Lydia Howe's Blog, page 3

24 Before 24 Results {Vlog}

A Happy Friday to one and all! This morning I sat down and looked through my monthly reviews from the last year and updated my 24 before 24 challenge list so I could share the results via a vlog. 
I'm pretty sure I'm going to be doing the 25 before 25 challenge this year, but I've decided to throw some more fun challenges in the mix, like dancing in the rain 25 times, or introduce myself to 25 people with "Hi, my middle name is Joy." Of course there will also be some "serious" ones, like maybe doing 25 sit-ups each day for 25 days in a row, or read 10 books about the writing craft. 
So, here's where y'all come in! Last year you gave me some great ideas for challenges I should do, and I'd be delighted to get more ideas from y'all. Serious, silly, fun, interesting, or just plain crazy, I look forward to hearing your suggestions! 

Writing Resources - Top Two Books

Over the years I've read multiple books about writing, because hey! I'm a writer. Some of the books have been extremely helpful, and others have been tossed out because of content I wasn't okay with. Some of the books I've read over and over again, and will probably continue to do so for years, and other books I've just skimmed through. Obviously not all books are created equal. 
So, today I wanted to share with you two of the best books I've found that deal with the writing craft. They are both extremely easy to read, understand, and glean from. They are relatable, easily applicable, and practical. 

Go Teen Writers (surprise, surprise), is probably my favorite writing book of all time. Yes, it is geared toward teens, but it's chocked full of information that is helpful to writers of any age. It's also extremely pleasing aesthetically. I have both the kindle and the paperback version (hey, it's a great book!), and sometimes I like flipping through the paperback just to enjoy all the little boxes and notebook pages and fonts that are used.

The book includes a wide range of topics, starting with how to  make sure your plot works and ending with building a career. Plus, there's a whole huge section in the back (like 50 pages) full of lists and extras and all sorts of tips that are extremely helpful for writers.

Go Teen Writers was written by the founders of the blog by the same name, Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson. There are multiple sections throughout the book where they relate back to their own stories and talk about their own journeys to publication, so that's pretty cool.

The book is clean, fun, interesting, and so thoroughly helpful. I highly recommend it.


Finding the Core of your Story is the other book on my list for today. According to Amazon I bought this book in November of 2013, and I would guess I've read it at least five times. The book is short, only 108 pages, which makes reading it a breeze. I have the kindle version which means I can just read a few pages any time I want and glean some of the wisdom.

Finding the Core of your Story is all about figuring out how to narrow an entire book down into one sentence. Ahem. For real. 80,000 words down to 40-ish words. Crazy, right? Any of my beta readers can testify to the fact that I have a habit of being wordy, so figuring out how to narrow things down can be a challenge for me (to put it mildly).

The point of narrowing a book down to one sentence is so you can have a tag line, which is something that is useful in marketing. It's also a great way for an author to get a clear view of what their story is really about. Because, even writers can be confused by their own books. (Not a very good place to be, in case you wondered.)

Finding the Core of your Story is a very easy read. Not only is it short, but it's interesting, makes a lot of sense, draws the reader in, and is helpful and has instructions that are easy to follow. Plus, once again, it's clean. And once again, I highly recommend it. (Of course, or it wouldn't be on this post.)

* * *
What are some of your favorite writing books? 

Amazing Writing Communities

Having a writing community is something I've discovered to be really important.  
I'm the kind of person who words of affirmation and encouragement mean a ton to. I also find it so much easier to stay on track with life when I have goals and accountability partners. And, of course having brainstorming sessions with other writers can be quite helpful indeed. Yet, I've found that there aren't many people in my darling little town who are pursuing the same goals and are passionate about writing. (And when I say "not many" I mean I've yet to meet one.) 
Thankfully though, I live in this wonderful world with the internet, and goodness, do you know how many writers are hanging out on the world wide web? Literally tons of them. So, today I'm gonna have fun and tell you about some ways I've connected with other writers, and hopefully that will encourage you to be able to reach out and get settled into your own special community. 

Go Teen Writers
I was eighteen or nineteen when I first discovered Go Teen Writers , a blog and writing community full of fantastic advice, information, and friendship. They also have a closed Facebook group that has 888 members who are constantly discussing writing-related topics, asking for and offering beta reading services, and requesting word wars. Since the group is meant specifically for teens (although you don't get kicked out once you reach your twenties - thankfully!), there are some guidelines that help make the group clean-ish and safe. 
For several years I spent endless hours reading the blog and Facebook group, especially during long nights when I couldn't sleep due to Lyme disease. (The fact that the Facebook group has people from all over the world helps the night time hours still be active. Or maybe that's just because writers are night owls...) The time I spend on the Facebook group has dwindled in recent years, but I still hang out there multiple times a week and have learned so much, met so many writing-ish friends, and feel a strong sense of belonging with other writers. Reading other GTW's blogs, following their Facebook pages, and hearing them talk about Goodreads also helped me get involved with other realms of the writing world online. 

Blog Hopping 
Which brings me to blog hopping. I click on a writing-ish blog I like, and then either check to see if they have a list of blogs they like, or else I find their Followers badge, and simply begin flipping through the profiles and reading the titles of the other blogs they've followed. When one sounds promising I look it up. It's a great way to connect with amazing writers and authors I probably would have never, ever come in contact with otherwise. (Just, make sure you're careful when looking around so you don't stumble on blogs you'd rather not end up on.) 
When you find a blog you do like, go ahead and comment on it. Maybe follow it. And, for real, why not contact the blogger either through a contact form or emailing them? It will (most likely) make the blogger's day, especially if you tell them how you found their blog and what you like about it. Go ahead and ask some questions too, if you feel so inclined. For the most part bloggers delight in connecting with other people, hence one of the reasons for blogging in the first place. Plus, bloggers are fantastically wonderful at being helpful and giving out advice when it's requested in a polite manner. 
Kate from Once Upon an Ordinary is a perfect example of this. I emailed her a while back, asking some blogging-ish questions (because her Wordpress blog rocks), and we've been emailing back and forth ever since. She's been extremely helpful and I've learned a lot from her. 
Another way to do a form of blog hopping is to take part in Blogging Challenges. Very cool way to connect. 

Goodreads
Okay, yes, Goodreads is technically a site for readers, not necessarily writers. But, it's also a place for authors to hang out, and obviously authors are writers. And besides, books will be books, and wherever there are books there's at least some type of community for the book-loving soul, right? 
Goodreads is a wonderful place to connect with people who have similar taste in books as yourself. (Or, if you like to debate, it's a good place to connect with people who don't have a similar taste in books.) I've also discovered it can be really helpful to read a wide range of reviews on different books, because it helps me get a feel for what kind of stories people are looking for today, or what they like or don't like to read. 

Google Searching 
If you're at a loss of how else to find writers (which, you shouldn't be, because if nothing else you have Noveltea as a starting place...), then you can use Google to get you started. We live in this amazing time when there is so. much. information right there at our fingertips. 
Hummm... It's been a while since I've used Google to look for a writing community. I think I'll have to look up some of these groups Google came up with. :) 

NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month, better known as NaNo, is an extremely marvelous way to connect with other writers. I still have online friends who I connected with four years ago during my first year of NaNo. 
Common goals? Check. A passion for writing? Check. Accountability? Check. Excitement? Check. Celebrating together? Check. Even if I never ever used the words I wrote during NaNo (which I did, it was the first book I got traditionally published), it would have still been worth while to me, because the community is so inspiring, encouraging, and on-going. 

Leave Comments or Email People from Blogs You Already Follow
I've quite blessed every time one of y'all leaves a comment on here. It makes blogging so much more fun when I receive feedback or stories from y'all. Keep up the good work! 
And, every so often one of you lovely people who read Noveltea take it into your head to email me, and that makes me extremely (like, x10) happy. I've made several good friends that way, like Bekah, who I first "met" nearly three years ago. We've not only emailed back and forth since then, but we've even done a little bit of snail mail. Through the emails I've received from Noveltea readers I've also met writing accountability partners, beta readers, brainstorming buddies, friends, and the list goes on. So, if you enjoy someone's blog, why not reach out to them via email? It could be the beginning of a great friendship. 
And, I could continue on, but my allotted blogging time has run out for today, so I'll leave you with these six suggestions. Have fun expanding your writing community, and I hope you have a fantastic day! 
* * * Have you met any good friends via any of the above mentioned avenues? I'd be delighted to hear your story!

Writing Reviews & Free Book Offer

There are some really amazing benefits to reviewing books - not only for the reviewer, but also for the author of the reviewed book.

I published my first blog post on March 6th, 2012, and the next day took the somewhat scary plunge and wrote my first book review to post online. I'd grown up writing book reports for my parents each week, so the concept was familiar to me, but still, I had a the antsy feeling of letting my voice be heard the first time I hit submit on Amazon. 

Reviews I've written this year, broken into categoriesIn preparation I had chosen one of my favorite books, taken several deep breaths, and then tried my best to clearly articulate what I felt about the book and why I recommended it. In the end I was pleased with my results, although now they're a bit amusing. During the next (nearly) two years, I wrote 24 reviews, and felt like I was doing pretty well.

Then in 2015 I began to see how important reviews are, and so I stepped up my game. See, reviews help the book gather an audience. Not only do your reviews help other people get a better understanding of what the book is about, but when you post a review on Amazon, it ends up making a big difference. When someone is book shopping on Amazon there are books and product that the site recommends to them. And, where do those recommendations come from? They're products that are similar or have been bought by other customers who are looking at the same book you're looking at, and that have a lot of reviews.


This year I made the decision to review every single book I read. I did this for several reasons, but the main ones were:

1. I wanted to keep better track of what I read and be accountable for how I was spending my reading time
2. It is important for me, as a reader and writer, to really understand what I like or don't like about a book, and writing a review helps me nail it down
3. I wanted to support other authors and publishers by reviewing their work
4. Being part of a reading community rocks, and writing reviews is a good way to get involved

So, maybe today is your day when you realize how important reviews are and step out and begin writing them. It might be a little bit nerve wracking at first, but in all reality a review doesn't need to be a shinning masterpiece. A review is simply a place for you share your thoughts on a given subject.

I'm not necessarily advocating writing reviews for books that you didn't like (and please, if you do, remember to be sensitive and nicely talk about what you didn't enjoy about the book, instead of bashing the author), but even negative reviews can be helpful. But, I am most assuredly cheering for people who write reviews about books they did like. If you were inspired, amused, encouraged, or learned something from a book, why not pass on the information and give the author a hand up? Speaking from the author-side of a book, we really appreciate it.


Speaking of reviews: This wasn't my intent at all with the post, but while looking up my Amazon information for this post, I realized to my dismay that my book Action Kids' Club is still review-less, a sad sight to be sure. From feedback I've personally received I know there have been happy readers who have enjoyed the book, but sadly, that feedback didn't make it to the review section.

So, if any of y'all are interested in reading and reviewing Action Kids' Club, just email at aidylewoh@gmail.com and I will happily send you a copy to review (either physical or an e-book, it's your choice). Action Kids' Club is only 59 pages long (about 10,000 words), so it's a breeze to read through. And, for real, any and all reviews will be highly appreciated.

And now it's your turn to get out there and review some books! It doesn't matter if it's my book (which would be amazing, and you'd be getting a free book, plus supporting me, which would be totally wonderful), or someone else's book... just please consider stepping out of your comfort zone and writing a review. Because really, it means a lot. 

The $40 Gifts

It's not very often that I write a post inspired by a book - especially when I'm not even finished reading that book. But, today I'm happily doing just that.


I began reading Life Creative on Friday and was instantly delighted by the book.  Nearly everything about the book is art. The different fonts. The designs on the pages. The life-painting word pictures. I was inspired from the first page, and that inspiration didn't fade as I continued reading. (Which, in addition to being fantastic, is actually a bit amusing because the book was written for moms, and I'm obviously not one.)


Last night before I went to bed I was reading the book again, and something one of the authors said really stuck out to me, and I've been pondering it on and off all morning. The author said that she sent her daughter $40 in the mail, and instead of being thankful, her daughter asked "Mama, why didn't you send $50?" Of course it distressed the author that instead of being thankful for what she had sent, the daughter could only focus on what she hadn't gotten. (I was kinda feeling the same way, like Ungrateful child!) 
Later on that day, the author said she was reading a blog where the blogger was all excited because she had just signed her first book contract. The author said that added to making her day difficult, because she wanted to publish a book, too. She said as the day went on she stewed at what she felt was her "unfair lot in life." And then suddenly it hit her. She was being the ungrateful child. Instead of thanking God for what He had given her, she was focusing on what she didn't have compared to others. 
And I realized I do that, too. Oh, not about my lot in life or my talents. No, in those areas I am incredibly thankful. I find utter delight in doing what I do each day, and using my God-given-talents to glorify Him. The place where I struggle is my lack of energy. For years I've felt nearly constantly tired and have a hard time accomplishing everything I want to. I look at people like my energizer-bunny-sister and think How can she do all she does? How can she have so much energy when I'm so tired? When I was getting over Lyme disease I even asked the doctor when I would have as much energy as my sister, and the doctor replied that different people had different amounts of energy, and even as a totally healthy individual, I might never have as much as my sister did. 
This year I've been blessed at intervals with much more energy as normal as I focus on eating correctly, getting enough sleep, and trying to get to bed at a reasonable hour. Still though, the lack of energy I deal with is quite hard for me to accept and I often find myself bemoaning it quite often. 
That's why the illustration made such a huge impact on me. So often instead of being thankful for the $40 worth of energy I do have, I complain to God about the lack of $10 of energy that I feel belongs to me. Which means I'm the one being the ungrateful child. (And, if you've been around Noveltea very long, you know I think it's extremely important to be a thankful person.) 
So, from now on I'm striving to be thankful and happy with the energy that God has given to me. Sure, I'll still work on increasing my energy, and praying for it if it's God's will. But in the meantime, instead of getting frustrated or unhappy, I will choose to rejoice. My energy is a gift from God, and it's a gift that I'm incredibly grateful for. 

A Creative Haven

It's very easy indeed for me to be inspired. In fact I tend to find most things I experience to be inspiring in one way or another. Then there are also certain things and situations that shut down my inspiration and muse faster than I can say Betty Botter bought some butter but she said "The butter's bitter. If I put it in my batter, then my batter will be bitter. But a bit of better butter, that will make my batter better." So she bought some better butter, that was better than the bitter. Soon she put it in her batter, and her batter wasn't bitter, so it was better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter. And, I can say that in less than ten seconds, so obviously my creativity can get shut down fast. 

One of the most surefire ways to make the creative side of my brain go on strike is to try and work on a creative pursuit in a messy room. Which is what happened this morning when I was thinking of sitting down to blog. (Y'all might have noticed in yesterday's post that my desk was a bit cluttered.) So, instead of sticking to my normal morning routine, I hopped around doing other things, including giving my office a run-through. 
My office is a dream come true for me. It's a perfect haven that practically begs for art to be created within its four walls. Although I have yet to get a good picture of the view from the window I sit in front of while I'm writing, it's gorgeous. There are hay fields, a winding country road, and hundreds of trees slowly morphing into their autumn glory. 

To the right of my writing table I have a corner-shelf filled to the brim with trinkets, mementos, and memories. Each and everything on the shelf has an epic tale behind it, and a special place in my heart. Whenever I look at the shelf, a flood of images burst into my brain, reminding me of times long ago and lands far, far away. 

The little coffee nook is on the right side of my writing table. It's full of gifts and love and support. The Keurig was a gift from my adopted parents, the table, a loan from my other parents, the Happiness is not a destination, it is a way of life sign is a gift from my brother. The coffee mugs are from various family members. The lamp was from my best friend, and the shelf was made by my little sister when she still in the single digits. So, all I have to do is look over and be reminded of how many people I have standing behind me and my writing.


The wall of pictures never gets tiresome to look at, although at times the pictures do fall off. Each picture tells a delightful story, reminds me of a blessed time, or reminds me to pray for someone I love very much. Whenever I'm in need of inspiration, all I have to do is look at the wall and I'm revitalized. The table is set up so I can do craft projects whenever my creativity starts to falter. The cards are a new addition, reminding me of my lovely birthday. 

No matter where I look in the office, I see creativity bursting forth. There are memories, ideas, muses, and adventures just waiting to happen. With candles burning and leaves rustling outside the open window, I spend hours in this lovely environment, letting inspiration flow from my fingers onto the computer. This space is is a creative haven, and I am so very thankful for it. 

Bookworm Beginnings - The Importance of Reading

The other evening I was working at my computer with my best friend's little girl playing in my office and keeping me company. I walked away for a minute and came back to find Clara gleefully sitting on my chair. (If you look closely at my messy desk, you'll see some flowers by the water bottle that Clara brought me.) 
I asked Clara if she wanted to be a writer like me when she grew up, and she quickly shook her head no. Despite that claim, she throughly enjoyed sitting on my lap for the next while, and even typed some when I was composing an email. I was rather amazed at how long she stayed happy without me doing anything special to keep her attention. 

Some of my earliest memories revolve around books, something that I think helped me develop my absolute delight of words and stories. Before Clara was born, I gave her parents a whole stack of my favorite childhood books, hoping she'd grow up with at least some bookworm tendencies. Every so often Clara's mama will send me pictures of Clara "reading" those books, which of course fills me with joy. 
Reading is such an important part of life, and it thrills me when parents (or older siblings, cousins, etc...), work at cultivating a love for reading in young children. So much wisdom and information can be gleaned through books. Instead of having to learning mostly from our own mistakes, books give us the ability to learn through other's mistakes. Books can take us to far away countries. To explore the minds of the writers. To other cultures. To deeper levels of knowledge. 
Books can be used as tools that help shape our lives into who we're supposed to be. They can help us understand people who have gone through tough times. They can help prepare us for our own tough times. Books can teach us simple things like how to make mashed potatoes, and incredibly fantastic things like how God loves us and has a plan for our lives. 

There's a quote that says that people who don't read are no better off than people who can't read. I think it's more accurate to say that people who don't read are worse off than those who can't, because the ones who can read, but don't, are making the choice not to grow in that area. Studies have shown that people who read long books regularly generally have longer attention spans, and that's actually pretty important. 
All this to say, if you have children in your life, related to you or not, then why not take some time to read to them? Or at least buy them a book, and hopefully cultivate a love for reading in them at a young age. It's one of those gifts that keeps on giving. (I know, so cliché, right?)
* * * What about you? Do you remember reading (or being read to), as a young child? I'd be delighted to hear your memories. 

I just remembered this picture from back when Clara was just a couple of days old. Hum...I guess she was bound to enjoy typing and words to at least some degree with this early introduction to the world of writing.
Maybe some day in the far distant future she'll do a guest post on Noveltea, or perhaps write a few short stories. :) 

October 2016 Goals {Vlog}

Today we get to talk about October goals! I debated if I should just type the goals or do a vlog, and in the end the vlog won out, because goals are so exciting, and a vlog is a pretty good way to share the excitement.

I have a tripod for my camera now, so yay. After I got everything figured out with the camera angle, I was thrilled to have a video I was happy with on my second try. That is, until I was down at my computer and saw the move was over five minutes long. Horrified I ran back up to do another take, and that one was even longer. *cue scary music* Eventually I got the vlog down to just over three minutes. I had to cut out some information, but overall I'm pleased with how it turned out. 

Do y'all have goals for October? If so, I'd be delighted to hear them! 

September 2016 in Review

What I Focused on in September: 
1. The 16th draft of When Life Hands You Lymes
2. Some busy times at my non-writing job 
3. A writing-ish project that I'll tell y'all about later


Birthday Challenge and Dream List Update 
Birthday Challenge:  
4. Go to Wednesday night church 24 times {1}
6. Read 12 non-fiction "spiritual" books {4}
7. Read the Proverb of the day every day for six months {yes}
8. Writer 24 A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words short stories {4}
13. Write a monthly review on my blog within 5 days of the end of the month whenever internet is available {yes}
14. Blog my 3 (or more) top goals for each month within 5 days of the beginning of each month whenever internet is available {yes}
15. Write 24 book reviews {5}
21. Write a 1,000 words a day on my WIP every day for 24 days in a row (not counting Sundays) {Completed}
23. Read 24 non-fiction books {4}
24. Read out loud for 24 hours {around 6}
Dream List:  None. 

Reading Update
Non-Fiction: 4Fiction: 1Reviews: 5Audio Books: 0 

Traveling
Nights gone: 3New States or Countries: None 

September Goals 
Let me preface this by saying the month did not go as expected at all. It was a difficult learning experience for me, but hey, life goes on. 
1. Four hour run at the correct marathon pace {No}2. Finish first draft of City of Outcasts {YES}3. Eat Paleo the whole month {YES} & Get eight hours of sleep twelve nights {Hopefully? I lost track}4. Finish memorizing Philippians {No}5. Write 23 "picture" short stories {No. Only 4}6. Read out loud for 16 hours {No. Only about 6}7. Read and Review 4 books {YES}

What I've Been Learning
Life goes on, but not always in the way I had imagined it would. I'm learning to figure out how to try and go with the flow and not freak out too much when plans get changed. (Because obviously that happens a lot.)
I read several books this month about listening to God and how to spend quality time with Him. As someone who is goal-oriented, loves to check things off, and is nearly always rushing, it's hard for me to stop and calm down and take deep breaths and not be planning my next step, but it's so needed. So, I've been striving to do more of being still and knowing that He is God.
I spent a good portion of the first half of the month working on learning stuff about Wordpress and all that kind of stuff. It's amazing how confusing something can be, but eventually I generally get the hang of whatever I'm working on.
I also learned more about myself as I worked on the 16th draft of When Life Hands You Lymes. It can be really hard for me to be corrected in my writing (or, any other area of life, really), but it's also a needed element of growing, so I'm continuing that learning curve of embracing correction.  

Other
It's been a while since I've had a month that went so contrary to what I had envisioned and planned. I had some unexpected health issues this month which were pretty hard for me to deal with, even though they weren't serious. They also put somewhat of a halt on my goal-accomplishing-dream, and reminded me once more of how extremely thankful I am to feel so well most of the time. Nearly every day of September was spent doing at least a little bit of editing, brainstorming, and adding in more of a little sub-plot for WLHYL. I'm pretty excited about how it turned out, and look forward to hearing back from my final round of beta readers. There were some special friend-moments in September where I got to visit with some of my lovely out-of-state friends who I don't get to see nearly often enough. They were amazing at jumping right in and helping me with my work, holding grand conversations, and brightening up my days. I also vlogged for the first time, a total dream come true for me. It was exciting to see how well the vlog was received, especially since I also posted it on my personal Facebook page. I was blessed by how many comments I got. At the end of the month was my birthday. I am a grand-celebrator. I celebrate everything. For instance, I celebrate my birthday twice a day. The first time is at 9:30 am, and the second is at 9:30 pm. (You know, because I was born on September (9), 30th.) But when my actual and real birthday pops around, that calls for sparkly socks, happiness, waking up with a smile, and cheer spread to everyone. Especially since I got to look forward to this birthday for 366 days instead of just 365, thanks to leap year. My birthday was lovely and special indeed with lots of family time, lovely comments and emails from y'all, bookish decorations (thanks to my little sister), and a last-minute sleepover with my best friend. 

So, what about y'all's September? I'd be delighted to hear about it. 

Hearing God's Voice Today By James W. Goll - Book Review

Hearing God's Voice TodayBy James W. Goll
Find it on:  Amazon Goodreads  
First Person  Non-Fiction164 Pages

About the Book (Back cover Blurb):
Bestselling author James Goll takes readers on an adventure into the heart of what it means to hear God, and how to do it. Over the course of this journey, both beginners and those who have been listening to God for years will explore biblical principles about prayer, starting from square one. Real-life illustrations inspire and excite readers to have expectant hearts by learning to: - draw near to God- trust that he wants to speak- overcome obstacles that block his voice- avoid being misled by words not coming from him- cultivate a lifestyle of hearing him God is speaking to you--today. Grow in assurance that he wants you to hear.
Why I Choose this Book: 
The title should be a sufficient explanation. :)
What I Thought About this Book:
It was really good. It was also one of those books that can't be gulped down, because, well, it's just *wrong* to slurp a book up in a couple of sittings when it talks so much about slowing down and spending time with God and listening for Him. 
That, by the way, is my big take-away from the book. I have a hard time slowing down and spending time listening for God's voice. My imagination is so active that I have a hard time clearing it of activity to just be still, but that is something I'm working on. In the past I've prayer journaled a lot which really helps me to keep focus. Because of a wrist injury though, I haven't done as much journaling or typing in the last few months, and so I'd been just praying instead of prayer journaling. Going back to prayer journaling (something this book encouraged), was helpful and I realized how much I've missed it. 
Mr. Goll's writing style is quite practical and easy to understand. The way he talks about God was really encouraging. It's obvious he views God with reverence, but also sees Him as a loving Friend and Father. In fact, he refers to God multiple times as "Papa God" which I really liked. Mr. Goll is personable in the book, sharing some of the things he struggled with, as well as times God worked through him.
Conclusion:
The book was easy-to-understand, challenging, practical, and a very worth-while read. Plus, the cover is beautiful, which is a plus. 
Rating:
I'm giving Hearing God's Voice Today 4 stars out of 5, and 8 stars out of 10. I happily recommend it. 
*I received this book free from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review*