Becky Wade's Blog, page 3

The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics

The Second Law of Thermodynamics, also called the Law of Entropy, says that energy runs out. Things break. Systems break down. Or at least, that’s how I think of it.

And lately I am extremely aware of how this applies to the human body. Seems like I spend a LOT of time these days going to doctors who keep tabs on my various systems–the cardiologist, the pulmonologist, the gynecologist, the ENT, the GP, the chiropractor . . . let’s see, did I forget anyone? Mostly all these folks tell me I’m doing fine and I’d do better to lose a few pounds, and I know they’re right. But seems like the old body just isn’t as resilient as it used to be.

About three weeks ago, I woke up with a fever and a raging sore throat. Passed whatever it was (I think it was a Covid thing) to my hubby, and we went about our business for the next few days and tried to sleep more. Came through just fine, but I’m still coughing, but that’s another story.

Then, last week, I noticed I had a sore toe. Since I’m always stubbing my toes, I just figured I probably broke another one and it’d be fine. But the next morning I woke up and couldn’t put any weight on my foot–the entire foot had swollen.

Since the hubster suffers occasionally from gout, often without an obvious reason, I figured that’s what it was. But by evening, when the trusty gout pill didn’t work it’s magic, the pieces fell into place for me–the toe was the same one my darling puppy had nibbled about five years earlier. And that nibbling brought on a case of cellulitis, which can come back if your immune system gets compromised. Which is probably exactly what happened.

So I’m on antibiotics (what did people DO without antibiotics?), and I’m getting around just fine. And I’m oh so grateful that all this strangeness happened now and not next week, when I’m heading off to the ACFW conference and have some responsibilities there. Thank you, Lord, for your perfect timing. And the good thing about being a writer is that as long as you’re conscious, you can still work. Still plugging along on the book at hand.

So I am grateful for so many things these days–antibiotics, the Lord’s timing, and knowing that He always has my best interests at heart.

And maybe, when I get home, it’ll be time to lose those extra pounds. I can’t expect the Lord to do ALL the work!

~~Angie

Retreat Time

Hi friends! 

Happy Wednesday. I’m excited to be sharing part of your day with you. I recently returned from hosting a three-day writer’s retreat. We had the best time. Not only do I love teaching aspiring and published authors on the craft, the writing life, and the creative process, but I also love the sweet fellowship we share. 

Today, I thought I’d give you a behind-the-scenes peek into one of my writer’s retreats. 

This time we met in Hedgesville, West Virginia. My family and I have been vacationing there for years. My husband and I go as a romantic trip, and we also bring our grandkids for family trips, and they love it there. Of all the places we’ve traveled with them, and we travel A LOT with the munchkins (though at 9 & 11, I can I probably can’t call them that anymore. LOL!). But their favorite spot is the cushy cabin we stay at in Hedgesville. 

It’s not your typical cabin; the owner is fantastic at design, and you feel like you’re in a shabby chic or gorgeous glamping cabin. Check out some pictures below. Isn’t it stunning? 

My grandkids love the loft and dropping slinky toys up and down from the rails, they love the fire pit and s’mores, and hiking. When the owner bought and renovated a second cabin, I decided it would be a lovely place to host one of my retreats. The second cabin is even more stunning, if that’s possible. Seven of us headed off to Hedgesville for our August retreat. 

I was truly blessed to have such a wonderful, talented, lovely group of ladies. They made our time together an absolute joy. We had daily devotions by our chef and beautiful author, Kelly Goshorn, along with her wonderful, homey meals. Then I dove into daily seminars. Awesome authors Jill Kemerer and Natalie Walters joined us as guest speakers, and we had time around the fire pit at night discussing marketing, promotion, and how to thrive in the writing life. I truly walked away blessed. 

I’m super excited to announce that my March 2026 retreat is open for registration and is already filling up. I’ll be hosting it in beautiful Orlando, Florida. If you have any questions, shoot me an email at danipettrey@gmail.com 

Thanks again for joining me today. And, if you’re not a writer, I have something really special in the works for my reader friends. But that’s an announcement for another day. 

Blessings, 

Dani

New Christmas Novellas, Old Friends

Many years ago now, I worked in marketing and later as an editor for Bethany House Publishers. One of the authors I had the privilege of working with over the years was bestselling author, Beverly Lewis. I was one of the editors who reviewed and edited her manuscripts, and I also traveled with her for several years on her book tours. In those years, I saw parts of the country I’d not visited before, met many lovely bookstore staff members, and got to know Beverly not only as a talented author but also as a friend.

So it is a fun serendipity for me that we both have new Christmas novellas releasing in one week, on September 2nd.

The Christmas House by Beverly Lewis

With the holidays approaching, Liz Lantz is dedicated to using her Hickory Hollow buggy tour business to share God’s love with the Englisher tourists who visit her Lancaster County community. But when her father and brother are called away, Dat finds a young Amishman to assist her in her brother’s place, much to Liz’s dismay. As the countdown to Christmas begins, she works alongside Matthew Yoder, who quickly takes a genuine interest in the tour customers…and Liz.

Read more about this heartwarming novella filled with faith and romance HERE.

A Sea View Christmas by Julie Klassen

With a promise to her youngest sister, Sarah Summers declares this year’s Christmas at Sea View will exceed all expectations. But an upcoming trip to Scotland—and the prospect of becoming reacquainted with dashing widower Callum Henshall—blows a flurry of doubts into her mind. Sarah had discouraged his attentions before yet soon finds herself once again torn between attraction and duty.

Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Georgiana eagerly anticipates the exciting Christmas of her dreams after last year’s dull, disappointing holiday. She enjoys all the promised parties, music, and dancing, but is taken by surprise when young love comes knocking. Does the festive romance of a Sea View Christmas hold the key to a happily-ever-after for both sisters?

Read more about this romantic Regency Christmas novella HERE.

I hope you will enjoy both books when they release!

Welcome, Stephanie Grace Whitson

Hello, friends. I’m so thrilled to have my dear friend Stephanie Grace Whitson as a guest blogger today. Steph is the first author I ever met in person. I wrote her a fan letter after reading her wonderful Prairie Winds series. Then, when I discovered she lived in Nebraska where I was headed to visit a friend, Steph and I arranged to have coffee together. My first novel had just been published so Steph and I had lots to talk about, and we’ve been fast friends and book brainstormers ever since. Welcome, Steph, and thank you for a blog post that hit very close to home for me!

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The Cupboard 

We all have one. We can’t reach it without a stepstool. We rarely open it. And yet, it’s overflowing with things treasured or, perhaps, things forgotten. It’s gathering dust we don’t see, holding faded memories, hovering in the background of daily life like a cobweb waiting to be swept away on some future day when we are finally forced to deal with our stuff. 

Or will someone else have to do that for us?

These past few weeks I have been that someone, dealing with a single gentleman’s stuff, now that my husband is his permanent guardian and said gentleman no longer has the mental capacity to make everyday decisions. 

The process is alternately fascinating and heartbreaking. It is also exhausting. Most of all, it is convicting. Will my children have to do this for me? The question hovers over the process and it sounded loudly when I opened the cupboard above the refrigerator in the gentleman’s kitchen. The one crammed full of his mother’s china—his mother, who passed away thirty-four years ago. 

Thirty-four years of dust had gathered on that set of lovely but unused dishes. Waiting for me to get them down and try to find them a new home, because this house is no longer a home. It’s an empty shell cluttered with the ashes of three lives; a man, a woman, and the son who never married. 

This morning, our pastor’s sermon took us to 2 Timothy 1:4: “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” And that cupboard of china flashed in my mind, right along with the question, “WHAT ENTANGLES ME?” 

Could it be that I, too, have unused china taking up space and energy in a life that should be occupied with better things?

Raising five children as a middle-class American allows for things like hobbies and collections—in my case studying history, quilting, and reading. Add to that a career as a historical fiction author, and you have a recipe for mounds of fabric and patterns and pincushions and books—oh, the books in my life. Books in every room. Shelves of books. Stacks of books. Dozens of reference books. Dozens of “to-be-read” books. 

And now, as I sort and price and seek new homes for a lone gentleman’s stuff, I ask myself what entangles me. Will I actually take time to read all those “to-be-reads”? Why am I keeping that magazine with the quilt pattern I might make “someday”? What about that box of Christmas ornaments I haven’t used in years because I don’t put up the 6-foot tree anymore? Goodness, what about the tree itself up in the loft of the garage? 

Will my children have to deal with the books, the fabric, the patterns, the unused Christmas tree? 

I am determined to answer no—at least insofar as I can. Because when I graduate to heaven, my stuff shouldn’t entangle anyone else in hours and days of sorting and relocating. It shouldn’t entangle me, either, in the days the Lord has left for me. 

Thanks to those dusty dishes and the Apostle Paul and my faithful pastor, I am convicted to prayerfully seek a better balance between what I need to serve the One who enlisted me as a soldier and what is simply the ignored accumulation of seventy-three years of living. I may not be ready for Swedish death cleaning (I read a book about that), but I am ready to deal with the china in the cupboard above the refrigerator in my kitchen.

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Stephanie Grace Whitson began writing fiction when inspired by the lives of pioneers laid to rest in an abandoned cemetery near her home in southeast Nebraska. Her first novel was published in 1995. She’s a two-time Christy Award finalist, Selah Award finalist, and winner of an RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Inspirational Romance. Stephanie’s family, her church, and historical research all rank high on her list of “favorite things.” Learn more at www.stephaniewhitson.com

Stephanie’s newest novel is Love at First Light, which she describes as “Beauty and the Beast…in a cemetery.” Click on the book cover to purchase or to see more of her many titles.

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Dear readers, before you go, I wanted to let you know that one of my novels is FREE in ebook form today, thanks to BookBub. Breath of Heaven was a Foreword INDIES Gold Award Winner and also won Best Fiction in the Missouri Writers Guild President’s Award. Click on the book cover at right to grab your copy (and of course, I hope you’ll buy the first two books in the series while you’re shopping!)

Aspiring Authors Beware

When I meet people and they find out I’m an author, they sometimes respond with, “I/my husband/my child/my sister/my friend wants to write a book!” There are a lot of aspiring authors out there, which is wonderful. Only a small percentage of the people who want to write a book will complete a book. But for those . . . . What to do with it once the book is finished? How to get it published and make it available to readers?

In this post, I’m providing an overview of the three routes to publication I’d recommend. And the one route I advise aspiring authors to AVOID.

I recommend:

Traditional Publisher

In this case, a large publishing house enters into a contract with you to publish your book. They pay you an advance once the contract is signed. After the book is published you will hopefully “earn out” your advance through royalties. If so, they’ll then pay you via royalty checks based on the sales of your book.

Pros: They handle a lot of the heavy lifting–editing, cover design, formatting, distribution, marketing, etc. They take on the expense of those things. They’re experienced and will guide you through the process. They distribute your book widely–bookstores, libraries, and more.

Cons: You sign over the rights. It is hard to break into traditional publishing and challenging to understand the process of breaking in. The process involves querying literary agents and then, once you find one of those, your agent will submit your work to editors. If you’re offered a contract you’ll likely not have much control over the cover, the marketing plan, or how much of a “push” (or lack thereof) they give your book. The percentage you earn on every book sold is small. [For a real-life example of that, check out this post I wrote.]

Small Press

In this case, a small publisher enters into a contract with you to publish your book. They may pay you a modest advance or they may not. Same as above regarding royalties.

Pros: They also handle a lot of the heavy lifting and take on the expense of publishing your book. They’re experienced and will guide you through the process.

Cons: You sign over the rights. It’s easier to secure a contract with a small press than a traditional publisher, but the process of breaking in is still challenging to understand. Their budget is less than that of a traditional publisher so they’ll be spending less on your cover, distribution, marketing, etc. You may not have much control. The percentage you earn on every book sold might not be as small as with a traditional publisher, but profit will still be divided between you and the publisher. Your book may not be distributed as widely as with a traditional publisher, so you many not sell many copies (or end up making much money).

Independent Publishing

In this case, you publish your book yourself.

Pros: You keep the rights to your book. You keep all the profit. You have full control over every aspect of publishing.

Cons: You spend your own money on editing, cover, formatting, etc. It’s challenging to learn the process of indie publishing. You won’t have a publisher to guide you through the process or to assist you in getting your book noticed, finding readers, and making sales.

I advise you to avoid:

Vanity Press

In this case, a publisher charges you at the start to publish your book.

Pros: The process is not challenging to understand. They will help guide you through the process.

Cons: You sign over the rights. It’s expensive, in some cases very expensive (thousands and thousands of dollars). You may not have much control. You might never earn back in royalties the amount you paid them.

In the past month, I’ve been in communication with one author who is publishing with a vanity press. And one who reached out to me while in conversation with a vanity press about her book.

Based on all my years of conversations with fellow writers I know that a lot of authors are intimidated by the traditional or small press publishing routes because they come with a learning curve and because it’s difficult to receive a contract. Other authors are intimidated by indie publishing because it, too, comes with a learning curve. And if they publish independently they won’t have a partner to support them.

I get it! I do. These things are intimidating. But as someone who has persisted through both the traditional and independent publishing routes, I’m here to tell you (and/or your loved ones who dream of publishing a book) that IT CAN BE DONE. It can!

Like anything, you start out as a beginner. And you gradually learn.

If you go with a vanity press, please don’t go that route because you’re daunted by the other routes or because you don’t know about the other routes available to you.

If you’re drawn toward traditional or small press publishing, here’s a post I wrote containing some suggestions. If you’re drawn toward independent publishing, the Kindlepreneur site it full of resources and is a great place to begin educating yourself. If you have specific questions, feel free to email me here! Or leave a question below. I want the best for all those who dream of writing and publishing a book.

Authors/readers, do you have anything to add? Additional experiences or information or insights to share?

Time To Stock Up on Christmas Reads

It seems a little strange to talk about Christmas books when it is August in Texas with triple digit heat. However, it’s the perfect time to stock your winter book pantry to ensure you are well-supplied for the holiday season. Especially, when the bargains are bounding!

I have a new Christmas novella collection releasing September 2. Tracie Peterson and Misty Beller partnered with me on this project, and I couldn’t be happier to share this with them. This collection is particularly special to me because the three stories were inspired by three elements of the nativity – the overcrowded inn, the shepherds receiving good news, and three wise men journeying from the east.

If you preorder the book from Baker Book House, not only will you receive 40% off the retail price, but you will also received a postcard signed by all three authors, and two digital advent calendars. One is a fun paper chain full of activities to complete with your loved ones inspired by activites Tracie, Misty, and I enjoy. The other is a more spiritual devotional advent calendar featuring a Bible verse and personal reflection for each day focused on the nativity.

My story – A Star in the West – plays on the three wise men by bringing a trio of Harvard mathematics professors from the East to visit Baylor University in Texas. I love giving my characters names that reflect the theme of the story, and this one was no exception. Our heroine is named Stella Barrington, Stella, of course, meaning “star.” The three wise men from the east traveling from Harvard have names giving a nod to the gifts of the magi. Professors Goldstein (gold) and Muir (myrrh) accompany our hero, Frank Napier Stentz (Frank N. Stentz).

Baylor University in the 1890s.

I embraced my inner nerd with my hero and heroine. He is a genius-level mathematician and she is the daughter of a professor who runs his home and sponsors a literary society on campus.

Frank and Stella.

Two of my children were mathematics majors in college and my daughter is nearly finished with her PhD from Texas A&M, so having a college setting made it extra special. It doesn’t hurt that my day job is working in the Registrar’s Office at Abilene Christian University. My husband works on campus too. Academia runs through our family’s veins.

There is also a Goodreads Giveaway going on right now. Click here to enter.

How many Christmas books do you typically read between Thanksgiving and Christmas?
What other Christmas reads are you looking forward to this year?

Visit Maine with me!

It has been nearly two years since we’ve taken an actual vacation—a trip with no other people or work attached to it. We are tired, so as we planned our trip, we decided to go to what has become one of our favorite places to relax—Maine. 

We had never visited Maine until our daughter moved to Boston in 2020. That year, we did Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. It was wonderful! We were there in August of that year, when things were just reopening after the pandemic, so we got to experience it without the usual summer crowds.

A couple of years later, we stayed at York Beach. We found an inn in an 18th-century house, which was fabulous, and we explored the many historical sites and boutiques in the area. The hardest part of this trip was that there were staffing shortages everywhere, so many of the restaurants were only open 3 or 4 days a week! 

This year we are heading to an island! Deer Isle is off the coast between Portland and Bar Harbor. Again, we’ve found an 18th-century B&B to stay in! We are looking forward to long walks and lots of reading—all in temperatures 30 degrees cooler than at home! 

You might sigh and wish you could tag along. And you can—through books!

Here are my favorites set in Maine: 

Muir Harbor series by Melissa Tagg

This series started not long after we’d made our first visit to Maine, and reading these books felt like getting to visit all over again. While Melissa didn’t pattern her fictional town after any “real” place, she imagined it “along the coast,” probably near Camden. I laughed when she told me this, because you’ll find many books set in or based on Camden, Maine! I’m excited we’ll get to spend a half day there on our way to the island!

Sons of Scandal series by Becky Wade

I’m thinking most of you have read these! I devoured every one! I remember when Becky had finished her series set in north Georgia, and she was trying to figure out a setting for a new series. I suggested Maine, since we had come to love it so much. I’m so happy she came to love it as much as we do! Her fictional town of Groomsport is loosely based on Camden. 

Orchard House Bed & Breakfast series by Heidi Chiavaroli

My friend Staci Scott first recommended this series to me. Drawing inspiration from Little Women, these family drama/romance books have been great.  I’m on book six of the seven now. Since the B&B in this series is actually set in Camden, I’m hoping to recognize a few things while we are there.

Martini Club series by Tess Gerritsen

Another Camden book, although this time the town masqueades as fictional Purity. The first book in this series, The Spy Coast, was a free book from Amazon First Reads. I put it in my husband’s folder in our Kindle account, thinking he’d enjoy this story of spies who retire to Maine and stumble upon a mystery to solve. He enjoyed it and recommended it to me. Now that we’ve read the second one, The Summer Guests, we’re hoping there will be more. 

One caveat: this is a general market series. There is language, though not a ton, and generally of the milder variety, with an occasional other. 

Lights of Acadia series by Heidi Chiavaroli

The first book in this series—the only one I’ve read so far—is set in Bar Harbor. As it had a tiny spoiler for the Orchard House B&B series, I decided I’d finish that series before reading book two in this one. Not sure where book two will find us, but this series of books incorporates lighthouses into the stories. Romantic women’s fiction. So, so good. 

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Ah, the classic. I’ve loved it since I read it to my kids! The illustrations are as charming as the story. I bought this for my granddaughter on our first trip to Maine. I think we need to read it together again! 

I’m sure there are many, many more wonderful books set in Maine, so let me know if I’ve missed your favorites! Or tell us which of these I’ve mentioned you’ve enjoyed, too! 

A Woman’s Heart (convo with Lisa & Tammy)

Don’t you love instant connections with people you’ve never met before? And yet you do sort of know each other because you share the same living, breathing, eternal Spirit living within you. It’s kind of like God intentionally set you up. #truth #divineorchestration

That’s how it was when Lisa Granger of A Woman’s Heart and I got together last Wednesday for a quick chat.

When you have a minute, join us as Lisa and I talk VERY OPENLY about God’s faithfulness in marriage, raising children, careers, and in the frustrations and troughs and peaks of life. And also one of my novels that explores all these topics…

You can also DOWNLOAD the podcast to listen later.

I’m so grateful Deb (Raney) encouraged Lisa to reach out to me after’s Deb’s insightful and wonderful interview with Lisa.

Quotable Quotes chosen by Lisa:

“One thing I’ve prayed for my family forever is, Lord, would you break me until I’m wholly Yours.”

“He will never leave; He will never forsake. And He’s always out for our best.”

“We are so distracted in this culture.”

“We do grow apart, but the difference is that you come back with intentionality.”

Much love from my corner of Nashville on this HOT HOT Tuesday.

Who else is ready for fall?

Tammy

Watching My Old Dog

Ivy, one of my mastiffs, is nine years old–she’ll be ten the day after Christmas. She is and always has been the perfect dog: loving, gentle, protective, obedient, and playful. She even earned a Canine Good Citizen Award.

Ten year old birthdays are rare for mastiffs–I once read that there was a special club for dogs who made it that far. Why? Something about their large hearts and large bodies.

I believe Ivy has a large heart–we see it in the way she loves us, our children, and our grandchildren.

It has been hard to watch her slow down. First she stopped running, then she stopped going outside unless she absolutely has to go potty. But she still plays. Even though she rocks awkwardly on her back hips, she still wants to play.

We love her. And I am dreading the inevitable farewell.

But until then, we are grateful for every day, every doggie smile, and every cuddle. Because that’s why God made dogs–to teach us how to love unconditionally.

Do you have an old dog? Some people don’t understand why we put ourselves through the grief of losing an old dog, but the love is worth it. Oh, yes.

~~Angie

Headlines on the Frontier

When we imagine the Old West, we often think of wide-open plains, dusty boots, and rugged towns born almost overnight. But tucked into nearly every small frontier settlement was a heartbeat of civilization—the local newspaper. These humble print shops played a vital role in the daily life of townspeople in the late 1800s, delivering not just news, but connection, community, and a sense of order in an often chaotic and rapidly changing land.

The Press Arrives with the People

By 1879 (the time of my novella, To the Editor with Love), the American West was booming with railroads, homesteaders, gold rushes, and cattle trails. As new towns sprang up, one of the earliest establishments, after a general store and a saloon, was often a newspaper. Many frontier editors lugged hand presses, type cases, and lead type across rough terrain, determined to bring newsprint to the wilderness.

The press wasn’t just a luxury. It was a necessity. People longed for news of the outside world, for updates from Washington, the East Coast, or even Europe. But just as importantly, they wanted to see their own lives reflected on the page: births, marriages, land sales, sermons, socials, and saloon fights.

What Did They Print?

A typical small-town Western newspaper in this era was a weekly, usually four pages long. Here’s what you might find inside:

Local News: Council meetings, church gatherings, who was building a new barn, or who’d skipped town without paying their debts.National and International Reports: Reprinted via telegraph or from larger Eastern papers.Advertisements: Blacksmiths, milliners, doctors, boarding houses, or “a fine gelding for sale, sound and steady.”Legal Notices: Homestead claims, land disputes, estate sales—all critical for settlers and ranchers alike.Editorials and Sermons: Often fiery, sometimes humorous, and nearly always opinionated.Fiction and Poetry: Short moral tales, serialized novels, or a sentimental poem about home.The Editor: Typesetter, Journalist, and Town Agitator

The small-town editor was often a jack-of-all-trades—reporter, printer, typesetter, philosopher, and sometimes preacher. He (or occasionally she) might sleep in the back of the print shop, gather news by walking Main Street, and work by lanternlight to hand-set each line of type. The printing process was laborious and messy, involving ink, lead, and plenty of elbow grease.

Many editors weren’t afraid to stir up trouble. The paper might feud with a rival editor in the next town, support a particular sheriff or schoolteacher, or call out corruption in city hall. The editor’s pen could be as sharp as any six-shooter—and sometimes just as dangerous.

A Voice in the Wilderness

In isolated towns, the newspaper was more than a news source. It was a mirror of identity, a memory book, and a record of God’s grace and human grit. Church bulletins were shared, revival meetings announced, and sometimes a line or two of Scripture found its way into the editorial column. The tone of these papers could be bold, hopeful, humorous, or raw. But always deeply rooted in the place and people they served.

In those humble newspapers, the West told its story—one column at a time.

Newspapers get mentions in lots of my novels set in the Old West, but it is front and center in my novella, To the Editor with Love. This story was first published over a decade ago as part of a four-author collection. But it’s now available as a stand-alone, both for the Kindle or Kindle app and in mass market paperback.

TO THE EDITOR WITH LOVE

Available on Amazon

She’s got the words. He’s got the red pen. Things WILL get messy!

Molly Everton has ink in her veins and fire in her soul. Raised in her father’s newsroom, she’s fearless with a pen. And when her father bypasses her for the editor’s chair and hands the job to an outsider, Molly’s determined to send the new man packing—before he dares rearrange her beloved paper.

Jack Ludlow came West chasing adventure, not to fight with the boss’s headstrong daughter. Yet the more sparks Molly throws his way, the more intrigued he becomes. She’s smart, stubborn, and impossible to ignore—and Jack can’t resist the challenge of winning her over.

She’s determined to send him packing. He’s determined to stay. But in this battle of ink and wits, love might just rewrite the ending.

What would you most like to read if you could get your hands on an old copy of The Kildeer Sentinel?

~robin

This post first appeared on Petticoats & Pistols in July 2025.