Sarah Holman's Blog, page 26

Remembering How to Write

I have this fear when I'm away from writing for more then a couple of weeks that I will forget or lose my ability to write well. I have no idea why, but it always happens. Since I was away from writing stories for a few months due to my arm injury, that fear was real.
I started in with the novella for A Very Bookish Thanksgiving. For those of you who enjoyed A Very Bookish Christmas, you'll know that each novella is inspired by a classic story. My Thanksgiving Story is based on Mansfield Park. The first four days back at writing, I struggled to get out the story, it felt a little flat, but I liked how the story was coming. Then, one day, I sat down and the story just started flowing. I was so excited. My fear was replaced with gratefulness. I finished the last half of the story in two days and saw clearly what I needed to add to add dimension to the first part of the story.
I'm excited to see what comes next for my writing. I'm looking to let my creative juices flow in writing another project (the next Kate's Case Files Book perhaps?) before I start in on editing this story and possibly even revisiting A Different Kind of Purpose. 
Stay tuned for more updates. Of course, if you want weekly updates on my writing, you can join my email list.

How to Write in a Frantic Time

As writers, even those who try to treat our writing like a job, there are times when it's hard to get the creative juices flowing. In frantic times, it often feels impossible. Here are some tips for writing when life hands you a chaotic time.
Take the time to still your heart. Even if it means you don't have as much time to write, extend the amount of time you are praying and in the Bible. Consider taking a few days where you don't watch the news or maybe even take a break from social media (or unfollow some of the people that are contributing the frantic feeling). Take some time to still your heart.
Work on a project you're excited about. I know, you have a schedule or something that you're supposed to be working on. However, sometimes you just have to take the time and work on a project you are excited about to get that captivating going. Excitement is often a wonderful way to overcome a funky writing mood.
Keep to a routine. Now, this doesn't mean that you have to write at a certain time (although that wouldn't hurt) but it means having a routine that helps your mind get into the mode. Write in a certain place, pick a candle or oil to diffuse every time. Have a social drink or snack that you drink every time. You get the idea, give your mind cues by a routine that it's time to write. 
Ask for prayer and pray over your writing. Sometimes, we discount the effort or enemy puts into chaotic and frantic times. Satan prowls around, seeking people to devour. If he can steal our peace and joy, he has won a skirmish. Aksing for prayer and covering your writing time in prayer is very important. 
Do you have any tips for writing during frantic times?

The Lost Heiress

*post contains affiliate links**This is a review I wrote in 2018 and I never posted it here. I hope you enjoy it*Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback | AudiobookAge Appropriate For: 15 and up for romanceBest for Ages: 15 and up
Description: Brook Eden has never known where she truly belongs. When her friend Justin uncovers the fact that she is possibly a missing heiress from Yorkshire, Brook leaves the sun of the Mediterranean to travel to the moors of the North Sea and the estate of her supposed family.The mystery of her mother's death haunts her, and though her father is quick to accept her, the rest of the family and the servants of Whitby Park are not. Only when Brook's life is threatened do they draw close—but will their loyalty come too late to save Brook from the same threat that led to tragedy for her mother?As heir to a dukedom, Justin is no stranger to balancing responsibilities. When the matters of his estate force him far from Brook, the distance between them reveals that their friendship has grown into something much more. But how can their very different loyalties and responsibilities ever come together?And then for a second time, the heiress of Whitby Park is stolen away because of the very rare treasure in her possession—and those who can save her still aren't sure whom to trust.
Okay, I admit, I put off reading this book for one reason and one reason only – all the hype. The last book I read because of the hype (that was traditionally published) ended up being a major disappointment. I finally decided to read this book, and I have to say that it lived up to the hype.White has a wonderful style of writing and a wonderful way of making her characters feel unique. I discovered that in Ring of Secrets. However, this book was even better. Everything about it just felt rich, beautiful, and perfect.
With the exception ofone scene where I thought the kissing was a bit much, the romance was my favorite that I’ve read in a long time. While there are some of the typical issues that are found in a romance, (I can’t tell them this thing or that I love them), the character's actions and motivations were understandable. There were a couple of moments that I nearly cried, the pain felt so real.
I loved the beautiful settings and the rich historical backdrop of the story. The time was a mix of horses and cars, of etiquette and throwing off of tradition, the old and new clashing and mixing. The different cultures represented in the story only made it richer.
The mystery that was part of the story was wonderful. It propelled the story forward, kept me guessing, and the conclusion was wonderful. I look forward to reading more in this series and by this author.
I highly recommend this book to those who like romance, historical fiction, and compelling characters.

10 Books for this Chaotic Time

*post contains affiliate links*
Hi everyone! Life has been crazy, hasn't it? For me, it's made life busier. Not only is my job still going, but I've been blessed to make grocery runs for others as well as help at the food pantry which was desperately needing help. Two of my siblings are out jobs and my brother, the nurse, has had fewer hours. So those that are home more and working on projects and I've been able to help, which has left me less time to write.For everything there is a season, right?These times are pretty chaotic, aren't they? It's easy to get pulled into the fear and the chaos around us. However, I want to share some books that have meant a lot to me during hard times. These aren't in order of importance, just in the order I'm thinking of them.
The Grumble Free Year I started this book before everything started happening I'm I glad. It has really helped me see things from a different perspective and cut down on my grumbling. Goodreads | Amazon
Loving God with All Your Mind This is one of my all-time favorite books and one I recommend for every Christian woman to read. It has forever changed how I think.Goodreads | Amazon
You Can Trust God to Write Your Story This book was such a blessing to me. It reminded me that God has a purpose and a plan and I really can trust himGoodreads | Amazon
Finding God's Path Through Your Trials Another book by one of my favorite authors about dealing with hard times. Goodreads | Amazon
It's Not Supposed to be This Way This was a gift from my Mom and it really meant a lot to me when I was going through a rough patch. I highly recommend it.Goodreads | Amazon
You'll Get Through This Max Lucado has a wonderful way with words. I found this book very encouraging.Goodreads | Amazon
Your Powerful Prayers
One of my favorite books on prayer, this reminds me of the power of prayer and the amazing God we serve.Goodreads | Amazon
Fervent This is a wonderful book on prayer and a good reminder that our greatest battles and our greatest enemy is not flesh and blood.Goodreads | Amazon
Living by the Book This book is a powerful teaching tool on how to study the Bible yourself. I recently reread it and am using what I've learned to study during this time.Goodreads | Amazon
Choosing Gratitude This book is a challenging yet important look at choosing gratitude even when it's tough. Goodreads | Amazon


What non-fiction books do you recommend?

Kiera by Kate Willis

*post contains affiliate links*Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback Age Appropriate For:15 and up for thematic elements.Best for Ages:15 and up
Description:   Kiera is looking forward to her eighteenth birthday. The official end of school, a party with her best friend, and chocolate cake. A sudden military draft, no possible exemptions, had never crossed her mind.Kiera is terrified! Getting drafted would mean leaving her family, her little friend Jade—life as she knows it.A surprising offer from Brennan Stewart just might be the answer to her prayers, but an even worse trial leaves her with one question…If God truly loves her, why did this tragedy happen?
Okay, I have a confession. I really like marriage-of-connivance books. However, I don’t often read them because I fell like most of them aren’t very God-honoring in their content. This book was nothing like those books. This book was sweet, clean, and god-honoring in so many ways.
The setting is the near future where the world is at war and hostility toward Christianity increased. This was done very well. I think my favorite aspect was how well the Christians handle the increased hostility.
There are few books, especially with a futuristic/dystopian bent that has such a wonderful view of daily Christianity. Persecution and suppression are shown as very real, yet the Christians in this book try to respect the authorities while still standing up for what is right. They try to give love and forgiveness when it is hard.
Kiera was a very sweet, lovable character. I love her mixture of young hopefulness, strong faith, and maturity. I think especially a lot of homeschooled young ladies will be able to relate to her. She is one of my favorite book characters ever.
Brennan was realistic. By that, I mean he was not one of those typical book heroes who always seems to know exactly what a girl needs. He was a great guy but *gasp* made some mistakes.
Oddly enough, this book was not really heavy on the romance. While Kiera is trying to figure out how to keep a home and whatnot. The main focus really felt it was about living out your faith in a difficult time.
I highly recommend this book for those who like books that have a sweet and realistic feel to them, for homeschool students and graduates, and those who enjoy futuristic stories.

Meet the Team: Kim

*post contains affiliate links*Kim is such a dear character, if not a bit of an enigma. Ready to learn some more about her? Let's dive in.

Kim was inspired by: Several Asians that I've met and some stories I've heard about some Asian Christians in the USA. She also was inspired by the need to have a peaceful character to balance out all the energy of the others.

Five Fun Facts:
1. She has two siblings she hasn't seen for many years.
2. Her nickname is the least used of the whole group.
3. She has a lot of internal struggles that happen below the surface.
4. She reads a lot.
5. She has never had a boyfriend.


Don't forget, you can read all about Kim's adventures for a lot less! Click HERE.

Meet the Team: Patrick

*This post contains affiliate links*


Saint Patrick's day is pretty cool. I mean, the original Saint Patrick was a pretty amazing person. Today is also called Saint Patty's day. As our very loved Patrick Connor's nickname is Saint Patty, we are having a huge Kate's Case Files sale!
Now for the fun stuff about Patrick:
Fun Facts:1. Likes Marvel movies (Captian America is his favorite)2. He does have siblings which we will meet3. Grew up in a Christian home4. He loves to read5. He's an extravert, but not as much as Brian
Patrick was inspired by: Patrick's character was inspired by Jack Hudson from the show, Sue Thomas FBEye. However, his high need to fix things and thinking he can save the world on his own. He inherited that trait straight from his author. Please don't tell him, I don't want him to stop talking to me.

Meet the Team: Kate

This week, I'm going to have fun and let you get to know the main characters of the series. Starting off with the fun little character cards above. Aren't they fun? Well, let's dive in, shall we?
First a little back story: Kate was originally a very different kind of person. She was perky, sweet, and someone no one would believe committed a crime... not even the author. Yeah, that first vision was scrapped and the novel was started over again. Over the course of several revisions, Kate became the character you all know and love. She has deep wounds in her past, is generally mistrustful of others, and an introvert. 
Kate's Relation to the Author: If you met me, you would probably think that Kate and I have very little in common. However, Kate's reaction to many things are my gut reactions, though not necessarily the ones I allow to control me. Also, after I started writing her, I became a lot more klutzy. I blame Kate for this entirely.

Two Week Catch-up

The last couple of weeks have been really good for me. While spring is in full force here, which means allergies are too, I'm happy to say I'm doing well. Three times a day, I'm doing exercises that the Physical Therapist gave me. It's amazing how much mobility I've gained and I'm pain free! Now, we are focusing on strengthening my spine and rib cage so that they can help support the changes I've made. 
Spring is in full force here. It feels like every time I go outside, there is more green, more flowers, and more stuff growing in the garden. We've also had some rain. One of the rainy days, I enjoyed some hot tea and a good book. 
There is a lot of panic in my area about the Coronavirus. At this point, we are actually more worried that the people panicking will cause a bigger problem then the virus. However, I pray that God has given great wisdom to our government officials to prevent a bigger problem. As it is, I'm going out Saturday with some friends and as things are canceled, I'm looking forward to more reading time.
I'm also looking forward to this coming week as I'm able to spend more time on my computer. I'm hoping to work some each day on my A Very Bookish Thanksgiving story.

I've kinda been binge reading Calvert's books. Now I've read all her novels. They are all so good!  Amazon | My review
 Amazon | My review
 Amazon | My review
 Amazon | My review
[image error] I didn't love this collection. I did like the last story though.  Amazon | My review
This was the second Star Trek book I've read. The first one was dumb, this one felt a lot like a NextGen episode. I enjoyed it.   Amazon | My review
[image error] This book.... *hugs it* Amazon | My review
This was a very forgettable story.  Amazon | My review
A fun addition to the series, but not my favorite. Amazon | My review
I loved this book so much. It's the story of a woman who taught English in China for many years. Amazon | My review
Rereading this book was so awesome! Amazon | My review

5 Tips for Organizing and Cleaning out your Books

With book addicts, the situation can quickly get out of hand. With piles, boxes, bags, and an overloaded Kindle. How do you keep them all in some sort of order? Here are some of the tips I use to keep my books in line.
Consider going on a book buying freeze. I know, this sounds crazy. I did this for one year (yes, a whole twelve months) and it was really hard, but it really helped me. I actually valued the books I had and the books I wanted to buy more. It also can be a great way of taking a break to and get what you have in order before adding more.
Tackle the cleaning out of your books one shelf/couple of pages at a time. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to clean up those bookshelves or those thousands of Kindle books you've collected.  Just plan on getting through a portion.
Before you start, make a list of good reasons to get rid of a book. Here are some of the things I ask myself. Will I read it again? Have I liked the other books I've read by this author? What are the people I trust on Goodreads saying about this book? Does this book look interesting to me? Do I have more than one copy?
For your physical books, think of a fun new way to sort them. This can really help to jumpstart the cleaning. Doing something new that you are working toward can be so exciting. For Kindle books, this might mean creating collections. 
Keep the end goal in mind.  It can be hard to get rid of/delete books. However, remember that reducing the number is going to help you be able to enjoy and see what you already have.