fun stuff … even with a tiny wedding (I’m going to post more about this soon, but WEDDINGS ARE AWFUL! Anyone who has had a wedding, been to a wedding, or thought about weddings is evil – we’re all evil – and I’m dead).

But we must get through the wedding to get to the part I actually care about, which is the marriage. Marriage is something I am very much looking forward to. So all this absolute painful, torturous nonsense which was probably created by Satan I mean there were no weddings before the fall technically is for a reason, at least!

Also, about Matthew because I figure that’s something y’all would like to know. He’s an intelligent, kind, Christian guy who enjoys politics (yes, I know), cats (too much), and reading nonfiction (I … I …?). Also, he tells lots of really horrible jokes all. the. time, and I find it hilarious, but James (my lil’ bro) is really done with him.

His name is Matthew, just like my uncle and brother-in-law, and similar to my Matthias, so that’s been … fun. Honestly, more amusing than anything.

Also, we see eye to eye on the nuttiness of our modern life. Which was really important to me. In the long game, we want to move to Montana, or somewhere similar, because Oregon is an utterly unbearable trash state where I could never raise children. I mean, everywhere is unbearable, but Montana is currently slightly nicer.

I don’t think I’ve ever talked to anyone who really aligned with my beliefs, goals, and intents as much as Matthew. Even Bailey (my teenagerish example for relatability) doesn’t get there.

He pays attention … and more than that, he actually listens to what I have to say and takes my word for it. I’m always having people refuse to listen when I tell them how I think or feel about something – and it’s absolutely maddening. But thankfully, Matthew doesn’t do that to me (and I hope I don’t do that to him, either!).

So yeah, he’s a good guy, and a mature one, and a smart one (which I already mentioned, but there’s nothing so irritating as stupidity, y’all … I can say that because I’m stupid myself).

And … I don’t know what else to share about Matthew! I’d be happy to answer questions, etc., but I’m really excited for this, to say the least! And that’s why I haven’t really been “blogging” at all lately.

However, I’d like to post more! I definitely have a lot of ideas … just not so much the time to post them. After August, I’ll hopefully have a lot more time on my hands (I’ll also be working a lot less if at all at that point!), so I’m also looking forward to that.

As for other updates …

Unrelated Updates

Novels and twinkle lights!

At Her Fingertips is releasing July 17th!

The street team is put together, but I’m currently assembling a reviewer team and recruiting folks for the blog tour.

If you’re interested, get in contact with me! I’d love to have you along for the ride.

This book has become such a heart project for me. Originally, during the rewrite, I was sort of done with it … but then I found its soul.

And … wow. Even during the edits, I discovered more things about it (maybe because I was starting a relationship of my own at the time, and I was just in the mood to pull more from it than I’d expected).

Simply put, I’ve had way too much fun with the themes, gotten emotional at more than one place while writing, and certainly learned a lot about crafting a good story.

I’m so glad I did this rewrite because it let me dig into every angle of Alice’s romance, from the historical era to her emotions to her choice of a husband … and I even got to dig deeper into what makes a strong romantic relationship!

I can’t wait to share this story with you in July, and I just pray I’ll be able to put as much into this launch as possible and really give back to each and every one of you for your support over the years!

Unrelated Projects

I continue to clip away at my Regency romance novels and explore my virtual assistant business! Which is fun. I’m also hoping to give a speech on understanding genre at the Young Writer’s Workshop online conference … so that’ll be … nerve-wracking fun.

Anyways, I’ve got to go now, but thanks for reading! I’ll be back as soon as I can manage with more controversial posts that get people all riled up! And some bookish talk. And some random talk. And a lot of narcissism.

See you then!

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

Soooooo how’s everyone been for like three months? I guess I really did fall off the face of the earth. Isn’t Matthew a handsome lil’ nerd? (I say lil’, but he’s like seven feet taller than me … but then, so is everyone? #shortieproblems But he’s 6′ to my 5’2″ which means our children will be playing a game called Russian Height Roulette.)

ALSO, would you rather hear me go into a hilarious very serious rant about weddings or should I be talking about … I don’t know … how much I hate “dog moms”? I don’t know. I’ve had a bunch of random ideas lately. I want to attack the whole bookish community, but I figure I’d better ease back into the insanity.

ALSO, I’M FORMATTING AT HER FINGERTIPS NOW, AND IT’S CRAZY!!!

I don’t pray for my future husband

Hey folks! Good morning! How’s everyone doing?

I’ve had this post in my drafts for forever, and I figure my days of being able to publish it are coming to an end—so why not now? Let’s just do it.

This is something I thought through as a teenager and have stuck to since:

When I’m single, I do not pray for my future husband.

I don’t pray that he’s all right. I don’t pray that he’s following Christ. I don’t pray that he is working his way toward me, that he is growing as a person, that he is doing all I want my future husband to be doing before I meet him …

I try, as best I can, to not even think about my “future husband.”

Why? Because, y’all, he might not exist! He just might not! And I refuse to pray for someone who doesn’t exist, someone imaginary.

I will pray for men in my life, whether or not I view them as a potential future husband.

When I’m dating, I pray fervently for my boyfriend (or even a male friend who might become a boyfriend), both for the potential relationship and for them as a person.

I pray that I will be godly in whatever relationships are brought to me.

I will often pray for the future outcome I want—even though I know, whatever happens, it is God’s will for my life.

But for my future husband, as a specific individual, when I don’t know anyone who might fit that roll? No. I do not pray for that person, and I never will.

Now that I’ve laid out my basic premise, let me go into detail about why I think it’s a bad idea to pray for a future “Someone” as a young lady.

1: It breeds unrealistic expectations.

We’re fallible human beings, and no matter how noble your intentions, some of that lack of reality is going to seep into your prayers – and therefore your thoughts, both aware and unaware.

When we pray for someone, they become a part of our world in a deep way. Bringing that fantasy of a perfect man waiting for you somewhere is not a healthy thing to do!

You’re essentially creating an imaginary “future husband” in your head and putting a legitimate effort into his “upkeep” (spiritually). That’s kind of messed up, don’t you think?

2: It cuts out the potential for singleness in your heart.

Praying for your future husband is like saying, “I don’t believe I could possibly be single.” And the truth is that someone people ARE going to go through life unmarried, whether they like it or not.

Look. I’m a big fan of marriage. I’d very much like to be married myself. However, that doesn’t mean it WILL happen. God is guiding my life in a perfect plan created by Him before the foundation of the earth …

And nowhere in that plan are we owed anything.

God loves us. He knows what’s best for us. But you DO NOT. You do not know what’s best for you.

There’s absolutely no harm in praying for something we want – that’s a big part of our relationship with God! – but praying as if that wish has already been granted and we expect nothing less?

I don’t know the hearts of everyone who prays like this, but personally … it feels presumptuous. We can presume upon God’s love and grace for us, but not upon WHAT that looks like in our lives.

3: It dishonors your ACTUAL (if such exists) future husband.

Essentially, God-approved infidelity? Yay?

*sigh* Look, y’all. I know a thing about creating fantasies and then watching them crumble. I do this even without this whole “pray for your future husband thing.”

You may feel like this is a bit of a big leap, but I don’t.

The fact is that your prayers themselves are not wasted. God is hearing them regardless, and He is taking care of you (and a potential future husband, should such exist) and building a relationship with you because of those prayers.

However … as you pray, I’ll repeat it again: you are human. And prayers are a kind of thought that really seep into our being.

Though it’s probably possible to avoid it, these prayers are going to breed expectations and thoughts about your future husband, and you are going to assign an imaginary existence to him, and you are going to feel a bond to that imaginary existence.

I don’t think this is universal, but I’ve seen how easily it can happen. And, compared to your imagination, how can any real man match up?

But is it ever okay to pray for …?

Well, all this said, I think there are prayers, many prayers, for single women who long for a relationship. However, they are not, “Lord, keep my future husband safe for me and make sure he’s all I want.”

The correct prayers would vary per the individual, but they’d be more like, “Lord, if it is Your will, send a man of Your choosing into my life.” “Help ME be all he NEEDS.” “Give me the strength and wisdom to follow Your guidance in whatever relationships You send my way.” “Keep my thoughts and prayers pure while I wait for Your next step.”

These are all excellent prayers, and there are many like them.

But praying specifically for your “future husband” daily is just going to lead to the issues I outlined above.

It’s really none of my business how you pray, however. That’s 100% between you and God, and He isn’t, from what I’ve heard, too picky.

If you’re continually seeking God on a daily basis, regardless of what you’re seeking Him on, that relationship work is going to go somewhere. He will work on your heart.

However, personally, I do not think it’s helpful to pray for an imaginary future husband.

And, as I noted before, if you’re not coming to God first whenever you DO get in a real relationship with an actual man, that’s a problem, too. Pray for your boyfriends, your boy (space) friends, and all the other men in your life!

Find out what their prayer requests are and actually pray for what THEY need prayer for. Keep the focus off YOU and on the MAN and GOD HIMSELF! So don’t pray, “Please let this guy check off every requirement on my list.” “Please let us start a perfect relationship.” “Please let him be the one.”

Instead, pray, “Lord, help me be a godly influence in his life. Please help him in the areas he needs; please help him grow toward you. Help me be selfless and loving to him, as a friend and then, if it is Your will, as a romantic interest. And help him, because I know he probably has the same doubts and fears I do.”

And so on.

Basically, focus of YOU and YOUR needs — focus on God and the man’s needs.

And I say this as someone who is guilty of the same problems. Oftentimes, when I first meet someone, my prayers are pretty selfish. “Don’t let me find anything horrible out about him.” “Just make it work together, God.” “Isn’t this taking a lot longer than I planned, Lord?” “Why aren’t You telling me what I need right now?!”

Yet that’s not the attitude we should be approaching relationships with. Any kind of relationship, but the romantic ones especially.

Marriage is not about someone fulfilling your needs, giving you hope, fitting a guy like a puzzle piece into the spot of your life that you’ve already prepared for him.

It’s about giving God control of the timing for this relationship that should be lifelong. It’s about selflessly serving—and, of course, finding someone who’s prepared to selflessly serve you in return.

And … there’s a lot more to marriage, of course. But we’ve gotten rather off topic.

In conclusion, I just want to say, you do you …

But as for me, I see no benefits of praying for a potentially nonexistent man—and, in fact, risking creating an imaginary human who does what you want and exists only if your fantasies.

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

What kind of praying do y’all do (or have done) for a future relationship? I’m curious to hear your perspectives on this topic!

Join the Launch Team, See the World! {At Her Fingertips Betas/Street Team} {Also, Life Updates}

I didn’t get a post out when it happened (I feel like I’ve been being repeatedly smacked with a baseball bat this month, and I’m not doing everything I should be as a result!), but the cover reveal for At Her Fingertips has come and gone!

Here are some random pretties:

So the book is coming very soon! And I’m so excited about that. This July, I’ll have book 3 out! Again! Can you believe it?

That means launch team signups are now open (as well as beta-reader signups!) here

But I had a scattering of people here ask me how I’m doing, etc., since some of my posts can be so negative (I’m whiny; I know; I’m working on it!). So I’m going to go ahead and do a random “Kell” update before I start talking about the launch team (which is frankly a bit complicated this time around).

A Random Life Update

I have been doing what is classically referred to as “hanging in there.” And yet at the same time, I’m like 100% better than I’ve ever been before in my life.

I feel like literally nothing is going my way. And I hate that! But on the other hand, that void has left me with no choice but to fill it, and in some ways, I’m doing a lot better.

I’ve written over 85,000 words in my prayer journal this year alone (more on that later!). I’ve read the Bible almost every day since the year began. I’ve been meeting regularly with a friend to pray – and I’m getting so I’m attending more and more Bible studies and other such groups which I used to hate (and sometimes still do hate, but I’m still going!). I’ve joined email lists and groups, followed pages and profiles, subscribed to a thousand little reminders and daily devotionals and just … all the things.

Basically, I’m trying to fill the huge void I constantly feel with other things. I don’t have friendships or fun activities or anything new and shiny to distract me. I don’t have a sense of happiness about anything. And that’s forcing me to decide where I’m going to put my time.

I’m also exercising more, eating a bit (okay, not much, but I occasionally try), and in general keeping better tabs on my body. I’ve cut out a lot of fast food (not intentionally, but all the same, it’s happened), too! Which we all thought would never happen. (Not to say I’m dieting, though, because my weight is fine. I’m just trying to maintain a little better now.)

My hormones have been WACK too, but I’m not yet to the place where I’m willing to care. Maybe after the next tragedy. (Yes, that is literally my whole attitude toward periods. Like, “I’m not willing to put any effort into making you better yet. So we’re just going to be fine until you literally almost kill me. Mmkay?)

Anywho, all this to say, my life isn’t horrible. It’s just blah. Compared to 2018 or 2019 or even 2020 (at points, anyways – 2020 was actually a pretty decent year for me even though it wasn’t externally…? I don’t know why I’m always fine when I should be not fine and not fine when I should be fine but that’s … my life), I’m doing a ton better.

I just am feeling literally everything now. There’s no part of me that’s numb or hidden or unreal. There’s no part of me that’s lying to any other part of me. And that is the most horrible thing in the world – don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. But it’s also the best thing in the world.

So those two cancel each other out, and now I’m nothing. But that’s okay because God sure is Something, isn’t He?

Okay, that’s your update!! So now we’ll get to what this post originally promised . . .

LAUNCH TEAM SIGNUPS

THAT’S RIGHT! I am now opening the launch team signups for At Her Fingertips.

And I don’t mean just “those who are willing to share about the book when it launches” or “those who want to join the blog tour.”

I also mean beta-readers.

I also mean people who want to help me follow an Instagram tag in July. 

I also mean prayer warriors and encouragers.

Basically, I’m combining all my launch team events into one big group. The sign-up form explains it a little better than I do, but here’s some questions answered.

How are you organizing the group?

I’ll be using a private, safe community called Slack which allows us to have discussion boards on different topics.

I’ll add all the launch team members (except those who ask me not to in the form) to this Slack, and it’s optional participation. This means you can log on if you want – or not.

However, I would love to have as many people as possible join this Slack community! It’s supported on most browsers and also available in app form. This way, I can have more casual day-to-day conversations with people.

It’ll especially be a cool way for beta-readers, reviewers, and other early readers to chat about the book without worrying about spoiling it for the rest of the world.

And, if you’re like me and forget commitments easily, it’ll be a great form of accountability!

I’m also planning on doing some private lives and such so we can talk about the books and life and maybe, if we have a lot of writers in the group, do some sprints and other challenges. Anyways, fun times all around!

Do I have to commit to being on your launch team until July?

I know, I know. Maybe you don’t know what your July* will look like. Maybe you think it’ll be free, but you’re not sure.

Here’s the thing. I know this is a while out. So, I’m giving you full permission to sign up now and drop out later if it just doesn’t work for your schedule. (Let me know, though, if you can!)

*if you’re primarily interested in beta-reading, this whole discussion doesn’t apply to you. Beta-reading, as noted in the form, will be in March and April.

What if I think I’m busy now – but later am not?

*squints* You worded that question weirdly. But I think I get your drift.

If right now your July looks busy, but you wake up in June and realize you have nothing going on, just send me an email. I’ll let you join!

However, for the purposes of general organization, I’ll be closing up the form by the end of March.

If I join the beta-reader team, do I have to stick around until July?

No, not at all! You’re welcome to, of course, but beta-reading only lasts through the end of April. You’ll be officially off the launch team as soon as you finish up and tell me what you think.

For beta-readers, I’ll be having a simple form to fill out which will allow you to submit feedback quickly and easily, too. It’s going to be super fun!

So what does the responsibility entail, exactly?

You decide!

It’s entirely flexible. You can just post once during the launch, you can just beta-read, you can just review the book (at your own pace, even) … if you like, you can just pray!

However, whatever you want to do, this is the form to fill out to get the party started. (All the necessary details should be in that form, but let me know if I missed something.)

Remember, the Slack is entirely optional, but it’s a great communication tool for all the little things. And a good way to have a team feel while retaining privacy and not limiting ourselves to one social media channel!

If that sounds good, well, I would love to have you! Beta-readers will be in March and April while most of the launch events will be taking place in July and early August (including the blog tour).

How to join?Sign Up Now!

I’m really excited about this new way of organizing my launch team! I’m thinking it’ll lead to a lot of really awesome interactions – as well as make the process a lot less stressful for moi.

TTFN!

~Kell~

p.s.

Well … can you join the launch team? Also, it’s been a while, so update me on your life! And tell me – do you ever feel empty? Because like it’s a regular thing for me. And there are different ways to fill that emptiness … some better than others.

Charlotte Lucas was RIGHT!

“Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.”

Charlotte Lucas makes this dour prediction to Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of Pride & Prejudice.

We laugh. It’s not true, after all. We all know that there are many, many things that you can do to guarantee happiness in a marriage. Like talking over all the things that you believe in. Or hanging out with them a lot to make sure you don’t hate the way he picks his nose (and eats it).

Some of the more mature among us may add that happiness in a marriage is not that important—faithfulness, something within our control, is.

But even those mature ones, who know that happiness is not the primary consideration, think that Charlotte Lucas is saying something that is either dated or downright untrue.

Now, I could just nod along and let this slide. I mean, it’s one line in a classic novel that isn’t even my favorite of Austen’s. However, my obsession with Keira Knightley and my never-ending desire to say things that will annoy people won’t allow me to do that.

I have to break it apart, y’all. I have to.

So let’s get into it.

First, yeah, it is a bit dated to say that.

Now, I’m going to go ahead and say what we’re all thinking: CHARLOTTE, NO ONE COULD BE HAPPY WITH COLLINS SO CHANCE SCHANCE!

But otherwise? With a man a bit less on-the-nose and satirized than Collins? The way people became engaged and married back in the day meant that Charlotte was correct.

A lot of the time, couples never had a moment alone until they were married. (Can you imagine your honeymoon being the first time you were alone with your husband? Ew.)

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Furthermore, because of propriety and Regency-era social distancing (by the way, that ^^ is the only acceptable 2020 meme), there was next to no chance that couples of this era would have seen the real “behind the mask” (if you’ll pardon the joke) man or woman until after they were married. If the mask ever dropped.

So I think it’s safe to safe that Charlotte Lucas was 100% correct in her era, excepting perhaps in the situations laid out in Jane Austen’s novel. (I mean, once a guy saves your sister from ruin and has a real big estate, you pretty much know what he’s like.)

But now we don’t “social distance.” (*chokes at my own joke*) Now we go on dates and get to know each other before we commit to a relationship, which means there’s no such thing as getting engaged to someone you barely know or …

Is there?

Everyone is giving me a weird look, but here’s the thing.

In Christian culture, we’ve got a problem. We’ve created a culture where, nine times out of ten, Charlotte Lucas is right.

(#mood)

We’ve made Charlotte Lucas right because we’ve created a purity culture that makes sex the one and only benefit of marriage and encourages couples to commit to deeper level of commitment before they’ve had any time alone.

So I’m going to tackle those thoughts one at a time.

First:

Sex is not the only benefit of marriage!

I’ve seen, of late, this attitude amongst single people — and with the big push for purity in the Christian culture in general — that being married is basically “friends with benefits.”

When you’re married, you get to have sex. So basically, you find someone of the opposite sex who is your best friend, and marry them, and that’s it. It’s a friendship relationship with sex getting added in.

The reason Christians believe this is because secular culture is starting to, too. *gasp* Gone is that secret mystic spark (which I also don’t really care for, but at least it was a bit special). Now the difference between a friendship and a romantic relationship is physical attraction.

But here’s the thing. We find lots of people physically attractive. I mean, I’m attracted to Chris Evans, but I wouldn’t marry him. (He is at least twice my age. At least.) (And also unattainable.)

And we need strong relationships other than romantic ones (which is significantly rarer by design than a friendship). I love this push in today’s culture, specifically among my generation, for friendships and sibling and parent relationships to be deeper, better written, more discussed.

But we can’t lower down the marital relationship to just “friends with benefits” because we want to spend more time focusing on other relationships. That cheapens marriage. (You should never make one thing less to make another more if both are equally worthy. I’m looking at you, Feminist Movement.)

Marriage is not the only relationship God compares to His relationship with Christians (He’s also our father, remember? And we are called to give up our lives for our friends as well as our spouses), but … it is the only relationship God refers to as “becoming one.”

There’s more to marriage than just “yay now we can finally have sex.”

Okay, fine. But how do these tie into Charlotte Lucas?

Because when we say that the only difference between friendship and romance is sexual attraction, we say, “You just have to be good friends and then be sexually attracted to each other to have a happy marriage.”

However, you can be friends with someone for years, and until that relationship crosses into romantic, you’re not going to know how they act as a husband or wife.

This means, for those that dive into marriage without a period of romantic adjustment (e.g. dating or whatever you want to call it – it’s all dating), happiness in marriage is a matter of chance. It might work out. Or it might not. (This depends on a point I’ll discuss below, and not on your compatibility, but still. Chance.)

I personally believe, based on my observations and personal experience, it’s not gonna take more than a couple months to know if the relationship side is going to work, but still, no hopping right in!

Any (non-abusive) marriage can work — because God wouldn’t have asked us to stay, to try, if this weren’t true — but it is possible to start out with a firmer foundation from a worldly perspective as well as a spiritual perspective.

Some people just aren’t naturally compatible, and it’s true, and there’s nothing wrong with you if you aren’t madly in love with a Christian man or woman who “seems perfect.” It may be a sign that, though you could technically “make it work,” you might want to find someone with whom there’s actually a honeymoon stage.

Both men and women behave differently with someone they’re considering marrying than someone they just see as a friend. We can’t help it — it’s just the way we are. We make different claims on them, prioritize them in a different way, and so on. When that difference doesn’t show up, well, there’s a problem.

There should be something special there; something that would cause you to go, “Yeah, I’d be fine if we ceased to function independently of each other.”

I suppose what I’m saying is …

Despite being the utter unromantic I am (and I AM an unromantic – I always will believe love is not the end-all), well, I believe falling in love is a thing we can’t entirely rule out. No reason to base your life around it – but, if there’s no reason for you to not be in love with someone (e.g. they’re a single Christian who you are dedicated to starting a godly relationship with), why not?

To clarify, I’m not saying being in love is the end-all. If I ever say that, or say it’s a higher form of love, or say literally anything like that, shoot me. Repeatedly. Until I am dead. I have lost my Kellness, and I might as well die anyways.

But to quote C.S. Lewis:

“Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling.

Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all. Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last but feelings come and go. And in fact, whatever people say, the state called ‘being in love’ usually does not last. If the old fairy-tale ending ‘They lived happily ever after’ is taken to mean ‘They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married,’ then it says what probably never was nor ever would be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were.

Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years? What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, your friendships? But, of course, ceasing to be ‘in love’ need not mean ceasing to love. Love in this second sense — love as distinct from ‘being in love’ — is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God.

They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself. They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be ‘in love’ with someone else. ‘Being in love’ first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. it is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it.”

But C.S. Lewis also remarks:

Basically, despite my natural dislike of the nonsense that is emotion … I do approve of falling in love, in a way. If it’s that (^^) kind, I absolutely approve.

But back on track:

Personal perspective on the whole Charlotte Lucas issue?

I was in an on-paper perfect relationship, and it didn’t work for me. But there was no way I could’ve known until we dated.

In fact, I didn’t even know from talking to him about marriage and the future and all that — we believed the same, verbally, on every front. It took legitimate one-on-one time with him to realize it wouldn’t work.

I would’ve betted anything that it’d work out between us, and in hindsight … I think I would still make that bet. I needed to be his girlfriend before I would’ve decided not to be with him.

If I hadn’t dated him, and we’d been able to move forward a little quicker (thank goodness for college), happiness in my marriage might’ve been a matter of chance. Because I thought I could make it work … because he was a good friend.

Honestly, though, before you go thinking I believe in some magical Disney spark (*coughs* I still don’t):

Just about the only way we can assure we’ll be happy is:

To find someone who’s willing to fight for their marriage by including God in every facet.

Because, if you pay attention and actually develop a relationship with God, you’ll find that He is totally on the side of married couples, and He wants to help them.

But this isn’t about happiness of the same sort Charlotte Lucas was referring to, exactly. This is the only kind of happiness that is real — it’s actually not happiness so much as contentedness or joy — but it’s not what Charlotte meant, now, is it? Because we can and should control this kind of happiness. We can choose it; therefore, it cannot be a matter of chance.

When it comes to the “making at least the beginning of the marriage easier” happiness? Well, that can be a matter of chance — if you are a Regency woman.

Or if, like me, you try to act like one.

So was Charlotte right?

Yes, she was. And no, she wasn’t. It all depends on your definitions — and how you chose your husband or wife.

I don’t know that I have a takeaway for y’all this time. I just wanted you to be thinking because … I honestly do believe I, as a fairly modern Christian in terms of dating (e.g. I don’t believe in courtship) almost fell into this trap (or I would have if I could have, rather).

And I think, no matter what our conclusions are, we should make sure we’re not hopping into relationships, that we’re taking life seriously … but that we’re acknowledging that not everything is doom, gloom, and potential sin.

Therefore, I shall decline to give you a solid conclusion but I will ask … what are your thoughts? Is happiness in a marriage a matter of chance – and does that therefore give us a better opening to exercise God’s grace?

TTFN!

~Kell~

Becoming Miss Knight needs help to launch!

Hello readers!

As you know, Becoming Miss Knight is coming soon! However, for this launch, I didn’t have quite as much time to prep as I’d like (life got crazy).

For this reason, I’m running a bit behind schedule and won’t have a normal blog tour, etc.

However, I decided I’d still do all the blog tour things – interview, character interview, reviews, guest posts, and so on. I’m just doing them over the course over several months!

Basically, you fill out the launch team form below and decide upon your own post dates – whenever is convenient for you.

The novella is launching on the 23rd, but any time before or after that within the next few months is fine.

Interested?

Check out the Form!

The other thing I wanted to mention is that I’ll have at least two giveaways on my Instagram over the next couple weeks. Be sure to check those out!

TTFN!

~Kell~

Becoming Miss Knight {Cover Reveal}

IT’S TIME FOR THE COVER REVEAL!

Thanks to Carpe Librum Book Design, I now have a beautiful (perfect) cover for my novella, Becoming Miss Knight, and today I get to share it with you!

(Note: this has largely been copied from my email list! Please consider subscribing to my list to get information earlier!)

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Just scroll down a bit more …

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Isn’t it gorgeous? The pinks absolutely did me in. (I don’t know if any of y’all follow my Instagram, but … you’ve seen my room.)

This novella features both Alice and Ivy, so I begged my poor, tortured book cover designer to help me figure out something to showcase them both (and their personalities) in a meaningful way.

Because my designer is such a pro, I barely had to do more than tell her what it was about for her to create this beauty (no revisions needed!).

I love how she managed to feature the exact scenery I’d imagined when I thought of Pearlbelle Park’s entry into the gardens—combined with a face-forward Alice in her pastel “this is what is proper” gown and a from-the-back Ivy in a less “debutante-ish” outfit.

Suffice to say, though I didn’t know what I wanted when I commissioned the cover, she somehow gave me exactly what I did want, and I was thrilled.

Preorder Launch

With the cover reveal, I must also share the preorder link!

PREORDER NOW

Becoming Miss Knight is now available for preorder on Amazon! Since it’s only a novella, I decided to set the preorder at $0.99 (although the list price after the preorder will be slightly higher).

If you’re interested in reading this novella, consider buying a copy now! It’ll release on the 23rd, so you won’t have long to wait — and those little $0.99 preorders will go a long way toward boosting my numbers.

But regardless, I hope you enjoyed the pretty cover (!!) and the little insight into how it came to be. (Which was, surprisingly, effortless! Sometimes working with a cover designer can mean tons of tweaks—however, I think we’ve figured out a good rhythm. I really do have the best designer ever!)

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

Soooo … do you like it? Also, how’s your day going? What types of posts would you like to see on this blog? (I have two awesome ones coming up!)

15 Amateur Mistakes Indie Authors Regularly Make

Hello folks! Over the course of 2019 and 2020, I posted a number of posts to Reveries Co.’s website. Since that website is now shut down, I thought I’d repost some of them (with some tweaks) to this blog! Especially since a few were really popular.

Today I want to discuss 15 amateur mistakes I’ve seen indie authors make over the years — and some of which (*coughs* most of which) I’ve made myself!

As someone who spent years correcting my amateurish mistakes, a big passion of mine is helping other authors do the same (or simply avoid making those mistakes altogether). So let’s get into it!

1: Self-editing and not getting other perspectives.

This is the number one issue I would see whenever I read indie novels. It’s just not well-edited!

That’s not the author’s fault, necessarily. No matter how many times you go over your book, you’re going to miss quite a lot — and no matter how great of a writer you are, there are some things only a professional would notice.

This is why I recommend getting a professional editor to work on your novel (in addition to beta readers). It will set you apart from other indie authors from the beginning!

2: Designing their own book covers or hiring a poor cover designer.

Book covers are your public representation of the book’s content! A great book cover is probably the most important marketing tool you’ll ever buy. I could go on for posts and posts about how important they are, but take my word for it: they’re vital.

So why are so many authors making their own book covers? Hiring less than professional designers? Whatever the reason, it’s an amateur make-or-break mistake, so do all you can to avoid it!

Book covers should not just be professional and intriguing, but also represent the book’s genre, and more than that, your book’s niche.

3: Abandoning formatting.

Interior formatting is one of the most underrated services available to authors! Yet, time and time again, I’ve removed a book from my Kindle because various formatting errors made it unreadable.

Also, I confess I cannot read a print book in Arial font. I just can’t. I’ve tried, I’ve failed, but every time I’m faced with a print book in Arial, I give up.

Now, not everyone is as picky and appearance-focused as I am. However, you don’t want to lose a reader just because they appreciate sensory details!

4: Failing to create a preorder launch campaign.

I didn’t realize preorders were a thing until way too far into my publishing career, and I really wish I had! Preorders are a great way to get your book out there before it’s published as well as help skyrocket your rankings on publication day.

Preorder launches mean different things for different people, and there is tons of advice on them out there, so I’ll save the full essay for another day. However, this is a vital part of the authoring journey!

5: An unclear, purposeless, unprofessional website.

If they want more of your books, where do they go? To authorname.com, of course, where they look for more ways to interact with you, more books by you, et cetera.

I’ve stumbled upon many an unclear, purposeless, and unprofessional author website in my day.

Unclear websites fail to communicate who you are and what you’re doing.

Purposeless websites fail to give the viewer an absolute “do this” — whether that is a (non-pushy) “subscribe to my email list & receive this ebook” or an invitation to view your blog.

Unprofessional websites tell the reader you aren’t really in it to win it. If they haven’t read your books, they probably will pass. If they have, that might lower their opinions of you as an author.

It’s better to have no website at all, if you really can’t afford it, than an unprofessional website thrown together on a low-grade server like Weebly, Wix, or WordPress.com.

6: Not understanding genre and reader expectations.

I don’t see as many authors studying genre and reader expectations as I should. It’s important to know what you’re writing and for who, or you’ll never get very far. However, this is an easily-ignored part of the indie author career!

Know who you’re writing for and what other authors have done with your genre, as well as what’s trending at the time you publish. This will help you market more wisely and make decisions in your book that will appeal to your target audience.

7: Having no long-term marketing or publishing plan.

Okay, your book’s out and launched. Now what?

It’s important for indie authors to have a long-term marketing and publishing plan so they can continue selling books after the first rush. Finding ways to present your backlog to new readers is an interesting and challenging game, but it’s well worth exploring.

8: Publishing before they’ve built a platform.

I unfortunately did this. It’s very important to have an audience ready to go before you publish for first book, or you’ll launch it to white noise and swiftly lose it to the depths of Amazon.

Be sure to spend a significant amount of time building your readership before you launch your first book. You want a group of people excited about the book you’re about to put out! And you want those people ready to read and share about your book.

9: Not having a purpose with their social media, blog, and email list.

I see a lot of people who don’t know what audience to reach and therefore post everything and anything on their social media and blog, and sharing anything to their email list.

If you’re doing everything, you must be doing something right … right!?

Unfortunately, that’s not the case. It’s important to create helpful, inspiring, and targeted content through all your platforms and know who you’re trying to reach and why.

10: Failing to set up an email list & email list magnet.

Email lists are a big deal. They’re the only audience you really own, and they’re the ones you can turn into your most loyal subscribers.

Unlike with social media, you won’t be the victim of unfair algorithms or not hitting the exact right post time. You’ll be in their inbox no matter what unless they unsubscribe.

In addition to setting up an email list and encourage people to sign up, you also need a great email list magnet, like a short story or later on a first in series to get them hooked. This free incentive will get people who are interested in you as an author to sign up faster!

11: Not being professional — or being too professional!

There’s a balance to be found between posting blurry selfies with goofy captions and being so stiff, formal, and private that no one can get to know you.

Finding that balance is very difficult, but in the end, it’s worthwhile. It can mean something a little different to everyone.

However, I find that focusing on “friendly but polished” is perfect. A mix of my customer service tone combined with the warmth I’d offer a hurt child who came in my office for a band-aid.

Okay, that’s way too condescending, but you get the point. Kind and personable but still looking like you know what you’re doing!

12: Lack of confidence & not acting like they’re an “actual” published author.

I’ve seen indie authors with things like “aspiring author” in their bio. Uh, no. You’re not aspiring. You’re a published author! (Way to give us all a bad name … Okay, maybe it’s not that bad, but still. You need to have confidence in yourself!)

Take yourself seriously, understand that you’ve done a big thing and will go far, and other people will believe it of you. There’s no need to clarify instantly that you’re an indie author or to say untrue things like you’re just “aspiring.”

13: Failing to publish your second, third, fourth, etc. book.

No one hit wonders, please! Once you’ve published, you need to publish again. You can’t give a starving audience a taste of your awesomeness and then rip it away from them!

Really, though, the best marketing strategy you can have really boils down to “write more books.” Put yourself out there more — share more of your content!

Quality over quantity for sure — but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a quantity of quality.

That said, if you published unprepared and need time before putting out another book, take all the time you need to get to a place of preparation. Your audience can wait!

14: Not giving as much as they’re taking in the bookish community.

I’ve seen a lot of newbie indie authors who want to take, take, take … and never give back! They expect people to follow them and interact with them and buy their books and support them just because they want them to.

(They also expect other authors to be their personal Google. Don’t be that author. Before you ask a question, try looking it up.)

Don’t give in to this entitled attitude! Help others, not because you’ll be rewarded, but because it’s the right thing to do. 

15: Giving up too soon.

Don’t give up! Please!

When the going gets hard, the tough get going. Although you may find in the end that indie publishing isn’t right for you, I encourage you not to make that decision simply because it’s more difficult than you’d imagined it would be.

Give yourself time to grow as an author before throwing in the towel. You can do this!

TTFN!

~Kell~

p.s.

Well, those are my best tips! Please tell me that I’m not the only one who made them …? Anddd was this post helpful for you? (I’m trying to decide if I should post writing advice here more or less often.)

Welcome to Round 2, Peasants (e.g. my 2021 intro post)

As discussed in my 2020 wrapup post, 2021 is a year that is coming (very shortly), and as such, we must prepare for it with the knowledge that there is no such thing as preparation and all hope for the future is a lie.*

I’m not going to begin this post with a long intro and a bunch of ranting – instead, let’s talk about the future in the cheeriest of terms!

*I am obviously joking. Because I’m a Christian, and we’re big on hope.

Expectations for 2021

I mean, I’m definitely ending up in jail at some point.

Okay, maybe not, but I wouldn’t be surprised. I don’t want to end up in jail, but if that’s what needs to happen, I’m chill with that. (I mean, the American judicial system is a joke anyways.)

I think 2021 is going to be a hard year. There was nothing magical about 2020 that made it “bad.” In fact, 99% of the badness was the fact that no one did anything about it.

We’ll start coming to crossroads, both worldwide, in our nation, and in our day-to-day lives, and we’ll have to make hard decisions.

Christians will have to fight for what they believe in America in a way they haven’t to in decades – if they have at any point since the American Civil War/the American Revolution.

There will have to be lines drawn in the sand, and we will have to be very sure we are on the right side of those lines. It will be so subtle, so gentle that we will really have to watch.

I’m not expecting a nuclear war. I’m not expecting anything of the sort! Honestly, I wish we would have something a bit more obvious (even though war is just about the worst thing ever and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary) because … the way America is being consumed by ungodly influences is a great deal more subtle, and it’s allowing Christians to not care.

We need to care.

And, if all this doesn’t come to a head in 2021, well, it will at some point. I don’t know about you, but I’m not quite ready to just let the apocalypse happen – and even if it does, I don’t want to be one of the people who stands before God and says, “I did nothing.”

So yes, I have some dour expectations for 2021. That said, I also think there’s a lot of potential if we’re willing to not whine about it.

I’m so sick of all the cry-babies I’ve been seeing on the internet in 2020. Y’all are kinda wusses – and I admit I’ve been one, too. It’s been very popular to fuss this year.

So here’s hopin’ we choose strength, positivity, and the knowledge that our voices hold value here in America. Because they do, even if it’s been beaten out of you.

Overall 2021 Plans

Writing
More writing
Writing some more

Honestly, though, it’s more complicated than that. I do have some vague-ish plans for 2021, but I have no idea what I’ll be doing by the summer, let alone the fall or winter.

I can’t see much beyond the next couple weeks. Even my work schedule is 50% up in the air right now. I don’t know what I’ll have to do to earn a living wage, which I eventually do want.

I think the main thing I need to do is stay the course. Stick to my beliefs, keep living, work on improving myself, and get lots of stuff done!

But of course, if none of that happens, the most important thing is that I develop some upward growth.

2021 Goals & Dares*

*I’m never sure if I should call them goals or dares these days because I haven’t really been doing dares, and yet … that seems more fun than goals. So we’ll call them both, even though they’re the same thing.

Also, these are a bit up in the air because I plan on going through a mini-course on planning/goals/etc. in January, and I also want to hear back from Brett & Kara (my mentors) on what homework to expect, so I may come back and edit these mid-January.

Finish my synopsis, outline, and write my second project for the YWW Author program.

This one will be called “My Fair Marchioness,” and I’m really excited about it.


Launch my “pop-up” business for Author and get my first paying customer.

I’m most likely going to launch an author virtual assistant service. The next step is conducting some interviews, but … I’m waiting until after the Christmas holidays to do so.


Finish At Her Fingertips and Beyond Her Calling.

One way or another, this has got to happen.


Exercise, exercise, and exercise some more.

More specifically, I want to exercise at least twice a week, though I’m going for every day.


Keep a careful tab on my spending.

I can be such a spendthrift. I mean, I do great for months and then suddenly … I’m a spendthrift.

Hopes for 2021

How are expectations different from hopes?

Well, I’m what I’d call a pessimistic realist. I stick to reality, but I don’t particularly expect reality to be happy. Because it seldom is. We live in a sin-filled world, after all.

But hope is different than expectation.

“For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.“

— Romans 8:24–25

My expectations are based on reality. On things that I see (I mean, foresight is a thing). I can’t see my hopes; I don’t know how they could happen or if they could happen. I’m afraid to believe they would happen!

So they are hopes. Dreams, if you prefer, but a bit firmer because I know (at least with my head) that there’s no way I’m going to miss out on anything I’m not meant to miss out on.

I hope …

That I’ll find a way to move out or at least develop a new trajectory for my life that feels a bit more structured/less self-contained.
That I’ll legitimately learn and grow as a person in Christ.
That I’ll be able to spend more time with my friends, particularly Bailey, and that we’ll be encouraging to each other.
That I’ll develop new friendships – or at least stability in the friendships I have.
That Americans will begin to grow a pair and stand up for what is right.
That people all over the world will turn to God in the fray.
That God will extend grace to my country, even if we don’t deserve it.
That I’ll look back at 2021 and go, “Wow, I really filled that year well!”

And that’s it for today! I’ll see you soon with … another post. I honestly don’t know what I plan on doing right, but we shall soon see!

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

What are your hopes and dreams for 2021? And, of course, what are your goals? Expectations? And so on? How do you tend to view the future/planning?

Well, 2020 Was a Year That Happened

Well, 2020 was a year that happened. Technically is still happening. And I think, at least according to my 2019 wrapup, I might have cursed it a little?

I mean …

[W]hen I think about it, at least I know now what I can’t do – and I know that I can weather a storm. Or 50 storms. In fact, y’all are welcome to throw storms at me (please don’t), because I can take ’em as long as God exists! (Which He always will.)

This is what comes of ASKING people to THROW STORMS AT ME. Like, I’m sorry, y’all. I really am. I didn’t mean to curse us.

All joking aside, 2020 has at least been an interesting year (for most) if not a tragic one (for some).

Almost everyone has been laid-off and labelled “non-essential.” Depression and anxiety are sky-rocketing. Suicide rates are rising. Our economy is crashing, our education system has been upturned, and our churches have been closed.

The government has taken unprecedented control of our daily lives, going so far as to restrict constitutionally-secure activities taking place in our own homes. And it’s scary. And all Americans need* to stand up against it.

*It’s no longer an option if you want to continue experiencing any type of personal freedom.

Better yet?

If you protest, you’re selfish because, guess what? These huge things are just “an inconvenience.” And if you say, “It’s more than an inconvenience; it’s literally my entire life being ripped away!” … you’re a conspiracy theorist.

If that’s not gaslighting, I don’t know what is!

But all politics aside, let’s talk about 2021. Let’s talk about the future. And hope. And all that good stuff that no one can take away from us – even if it just means the knowledge that there still is a battle to fight!

My 2020 Goal Wrapup

Set up a great welcome sequence for my main email list.

Okay, so this didn’t happen. I did get a bit closer to getting organized, but I’m not quite there.


Organize my email list as is so that everyone is categorized properly, and growth will be more controllable.

I’m … in the process!


Organize my street team and make it private (e.g. no more people getting in).

I did, but now I’m starting to regret that decision. So it might just go back to the way it was before!


Publish Ivy Introspective.

YUS! I did!!! And that was a hard goal for me to make, so I’m super glad.


Prepare to publish At Her Fingertips and Beyond Her Calling.

Okay, well, if you count writing up the outlines and starting At Her Fingertips, yes.


Write at least one original work from start to finish.

I did! The one that comes to mind is The Duke’s Twin. From concept to first draft, I did it!


Keep learning Spanish.

HAHAHAHA. Okay, so I actually gave this up. *facepalm* I swear, all y’all picked up a new hobby in 2020, and I dropped like 50.


Have a certain amount of money in my bank account.

I DID IT! Though I also spent an outrageous amount of money.


Host at least three big writer events online over the year to focus on my backlist.

I didn’t …


Get to 900 followers on Instagram.

Check! And a few more than that, too.


Attend an organized writing event in person.

I tried, but um … *cough Covid cough*


Read the Bible twice a day.

I mean, I did occasionally, but most of the time, no. For the first five months or so, I did read the Bible at least once a day! And nowadays I’m doing it a couple times a week.
But I’ve discovered I really struggle with my relationship with God 


Pray … a lot.

I tried! I think I’ve gotten a bit better, too. And Bailey and I are hopefully making plans to meet up every week and just pray.


Take Paisley on a walk with the girls.

Nahhhh … I mean, it’s just been … crazy.


Eat healthily with some regularity.

This is an unreasonable expectation of moi.


Exercise sometimes.

I mean, yeah. I exercised once a week or so for the first bit of 2020, and then it slowly faded, and then I picked it up again, and then it faded, and then … you know how it goes.


Live a little.

HAHAHAHAHAHA.
I mean, yes, but no? I did some fun things, more than I would’ve done if it weren’t for Covid-19 (because if y’all gonna tell me it’s illegal to go outside, guess where I’m going every weekend?). But other than that, not really.


Read more.

I mean, no. But on the other hand, I have read more in this last week or so! So that’s something.


DON’T DROP THIS BLOG AGAIN!

I mean, again, yes but no …


And don’t force this blog to be something it’s not again.

Yes.

Writing Updates

Honestly, I could not remember what I was working on all through 2020 … but after scouring my blog, my documents, various update threads, and so on, I think I’ve got a pretty good wrapup going!

Published Books

I put out the latest drafts of The Dressmaker’s Secret and Ivy Introspective, as well as audiobook versions. (The IvIn audiobook will be coming in the next couple months!) You can check out everything about those here. (Suffice to say, these are my proudest accomplishments!)

Because I rewrote and rewrote IvIn during 2020, I’m counting about 60k as part of 2020’s word count despite the fact that it was a rewrite. (It was just a really big rewrite.) (Even so, I can’t 100% give myself that, so I’m calling it 60k not 72k.)

At Her Fingertips is … Complicated

After I finished Ivy Introspective (published in July), I turned my sights to book 3, which I’d originally intended to publish this last autumn.

That plainly didn’t come to be as my first rewrites were less than spectacular. About 35k in, I stopped and reevaluated. It just didn’t feel right. I had some unrelated readers (e.g. readers with no previous series experience) read the first couple chapters, and I hit on some issues.

April 2020 (Camp NaNo 1)

33,533 on Ivy Introspective, Thou, My Soul’s Glory, and The Midwife’s Daughter. I never broke down how much was on what, but one way or another, in 2020 I wrote 7,410 on TMSG and 9,831 on TMD, so the rest was probably on Ivy Introspective.

Give or take a few thousand – I think I started TMD earlier, but I’m not sure how much I kept.

July 2020 (Camp NaNo 2)

25,141 on At Her Fingertips, primarily. Suffice to say I was dealing with a lot this month.

Pre-NaNoWriMo 2020

So I wanted to start early and maintain a longer thread of consistent writing time, so I did.

Starting on October 15th and going through October 31st, I wrote 38,035 on The Duke’s Twin. The novel was finished mid-November at 59,093 words. (That means in those 46 days, I wrote 102,624 words! #proud)

My plan is to keep experimenting with longer periods of consistent, tracked writing. I’ve done a month and a half … how about two months now? And then three?

Can I eventually spend half the year doing NaNoWriMo and half not? Who knows! It’s certainly worth trying.

NaNoWriMo 2020

In November 2020, I wrote 64,589 words. My breakdown of on what?

The Duke’s Twin
21,085


Becoming Miss Knight
11,400


At Her Fingertips
32,104

Look how pretty that is! So basically, I finished The Duke’s Twin, wrote Becoming Miss Knight, and started At Her Fingertips.

I mostly wrote a lot of random stuff?

By that I mean snippets, self-fanfiction, mini short stories. I probably hit 30,000 words on so on all these mini projects, but they were useless, and I shall not count them as part of my word wrapup for this year.

Her Lord’s Book Club is a new thing

In April or May, I had an idea for a series that a friend and I spent a long time plotting out. Basically, they’re Regency-era comedy romances that involve lots of bookishness and misunderstandings and just … goofy stuff. It’ll be great.

I ended up using the idea for book 1 as my Author program project #1 – The Duke’s Twin. (I also wrote a prequel, Firstborn, at 22,983 words.)

Wrapup?

I wrote a lot, but not nearly as much as I’d have liked to! At the beginning of this year, I think I wanted to write up the McAllen Brothers series as well as At Her Fingertips and Beyond Her Calling, and that just didn’t happen.

Still, it could’ve been worse, especially since I stopped mid-year and started working on other random projects. *sighs at self*

My word count total is, give or take, 254,281 words!

(Note: I’ll hopefully write a bit more before the year’s out, but I’m not counting those. Because that’d be hard.)

Just some random 2020 thoughts now, mates:

As you can see, I had a lackluster year in many ways. It wasn’t ever quite what I wanted. A lot of things changed that meant my life didn’t have as much growth as I wanted.

I talked a lot in my 2019 wrapup (which is still a post I really enjoyed rereading, by the way) about how my 2019 was just a very rough year for me to live through, and with 2020 having echoed said pattern, I admit to a lot of discouragement.

I feel like I’ve lost my ability to barrel through. In 2018, I was so numb I couldn’t think straight, and in 2019, I was emotionally volatile and just wrecked.

Actually, though, in some ways this set me up well for 2020 because I had gone through enough in my own mind that I was just like, “Eh. Who cares?” (Personal opinion: half of the world hasn’t suffered enough, so they can therefore not take anything. We have a very weak generation here in America, and probably in some other countries that aren’t facing actual issues, and it’s quite sad.) (Like, y’all, kids in the 1940s didn’t have time to be anxious about their test scores because they were literally dying.)

Anyways, all that aside, to quote said wrapup post:

I’m still trying to figure out my 2020, and even then I can’t guarantee it will go that way. If I’ve learned anything from 2019, it’s that NOTHING WILL HAPPEN THE WAY YOU PLAN most of time, so be ready to make the most out of what God gives you instead of whining that, somehow, your plan was better than His.

I admit that I am a bit scared of having another 2019 – an ongoing lifetime of 2019’s. I feel too weak, too tired, too emotionally bankrupt to take another 2019.

But God knows where my limits are, and I trust Him to take me there and no further. If I feel like I’m being taken further than I can go, well, I’m wrong.

Oddly perfect, isn’t it? Honestly, I never referred to it until this month, but it definitely fits! I wish I’d reread it a bit earlier.

Another 2019 … and another … and another …

I started 2020 not trusting that I would ever be better – emotionally, spiritually.

I didn’t trust the state of the world (and my trust is even more lost now) – I didn’t trust that anything would go well at all, really.

Yet even at the end of 2019, I had hope points. Little sparkles and shines. At the time, I was dating a guy who I thought was pretty great (turns out, he was like 110% not right for me, and has mildly destroyed my desire to ever invest in a serious relationship, which was unexpected, but you have to try certain things to know you don’t like them), so that was encouraging. I also had a plan for my life, which I no longer possess – and I had friends.

I lost a lot of friends in 2020. I lost a lot of my faith for my future – and certainly a lot of my plans. But I also came to gain friends (or, more often, find out who my true friends were!), and I’m learning to be okay with not having set plans because, let’s be honest, when have my plans ever worked?