E.G. Bella's Blog, page 7

21 Lessons I’ve Learned in 21 Years

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Today isn’t just any Wednesday . . . it’s actually my birthday! And my 21st birthday at that.

Twenty-one used to sound so old to me, but now I don’t know. I do feel old, but also, still so young. From what I’ve been told, that’s a common feeling. Can you relate?

I think, for me at least, it comes from the contrast of all of the things I’ve experienced in my life so far, against all of the things I know I have yet to learn and experience in the future. There’s so much on either side that it can be overwhelming.

More than that though, it’s a blessing. To have gotten to do, learn, and feel so much in my lifetime so far, and to look forward to more new experiences and opportunities for growth each and every day in my future. I don’t know how long that will be, but I know I’ve already been given so many more days than some people have, and I’m grateful for that.

I don’t know exactly how God is using me, but I’m blessed to be part of His plan, and to be able to trust that no matter what happens and has happened in my life, it’s for a purpose.

The other strange thing this birthday is that I’ve been more sentimental than usual. More sappy (hence this post, haha). It probably has something to do with all the changes that have happened in my life over the past year, such as getting married, moving out, changing jobs, and looking for a home. It’s all been making me contemplate who I am so far.

And as I’ve been looking back at all the many things I’ve been learning, I thought I’d take some time today and share twenty-one of the lessons that stand out most to me. They’ve made a big difference in my life, and I hope maybe they can be a blessing in yours, too.

1. Life is Short — Tell Your Loved Ones You Care

The more time passes, the more I realize how fast it’s going. We don’t know how much time we and the people around us have left in this life. We’ll regret the kindness we should have shared but didn’t.

So don’t waste any opportunity to share your love, respect, and affection for someone. You never know just how much your words are going to mean to them.

2. It’s Okay to Show Emotion

Showing strong emotion is often difficult for us. I think it’s a subconscious way many of us try to protect ourselves from hurt (i. e. “if I don’t show it, it can’t be used against me”).

But the trouble with guarding our hearts is that it’s harder to let things into them then — even the good things. We’re created to feel emotion and be impacted by others. That’s how we grow. We shouldn’t be afraid to let that happen.

3. The Little Things Matter

Whether this means keeping good habits and taking care of ourselves, or telling family we love them, the little things sometimes make the biggest difference. It doesn’t have to be huge to make a positive impact.

I always gravitate toward big, dramatic changes and accomplishments. But those can get overwhelming, and I end up discouraged if I can’t keep up with them. Remembering to focus on the little things keeps me moving forward.

4. There’s Always Something to Be Thankful For

Admittedly, I’m a pessimist. I don’t like it, but that’s who I am. I’m naturally more critical, notice what can go wrong, and generally expect difficult things to happen. Sometimes I’m a very depressing person to be around.

What I too often forget is that there are always countless things to be thankful for — small and big. All I need to do is keep my eyes open and actually look for them. Focusing on the blessings can make any day (and my mood) instantly better.

5. Don’t Forget to Turn the Coffee Maker On

Maybe you thought these were all going to be deeper and more introspective. Nope, we have to sprinkle these lighter ones in here! The amount of times I’ve “started” my coffee maker, gone to get ready for work, then returned to it still unplugged and un-brewed is ridiculous.

Along with turning it on, don’t forget to add coffee grounds, water, the mug to fill (if it’s that kind of coffee maker), and clean it periodically to flush out the lime build-up and other yucky stuff. Thank you for coming to my coffee lecture.

6. Laughter Really Is the Best Medicine

Everyone says this, don’t they? And I think it’s passed around so often for a reason — it’s true! As a not naturally optimistic or cheerful person all the time, looking on the bright side isn’t my first inclination in hard times.

But time and time again, it’s been shown that laughter makes things better. Finding a reason to smile and be joyful — in difficult situations, too — betters our health, moods, relationships, and even careers. It often takes an intentional decision to find something to smile about, but it always helps.

7. Friends Come and Go

In the moment, we don’t often think of this. But friends come and go in our lives, many of them changing with the seasons of our lives. Our best friend one day may no longer be in contact with us years down the road, and someone we never noticed before may be our dearest companion now.

It’s not typically a fun transition, and can be very painful. But the right people will come into our lives when we need them. Ultimately, it’s for our good. So we need to fully enjoy the people that have been placed near us right now.

8. Appreciate Life’s Beauty

As the saying goes: “stop and smell the roses”. This is another thing I’m not very good at doing. I don’t often take the time in my day to stop and recognize the beauty around me. But I should, and when I do, it really helps my mindset. Life is tough, definitely, but we live in a beautiful world.

It’s easy to find the things we don’t like about our surroundings, or the people we know. But it’s far better to look for the things we do like, the things that bring us joy, and the beautiful parts of nature and people. And when it comes to people, not just external beauty. Look for and appreciate the beauty inside.

9. Listen More Than Speaking

This is a common reminder, for good reason. Have you ever heard the saying, “God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason?” It’s a good point! There aren’t enough good listeners in the world, and people are searching for someone to just listen to them, and let them know they’re valued.

I want to be that sort of person, that others can come to and know that they have a safe space and someone to love them no matter what they’re going through. Sometimes words — no matter how well-intentioned — aren’t the right course of action. All we need to do is be present and listen.

10. Being a Fool is Okay

Did you know that one of the original meanings of the word ‘fool’ was referring to a jester? A jester would entertain the king with humor, silly antics, and slapstick bumbling. Next to nothing was off the table if it lightened the king’s spirits.

So it’s okay to be a fool (of this kind). My sense of humor prefers corny dad jokes, groanworthy puns, and physical antics to raise people’s moods. And I’m still learning that it truly is okay — even if I look like a fool — to be silly for the benefit of others.

11. You Can Be Good At Many Things — And an Expert at None

While I was growing up, I wanted to be countless things when I was older. But as time passed, I convinced myself that that wasn’t realistic; that I’d need to pick one and master it to be a success. The pressure of choosing wrong was hard to handle. How was I supposed to narrow down all my interests?

But it’s completely okay to develop skills and have hobbies in multiple areas, and in fact, it’s a good idea. We don’t have to master something to still do it well and make a career or fulfilling hobby from it. And though we’re naturally better at some things than others, we don’t have to — and can’t — be perfect at anything.

12. Don’t Judge By First Impressions

We all know the saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” But we all do, don’t we? And just like we initially judge a book from its cover, we also tend to judge people from their outward appearances. We make snap judgements and form opinions of others even before we hear them speak or interact with them.

And while we may learn some things from this initial judgement, we can’t know the whole story until we actually get to know the person. What we learn from interacting with them and talking to them may shock us, and be the last thing we expected. We can never know what someone’s truly like at a glance. Give others a chance.

13. Everyone Has a Story

I know, I’ve said this many times, and that’s because I really believe it. Everyone has a story. Each of us has a unique, powerful, gripping, and interesting story to tell, even if we don’t realize it. Your unique life is uniquely beautiful. And so are the stories of everyone you pass on the street or smile at in a store.

Sometimes we forget this and don’t bother getting to know someone or really listen to them — instead, making snap judgements, being cruel, or ignoring them. But we can learn so much from one another, and what we need to do is have open hearts and arms. What have the people around you lived through?

14. People Are More Important Than Things

This seems obvious when said like that, but sometimes we still get caught up in the pursuit of money, things, or experiences that we feel will make our lives, and the lives of those around us, better. But what if what would really make all those lives better is to just spend time with our loved ones instead?

Too often, I get caught up in trying to accomplish things or earn more, and forget to prioritize the people in my life. Indirectly, I think I’m doing it for them, but what they really want is for me to just pay attention to them. Most people would choose to spend time with their loved one, rather than be given expensive gifts or live somewhere fancy because they’re always off working.

15. Don’t Feel Bad About Resting

Like I said above, I tend to get caught up in accomplishing things and reaching goals, and don’t feel like I can stop and rest. Resting can feel like a waste of time; like I’m just being lazy. If I’m not careful, doing something fun can actually be stressful, because I think I should still be working instead.

Of course, rest and fun things can be used to procrastinate, but deep down, I think we all know when we’ve crossed that line. In general, we need to balance our work with relaxation. If we don’t rest, we’re only going to do damage to our minds, bodies, and relationships with others. We’re not machines (last I checked anyway).

16. Learn From Children

This seems kind of backwards at first glance, doesn’t it? Aren’t we supposed to be the ones teaching children about life and manners? Well, yes, but we can learn much from them as well. Lessons about innocence, friendship, acceptance, joy, and appreciating the beauty and good things in life.

Children are so uninhibited, and while that can be a handful at times, there’s also something precious about it. They don’t care what others think. They’re not trying to be anything but themselves (and maybe a dog or dragon, sometimes). And we love them for it. I think we could all stand to be a bit more like children sometimes.

17. Do What You Love

Although I’d love to use this tip and tell you that we don’t ever have to do things we dislike again, only things we love, I sadly can’t. We can’t only do things we love, at least not this side of Heaven. So when we have the chance, we should seize it. I’m referring to some of the smaller things in life that are up to us.

For example, when exercising, if you hate running but love dancing, why force yourself to do something you dislike? Dance! What does it matter if you’re not even very good at it, or if other people think you shouldn’t. Find the opportunities that you have to bring joy into your life, and you’ll have an easier time dealing with the stress when unwanted tasks come your way.

18. Prioritize Health, Not Image

Speaking of exercise, it can be all too easy to fixate on our looks. We see other people we think look better than us, we compare, we agonize over the fact that we don’t look like we want to…and in the process, we can make many unhealthy choices. In trying to look better on the outside, we can become worse and worse on the inside.

But being healthy is far more important than looking a certain way. We want to be strong, persistent, full of energy, fit, and able to do whatever amazing things we’re called to in life. A healthy person is always beautiful, but a beautiful person may not always be healthy, if they’re solely focused on the outside. Health should be the priority.

19. Be Patient

This is a lesson I was blessed to learn from my late brother, a kind young man with a smile nearly as big as his heart. He had severe Cerebral Palsy, and couldn’t do much for himself. Physically, he didn’t have the same capabilities as many of us, and spent a lot of time waiting for others to help him. He must have at some point, but I never once saw him get impatient.

We’re so quick (ironically) to grow antsy and frustrated when things take longer than we want. We want instant gratification, first picks, and shorter lines. But some of the most beautiful, meaningful moments happen when we make the most of those waiting times. Slowing down to notice what’s going on in the midst of them can lead to opportunities we never expected.

20. Always Keep Learning

As I’ve said before, I still have much to learn. In the grand scheme of things, twenty-one years really isn’t that long. And as the adults around me keeping saying, even after three times that much life, I wouldn’t know even close to everything. But that’s okay. I like learning.

No matter how long we’ve lived, where we are in life, or what we’ve experienced, we can — and should — always learn more. The more we learn, the more we can grow. So we should strive to keep our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds open, and soak up all the wisdom we can get. We’re going to need it.

21. Trust God With Everything

If there’s one most important thing I’ve learned, it’s this. Life is crazy, turbulent, uncertain, and scary sometimes. But God has a plan, and that plan is for the ultimate good. It’s perfect, and it’s beautiful. So many times, we don’t and can’t see how God is working, but we can always trust that He is.

Time and time again, I’ve been reminded to trust God, even when things are really tough, and I’m always so grateful when I choose to have faith in the One who has my best interests at heart and in His plans. In fact, if I could change anything from my life so far, I would choose to trust Him more. With everything. He has never and will never fail. So why not anchor our lives on that?

Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me! Could you relate to any of the lessons I’ve learned so far? What would you add? I’d love to learn from the wisdom you’ve acquired, so please comment below with some of your best life advice!

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“What Makes Me Pick Up a Book” Tag

Happy Friday!

As you can probably guess at this point, this tag is another one I gleaned from KristinKravesBooks (with permission!). I’ve enjoyed thinking through all the fun and unique questions from her tags collection over the past couple months and this one is no exception.

As you read the questions, think of how you would answer them! I’d love to find out!

Do you judge a book by its cover?

. . . yes. I think we all do to some extent though, that’s why good covers are so important! A lot of the time, if I’m just browsing shelves of books, I skim for the covers that intrigue me and then go from there. It’s disappointing when the cover is amazing and the story isn’t.

Focusing just on a cover, what attracts you to pick it up?

Well, firstly, if it’s created by Kirk DouPonce. His covers are incredible every time! (Talk about an author bucket list item . . . to have one of your book covers designed by him.)

Otherwise, I think I have extremes with favorite covers. I either tend to like very detailed covers with pretty eye-catching colors and a dreamy quality to them, or very simple but dramatic covers with plenty of tension behind them.

Here are a bunch of my favorites:

Do you read the synopsis first, or prefer to go in knowing nothing about the book?

If it’s a book I’ve heard about, I don’t usually read the synopsis, I prefer to just hop in. If it’s completely new to me, I’ll usually skim the synopsis, but try to forget what I’ve read right afterward, as I don’t want anything to spoil the bigger plot points and some synopses do.

Do you have any auto-buy authors?

Just a couple! I have yet to be disappointed by any books by Nadine Brandes or Daniel Schwabauer, so when they have new releases I can be sure I’m going to really enjoy them, and I usually get them as soon as possible. Rosey Mucklestone, Khaled Hosseini, and Jill Williamson are honorable mentions for authors whose works I consistently enjoy.

Are you more likely to pick up a book if it has specific elements/themes?

For sure! Genre wise, intriguing dystopians will often win me over, as well as a light fantasy or fairytale retelling. And as far as themes and elements, I’m drawn to stories that feature redemption themes, faith, loyalty, humor, and a dramatic dosage of non-whiny angst.

I’m also a sucker for stories that include grumpy but lovable mentors, spunky and “overly optimistic because they’re hurting inside” protagonists, enemies forced to work together (think, hero and villain), amnesia, protagonists overcoming physical or mental challenges or disabilities, and classic “we’re going on an adventure” journeys.

Do you ever read a book that has generally negative reviews just to form your own opinion on it?

Yes, pretty often actually. Not if it’s a book that I’ve heard has content that I’m not comfortable reading, but if it’s negative reviews based on opinions and it sounds interesting to me otherwise, I like to give it a chance and form my own opinion. Sometimes I end up agreeing with the majority that it’s awful, and other times I find some good ones!

Do you ever buy a book just because another booktuber/blogger has talked about it a lot?

If it’s a booktuber/blogger that I trust and have similar bookish interests to, then yes. That’s where I get most of my recommendations from. I may not run out and buy it new right away (like I said, I don’t usually get brand new books), but I definitely add it to my list of ones to be on the lookout for.

Is there anyone whose book recommendations you always trust?

Mostly a few of my family and friends, as I know their book tastes pretty well and can safely assume I’ll like most of the same books that they do. Otherwise, there are also some fellow bloggers that I interact with on a regular basis and trust their bookish opinions. I love getting recommendations from friends!

Thanks for joining me in another bookish tag today! Let me know how you’d answer each of these questions, either on your own blog, or in the comments below! I look forward to hearing from you!

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Publishing News!

Hello and happy Wednesday!

I’ve been more absent from the blog these past couple of months, particularly in August, and I promise I have a good reason for it! I’ve been hard at work on several projects lately.

And speaking of which, I’m super excited to hop on the blog today and share some publishing news! We have two announcements today – one a little bit older, and the other a long-awaited one.

Let’s get right to them!

The Toymaker’s Doll is now a paperback!

Yes, that’s right! You can now find The Toymaker’s Doll on Amazon as either an ebook or a cute little paperback! If you’d like, you can head here to check it out.

The Toymaker’s Doll first released in December of 2021 as an ebook only, and that’s all I thought it would ever be. I still entertain ideas of making it into an illustrated children’s book at some point, but I knew that would still be years down the road. Plus, it’s a short story, and does anyone buy paperback short stories?

Fast forward to June of this year, and the mood struck me one day to just get it out there. If nothing else, selfishly, I would like to have a physical copy of my first-ever published story. And turns out there have been other people that were also glad at the opportunity, which has made me so happy to see!

So if you’re one of those people that would like to have a copy of The Toymaker’s Doll to read when times are tough, or to some young people in your life (my young siblings and cousins enjoy it!), you can find that over at Amazon. At under 10,000 words, it’s a cute and easy read.

(And of course, it remains as an ebook as well, if that’s more your style.)

And secondly, the announcement I’m most excited to make regards the novel I’ve been promising I’m going to publish for about five years now . . . if you’ve stuck with me this long, you are incredibly patient and I’m amazed!

You guessed it!

Cabin Girl is coming to Amazon on September 18th, 2023!Cabin Girl is book one of The Secretive Seas series!

In honor of Read a New Book Month, Talk Like a Pirate Day, and the five year anniversary of me starting to write this story, Cabin Girl‘s official release is this coming September – specifically the 18th, meaning launch day is almost exactly one month away!

Cabin Girl is the novel that spurred on my writing and publishing journey, and it’s changed and grown as my writing ability has. Finally, I’m at a place where I feel (and others have confirmed) that the story is solid and I’m settling into a style as a writer. This has been so long in the making, and I can’t wait to share it with you!

Coming in at about 82,000 words, Cabin Girl is a YA pirate adventure novel with a focus on family, faith, and finding the courage to trust God, even when life is at its worst. Here’s the shorter synopsis for your viewing pleasure:

Sickness. Sharks. Sabotage. Secrecy.

In the rolling hills of 1600’s Ireland, young Éirinn O’Connell learns all she can of medicine, struggling to care for her starving family—until the night Barbary pirates raid her village, and she’s dragged from the only home she’s ever known.

Set on a course to the slave markets of Morocco, and amidst a crew as turbulent as the ocean around her, Éirinn searches for a way home. But who can she trust? And how will she survive the Captain’s constant torment? Éirinn soon discovers the danger in trusting appearances and learns that it’s never too late for a second chance.

Even for the unlikeliest of people.

If that sounds like your kind of story, I hope you’ll stay tuned for September!

And if you’re an avid reader, reviewer, or blogger, and would like to be part of the launch activities, including but not limited to: receiving an ARC copy, leaving reviews, posting to share the word, and participating in the blog tour, please reach out to me as soon as you can!

In fact, here’s a handy dandy Google form for you to fill out if you’re interested! Just click RIGHT HERE. I would absolutely love for you to take part!

Once again, thank you so much for all of the support and encouragement in this process. This is going to be another fun adventure to release Cabin Girl into the world, and I look forward to keeping you in the loop as we move forward!

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Anonymous Bookaholics Tag

Happy Friday!

I found this tag on KristinKravesBooks, and really liked how different the questions were from a lot of the tags I’ve been doing recently. I’d love to hear how you’d answer these!

What do you like about buying new books?

This sounds cheesy, but probably just the chance to dive into a brand new story! And if it’s a new book as in just came out, I especially like being able to read a story that hasn’t been spoiled for me in any way yet. Being able to be part of the new release hype and be caught totally off-guard by what happens in the plot is a very fun experience to me.

How often do you buy new books?

Not very often at all. Probably 90% of the books that I’ve purchased and that are on my shelves are ones that I got secondhand, either from thrift stores or garage sales, or were passed down from friends or family members. Brand new books, either in condition or because they recently were published, are a special treat and I honestly like it that way.

Bookstore or online book shopping–which do you prefer?

This is a tough one. I like book shopping in person because I like the experience of being able to pick it up, flip through the pages, read a little bit here and there, and just because it’s fun to walk down walls of books.

But online book shopping is really nice as I like being able to read reviews, research more about the book before I buy it, and just for the convenience, getting it quickly and without having to leave my home. Also no one is judging me for the books I get, haha.

I think in general I prefer in-person book shopping, but they both have pros and cons.

Do you have a favorite bookshop?

My local thrift store and Goodwill! I haven’t yet bought a book from an actual bookshop, partially because there’s not one near me, and partially because of how expensive they are. If I do buy new books though, to support favorite authors or just because I can’t wait to read a certain one, I’ll usually get it off Amazon.

Do you preorder books?

Not usually. Like I said, I don’t usually buy books while they’re still new, so I think the only one I’ve actually pre-ordered was Wishtress by Nadine Brandes. At this point, I’ve read all of her other books and have loved each and every one of them, so I figured I could trust that her newest one would be worth it. And it was! It’s my favorite of hers so far!

Do you have a monthly book buying limit?

Nope! Some months I get zero new books, some months I get half a dozen, it just depends on the selection at my local thrift store and how often I let myself visit. Thankfully, the prices are super low there so I don’t have to be too careful about it, but if I’ve built up too much of a collection of books I haven’t read yet, I don’t allow myself to go again until I’ve caught up (unless it’s a special occasion . . . ).

How big is your wishlist?

Oh, too big to list. I don’t keep a complete wishlist anywhere, but just on my Goodreads ‘want to read’ list, I currently have 264 books! And I know I have a few others on my Amazon wishlist, as well as a bunch more in my head that I haven’t jotted down anywhere. I don’t think it will ever be possible to read all the books I’d like too.

Which three books from your wishlist do you wish to own now?

There are so many I could pick, but these are three of my top want-to-reads right now. Very different genres, but all books that I’ve heard a lot of good things about and would like to read for myself some time to see what I think.

Do you have any suggestions for me? I would love to add to my long want-to-read list!

It’s always fun to compare habits and favorites when it comes to books, so please feel free to hop in on this tag! Either on your own blog or in the comments below, how would you answer each of these questions?

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The Book Titles Tag

Happy Friday!

This tag is another one I found on KristinKravesBooks and was originally created on Youtube (you can find those links here and here).

I love how unique this one is, as you have to use book titles to answer all of the questions. I’m sure it’s going to require a lot of creativity and searching through my shelves, so let’s get started!

Title that’s the story of your life

I’m going to use this title, but using ‘His’ as a reference to God. Looking back at my life so far, I can see how God has kept me safe, and always provided what I needed, even if it was difficult, scary, or not what I wanted. I would have chosen a different path hundreds of times over if it was up to me, but I’m so glad He’s led me on his perfect path instead.

Title that describes your perfect weekend

Make it the girl in the striped pajamas and that sounds about right. I do like doing some active things on weekends too, but if I get the opportunity, I’ll never say no to a weekend of pure relaxation, reading, and resting.

Title of an adventure you’d like to go on

Technically, I am going on the adventure that Christian went on in The Pilgrim’s Progress, and it’s no walk in the park . . .unless that walk in the park is full of hardships, hurt, and exhaustion. But just like the allegory shows, I know it will be very, very worth it in the end! There are so many blessings and gifts throughout the journey as well.

Title you want to name your child

This might be a stretch, but I love the name Anastasia, so I’ll say it counts. Apparently I don’t have many books with names in the titles! But now I can picture it . . . an adorable little girl named Anastasia, and I know I’d end of calling her “Anya” as a nickname, thanks to the movie/Broadway renditions of her story. Hmmm.

Title of your ideal job

This would be such a cool job title! To me, it would just mean a storyteller, someone who tells stories with ink. Basically just an author with a cooler name, haha.

Title of a place you’d like to visit

I mean, who wouldn’t want to visit Treasure Island? It wouldn’t have to be the same island as in the book either, I’d be perfectly content with any treasure island. No pickiness here!

Title of your love life

Wonder seems appropriate. We’ve been married four months now, and my sense of wonder about the entire thing is still overwhelming at times. It still feels unreal that a year ago I wasn’t even engaged yet, and two years ago, I hadn’t even reconnected with my now-husband. I’m in awe of the wonders God has brought into my life through my husband.

Bet you weren’t expecting me to get sappy in this post, were you? I wasn’t either, haha.

Questions you ask yourself

This is an old book and a touching story, and it’s definitely something I try to ask myself on a regular basis and any time I’m struggling to make a decision.

Title of a kingdom you want to rule OR name

I know the original story has Zenda as the name of a castle, but I think an entire kingdom by the name of Zenda would be cool. It also reminds me of Zelda, which makes me think of adventure and kingdoms anyway.

Title you’d name your band.

To me, this just sounds like a cool name for a band, maybe for indie or contemporary music?

What is your current mood?

I’ll be completely honest, I’m tired, haha. Also, it’s super hot out.

What is your favorite color?

Apparently, this is one of the only books I have with a color in the title. It just happens to have my favorite color though!

How do you feel about 2023 so far?

Weirdly, this seems to fit. I feel like I’ve had so many ideas so far in 2023 – both for writing and general life – but at the same time, have been unable to focus on them for long without getting super distracted. I think it’s mostly just because it’s been a busy year so far with a lot going on. Thankfully, I’ve been starting to make more progress the last month or so.

Where do you want to travel?

Going somewhere beyond the bright sea would hopefully take me somewhere near Europe!

What are your summer plans?

I can’t find a book title that works for this, so I guess I’m going to be doing some cleaning!

What are your 2023 goals?

I’ve been learning a lot so far this year, and I’d like to continue doing that! Even more than nine lessons preferably.

This was such a tricky one, but so fun! I officially tag anyone who thinks this looks like fun, because I would absolutely love to read your answers! Feel free to hop in, either on your own blog, or in the comments below!

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My Life in Books Tag

Happy Friday!

And . . . we’re back with another short and fun tag I found on KristinKravesBooks! This one is all about using books to describe parts of our lives. The questions look so fun!

As always, I’d love to hear your answers . . . so let’s get started!

Find a book for each of your initials
(excluding ‘the’ if you need to)

We’ll stick with my pen name initials for this one. . . so E, G, and B.

Count your age along your bookshelf: What book is it?

Twenty books into my bookshelf is Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill – a great read!

Pick a book set in your city/country

As far as I’m aware, there aren’t any books set in my city, but Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder is the closest one I can think of offhand. Laura Ingalls was born about three and a half hours from where I live.

Pick a book that represents a destination you’d love to travel to

I’m not particularly fond of The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley (I don’t actually believe I’ve finished the entire book yet), but I would love to go to Scotland! It’s so intriguing and beautiful in its own mystical way.

Pick a book that’s your favorite color

Blue and yellow are my favorite colors, so I love the color combo on the cover of All the Light We Cannot See. And even besides the colors, it’s a stunning cover in my opinion.

Which book do you have the fondest memories of?

My mom used to read books to me and my siblings when we were kids, and A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket was one of my favorites that she read to us. If you haven’t read this series, I highly recommend it! The books have great mystery and keep you very entertained with the ridiculous and clever humor sprinkled through each page.

Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini was a rough one. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I picked it up, and there were a lot of sections that were hard to read, due to the disturbing content. From a story perspective, it was very well-written and engaging, but it isn’t light-hearted.

Which book in your TBR pile will give you the biggest accomplishment when you finish it?

I’ve wanted to read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas for years, and have yet to finish it. I started it once when I was starting high school and was too intimidated by its size. But the triumph I’ll feel when I finally trek through the entire thing will be so worth it!

If you think these questions look like fun, I officially tag you! The best parts of these tags are getting to read others’ answers, so please hop in if you’d like – either on your own blog, or in the comments below!

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2023 Quarter #2 Wrap-Up

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Today’s post is a recap of my most recent three months of 2023, complete with general life updates, writing achievements, reading progress, and goals. And as always, I’m looking forward to hearing how life is going for you so far this year!

Let’s get started . . .

General Update

Well, this quarter has been pretty crazy! First of all, if you’ve been following my blog, you already know that I got married April 1st. I’ve talked about it a lot in other posts (like this one), so I won’t go into detail here, but a lot has changed since March. My husband and I have settled into our apartment, and have started to find a pretty good routine. It’s been a full past few months with lots of learning.

As far as everyday life goes, I’ve now stopped nannying and picked up more hours at my other job. The change has been a big and unexpected one, but my schedule is much closer to my husband’s now, and the extra time has allowed me to get back into some other pursuits, like volunteering at a local food pantry organization monthly, selling extra items online, and do a better job keeping food around the home. It’s been a blessing.

I’ve also had more time to write! Nothing ever feels like enough (right?), but I’ve been keeping up with blogging, diving back into fiction (more on that in a minute), and even accomplishing some extra things I’ve been wanting to work on for a long time (again, more information coming soon!). I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed writing!

Fiction

I’m super excited to say I’ve been working on Cabin Girl again! I only have three and a half chapters left to edit heavily, and from there on out, it will be getting final feedback and implementing small, subtle changes I’ve been writing down as I worked through the book this month. I’ve really enjoyed getting to immerse myself in the story again.

I do have a tentative release date in mind, but I’m waiting to announce it until after these last heavy edits are done, to make sure I can follow through. That’s been a problem in the past, haha. If you’re on my email list and/or street team, you should be receiving an email with updates sometime in July!

On the Blog

April had five, May had seven, and June has had four (counting this one), making a grand total of seventeen blog posts in the second quarter of 2023!

Here’s the long list of blog posts from this quarter:
~ 10 Christian Quotes About Marriage
~ The Trope Tag
~ Bucket Lists: A Discussion
~ Be The Reason
~ What Cats Do Book Tag
~ Happily Married (& wedding photos!)
~ My 2023 Growth Word
~ What’s On My Bookshelf Tag
~ 5 Life Skills I Want to Improve At
~ My Favorite Bible Verses
~ A-Z Bookish Tag
~ 30 Funny Pirate Jokes
~ Summer Bucket List Book Tag
~ Inside My Writing Toolbox
~ Summer Vibes Book Tag
~ and of course, this one!

Reading List

In the past three months, I’ve read another twelve books, staying pretty consistent with the first quarter. That makes twenty-three read so far. As expected, I’m probably only going to make it through half of my 100 books goal for 2023. But I’m still getting to read a lot of good books, and even try out some new-to-me genres, so that’s okay!

Here are a bunch of my favorites from the past three months:
~ What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan (contemporary/mystery)
~ To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (historical/classic)
~ A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (historical)
~ Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano (fantasy/contemporary)
~ Operation Lionhearted by Maribeth Barber (sci-fi/intrigue)
~ The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (classic/fairytale)

You can always keep up with my reading list (and reviews) on Goodreads.

Looking Forward

Funnily enough, just as I feel like we’re finding routine, we’re starting the process of yet another big life change – finding a house! Our lease runs out at the end of October, so we have until then to find somewhere else to go and move. Thankfully we still have a few months, but the amount of emails and phone calls I’ve made in the past few weeks has already been so far from my comfort zone, haha.

But that’s how life is, isn’t it? We take it one step at a time, and there’s always something to be figuring out, looking forward to, and working at. And that’s okay! God has been such a constant help, and I’m so thankful that I can always stop, take a deep breath, pray, and remember that we’re not alone in anything life can throw at us. We’re simply adventuring!

In the meantime, I’m planning to continue writing as much as I possibly can, and keep you all updated in each step. And if there are ever questions you have, or if you’d like to be involved in any way, please feel free to reach out and let me know! Thank you for your patience and all of the sweet comments recently. You are appreciated!

What have these past three months of 2023 been like for you? Have you made progress on some of your goals, or learned some important lessons? What are you looking forward to in the next quarter? Do you have any special summer plans? I’d love to hear about what’s been going on in your life!

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Summer Vibes Book Tag

Hello and happy Friday!

I’m back with another bookish tag that I got from KristinKravesBooks (you can find her post here). She didn’t tag me herself, but I found it on her long and helpful list of book tags, (look here if you’re interested)!

This is another fun tag, where I’m going to be scouring my shelves for books that fit in each summer-esque (definitely a word) category! I enjoy these tags, both as a way to share good book recommendations, but also to revisit some great elements in my favorite books.

And I also love to receive great book recommendations, so I’d love for you to hop on in and share which of your favorite (or not so favorite) books would be in each category!

Let’s get started!

The Rules:
– Mention the creator and link back to the original post! (Deanna @ The Comfy Reader)
– Thank the blogger who tagged you (Kristin, if you see this, thank you for the fun tag!)
– Answer all the prompts below however you see fit
– Tag some friends!
– Feel free to use the graphics

And now onto the categories!

I haven’t read The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss in years, but I do remember that it was a tropical setting! Centered around a family that are shipwrecked on an island and need to work together to survive, it’s a fun classic story. I do remember thinking it was too easy for them, but since I haven’t read it in so long, I can’t remember many specifics.

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine has a large focus on singing, and the main character’s ability to do something special and impressive with her voice. Books centered around music, singing, and those types of things that we can’t actually hear while we’re reading are hard to pull off, but I’ve always greatly enjoyed this one! It’s a fun and unique fairytale read.

Blank Mastermind by Rosey Mucklestone is the first one I think of for this! I don’t expect to ever stop recommending this book – it’s that good! There are so many great things about it – humor, lovable and nuanced characters, action, superheroes, a dystopian setting, powerful themes – but the big secret woven throughout the entire story is one of the best parts.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis is one of my favorite water-focused books. It’s not entirely set on a ship, but the primary setting is on the Dawn Treader, the ship they use to travel through the land of Narnia, searching for the lost lords. I’m a sucker for any stories set on ships, with pirates, or around the ocean, so this is one of my favorite Narnia stories.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of my ‘guilty pleasure’ books, and in general, dystopian is my indulgent genre. I’m not sure why, but I do find it interesting to see how different authors envision our changed world, as well as the action and intrigue being interesting. Do they have plenty of clichés and tropes? Yes. Do I mind? Not enough.

Don’t hate me! Say what you will about this book, but The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is first and foremost a story about friendship, at least in my opinion. It’s dark, nuanced, and set in one of the worst periods of history, but one of the central themes is friendship, no matter how difficult external factors may make that relationship. It’s sad, but sweet.

I just read Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano, and man, does it take you on an adventure! Centered around a group of ancient ‘teens’ that were offered the choice to eternally embody seasons instead of die and their consequent fight to overthrow the same organization that gave them their second chances, it’s a nonstop flow of action and adventure. I knew nothing about the story when I started reading, and it was hard to stop!

The River at Night by Erica Ferencik is one I got from my local thrift store purely because the cover looked cool (sometimes we really do judge a book by its cover, haha). However, I didn’t do enough research into its content and the author. It ended up frustrating me in many ways, and I wish I hadn’t filled my head with the expletives and distasteful scenes.

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald is such a delightful read! It’s cute in the writing style, and light in the sense that it’s an easy read with charming characters and settings, but the themes are anything but. I was pleasantly surprised by the nuance and depth of the lessons within the story, and am very glad I gave this one a try!

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson is the first one I think of. Although I feel like there are a lot of books out there with annoying characters, the main character Jess’ older sisters always irritated me. Ellie and Brenda get a little better by the end of the book, but I still can’t help but cringe at how shallow and greedy they are for the majority of the story.

Now this is where I’m supposed to tag others, but I’m going to continue my bending of blog tag rules and tag everyone! If you’d like to hop in on this fun tag, please feel free to – either on your own blog, or in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!

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Inside My Writing Toolbox

Happy Wednesday!

I’ve been blessed to get to write more often over the past couple of months, and man, have I enjoyed it. When I started working on Cabin Girl again in May, it’d been a solid eight months since I’d made serious progress on it. Getting engaged, married, and moving kind of has a way of taking up time, haha.

After getting married, I actually left one of my part-time jobs so that my husband and I could have similar schedules again. We both solely work at the same business now! And I’ve been gifted a couple of days each week that I can use to pursue writing again.

As I’ve been figuring out my new writing routine, and what works best for me in this new stage of my life, I’ve been giving extra thought to the tools I use while writing. To me, it can be difficult to find the balance between keeping things simple, and also saving myself time and hassle where I can.

I don’t have everything perfect yet (and likely never will), but I have found a pretty comfortable mix of tools, programs, and processes that help me write productively. Every writer has a different mix that works best for them, and today, I thought I’d share mine!

Atticus

I’m going to start with a big one. This is a writing and formatting program (which you can find here), that’s meant to be similar to the widely-praised Vellum for Apple products. I don’t use Apple, and when I discovered Atticus, I was looking for a easy-to-use but affordable program that I could continue to use with all the books I plan to publish.

So far, Atticus has worked great for me! I used it to format The Toymaker’s Doll for publication, and have been working on Cabin Girl with it as well. In addition, they’ve already added many helpful updates since I started using it. My only hesitation was the cost, as is to be expected, but there are a handful of writing tools I’ve allowed myself to invest in, and this one has been worth it to me.

Microsoft Word

Now, as much as I love Atticus for the formatting side of things, I’ve always used Microsoft Word to do the actual writing of my books. It’s simple, it’s straightforward, and it’s what my family always had on their computers, so it’s just what I grew up learning to use. I tend to get frustrated writing with any kind of online platform, as my internet is not always the best, and when my thoughts and fingers are moving, I don’t want to stop them, haha.

The sheer amount of Word documents I have on my laptop and flashdrive (I keep all my important stuff on a separate flashdrive in case my laptop dies) is a little embarrassing, and very messy, but it works well for me. I also don’t think many people realize just how much you can actually do in Microsoft Word, including formatting. There are a lot of useful tools!

Bookbrush

I’ve been using Bookbrush (which you can find here) since I started my website in 2020, when they were running a great sale, and I needed some way to make graphics for my blog. I continue to make all my site images on it, as well as some covers for short stories (such as The Toymaker’s Doll), my Pinterest pins, ads, and promotional images. You can also make book trailers and box sets, though I haven’t tried those out yet.

I will say, I have also dabbled in Canva recently (I made my wedding programs there), and may start doing more with it. The cheaper or even free price is a huge benefit, I just haven’t gotten the hang of it yet. But besides the higher price, I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy using Bookbrush, as it is a very impressive and helpful tool for everything image related.

Publisher Rocket

This program is the other writing/publishing investment I made a couple of years ago (which you can find here), by the same creators of Atticus. This one helps you figure out the best Amazon categories and keywords to publish your novel or short story under. Thankfully it’s another one time purchase that continues to receive free upgrades and additions through its lifetime.

I don’t have much experience with this, as I’ve only used it to publish one book so far, but it did make the process extremely simple, and took me far less time than researching and figuring it all out myself would have taken. To me, the cost was worth saving myself the time and hassle, and it does a great job. It’s definitely possible to do it manually though.

Spotify

This one is obviously not a writing tool itself, so maybe it’s a cheat. But I thought it was worth mentioning in this list because it’s almost always going when I write. I have a playlist for each of my stories, as well as general playlists that include certain types, genres, and ‘feels’ of music.

When I’m writing on my blog, it’s usually classical or soundtrack instrumentals, when I’m writing fiction, it’s mood music and appropriate soundtracks, and when I’m doing mindless work like making blog images, I’m bopping along to Broadway or other music with lyrics. It’s amazing how much music helps me to be productive!

You can find my listener profile here.

“Wordcount” Excel Spreadsheet

This is something I’ve done for years, and plan to continue. At the beginning of the year, I create a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to hold my yearly wordcount. I create one sheet for my fiction wordcount, and one for my non-fiction (blog posts mainly). From there, I separate it into weeks through the entire year, and formulate it so that each week totals itself, and feeds into a grand total that I can look at at the end of the year.

I’m no expert at Excel, and this takes me longer than I’d like to admit, but it’s really not too difficult, and I’m always thankful to have the data to look back on. The exact day I write doesn’t really matter, but it’s interesting to see which weeks I’ve been most productive in fiction or non-fiction throughout each year. It’s also motivating to see the numbers rise!

Planners

Every year, I enjoy picking out a new planner to keep track of my writing with (I have a separate one for my ‘regular’ life), and this one by The Happy Planner was the one I happened across for 2023. It’s a mess at this point, and though it’s a goal of mine to some day keep my planner pretty and aesthetic, today is not that day! It works well regardless.

I’m not too picky when it comes to planners, but I’ve found that if I don’t have one, it’s nearly impossible for me to keep track of my blog posts and writing goals long-term. I usually end up feeling bad that I don’t keep up with all the daily sections, but the monthly and weekly ones are extremely helpful, as well as the random spots for notes and lists.

NotebooksFeaturing my pirate ship illustration!

Yes, I’m that person that has a ridiculous stash of notebooks. Nothing special, just the typical 70-100 sheet college-ruled (always college-ruled, not wide-ruled . . . which one do you prefer?) notebooks that you can get from Walmart for a dollar each around school season. When I get the opportunity, I grab a few, as I’m constantly using them up.

For any project, I usually have at least one small notebook full of notes, plot lines, brainstorming sessions, and reminders to myself, otherwise I’ll forget all of it. Even for my blog, I keep a notebook of post ideas, theme design ideas, and things I want to try eventually. There’s something about putting a pen/pencil to a page that stirs my creativity.

Kanban Board

I got this idea from Sarra Cannon at Heart Breathings, and have been experimenting with my own Kanban board since last fall. It’s simply a whiteboard that I turned vertically and added washi tape dividers to, then wrote my primary goals for a three month section of time, and filled with sticky note flags that each stand for one task within those goals. Notice the orange flags for Cabin Girl haven’t moved nearly as much, as they take longer.

I thrive when I have tangible and very visible evidence of progress, so I’ve been extra motivated since starting this, and I definitely plan to continue! I love seeing tasks move from “To Do”, to “Doing”, and finally into the “Done” section. It’s helping me realize the areas I overestimate how much I’ll get done in, and the areas where I can do more, and it’s also just a good reminder of what I need to focus on within each quarter.

I’m so grateful to have found so many processes and tools that work well for me and my writing! Could I make do without many of these? Absolutely! But I feel blessed to have them right now, and to be making progress toward my goals. Maybe something I’m using sounds helpful to you – please feel free to ask any questions you might have!

What’s in your writing toolbox? Do you use anything special to help with your writing, or do you keep your equipment minimal? Our individual writing processes are so fun to learn about, so I’d love to hear about yours! Let me know in the comments below!

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Summer Bucket List Book Tag

Happy Friday!

Seeing as it’s June now, I thought a summer-themed tag would be appropriate today. I found this one on KristinKravesBooks (again), and I loved the fun, summery prompts. So here we are!

The purpose? To find books that fit various summer themes and activities, such as hiking, swimming, and fireworks. I’m interested to see what we come up with!

The Rules:
– Link back to the original creator in your post.
– Feel free to use any of the tag graphics in your post, or create your own!
– Tag 5 other people at the end of your post, and let them know you’ve tagged them.

And now onto the questions!

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk.

This book is so beautiful. I mean look at that cover. And in addition, it’s such a sweet story, with charming prose, a vivid and quaint setting, and a tense plot with twists and turns I didn’t expect. I especially loved the characters, and how genuine they felt. And the rich descriptions of the sea and the characters interacting with it feel very summery.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.

This is too good to pass up. Katniss and Peeta had a pretty fiery romance, I would say, and not just because Katniss was the girl on fire. Especially in book two, I felt like they had such an on again off again relationship, and there was always a lot of tension mixed in with their care for one another. They didn’t have the healthiest relationship, but they had one.

A Wilted Willow by Julia Witmer.

I love books that use the ‘going on a journey’ trope, and this is one that did it very well. The characters were fun to watch as they traveled, and there was a lot of intrigue and mystery on the way. Few plot twists catch me by surprise as much as this one did, and the ending both impressed and infuriated me (in a good way). I wish it were a longer story!

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater.

When I started this book, I had to stop for a minute and process, as the writing style is simultaneously 1) one of the closest to mine that I’ve ever read, and 2) so much more beautiful, rich, flowing, and sharp than mine. The story, characters, themes, and world were amazing, but what made me star-struck was reading the prose and hoping that mine gets there eventually!

What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan.

This was a step outside my usual genres – a story about a mother searching for her abducted eight-year-old son – and I couldn’t put it down! It held my interest and kept me turning pages to find out what happened. While the ending wasn’t my favorite, the rest of the book was very well done to me, with real-feeling characters and a twisting plot.

Romanov by Nadine Brandes.

This remains one of my favorite books containing romance. As someone who doesn’t read much romance, I liked the very sweet one here, mixed with plenty of action and mystery in the main plot. The characters were cute together, treated each other well, but still had enough tension and suffering to deal with that it never seemed too easy. Not at all.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.

This has been a fun book to me, with a imaginative mix of middle-grade prose, interesting and unique characters, a creative premise, and plenty of real action and tension. It reads like a sweet fairytale-esque story that makes me smile, but then packs in so much actual mystery and plot that I’m not left bored. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Wonder by R. J. Palacio.

August conquered some pretty big obstacles in this book, as did many of the people who knew him. This is another middle-grade find (like Beyond the Bright Sea) that pleasantly surprised me with its depth. The lessons it teaches while still being an engaging, entertaining, and well-told story makes it a very worthwhile read. It’s a sweet book.

The Nine Lessons by Kevin Alan Milne.

This may be pushing it, but turns out, I don’t have a great ‘food’ book for this prompt. So I’m saying this one, because the protagonist and his father have lunch together numerous times throughout the story, when they meet to have their lessons. Besides sparse food, this book is full of golf, reading journals, and relationship trouble – marital and parental.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

This feels like an odd choice, as it doesn’t end all sunshine and rainbows. But it inspired me to think more deeply about our relationships with others, even those we don’t understand or agree with. I know there are plenty of complaints with this book, but I enjoyed it, and found it to be full of very deep themes and I appreciated that. The characters were also very vivid and real.

Because I’ve been doing so many of these tags lately, I haven’t been tagging specific people, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see your answers! If you’d like to hop in, please feel free to – either on your own blog, or in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!

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