Lydia Howe's Blog, page 30

Pushing People Up: Book Review

Pushing People Up By Art Williams 
Find it on: Amazon  Goodreads
First person One point-of-viewNon-fiction170 pages 

About the Book Backcover blurb 
Art Williams had a gift. He knew that to win not just one game for his high school team, but begin a legacy of winning, he had to work with the only assets available - his team. 
Art had learned from the other mentoring coaches in his life that winning had far more to do with what was in the heart of his players and their “will to win”, than what they looked like, where they came from. Focusing on the hearts absolutely built winning teams, and garnered two “Georgia Coach of Year” awards.
From these simple yet powerful principles, Art Williams went on to build a company that changed the face of one of the largest industries in the world...the life insurance industry. By applying the philosophy of “Pushing Up People”, a group of 85 former teachers, policeman, fireman, and coaches, built a company of 200,000 strong and literally changed forever the lives of countless families. 
So Now.... A step-by-step guide to the “people management” concepts behind one of the greatest success stories in American business.
You’ll Learn...-Why victory doesn’t always go to the smartest people.-The three things people want most from their job.-Four kinds of “failure fears” and how to guard against them-The power of the “little bit more” principle-The magic of 90 days-The Three little words that house the most important leadership principle-Why winners are made not born.-The biggest obstacle to keeping success once you make it -Why you owe it to yourself, and your business to try “Pushing Up People”
Why I Choose this Book
A family friend highly recommended this book, so highly in fact that he bought it for us. Plus I like Art Williams writing style. I've heard some of his talks on audio and so sometimes I hear his voice in my head when I'm reading his books which is pretty cool. 
What I Thought about this Book 
I haven't read a lot of Art William's books, but I want to read more. His style is easy to read and very down-to-earth. You can tell he really loves people and genuinely wants what is best for others. Pushing Up People was inspiring to read; it reminded me that even though aspects of reaching my writing goals can be difficult, it's still worth it to push on and continue working. 
Pushing Up People covered a wide range of topics from making goals to having the right kind of attitude to how we should view failure and how praise is more powerful than punishments. Overall the book is geared toward leaders and the correct way to treat their employees, but I think the book is a good read for anyone. 
Conclusion 
I enjoyed this book and breezed right through it. I hope to read it again because it is chocked full of solid principles and good advice. 
Rating 
I'm giving Pushing Up People four stars and recommending it to anyone twelve and up although some portions of the book don't exactly apply to that age group. 

Editing, Oh, Happy Editing

Monday mornings make me plain happy. (I take that back: Monday mornings make me orange-and-cranberry happy, because everyone knows that orange and cranberry is better than plain.) I'm sitting here with my window open a crack, bundled up with a sweatshirt and blanket, Christmas music (!!!) playing, candle flickering and a bowl of hot potato soup (yes, for breakfast) next to me. 
Knowing that I have a whole week stretching in front of me is one of the best feelings. I have so much I want to accomplish this week, and I'm eager to get started. First and foremost I have my book to continue editing. I recently had my eyes open to a whole new layer of problems to fix. Yeah. A little bit overwhelming (ha! that's the understatement of the month), but it's good to have uncovered these little issues so I can jump in start to rectify my cute little manuscript (which is, in reality, neither cute nor little... and if we want to be technical it isn't a manuscript, either). 
I have a ton of grass to cut at my non-writing job, but since last time I looked it was 28 degrees outside, I'm excited to stay all cozy inside and dig into my book for several hours before venturing out. It's really nice to have a flexible job. 

Some of the problems I need to work on today with When Life Hands You Lymes: 
*I realized that most of the descriptions I put in the book about where Madalyn lives were in the first 40,000 words that I cut out in April. Therefore I need to describe the mansion and estate where the Emersons live. Joy! 
*I'm still not sure how well Madalyn's character arch works... Deep sigh.
*Madalyn does too much music for her health condition. My amazing beta reader, Melissa, pointed this out to me and when she said it I had a half light bulb, half duh moment went on inside my brain when I realized she was so. totally. right. 
*I don't have a ton of descriptions that apply to the five senses except for sight. Lots of sight. A little bit of hearing. A tad bit of taste and smell and touch. This needs to change. 
*Another thing Melissa pointed out is that I build up occasions with Madalyn thinking about them, and then zoom, the reader is suddenly on the other side of the event, looking back. Some of those events need to happen in real time. Aye, yie, yie! (And I obviously have no clue how to spell that<) 
I could continue on with my list, but in reality it would probably be me procrastinating instead of wading back into my edits, so I'll leave the list for now and actually go and get some of that work done... 
* * *What about you? What are you planning on doing today? 

Seven Women: Book Review

7 Women And the Secret of Their Greatness By Eric Metaxas 
Find it on: AmazonGoodreads
Third person - narrative Non-fiction 256 pages

About the BookBackcover Blurb 
In his eagerly anticipated follow-up to the enormously successful Seven Men, New York Times best-selling author Eric Metaxas gives us seven captivating portraits of some of history's greatest women, each of whom changed the course of history by following God's call upon their lives-as women.
Each of the world-changing figures who stride across these pages-Joan of Arc, Susanna Wesley, Hannah More, Maria Skobtsova, Corrie ten Boom, Mother Teresa, and Rosa Parks-is an exemplary model of true womanhood. Teenaged Joan of Arc followed God's call and liberated her country, dying a heroic martyr's death. Susanna Wesley had nineteen children and gave the world its most significant evangelist and its greatest hymn-writer, her sons John and Charles. Corrie ten Boom, arrested for hiding Dutch Jews from the Nazis, survived the horrors of a concentration camp to astonish the world by forgiving her tormentors. And Rosa Parks' deep sense of justice and unshakeable dignity and faith helped launch the twentieth-century's greatest social movement.
Writing in his trademark conversational and engaging style, Eric Metaxas reveals how the other extraordinary women in this book achieved their greatness, inspiring readers to lives shaped by the truth of the gospel.
Why I Choose the Book
I really enjoy reading about people who have lived an extraordinary lives so I can learn from them and grow in my own journey. Plus, as soon as I saw the names of the women the book was about I was intrigued; for one because I recognized most of the names, but more than that because I didn't recognize two of the names and I wondered what I'd been missing out on.  
What I Thought about the Book
I enjoyed it. The book was written in what I would consider an overview style. With seven women's lives crammed into 256 pages we get about 36 pages per person which really isn't a lot when we're talking about a whole life. 
Joan of Arc's story intrigued me years ago but I haven't read much about her life so that portion of the book was one of my favorites. I was quite familiar with Susanna Wesley, Corrie ten Boom and Rosa Parks' stories and didn't learn anything new although I was once again amazed and challenged at their lives. I have read one book about Mother Teresa, but that was a long time ago and I learned a lot about her from this book. I was especially thrilled to hear about Mother Teresa's stand against abortion and she tried to stop it. Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and included this in her acceptance speech: This is a screenshot from 7 Women And the Secret of Their Greatness By Eric Metaxas 
Hannah More and Maria Skobtsova were new names and I'm glad to have been introduced to their stories. I've already downloaded several of Hannah More's books and look forward to reading them. 
This book was easy to read for the most part; the author used a more extensive vocabulary than I was used to (which is a good thing!) and I paused my reading many times to look up a new word. I enjoyed the style and set up of this book and look forward to studying more about these women.
Conclusion 
I obviously don't agree with everything these ladies supported or believed, but I do see many aspects of their lives that I could grow in and I'm thankful for their examples and sacrifices. These lives were lived out in a way that is anything but average or ordinary and they helped to change the world. 
Rating 
I'm giving Seven Women and the Secret of Their Greatness four stars and I recommend it to people 15 and older.

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I received this book from Booklook in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Writing Time Quirks

If you asked me if I had any writing quirks, the answer would be a resounding yes. In fact, there's so many writing quirks that are displayed by yours truly that I decided to make a list so you can see a little bit of the behind-the-scenes when it comes to my writing (and editing and re-editing and re-re-editing). 

1. Music. I can listen to the same song over. and over. and over again. During other activities this would drive me nuts, but when I'm working on my writing the music helps me zone out and focus.

2. I randomly say/half-yell things like "Booyah!" and "Oh no she didn't" and "Or not!" and "Oh come on people!" and "Oh! For real?" often. Very often. Plus I make weird sounds. Often. Very often. 
3. I do weird things with my hands. Like wiggling my fingers and tapping my finger-tips together and 'air-typing' and flicking my hand backward and having my hands talk to each other (although I don't actually say anything). 
4. I act out scenes. Generally only the emotions and hand gestures though, because I don't get up and walk around. My face probably looks like a seven-year-old child looking in the mirror for the first time as I twist it into dozens of different facial expressions. 
5. I rub my face and pull my hair and take my glasses on and off and generally act like I'm a toddler with their mother as I poke and examine my arms and hands. I think it's a diversion technique that I employ because I don't feel like I'm actually procrastinating, but I am getting a bit of a breather from the writing. 
6. I talk a lot. I mutter scenes. I tell the music to "just be quiet", I encourage myself and I discuss (with myself) whatever my brain is coming up with at the moment.
(Edit: Added example: I published this post then when I pulled it up to look at it I realized the picture was off-center. I shook my head and said No, not acceptable in a grown-up-talking-to-a-baby voice without even thinking about it.)

7. Probably my biggest quirk though, is that I have to have something in my mouth when I'm writing. Before I consciously realized this I doubtless ate way too much while crafting a new book. Now that I'm aware of the fact that I just want something in my mouth, I'm not actually hungry, life is good. I often chew on my headphone cords (I know, I know... I don't bite down though), pencils, pens, (even though I write on my computer) my finger, pieces of wood, little rubber toys, hard candy... You get the point. I also drink a lot when I'm writing. I keep a pitcher of water near my writing chair and fill up my cup over and over again. I also have a Keurig maker and consume mugs for of steaming drinks.

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What about you? What are some quirks you have? 

Never Said: Book Review

Never Said By Carol Lynch Williams 
Find it on:  Amazon Goodreads 
First personTwo points of viewFiction256 (short) pages

About the Book Backcover blurb
From bestselling author Carol Lynch Williams (The Chosen One), a contemporary YA novel about a family that has been caught up in what doesn’t matter and how two sisters realize that their relationship—no matter how different the two of them are—is most important.
In this contemporary YA novel by bestselling author Carol Lynch Williams (The Chosen One), fifteen-year-old fraternal twins Annie and Sarah are sisters, but that is where their interaction ends. Then Annie begins to withdraw from the family, forcing Sarah to investigate why-and the secret she uncovers changes their relationship forever.
Never Said explores not only the effects of abuse but also our world's reliance on self, beauty, and other people's perceptions. With themes of forgiveness, love, sacrifice, and hope woven throughout the story, teens and other fans of young adult fiction will be drawn to this story of two sisters who must find a way to come together and find the healing they both need.
Why I Choose this Book
It was a pretty spontaneous decision. I was looking for a book to read and review and I liked the sister element to the story. I read the sample from Amazon and was intrigued by the writing style. Short, choppy sentences from Sarah's point of view, prose-type from Annies. I've heard a lot about that style in different reviews and know it's become popular, but I hadn't read a book that incorporated it, so I decided to give it a try. 
What I Thought about the Book 
I have got to say: This author is amazing. Her word pictures and writing style was truly interesting to read and made me feel as if I had tumbled into a new mind. The cadence of the sentences filtered through my brain and felt like rain coming down in hardpingging bulletsthat pricked my skin
I can't say it was exactly my style or that I would choose to read a book like this very often, but I did highlight a good amount of descriptions simply because they were that good. I read this book right before I went to bed and I had a restless night (not because of reading the book), every time I woke up though, my thoughts came in the same short, raw descriptive voice as the book, which serves to show how good of a job the author did. 
The book was told from two points of view and the girls came out sounding very different from each other, which is a big plus and showcases the author's skill. I was impressed. There was barely any dialog which was crazy. It felt like we were trapped alone in each girl's head, alone, kept away from everyone else... Amazing writing. 
With all that being said: I didn't really enjoy the book all that much. The descriptions? Yes, oh yes. The storyline though? Not so much. It dealt with some pretty heavy issues and while the author handled them well enough, it wasn't from a Christian perspective so therefore I didn't feel like it restored much hope. I am very impressed with the author for writing the book though, because I know how extremely difficult it can be to write a book that is so deep and holds such emotion. 
Some of my favorite descriptions in the book:
* * * * * *   * * * * * *
Conclusion
There were a couple of minor 'bad words' and as mentioned previously it dealt with some pretty serious issues. The issues were handled with grace and didn't have much detail which I really appreciated. I think books like this are really needed because it can help kids who have gone through a hard time realize they aren't alone. I don't have a problem with books not written from a Christian perspective, but because of that lack of influence I wouldn't recommend this book because it doesn't line up with my worldview. 
Rating 
I'm giving Never Said Three stars. I had to think about this for a while because the descriptions themselves are almost enough to bump it up to four stars.

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I received this book from BookLook in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Confessions of a Goalaholic

This last April when I was at a hotel taking a writing retreat to finish the first draft of When Life Hands You Lymes I would work hard during the day and then by the time night rolled around I needed to just chill. With unlimited internet in my possession I had fun looking up old movies and watching them. While looking for a movie one night I remembered several years ago one of my friends mentioned Confessions of a Shopaholic and I had wanted to watch it ever since then so I looked the movie up and began it. 
I ended up turning it off after a little bit because there was something I didn't like (I can't remember what it was); it was late any way and I was ready to go to sleep. As I snuggled in bed that night I kept thinking about the main character in the movie. She was obsessed with shopping. And I don't use the word lightly. If she was walking down the street and saw that there was a sale going on she had to check it out. Even if that meant she was late for work. Even if that meant she had to push another credit card to the max. Even though her apartment was full to bursting with other purchases that she would never use. 
I could not wrap my brain around that. To me shopping was a chore that must be endured unless it's for craft supplies or books. I tried to fathom how anyone could be so addicted to shopping; it was like she had a compulsion when it came to stores. I imagined what it would feel like to have something that I felt like I had to do. It was a crazy thought. 

Then as I was about ready to drift off to sleep I went through my daily check-list like I do every night and I realized I hadn't finished one of my goals for the day. Before I even fully comprehend what I was doing I had turned on the light, jumped out of bed and was working on finishing my daily goals. 
That's right. I went from the "almost-alseep" state to "running-around-finishing-goals" state in about .2 seconds. As I crawled back under blankets I had to laugh at myself. Here I was marveling at how anyone could be addicted to shopping like in the movie and yet if you replaced shopping with goals then I was basically that girl.  
Goals are something you've probably heard me yak on and on about if you've been hanging out around Noveltea for any length of time. I'm probably what could be considered a Goalaholic. With that in mind do you want to hear something crazy? 
I've barely accomplished any of my year-long goals for 2015. In fact there are several of them that I haven't even begun working on. Because do you know what? Life changes. Some of those writing goals that seemed so important as 2014 drew to a close paled when compared to getting to work more on When Life Hands You Lymes. Some of the goals were worthwhile but too overwhelming in the whole scheme of life. Some I'm working on, but at a slower pace than I imagined. So I'm learning. Learning to rearrange goals and set some aside and make new ones when opportunities arise. 
My daily and weekly goals are still firmly in place and I'm back to instituting monthly goals and might eventually return to my weekly goals... So, I probably still sound like a goalaholic, but do you know what? That's ok. Because I'm learning to use goals as tool to help propel me down my chosen path in life. Goals are so incredibly helpful as long as you know when to let go and make new ones. 
* * * What about you? Do you use goals as a tool in your life? 

A Laugh a Day...

Editing, my friends, takes up a lot of brain power. It's also a little bit redundant if I continually post about it on my blog. So I decided to have fun today and hopefully give y'all something to laugh at. (You can check out my Pinterest boards here .) 
1. source
2. source3. source4.

source5. source
6. source7. source 8. source 
9. source 10. source 

11. source 12. source 
And my favorite: 13. source * * *Which is your favorite? 

Editing Block

I don't have writers block. In fact, I can't remember the last time I did. If I wanted to sit down and write right now I'm pretty sure my brain would kick into gear and supply the needed elements to make a story seemingly magically appear on the computer in front of me. 
I don't have plotters block. In fact, I have had new ideas (and some old ones) swimming around inside my head teasing me, trying to get me to focus on them and fill out numerous outlines and charts. The books I've been reading about the craft of writing keep popping into my thoughts, asking me to test them out and plot a new book. 
I don't have brainstorming block. In fact, I could probably stop writing this post and fill out several pages of ideas I have for various stories without any trouble at all. There are so many elements to brainstorming that appeal to me at this moment. Foremost would be the random act of spewing words unfiltered and un-thought-through onto a page and having it actually accomplish something. 

What I might possibly have at this moment is editing block. In fact, every time I think about sitting down to work on the forth draft of my book my brain feels like it's filling up with air and my eyes start to droop and all I want to do is go take a nap.

Sometimes I really like editing. My brain spins into a different mode and starts to see problems and inconstancies in my story that I haven'd noticed before. I have a delightful feeling of being able to make something more artistic than it was in it's previous state. I know I'm pushing my story to the next level and getting it that much closer to being published.

There are other times when I really don't feel like editing. Like now. I'm busy with the rest of life and yet I'm trying to work on a deadline with my editing so I have to fight stress that's dancing around trying to back me into a corner.

I know editing will accomplish something, and yet that something feels rather ambiguous at the moment. I won't be able to look and see 5,000 fresh new words on the page or a plot with a delicious twist. We're in the forth draft, people. That means the changes are going to be more underlying and less noticeable. Plus, there's all the little issues I've been pushing off taking care of and I can't continue leaving them for the next draft. I need to decide what to do with them now. 

Despite how it may seem or what I feel like at the moment editing is worth it and so therefore I am going to edit. And this book is going to be so worth the time I've poured into it. Amen and amen.

24 Before 24 Challenge List

Hey y'all! I'm finally finished creating my 24 before 24 challenge list. (You can see how I did on my 23 before 23 challenge here .) I liked my challenges from last year so much that I'm doing several of them again. I'm hoping to get a head start this year so I'm not furiously working away during the last weeks before my birthday like I was right before I turned 23. 

I really feel like these challenges will help me become more of who I want to be and will make my year more productive. Plus challenges are fun. If any of y'all have similar lists/challenges you're working on I'd be delighted to hear about them! 

1. Finish memorizing the book of Philippians 
2. Pray the "prayer of Jebez" every day for three months 
3. Read the whole Bible
4. Go to Wednesday night church 24 times
5. Write a list of 1,000 things I'm thankful for
6. Read 12 non-fiction "spiritual" books 
7. Read the Proverb of the day every day for six months 
8. Writer 24 A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words short stories
9. Walk 24 miles in two days (in a row)
10. Make 24 meals from different countries 
11. Get up at 6:15 or before 24 days in a row (not counting weekends) 
12. Go to bed at 10:30 or before 24 nights (not in a row) 
13. Write a monthly review on my blog within 5 days of the end of the month whenever internet is available 
14. Blog my 3 (or more) top goals for each month within 5 days of the beginning of each month whenever internet is available
15. Write 24 book reviews
16. Make 24 baby blankets for crisis pregnancy centers
17. Track my food for 24 days in a row, not counting weekends 
18. Go, see, visit, experience or explore something I've never done before 24 times and write it down
19. Do a book signing event 24 times
20. Track all the money I spend for 24 days
21. Write a 1,000 words a day on my WIP every day for 24 days in a row (not counting Sundays)
22. Write 50,000 words in a month on my WIP (preferably for nanowrimo) 
23. Read 24 non-fiction books 
24. Read out loud for 24 hours 

23 Before 23 Challenge Completed Update

I'm really excited with how much I was able to get done on my birthday challenge this last year. For my 21 before 21 challenge I accomplished 13 and didn't do 8. For my 22 before 22 challenge I accomplished 16 and didn't do 6. Then this year for my 23 before 23 challenge I accomplished 22 and didn't do 1. That's a pretty good leap up in the accomplishment zone. Maybe I'll be able to get my challenges 100% done for my 24 before 24 challenge... 


1. Read 23 Non-fiction books {23 Completed 9-21-15}
2. Write 1,000 words for 23 days in a row {Completed March}
3. Write 23,000 words in one week {Completed April}
4. Write 23 book reviews {23 COMPLETED 9/26/15}
5. Track all the money I spend for 23 days {Completed}
6. Walk 23 miles in one week {Completed 8-15-15}
7. Write a card a day for 23 days {Competed in March and April}
8. Track all the money I spend for 23 weeks  (Ran out of time, not going to happen) 
9. Memorize 23 verses {Completed 9/15 {Philippians 1:1-23} 
10. Listen to the book of Eph. 23 times {Completed}
11. Read the Proverb of the day 3 months (not in a row) {Completed January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September}
12. Write a list of the next day, 23 days in a row (not counting weekends) {Completed 9/26/15}
13. Go to bed before 10:30 23 times (not in a row) {Completed June-something + 4}
14. Get up at (or before) 6:15 23 days in a row {Completed June 2nd}
15. No texting for 23 days (not in a row) {Completed June 28th}
16. Crack the whip 23 times in a row {Completed}
17. Reach 100,000 words on WLHYL {Completed}
18. Send/give gifts to 13 random people {Completed}
19. Stay off of sugar 23 days in a row {Completed}
20. Write a list of 500 things I'm thankful for {Completed July 16th, 2015}
21. Fill up a physical journal {Completed June 31st}
22. Make 5 blankets for a pregnancy center (or something like that) {Completed 9/26/15}
23. Write monthly reviews on my blog within 5 days of the end of the month whenever internet is available 23. Write monthly reviews on my blog within 5 days of the end of the month whenever internet is available (October, November, December, January, February  March, April, May, June, July, August, September,)

And just for fun... Y'all should check out this cool video I was sent for my birthday.

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What about y'all? Do you have any challenges that you did like this?