Faith L. Potts's Blog, page 11

Freedom + Beloved || Cover Reveal

Y'all... Y'all...

It's here. The time has come. I get to share my A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. cover of my HOPEFULLY-AMAZING book with the world! *literal shrieking in the background because Faith is losing her grip on sanity* 

Okay, okay, I won't make y'all wait around forever. Here's the cover. Just feast yo' eyes on that heck of epic. :D 

Having just returned to American soil from the desert sands of the Middle East, James Greene is done with his life. 'Double amputee' doesn't seem like a strong enough phrase to label the physical and emotional pain he bears. Add the lack of love and communication with his family members, the demons that haunt him day and night, and he can find nothing worth living for. Ending it all is the only way out.  

Alexandria Lorance is a not-so-ordinary physical therapist, content with aiding in her patients' recoveries. Her work gives her fulfillment, but alone in the silence, she still endures the hidden scars of a past, unhealthy relationship. Reminding herself that true healing is found in Christ alone, she seeks to show kindness and love to everyone she meets. 


When these two broken ones' paths intersect, the spark of friendship is ignited, bringing hope and joy to both. Can they step out of the darkness of suffering and into the freedom of grace?  


A Marine, broken by war. A therapist, scarred by words. A chance meeting in a parking lot bonded them together. But can love grow in these two hurting hearts? Or are they truly too broken to ever find lasting happiness? 

As you all already know, I'm co-releasing this book in September with my friend Kaitlyn and her book, Beloved. Today is her cover reveal as well, so stick around to the end of the post for a link to see her beautifulness! Did I mention Kate designed both covers? *heart eyes*

Also... Because Kate and I are amazing human beings with ginormous bank accounts and plenty of free time on our hands (yes, both are lies, in case the sarcasm didn't translate), we ordered early proofs of the not-final books to test out the covers. So, not only is this a reveal of the front cover of the book, but you get to see the back cover, spine, and interior too. And we get to hold the books in our hands a few months early!

I'll be posting pics on social media throughout the day, and I'll add any new ones here as well. :D






*happy sigh* I love it so much. I'm literally at the point where, the more I look at it, the deeper I fall in love. 
(Also, I need to quit spending money on things like, ya know, book covers so that I can pay for counseling. But that's neither here nor there.) 
Head on over to Kaitlyn's blog to see the amazing cover of Beloved! 
So many amazing peeps—some who are fellow authors themselves—are joining us in this reveal. Be sure to check out their posts and share some love!

Kara  ~  Isabel  ~  Molly Anne  ~  Anita  ~  KayleeLily  ~  Neey  ~  Victoria  ~  Rebekah Ashleigh  ~  AngelaIzzy  ~  Kaitlyn S.  ~  Shine  ~  Faith Blum  ~  Merie Kassie ~ Rose  ~  Rebekah Morris  ~  Abigail  ~  Elizabeth

And follow the cover reveal hashtag on social media to see everyone's cover reveal flailings and the lovely quote graphics of each book! :D

#FreedomBelovedReveal
coming in September! Sign-ups open next month. <3

opinions on the cover(s)? are you as hyped about the book release as we are? 

Summer Feels + Concert || May Recap

Recap of the month? Ohhh, right. That thing I wrote, like, three days ago for April. And it's already time to write May's. Makes perfect sense.

(Except not.)




|| Summer FeelsSo, y'all, summer has found my Carolina mountains and I LOVE it. Between living the Jeep life (is there anything better than a drive on a curvy road with the top off??), flouncing around in a sundress, and attempting to get a tan...

*happy sigh*




Summer weather + summer clothes? #yesplease <3
|| Randomness• At work, between lifting/toting/unstacking/restacking 62,964 cases of soft drinks and scooping some incredibly hard chocolate ice cream, this summer is gonna give me some dope arm muscles.

• I went to my first ever country music concert! And Trace Adkins was lit.



• Family friends who live a few hours away visited over Memorial Day weekend, so seeing this was as amazing as always, of course. <3

random picture because the youth group is in charge of the church sign
and I was pretty proud of this caption.... xD

• One week, on my day off, I went shopping with the Mom. Which meant weird bathroom selfies and buying summery clothes and crashing on the couch in World Market.



 • THIS conversation one night with the Dad and the Bro at a home improvement store...

Tucker: *changing his shirt in a parking lot to load fence posts*
Me: *watching from the truck* you’re probably on camera.
Tucker: Hey, this is ‘merica. We don’t wear clothes. Right, Dad?
Dad:......what?

Okay, so, umm... I honestly considered leaving this section out all together, but then I figured someone would ask, so here it is.

Why? Because I literally read no books this month. None. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Sadness. I just... haven't had much free time on my hands. I'm hoping to have some unoccupied time in my schedule the next few weeks, though, so hopefully... :D  Me needs a good book. 

Oh, and I did buy a book this month (A Question of Loyalty by Jesseca Wheaton) and grabbed another from the library one day. So I had good intentions!






|| Update *weeps because aside from not reading much I haven't written much either* Other than dabbling in a few short stories and, of course, Chasing a Dream, I hardly wrote at all this month. There's been plenty of other things going on, though, so maybe that excuses me...? ;)

But—I am doing the Go Teen Writer's 100-for-100 summer writing challenge which started on the 20th. Twelve days in and I've only missed one day (a grace day is allowed weekly), so going strong!


|| FreedomAhhh, so much going on in the lovely world of Freedom. :D

The next-to-last edit is going smoothly and I'm hoping to get the manuscript to my lovely editor by the beginning of next week. And the cover reveal for this baby is TOMORROW.  *cue shrieking*

I also saw this on FoxNews which sounds like an amazing outreach to struggling vets. <3


|| Snippet 

Brian sprints ahead and knocks on the door while I follow Lester up the ramp. Ducking past the swing and crossing the nicely furnished front porch, a gentle voice drifts out the door and meets my ears. “Good to see you, Brian! Come on in and make yourself at home. We’ll eat as soon as Kellon’s gang of tardies show up.”  

I smile, surprising myself. Mrs. Gloria truly loves everyone she meets and actively seeks to make sure you know it.  

As we’re ushered into the house, in the space between the kitchen and open living room, another voice meets my ears. I cast a sidelong look into the kitchen to my left and find myself smiling yet again.  

Sashaying around the kitchen, Miss Lorance manages to toss together a fresh salad while waving a knife and singing along to Lee Ann Womack’s finest at the top of her lungs. 

|| Favorite PostsQadash >> Let Him Heal You

The Peculiar Messenger >> Rest in the Lord


|| My Posts







|| May Goals• Write something.       Technically, yes.

• Get Freedom ready to go to my editor.        Close! Should be done this weekend.

• Blog weekly.        Yup, surprisingly.

• Read 3 books.        *cries and shakes head*

• Resume staying alive.      Another surprise...


|| June Goals• Send Freedom to my editor.

• Celebrate the 2nd book-birthday of Dandelion Dust.  (Details coming next week!)

• Go on our annual in-country missions trip with the church gang.  #hyped

• Blog weekly.

• Read 4 books. (Why am I so darn optimistic?)

• Resume staying alive.

how was your May? ready for summer? 

Fire Starter Facebook Party { May 25th }

Hello, lovelies!

This week has been slightly crazy and I haven't had time for a "real" blog post, but I wanted to let y'all know about a super cool Facebook party that's happening this weekend. This is the first time I've hosted/co-hosted an online event, so I'm interested to see how it will go. :D

The lovely, lovely blurb ~

Come meet an incredible line up of inspiring authors, bloggers, and entrepreneur's who are taking the dreams God has placed inside their heart, and actually doing something with them! Whether you're a reader, writer, aspiring author or blogger, or just looking for something fun to do on Saturday, THIS is the party for you! We'll be giving away some super fun prizes, hosting Q&A's, party games, and so much more! Come connect, get inspired, and get pumped to change your corner of the world! 

The party runs from 1:00pm until after 8:00. I’ll be on from 7:00pm to 7:30, in the midst of various dream-chasers who will be hosting all afternoon and evening. We're greatly looking forward to it and would love to see you there. Who knows...there may even be free books... *smiles innocently*

Hop over to Facebook to find the event!


can I count on seeing you tomorrow night? are you a fan of Facebook parties? 

A Soldier's Freedom vs. Freedom || Title Change Explanation

As promised, I'm here today to explain the reason behind the title change of Freedom (formerly, A Soldier's Freedom).

It's really not too big of a deal, but I want to explain everything to y'all so there's no confusion as we move on toward the cover reveal (signups close in 7 days!) and then the blog tour in a few months.

I have several "reasons" for the change—one being that I was never totally sold on the original title—and I could ramble about it all day. But the cut and dry of it is this...


Marine vs. SoldierJames is a Marine. Not a soldier.

Yes, there is a difference. Marine are, well, Marines. Soldiers are Army. Airmen are Air Force....and so on. Don't feel bad if you didn't know there was a difference—I didn't for the longest time. But there is, and because I want this book to be as true and right as I can make it, "soldier" in the title has got to go. 
Yes, yes, some of y'all already pointed this out to me. Yes, I was aware of it then. But I was hesitant to mess with the title when I wasn't sure how I was going to change it. (Nothing is quite as confusing as when an author changes the title of their book a half-dozen times. A time or two doesn't bother me so much. But when it's continuous? Make up your mind, people!)

I considered A Marine's Freedom, but I've never been a fan of how that sounds. I didn't realize the title I wanted was staring me in the face the whole time...


Freedom IS This Book...but it was.

Y'all, freedom is this book. It's the word, the theme, the meaning that has been stuck in my head concerning this book for, like, ever and ever amen. It's the essence of all this book is.

I even kept saying I wanted "freedom" to be in the title. (What a droolin' idiot!**) It was literally slapping me in the face until one day (or night—I honestly don't remember) I went, "wait, what if Freedom is the title?" And the rest, as they say, is history.

And one word titles? So much #yassss.


** Pardon the grossness, peeps. It's a joke. One which approximately 0.07% of the people reading this will understand. xD 


Correlating Series TitlesSpeaking of one word titles, something else I dealt with while configuring a new title for this book was that I wanted the title of each book in the trilogy to correlate in some way.

Freedom is, or will be, the first book in the Liberty's Battlegrounds series. Book #2 is in the works at an on-and-off sort of stage, while the only attention book #3 has received is a bit of brainstorming here and there.

I wanted each of these books to have titles that make it somewhat obvious that they're connected. At first I was thinking, A Soldier's Freedom, A Soldier's Future, and A Soldier's Faith. But, not only is that a bit redundant, it's easy to confuse.

Right now, I'm thinking each book will have a one-word title, beginning with F. Future and Faith are examples and possibilities that may or may not stick around. ;)


so there's that! thoughts on the new title? how do YOU choose titles for your WIPs?

Freedom's Release + Cover Reveal Signups || I.Am.Screaming.

Good morning, lovely people!

As I promised yesterday—and as you've probably gleaned by the title—I have supercalifragalisticexpialidocos things to talk about with y'all.

Let's jump in, shall we?


|| A Soldier's Freedom / Freedom's ReleaseFirst off, Freedom—formerly titled A Soldier's Freedom. (If anyone is interested in hearing why I changed the title, drop a comment. I could literally write an entire post on that. xD)

This is something that I don't think I've talked about on #TheBlog yet, and certainly not in detail. I'd previously mentioned that I might be interested in pursuing the possibility of traditional publishing with this particular WIP. I'd been tossing around that idea for awhile, wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with it, and went ahead and called upon some fabulous beta-readers to give it a read.

Last fall, while Hurricane Florence was ravaging the east coast, I was perusing beta-reader comments when a thought struck me. What better time to release a book that deals with the darkness of suicide than during the month and week that's devoted to spreading awareness?

Knowing it was a year away, I knew I'd have plenty of time—which I liked. I talked it over with a friend (Kaitlyn from Twin Thoughts, who also happens to be the author of a book that also deals with suicide) who was toying with the idea of self-publishing for the first time. "You should," I encouraged. "Actually, you should dual-release with me during National Suicide Prevention Week."

Even from a thousand miles away, I could see her eyes widen at the thought. We both liked the thought. A lot. We agreed to pray about it for awhile, and make sure it was what He wanted.

A few weeks later, we talked about it again. I asked how she felt about it, after prayerfully considering the possibility. She said "I think we should go for it." (Or something like that. Don't sue me, child. I'm quoting from memory.)

Guess what, folks?

We're going for it. We've been praying about it since last September. We've been making plans since January. We're co-hosting a blog tour that will run during early September. And we're dual releasing these two books—Beloved by Kaitlyn Krispense and Freedom by Faith Potts—on September 10th.

Here's the basics: I'm releasing Freedom in September. I'm co-releasing/co-hosting the blog tour with my bestie. And we're opening signups for the cover reveal RIGHT NOW.

Oh,  did I mention we're crazy excited?! <33


|| Cover RevealBecause half the fun of something is the anticipation, we're upping the hype with a cover reveal! On June 1st, both Kate and I will be releasing the covers of these darling books to the world. And we'd love to have you help us out. Need more incentive? You'll get to see the covers before anyone else (besides, ya know, us) and you'll get shoutouts on our blogs!

Don't have a blog? No problem! We're also offering a social media option.

Scurry on down and sign-up! :D Form closes May 25th.


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are you as excited as we are? have you signed up yet? *nudges you*

Pathetic Jokes + Failed Camp || April Recap

Good news!

I'm not dead. You were expecting better news than that, weren't you? Not only am I finally arriving with this post, but I'm here to announce some super exciting things. So stick around, eh? :D



|| Work Schedule • A major happening of the month was the official opening of the general store where I work. Today marks 30 days of being open for business, and our grand opening is in two weeks!

• Similar to last month, I took approximately 59,742,658 tired selfies. Which makes sense, since I'm always tired and chugging coffee. Faith needs to admit she isn't invincible. Faith is stubborn. Faith doesn't learn lessons easily.

Note the pile of clothes in the floor, the unmade bed, and the stack of textbooks...
• I usually work the morning shift (6:45 to 4:00, or there abouts), which means earrlllyyy mornings. Well, early for the night owl that—in a perfect world—would go to bed at 2:00am. and get up at 10:00. 
Note the time at which I was setting alarms... xD 

|| Randomness• The little bro was telling jokes that he didn't know the punch line to... 

Bro: Hey sis. What did the farmer do when his tractor got stolen?
Me: uhhh...track it?
Bro: I don't know, maybe.
Me: Wait, you don't know?!

• Our church youth group produced an Easter skit, which meant many nights of practice. Plenty of soda/cookie breaks. And some corny tag-line puns finding their way to the white board.



• Some precious friends (a fellow family in ministry) visited for a few days. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures because I was in the midst of swapping phones while they were here so I took, like, zero. But hanging out with them was so nice. <3

• I created a group text chat between myself and the other three members of my immediate family. With everyone going in different directions, it seemed like a good idea to keep up with everyone. Right? Not exactly. Day One, it resulted in Mom and Tucker talking about random things and exploding my phone while I was at work, and Dad jokingly asking to be removed from the chat AND from the family.

Regardless, #PottsFamSpam is thriving. (Yes, I'm very proud of the name.)



|| ReadingSince I only read TWO books this month, I'm not going to bother with best/worst book sections. xD I hardly have time for reading these days, although I should be able to fit some more in now that I'm finished with school sh'tuff and getting into the rhythm of working full-time.

I did buy a few books this month though, so that was fun! Between an Amazon preorder that arrived (Sweet on You by Becky Wade), an on-a-whim buy from the library's sale shelf (Behold the Man by Bodie Thoene), and a book I bought when an online friend was getting rid of some books (Shaken by Kariss Lynch), I came out with a nice little threesome. :D
Total Reads: 2



|| UpdateA quick update...about an update. A major announcement is coming to the blog TOMORROW about my upcoming release! 
The secret has been out among my newsletter subscribers since the beginning of the month, and if you're an avid Goodreads-er, you've probably already figured out the gist of it. But either way, there's more to be known. So check back tomorrow! 
I'm soooo excited to talk to y'all about this. *literally bouncing*

|| Camp NaNoSo, um, I kinda failed Camp? But I'm kinda okay with that? The beginning of the month was slightly crazy while I came home every evening to work on assignments, schedule blog posts, reply to emails, and write until I literally fell asleep at the desk. Just wasn't working out.

But, ya know, it's okay. I don't have time to speed-write The Project right now—as much as I would like to—because I'm working through some edits and my writing time is already limited. But I'm plugging away, and it'll happen when it happens.

I don't know exactly what I wrote as far as word counts go, but it was less than my lowered goal of 10k, sooo... *wince* But see... I'd said that I would talk about the project in this post, adding the little clause of "if" I completed/almost completed it. Which I didn't do.

But, I'm unveiling it anyway. Because y'all deserve better than being lied to. And I need to share my baby to the world. So read on for that.


|| Chasing a DreamSooo...here it is. Chasing a Dream. My precious, precious baby. This little darling that's got a large chunk of my heart wrapped around it's finger.

It's rodeos and cowboy boots. Horses and dirty pickups. Bonfires and American flags. Injuries and phone calls home. Windblown hair and shy smiles. Finding yourself and chasing your dreams and falling in love.

*happy sigh*

Oh, and speaking of secrets... Other than being kept under wraps altogether for a time, this book has a special secret. It's related to another book I've already written and published. Yup, the main guy of the story is Drew, Ryder's older brother, from Dandelion Dust. Drew-fans, you're finally going to get your story! Chasing a Dream is set 4-5 years before DD, offering lots of backstory on the Traven family as well as some lovely Drew-secrets.

Ahh, I'd love to sit here all day and chat, but regardless, I have #thingstodo. So just because y'all are amazing, I'm going to leave y'all with the far-from-final synopsis, a inspiration collage, and not one but THREE snippets. Feel special, darling people. <3


All he had ever known faded into the rearview as Drew Traven drove away from the family ranch to follow his dream of being in competitive rodeos. He had plans—plans that involved riding bulls for a season and no longer. Then he’d return to the land where he was raised and settle down. Ranching was his heritage, his future. 
But first he had a dream to chase. 
He didn’t scheme to get chosen to travel with the cooperation. He didn’t plan to extend his contract. And he certainly didn’t intend to fall for the judge’s blue-eyed, barrel-racing daughter. 
His dreams took him farther than he’d planned to go. But just how long can you chase a dream before you get bucked off?

|| Snippet

I lift my sin-stained heart with dirt-stained hands. Holding my all up to the God of Heaven, with Whom no stain remains. 

“It is well… Whatever you want, God. I’ll follow You. I’ll chase You first.” 

 *

"That boy's in love with you, Leah. You can see it in his eyes.”

“I know.”

The gate flies open. The crowd cheers when the buzzer rings before he's bucked. 

“He's set on leaving when the season ends.”

Tears prick the back of my eyes as Drew flashes a smile my way from the arena floor. “I know.” 

“You may never see him again, honey.” 

“I know…”

 *

“Ah, c’mon, Lee. You know you won’t sleep easy until you check on your guy.” 

“He’s not my guy, honeybunch.” 

“Whatever. Just shoot him a text and be done with it.” 

I glance down at my phone, tuning out my well-intended roomie. Call or text? Obviously, calling Drew would be the logical adult choice. I pace from the window to the couch and back again, phone in hand. “So… call or text?”

“Oh, yes, call!” This child is literally bouncing up and down on the futon, hands clutching her heart like some starstruck moron. “Maybe he won’t answer and you can leave a msg. Just like Austin!” 

My heart skips a beat. “Austin?” The rodeo was in Austin the night Drew nearly got himself killed… 

“You know, the Shelton song. Girl calls guy and leaves a message on his machine?” Willow shakes her head. “Whatever. You’re not even listening. Just call the dude already.” 

|| Favorite PostsBelrose Cottage >> Nor No Man Ever Loved

One Name >> Let Me See Your Glory

Lit Aflame || 7 UNSTOPPABLE Ways to Portray God’s Greatness in Your Novel

Chautona Having >> When a Christian Doesn't Look Like One


|| My Posts



|| April Goals • Write a book.       *shakes head at overly-optimistic past self*

• Blog 4 times.           *coughing*

• Read 3 books.          *louder coughing*

• Announce 3 super awesome writerly things.     Two out of three isn't bad.

• Don't die.      *insert picture of Faith passed out in the floor*


|| May Goals• Write something.

• Get Freedom ready to go to my editor.

• Blog weekly.

• Read 3 books.

• Resume staying alive.


how was your april? did you do camp? ready for SUMMER?!

A Question of Loyalty by Jesseca Wheaton || blog tour || THIS BOOK.

Happy Thursday, lovelies humans!

How are you all on this dandy morning? Pleased to see me twice in a week after I basically vanished for like 16 days? (Or maybe you could care less? You're entitled to your own incorrect opinions. xD) I'm glad to be—hopefully—getting back on top of things and catching up in a few areas.

Starting with this blog tour!

So what's it all about? We're here today for a celebration. Just because it's Thursday, you ask? Well, except that I'm working Saturday morning. But that's neither here nor there. Actually, scratch that. It is both here and there.)

But nope. Not that. It's the blog tour for my dear friend Jess' epic historical novel, A Question of Loyalty. For fans of the Questions of War series, this is the time you've been waiting for. :D



|| SynopsisA Man. A Brother. A Traitor.



The war has taken everything Micah Wilson has ever held dear, and with all his being he wishes he could do something to stop the heartache. But he often wonders if he'll ever be able to move on after the war, or forget the brother who left six years before. How can God still have a plan when it seems that the world around him is falling to pieces, to say nothing of his own heart? 


Ann Sullivan has seen two brothers changed by the war. And she's resolved to do something to stop the pain she sees in their eyes from becoming a reality for so many others. The world is on the brink of Normandy when her nursing unit is shipped to England and, while there, an unexpected encounter promises to change her own life . . . forever. But it's only the beginning. As the war in Europe rages on, Ann is caught in the crossfires. And when the unthinkable happens, she comes face to face with the evil of the Third Reich. Is it possible that the reality of it all is more deadly than even her worst nightmares? 


Erich Essler never questioned his duty to his country. All his life he's struggled to live up to his father's expectations, and bring honor to the Essler name. But when the man he thought of as his only friend turns out to be the enemy, he can no longer rid himself of the questions that continue to torment him. Is what he's doing really honorable? And does he owe his loyalty to his country . . . or a higher power?


Freedom for Europe dawns on the distant horizon. But in the midst of the fight, four lives will be forever changed, and their loyalty to God and Country brought into question.

Add on Goodreads


|| Praise & SquealsHaving read each of the books in this series, I reserve the right to pick and choose favorite(s)—and A Question of Courage will always be my favorite of the trilogy. (This can be attributed to the fact that I love Rafe and he is mine. Hands off, ladies.)

Okkaaaay, I'm gonna be serious now. I'm trying, y'all.

As I was saying, A Question of Courage is amazing and A Question of Honor is such an epic, but I adored A Question of Loyalty. It was quite a bit different from AQoC and closer to AQoH in plot. Not only is there friendship, a brothers thread, and a darling romance, but...Ya know those books that ripped your heart out and trampled all over it? This book will do that to you. Like, a dozen times.

Nope, that's not a warning; that's an encouragement to grab the book, hide away for a few hours to read, and be challenged to discover where your loyalties lie.

A satisfyingly heartbreaking conclusion to the series and certainly one you need to read. Releasing tomorrow!



*smirks* I asked permission to use "my own" photo as the author pic, a request which was
absentmindedly granted by the child in question. Although, considering what I
COULD have posted, I figure I'm playing fair.

(Did I mention this child is LETHAL when it comes to card games?) || About the AuthorJesseca is a daughter, sister, and a child of God. Her days are spent reading, cooking, spending time with siblings, or playing piano. And writing, of course! At an early age words fascinated her, and her love for the printed page has only grown. She lives with her parents and seven siblings in the sunny state of Kansas, and she's convinced there's no place like home.

Amazon || Goodreads || Blog



a Rafflecopter giveaway


are you a fan of the Questions of War series? have you read book-3 yet? did my rambles get old/boring/nonsensical?

The Third Day || Easter '19

Good morning, friends! And a happy Resurrection Day to you all. :D

In participation with an Easter celebration blog event known as The Third Day, I wanted to share a few random Easter-related things with y'all. Just some things I've been mulling over and contemplating. Maybe you can gain something from it as well, and I'd love to chat about these points with y'all in the comments. :)

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 

~ 1 corinthians 1:18 kjv

• Knowing that Judas would betray him—already had even—Jesus still welcomed him to the table in the Upper Room for a meal. He still bowed low and washed the feet that had went to the Pharisees and sold His life. Still placed food in the palm that clutched the thirty pieces of silver. Still offered drink to the lips that agreed to a price of coin in exchange for the King of Kings.

What kind of amazing, unconditional, agape love is that? I know there's no way we could even begin to love like Jesus did, but...but what if we at least tried? What if we strove a little harder? What kind of crazy-radical impact could we have then? I don't know, but I can imagine it would be more than the talk of the town.


• In order to become one of His, one has to take heed to the message of salvation, has to have faith, has to believe in the bloodied cross and the three day burial and glorious resurrection. Because THAT is Christ. That is the message that brings hope and peace and joy.


• Jesus Christ, the One who healed the lame and blind and demon-posessed. Who flipped over tables and chased the money-changers from the house of worship. Who taught the children and mentored His disciples. Who defeated death, hell, and the grave.

You see... It wasn't all for glory, fame, or honor. He did it for you. All of it—He did it for me. And He did it for you.

When Christ is preached with passion and power, no matter the persecution, profession will be made and His presence will come and bring joy. 

~ * ~

The Third Day blog and social media trend was started by Julia from Lit Aflame. Hop on over to her blog for details on the giveaway! Other awesome people sharing today are...

Lit Aflame: The Third Day Official Launch Post // Giveaway, Schedules, and PRAISING GOD 

Lit Aflame: Karis' Testimony // A Guest Post 

Soldier Girl Stories: And It Was Good 

A Need To Breathe: Testimony 

A Passion For Christ: Testimony 

Books, Life, and Christ: Testimony 

Standing Firm In My Faith: Testimony  

thoughts on these? are you enjoying The Third Day series? how are you celebrating the Savior's death, burial, and resurrection? 

A New Routine + Secret WIP || March Recap

I'm not even going to waste time expounding on just how quick March flew by—other than to say it's went by even faster than the past two months of the year. So, like, by the end of the week I'll probably be thirty years old or something.

(Also, yes, I'm aware this post is embarrassingly late. Read on for a flimsy excuse.)



|| New Routine• So, my routine got tossed up a bit this month—meaning, it went right out the window. I've been working 30-35 hours a week, which—on top of ASL homework, blogging, writing, and communicating with other human beings once in awhile—doesn't allow much time for anything other than food and the occasional snooze. So figuring out how to juggle has been a, uh, learning curve. ;)

• For the next two weeks, I'm on the schedule at work for 40+ hours/week. So this is probably the story of how I died. Or how I actually made some decent money. Ya know, one or the other. *clueless shrug*

• Looking back though my phone...apparently I was tired a lot? In all the selfies (I never realized I took so many blurry shots of my face, yikes) I look like I'm half dead... But my guy is adorable, so it's fine. <3




|| Craziness• March had lots of crazy days. Like the days where you find yourself falling asleep at your desk because you've hardly slept all week.

• Speaking of which, I graduated to a new kind of crazy this month. This realization struck me when I found myself drinking coffee in the shower at 10:30 pm...

• Not knowing what day it is. Since my off days are sporadic, unless it's Sunday, I'm always going "wait, what day is it?" (I think I need help. Go to www.faithneedscounseling.com to donate to my therapy fund.)

• (OKAY, FINE, I'M KIDDING. Not even sure I can apologize for the sarcasm at this point.)



|| Random• My fam went to a rodeo one weekend in celebration of the bro's birthday. So that was pretty cool. ;D  And a good reason to dress like an honorary Traven, ahaha.



• I felt like I was literally always looking for a pen...? One night, while pilfering through my bookbag for one, I shouted into the next room, "that's probably what they'll put on my tombstone, ya know? 'She never found the pen.' " No one laughed as hard as I did.


• More conversations with my clan of crazies. (You're welcome.)

      Granny: *giving Mom some dishes* When Faith ever wifes out, you can split some of that stuff with her
      Me: *splutters* uh, wife out?!

      Fam: talking about steps in old house and how to make then not as slick
      Dad: our steps aren't slick. ...are they?
      Mom: Faith fell down them. Like, all the way from the top
      Dad: oh yeah
      Mom: I fell down them when they were still carpet
      Dad: I fell up them...


• Spring is coming! Maybe...? I think? I hope...? Let's just pretend it is. I'm so ready for summer.



• My little bro turned SIXTEEN and I just... I just can't even... *sobs*



• My friend, Bethany (of A Great God and Good Cocoa fame) shared with me a video that she and her sister filmed and put together. I know they'd greatly appreciate it if you took a minute to watch their video and perhaps subscribed to their channel!



|| Best ReadJust Sayin' by Dandi Daley Mackall was FANTABULOUS. The kids, the dogs, the snark, the grandma, the match-making, the epistolary style... *happy sigh* Adored it to pieces. I'd got this book for free from Tyndale Rewards Program because it looked cute and I was far from disappointed!

(Psst! If you sign up for the Reader Rewards program using this link, you'll get extra points and so will I. Free books all around, am I right? :D)

|| Worst ReadThe American Sign Language Phrase Book by Lou Fant, I suppose? It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't astounding either. And, I mean, given the measly amount of books I read, I don't have much to pick from here. :P

Total Reads: 3


|| UpdateI'm still writing and it's SUCH a beautiful thing, y'all. (The fact that I'm writing, I mean. What I'm writing isn't exactly beautiful. It needs help. It all needs help. Shucks, the writer needs help—what do you expect?)

I did more short story work during the month of March as well as some plotting because... Well, you see...

I'm writing a new book.

Yes, you read that right. And, yes, I felt the bold font was necessary. I had this idea dumped in my lap mid-month and just couldn't escape it, so I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to do Camp NaNo this April (previously, I'd planned to skip and/or edit) and just write the darn thing.

So here I am, the girl that has a zillion other things she should be doing, drafting a sixth book. And I am SO darn hyped over this pathetic little bundle of words, y'all. I could ramble all day about it... except, not.

You see, I've decided that I ain't spilling details. None. Zero. Zilch. (If you're in my Cabin, you're hereby sworn to secrecy, 'k?) If I finish—or nearly finish—the WIP during Camp NaNo, I'll divulge all my deep dark secrets in April's recap. But if the plot fails and the storyline totally falls apart and I burn my notes in a fit of rage... Well, let's just hope it doesn't come down to that, aye?

|| Snippet

The fire had burned low, now only a heap of smoldering coals that emitted just enough of a glow to outline his brother’s tall form as he loaded a rifle on the far side of the room.  

“What do you think you’re doing?”  

The rancher whirled toward the voice, cartridges scattering across the carpet. “Blasted… I thought you went to bed.”  

“I asked what you’re doing.”  

Running his hand through his damp hair and still growling, he reached for the rifle. “I don’t know yet, but it's about time somebody did something.” 

|| Favorite PostsMore Precious than Gold >> I Need God

The Peculiar Messenger >> Most Anticipated Reads of 2019

twilight to dawn >> it's part of the journey

Alyssa N. >> 19 Life Lessons I've Learned in 19 Years

Allison's Well >> How to Survive Camp NaNo


|| My Posts




|| March Goals• Read 8 books.       Nope.

• Finish a short story.       Nope...

• Blog weekly.       Uh, barely not...?

• Review 3 books.      *just cries*


|| April Goals • Write a book.  (Whew, it's gonna be lit.)

• Blog 4 times.   (*fingers crossed*)

• Read 3 books.    (Puhleeaasseeee....) 

• Announce 3 super awesome writerly things.   (All are wickedly awesome. Not that I'm biased. And none are the new WIP.) 

• Don't die.   (Ya know. Just thought I'd add this just in case.) 


so how was your month, lovely human? are you doing something crazy in April—like writing a book or climbing Mt. Everest or fighting grizzlies or jumping out of a plane?

Time Management. {It's Not as Hard as It Sounds}

Time management.

We love the thought of it. We hate actually doing it. But we all wish we could do better at making the most of our time.

Or...at least I do. ;)

Working 30-35 hours a week since the beginning of the month, I've came to realize just how quickly time slips by. I get up, get ready for work, and scoot out the door with coffee in hand. By the time I get home, I have homework to attend to, blog posts to write, emails to respond to, actual writing to do, friends to chat with, TV shows to binge... *cough* Anyway, you get the idea.

However, in an effort to stay sane, I'm learning to...juggle, shall we say. And it's working. Slowly but surely, I'm figuring out how to get everything done—maybe not when I'd like, but in a reasonable amount of time. ;)

So here's a few random time-saving tricks that I've found helpful. Maybe they'll be beneficial to y'all as well.


Make a schedule—and stick to it. Honestly, I can't stress this enough. If you don't have a plan, that's already a mark against you. Because how can you manage your time if you're spending time trying to figure out what you need to do? An elaborate, detailed agenda for each day, week, and month isn't necessary. Even a list of specific things you need to complete that day/week is super helpful—that's what I've been doing lately. The important part is that you figure out what you need to do—and when—and then get it done.


Unsubscribe from junk email lists. You know those adsy emails you receive that you're not at all interested in? The ones you don't even look at or delete without a thought? Do yourself a favor and take a few seconds to scroll to the bottom and click unsubscribe . When the only emails you're receiving are things you actually will read, reply to, or they're something of importance, "doing emails" will be quicker and simpler. And so much less annoying.


Avoid YouTube like the plague. Or like bug bites, because that's basically what it is. Seriously. You scratch once (watch a video) and you end up scratching (watching random/stupid videos) for hours. It's bad, y'all. Almost every time I dare go to the edge of that Deep Black Hole to watch one harmless thing, then 57 minutes later, I find myself watching videos of people trying to pronounce town names in Ohio...or something equally pointless. (Side note—who came up with that wicked "you might also like..." feature?! Sick-minded humans, I tell ya...) Nothing wrong with some enjoyment in your free time, but if you have stuff to do, get away from that time-squelching.


Waiting on something or someone? Reply to blog comments, emails, or messages on your phone. Sure, it's not as easy as a "real" keyboard, but you're saving time.

Eating lunch alone? Catch up on social media or read a few pages in a book.

Dying to finish the book but you need to get ready for the day? Read while you brush your teeth, get dressed, fix your hair, eat breakfast, walk to the car... you get my point. Again, not super easy, but it's absolutely possible to multitask in such a way—reading a book could be replaced with many things in this instance. If I can do it, I'm confident anyone can. xD


So yup, there's that! Hope you found this helpful—and that you're able to forgive me for that weird bug analogy. Not sure what happened there...my poor caffeinated brain... *cough*


what's your #1 time saving/managing trick?