Lydia Howe's Blog, page 8
August 5, 2016
August Goals, Giveaway, and Flashback
Hey Y'all, So yes, today's post is rather late, but I've had a delightful day and I'm hoping that y'all did, too.
First off, I kinda forgot something from my book review yesterday. There's actually a giveaway happening for the book, so you should really check it out and enter it. You can enter the giveaway here.
Second of all, Facebook reminded me of this picture I took a year ago today while editing with my best friend's daughter in Florida. Well, guess what! This year I'm back writing this blog post from the very same room. And, I'm also editing the same book, but we're now on the 15th draft, instead of the second, and the changes that have been made are about as stunning as the changes in Clara between last year and this year. Clara joined me for another picture this evening, so we could have the adorable contrast.
I'm excited about everything that is going on with WLHYL (the aforementioned book), and look forward to giving y'all a longer update someday next week. There's lots of big changes that have happened in the last year when it comes to the plot line, and thankfully each change has made the book stronger, so yay.
And last of all for today, here are my goals for August:
If God wills and I live...
1. I will be able to do a half marathon (13.1 miles) in 3 hours2. I will send the completed 15th draft of WLHYL out for another round of beta reading 3. I will read three non-fiction books4. I will begin writing 1,000 words each day for my 24 before 24 challenge 5. I will finish memorizing the first 3 chapters of Philippians
* * *What are some goals you have for this month?
First off, I kinda forgot something from my book review yesterday. There's actually a giveaway happening for the book, so you should really check it out and enter it. You can enter the giveaway here.
Second of all, Facebook reminded me of this picture I took a year ago today while editing with my best friend's daughter in Florida. Well, guess what! This year I'm back writing this blog post from the very same room. And, I'm also editing the same book, but we're now on the 15th draft, instead of the second, and the changes that have been made are about as stunning as the changes in Clara between last year and this year. Clara joined me for another picture this evening, so we could have the adorable contrast.
I'm excited about everything that is going on with WLHYL (the aforementioned book), and look forward to giving y'all a longer update someday next week. There's lots of big changes that have happened in the last year when it comes to the plot line, and thankfully each change has made the book stronger, so yay.
And last of all for today, here are my goals for August:
If God wills and I live...
1. I will be able to do a half marathon (13.1 miles) in 3 hours2. I will send the completed 15th draft of WLHYL out for another round of beta reading 3. I will read three non-fiction books4. I will begin writing 1,000 words each day for my 24 before 24 challenge 5. I will finish memorizing the first 3 chapters of Philippians
* * *What are some goals you have for this month?
August 4, 2016
A Beauty Refined By Tracie Peterson: Book Review & Giveaway
Hey y'all! I get to be part of another book release blog tour today. How much fun is that? So, without further ado, here we go:
A Beauty Refined By Tracie Peterson
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
Third-Person4 Points of view (I think)Fiction320 Pages
About the Book (Backcover Blurb):
Phoebe Von Bergen is excited to accompany her father when he travels from Germany to purchase sapphires in Montana. Little does she know that her father's plans--for the gemstones and his daughter--are not what they seem.
Ian Harper, a lapidary working in Helena, finds the young woman staying at the Broadwater Hotel more than a little intriguing. Yet the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her family story is based on a lie--a lie she has no knowledge of. And Ian believes he knows the only path that will lead her to freedom.
Meeting Ian has changed everything. Phoebe is determined to stay in America, regardless of her father's plans. But she may not be prepared for the unexpected danger as the deception begins to unravel.
Why I Choose this Book:
I've read a couple of other Historical Fiction books by Tracie Peterson that I enjoyed a lot. Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres to read, as long as they aren't too romantic. Note: After I read this book and didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, I looked back and saw I only gave two stars to the last Tracie Peterson (co-authored) book I read...
What I Thought About this Book:
Hum... This book. It had so much promise. And then it fell rather flat for me. It still (barely) squeaked 3 out of 5 stars for me though (4 out of 10), and so I figured the best thing I could do was write a pros and cons list for you.
Reasons I liked the book:
* The plot was intriguing * I liked the main character (at least to begin with) * The writing style felt unique to me. For a while I couldn't tell if the writing was actually a pro or con, but it drew me in and kept my interest, so I decided it was a pro* Although I wouldn't say the main characters were unique as far as characters go, they were easy to distinguish from each other and I never got them confused * I liked Kenny and felt as if he was well-written * Hearing about the jewels was interesting * I liked where it was set and reading about the lifestyle the FMC (female main character) was used to* As someone who cooks a lot, it was pretty cool to hear all the meal descriptions
Reasons I didn't like the book:
* It felt like the author took a great story and massacred it. I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed the story far more if it had just been told from one point of view. As it was, we saw something happen, then heard about it as the next character found out about it, and then again with a third character. It was tedious and made the book feel really slow* The Romance. Oh help us all... It wasn't that anything necessarily inappropriate happened between the FMC and MMC (male main character), but wow. I have a huge, huge, huge problem with the romance in most books because it's like "Oh, look! A good-looking human. I've never fallen in love before even though I'm twenty-two years old, but I think I'll do so at this very moment after seeing him twice in my life." Please, no. I would consider what they had to be infatuation, or a crush. Not love.I don't think the book would have lost anything if it would have taken out the "romance" and it probably would have garnered at least half a star more from me. (I don't recall the romance being a huge part of the story, it was just glaring.) * A lot of the story ended up feeling trite and cliché and made me want to shake my head* I wish we wouldn't have had so much of the MMC's backstory... I found the FMC much more interesting
Conclusion:
There was a little bit of violence near the end, but not too much detail. There were certainly good points in the book, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, mostly because I didn't enjoy it.
Rating:
I'm giving A Beauty Refined 3 stars out of 5, and 4 stars out of 10.
*I received this book free from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review*
Oh! And yay, happiness! There's a giveaway. (Remember, just cause I don't like a book doesn't mean you won't!) Enter the giveaway here.
A Beauty Refined By Tracie Peterson
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
Third-Person4 Points of view (I think)Fiction320 Pages
About the Book (Backcover Blurb):
Phoebe Von Bergen is excited to accompany her father when he travels from Germany to purchase sapphires in Montana. Little does she know that her father's plans--for the gemstones and his daughter--are not what they seem.
Ian Harper, a lapidary working in Helena, finds the young woman staying at the Broadwater Hotel more than a little intriguing. Yet the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her family story is based on a lie--a lie she has no knowledge of. And Ian believes he knows the only path that will lead her to freedom.
Meeting Ian has changed everything. Phoebe is determined to stay in America, regardless of her father's plans. But she may not be prepared for the unexpected danger as the deception begins to unravel.
Why I Choose this Book:
I've read a couple of other Historical Fiction books by Tracie Peterson that I enjoyed a lot. Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres to read, as long as they aren't too romantic. Note: After I read this book and didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, I looked back and saw I only gave two stars to the last Tracie Peterson (co-authored) book I read...
What I Thought About this Book:
Hum... This book. It had so much promise. And then it fell rather flat for me. It still (barely) squeaked 3 out of 5 stars for me though (4 out of 10), and so I figured the best thing I could do was write a pros and cons list for you.
Reasons I liked the book:
* The plot was intriguing * I liked the main character (at least to begin with) * The writing style felt unique to me. For a while I couldn't tell if the writing was actually a pro or con, but it drew me in and kept my interest, so I decided it was a pro* Although I wouldn't say the main characters were unique as far as characters go, they were easy to distinguish from each other and I never got them confused * I liked Kenny and felt as if he was well-written * Hearing about the jewels was interesting * I liked where it was set and reading about the lifestyle the FMC (female main character) was used to* As someone who cooks a lot, it was pretty cool to hear all the meal descriptions
Reasons I didn't like the book:
* It felt like the author took a great story and massacred it. I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed the story far more if it had just been told from one point of view. As it was, we saw something happen, then heard about it as the next character found out about it, and then again with a third character. It was tedious and made the book feel really slow* The Romance. Oh help us all... It wasn't that anything necessarily inappropriate happened between the FMC and MMC (male main character), but wow. I have a huge, huge, huge problem with the romance in most books because it's like "Oh, look! A good-looking human. I've never fallen in love before even though I'm twenty-two years old, but I think I'll do so at this very moment after seeing him twice in my life." Please, no. I would consider what they had to be infatuation, or a crush. Not love.I don't think the book would have lost anything if it would have taken out the "romance" and it probably would have garnered at least half a star more from me. (I don't recall the romance being a huge part of the story, it was just glaring.) * A lot of the story ended up feeling trite and cliché and made me want to shake my head* I wish we wouldn't have had so much of the MMC's backstory... I found the FMC much more interesting
Conclusion:
There was a little bit of violence near the end, but not too much detail. There were certainly good points in the book, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, mostly because I didn't enjoy it.
Rating:
I'm giving A Beauty Refined 3 stars out of 5, and 4 stars out of 10.
*I received this book free from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review*
Oh! And yay, happiness! There's a giveaway. (Remember, just cause I don't like a book doesn't mean you won't!) Enter the giveaway here.
A Beauty Refined By Tracie Peterson: Book Review
Hey y'all! I get to be part of another book release blog tour today. How much fun is that? So, without further ado, here we go:
A Beauty Refined By Tracie Peterson
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
Third-Person4 Points of view (I think)Fiction320 Pages
About the Book (Backcover Blurb):
Phoebe Von Bergen is excited to accompany her father when he travels from Germany to purchase sapphires in Montana. Little does she know that her father's plans--for the gemstones and his daughter--are not what they seem.
Ian Harper, a lapidary working in Helena, finds the young woman staying at the Broadwater Hotel more than a little intriguing. Yet the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her family story is based on a lie--a lie she has no knowledge of. And Ian believes he knows the only path that will lead her to freedom.
Meeting Ian has changed everything. Phoebe is determined to stay in America, regardless of her father's plans. But she may not be prepared for the unexpected danger as the deception begins to unravel.
Why I Choose this Book:
I've read a couple of other Historical Fiction books by Tracie Peterson that I enjoyed a lot. Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres to read, as long as they aren't too romantic. Note: After I read this book and didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, I looked back and saw I only gave two stars to the last Tracie Peterson (co-authored) book I read...
What I Thought About this Book:
Hum... This book. It had so much promise. And then it fell rather flat for me. It still (barely) squeaked 3 out of 5 stars for me though (4 out of 10), and so I figured the best thing I could do was write a pros and cons list for you.
Reasons I liked the book:
* The plot was intriguing * I liked the main character (at least to begin with) * The writing style felt unique to me. For a while I couldn't tell if the writing was actually a pro or con, but it drew me in and kept my interest, so I decided it was a pro* Although I wouldn't say the main characters were unique as far as characters go, they were easy to distinguish from each other and I never got them confused * I liked Kenny and felt as if he was well-written * Hearing about the jewels was interesting * I liked where it was set and reading about the lifestyle the FMC (female main character) was used to* As someone who cooks a lot, it was pretty cool to hear all the meal descriptions
Reasons I didn't like the book:
* It felt like the author took a great story and massacred it. I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed the story far more if it had just been told from one point of view. As it was, we saw something happen, then heard about it as the next character found out about it, and then again with a third character. It was tedious and made the book feel really slow* The Romance. Oh help us all... It wasn't that anything necessarily inappropriate happened between the FMC and MMC (male main character), but wow. I have a huge, huge, huge problem with the romance in most books because it's like "Oh, look! A good-looking human. I've never fallen in love before even though I'm twenty-two years old, but I think I'll do so at this very moment after seeing him twice in my life." Please, no. I would consider what they had to be infatuation, or a crush. Not love.I don't think the book would have lost anything if it would have taken out the "romance" and it probably would have garnered at least half a star more from me. (I don't recall the romance being a huge part of the story, it was just glaring.) * A lot of the story ended up feeling trite and cliché and made me want to shake my head* I wish we wouldn't have had so much of the MMC's backstory... I found the FMC much more interesting
Conclusion:
There was a little bit of violence near the end, but not too much detail. There were certainly good points in the book, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, mostly because I didn't enjoy it.
Rating:
I'm giving A Beauty Refined 3 stars out of 5, and 4 stars out of 10.
*I received this book free from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review*
A Beauty Refined By Tracie Peterson
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
Third-Person4 Points of view (I think)Fiction320 Pages
About the Book (Backcover Blurb):
Phoebe Von Bergen is excited to accompany her father when he travels from Germany to purchase sapphires in Montana. Little does she know that her father's plans--for the gemstones and his daughter--are not what they seem.
Ian Harper, a lapidary working in Helena, finds the young woman staying at the Broadwater Hotel more than a little intriguing. Yet the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her family story is based on a lie--a lie she has no knowledge of. And Ian believes he knows the only path that will lead her to freedom.
Meeting Ian has changed everything. Phoebe is determined to stay in America, regardless of her father's plans. But she may not be prepared for the unexpected danger as the deception begins to unravel.
Why I Choose this Book:
I've read a couple of other Historical Fiction books by Tracie Peterson that I enjoyed a lot. Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres to read, as long as they aren't too romantic. Note: After I read this book and didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, I looked back and saw I only gave two stars to the last Tracie Peterson (co-authored) book I read...
What I Thought About this Book:
Hum... This book. It had so much promise. And then it fell rather flat for me. It still (barely) squeaked 3 out of 5 stars for me though (4 out of 10), and so I figured the best thing I could do was write a pros and cons list for you.
Reasons I liked the book:
* The plot was intriguing * I liked the main character (at least to begin with) * The writing style felt unique to me. For a while I couldn't tell if the writing was actually a pro or con, but it drew me in and kept my interest, so I decided it was a pro* Although I wouldn't say the main characters were unique as far as characters go, they were easy to distinguish from each other and I never got them confused * I liked Kenny and felt as if he was well-written * Hearing about the jewels was interesting * I liked where it was set and reading about the lifestyle the FMC (female main character) was used to* As someone who cooks a lot, it was pretty cool to hear all the meal descriptions
Reasons I didn't like the book:
* It felt like the author took a great story and massacred it. I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed the story far more if it had just been told from one point of view. As it was, we saw something happen, then heard about it as the next character found out about it, and then again with a third character. It was tedious and made the book feel really slow* The Romance. Oh help us all... It wasn't that anything necessarily inappropriate happened between the FMC and MMC (male main character), but wow. I have a huge, huge, huge problem with the romance in most books because it's like "Oh, look! A good-looking human. I've never fallen in love before even though I'm twenty-two years old, but I think I'll do so at this very moment after seeing him twice in my life." Please, no. I would consider what they had to be infatuation, or a crush. Not love.I don't think the book would have lost anything if it would have taken out the "romance" and it probably would have garnered at least half a star more from me. (I don't recall the romance being a huge part of the story, it was just glaring.) * A lot of the story ended up feeling trite and cliché and made me want to shake my head* I wish we wouldn't have had so much of the MMC's backstory... I found the FMC much more interesting
Conclusion:
There was a little bit of violence near the end, but not too much detail. There were certainly good points in the book, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, mostly because I didn't enjoy it.
Rating:
I'm giving A Beauty Refined 3 stars out of 5, and 4 stars out of 10.
*I received this book free from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review*
August 2, 2016
The Pros and Cons of Receiving Books in Exchange for Reviews
It was several years ago when I first discovered the concept of getting books free in exchange for reviews. I was fantastically excited about people actually giving me books, sending them to me for free, and all I had to do was read and review them.
When I started looking into different review sites, I was excited to find out that I already had enough followers to qualify for the first site I wanted to sign up with. Over the years I signed up for several more reviewing program, but it wasn't until this last year that I semi-kept up with requesting and reviewing books.
Although I'm not an expert on the matter, I have done a handful of reviews. I figured if any of y'all are interested in receiving books in exchange for posting reviews, you might like to hear some pros and cons, so here's a list.
Pros for receiving books in exchange for reviews:
* Reading free books (including shipping)! What could be better? * You get to keep the books you review (at least with the programs I work with), and can do whatever you want with them, from selling them, to giving them away, to adding to your personal library * It's a win-win-win situation that benefits everyone: Reviews are extremely helpful for promoting books. Authors, as well as publishers, are willing to invest a lot to lunch books, and being part of a launch is fun * Review sites are most often easy to navigate and simple to work with * Book reviewers have their own little community on-line, and it can be a lot of fun * I always tweet the links to the reviews of the books I enjoyed, and "tag" the author if they're on twitter. That's pretty cool because sometimes they then come and comment on the review * Knowing you're going to review a book helps you to pay closer attention to your thoughts about it as you're reading
Cons for receiving books in exchange for reviews:
* Some books have specific time frames that the reviews are supposed to be published during. This can be difficult to keep to if something unexpected comes up, or if you're juggling too many books at once * Since a lot of the books are newly (or unpublished) ones, it can sometimes be difficult to find out much about them. That means that sometimes a book you request isn't what you thought it would be. This has happened many times to me, but only twice was the book actually made me seriously uncomfortable. In both situation I contacted the review site and explained the situation and requested permission to discontinue reading the book. I also told them since I'd agreed to read it, I would if they wanted me to, but I would be skim-reading and it would only be getting one star. Thankfully in both cases it was an e-book and they graciously told me it was totally fine not to finish* It's really not fun to read a book and not like it, knowing that you have to send the review back to the review site/publisher/author. You can generally soften the blow though, by being kind with how you express your dislike of the book. (Note: Don't tag the authors on twitter if you didn't like there book)
* It's actually fairly easy to get confused and mix up what books you got from what review site/publisher/author. Although I stick with three main review sites, I review books from multiple other places as well. And yeah, it can be confusing
* * * That's obviously not an all inclusive list, but it's what popped into my head right off the bat. What about you? What are some of the pros and cons you can think of regarding reviewing books?
By the way, the three main review sites I work with are: BookLook Moody Pressand Litfuse
When I started looking into different review sites, I was excited to find out that I already had enough followers to qualify for the first site I wanted to sign up with. Over the years I signed up for several more reviewing program, but it wasn't until this last year that I semi-kept up with requesting and reviewing books.
Although I'm not an expert on the matter, I have done a handful of reviews. I figured if any of y'all are interested in receiving books in exchange for posting reviews, you might like to hear some pros and cons, so here's a list.
Pros for receiving books in exchange for reviews:
* Reading free books (including shipping)! What could be better? * You get to keep the books you review (at least with the programs I work with), and can do whatever you want with them, from selling them, to giving them away, to adding to your personal library * It's a win-win-win situation that benefits everyone: Reviews are extremely helpful for promoting books. Authors, as well as publishers, are willing to invest a lot to lunch books, and being part of a launch is fun * Review sites are most often easy to navigate and simple to work with * Book reviewers have their own little community on-line, and it can be a lot of fun * I always tweet the links to the reviews of the books I enjoyed, and "tag" the author if they're on twitter. That's pretty cool because sometimes they then come and comment on the review * Knowing you're going to review a book helps you to pay closer attention to your thoughts about it as you're reading
Cons for receiving books in exchange for reviews:
* Some books have specific time frames that the reviews are supposed to be published during. This can be difficult to keep to if something unexpected comes up, or if you're juggling too many books at once * Since a lot of the books are newly (or unpublished) ones, it can sometimes be difficult to find out much about them. That means that sometimes a book you request isn't what you thought it would be. This has happened many times to me, but only twice was the book actually made me seriously uncomfortable. In both situation I contacted the review site and explained the situation and requested permission to discontinue reading the book. I also told them since I'd agreed to read it, I would if they wanted me to, but I would be skim-reading and it would only be getting one star. Thankfully in both cases it was an e-book and they graciously told me it was totally fine not to finish* It's really not fun to read a book and not like it, knowing that you have to send the review back to the review site/publisher/author. You can generally soften the blow though, by being kind with how you express your dislike of the book. (Note: Don't tag the authors on twitter if you didn't like there book)
* It's actually fairly easy to get confused and mix up what books you got from what review site/publisher/author. Although I stick with three main review sites, I review books from multiple other places as well. And yeah, it can be confusing
* * * That's obviously not an all inclusive list, but it's what popped into my head right off the bat. What about you? What are some of the pros and cons you can think of regarding reviewing books?
By the way, the three main review sites I work with are: BookLook Moody Pressand Litfuse
August 1, 2016
July 2016 in Review
What I Focused on in July:
1. Hanging out with my adopted parents because my adopted dad had open-heart surgery
2. Working on the 15th draft of When Life Hands You Lymes 3. A busy week with my non-writing job
Birthday Challenge and Dream List Update
Birthday Challenge: Read aloud 24 hours: 4 hours(Oops... I'm kinda behind now. Oh well.)
Dream List: None
Reading Update
Fiction: 7Reviews: 7Audio Books: 0
Traveling
Nights gone: 24New States or Countries: None
July Goals
No goals: Accomplished all of them
,
What I've Been Learning
From the looks of things, my life probably isn't going to slow down any time soon, which means I'm going to have to do a better job of keeping up with every day life even when I'm not in a place where I can have a routine. That means continuing to eat healthily, train for the marathon, get to sleep at a reasonable hour, and move forward with my writing, even when it's really difficult to get everything smashed into a day.
Despite my fantastically large imagination, there are times and places when focus is obsolete and boredom is an actual reality. (I hadn't realized this was possible.)
Life certainly isn't predictable, and sometimes the best thing to do is let go of expectations and goals and change your focus. Just because you don't feel like you're doing something important doesn't mean that you aren't, and sometimes it's the little things that can be most important in the long run.
It really stinks to miss church for multiple weeks in a row. Personal devotions are really important, but nothing takes the place of actually being in church and fellowshipping with like-minded people.
Even when some writing projects feel pretty hopeless, if you just stick at it long enough and work through it and keep going and going and going, eventually it will (most likely) begin coming together. So, don't quit.
Other
This whole month was a blur. Not like a fast blur, but a long blur. Between June 28th and July 24th, I was only home one night. Then, I was home from July 24th until the 30th, and headed out again. Most of that time was spent not exactly knowing how the next day would play out, and since I thrive on planning, it was a probably really good for me, but also a bit like "aghhhh." (So descriptive, I know.)
It was delightful getting to spend most of the month with my adopted parents and I'm incredibly thankful I got to. I did miss my other family a lot during the month though, and now that I'm with my other family, I miss my adopted one. (Which obviously means I've been incredibly blessed to have two families to take turns missing.)
This last week I was able to empty my email inbox. Any of y'all who have emailed me in the past can testify to the fact that I was practically the world's worst email-replier ever, which is pretty sad. I've had a great time this year keeping my inbox close to empty (I put the emails in folders as soon as I reply to them), but to have it totally empty makes me pretty happy. Of course I also like receiving emails, so if any of y'all wanna give me ideas for posts you'd like to see on Noveltea or if you're interested in doing an author interview, just email me at: aidylewoh@gmail.com.
This is a rather short monthly review because there isn't a ton to write about, but overall it was a good month with lots of answered prayers and grace and non-expected happenings.
I'd be delighted to hear about y'alls July!
1. Hanging out with my adopted parents because my adopted dad had open-heart surgery
2. Working on the 15th draft of When Life Hands You Lymes 3. A busy week with my non-writing job
Birthday Challenge and Dream List Update
Birthday Challenge: Read aloud 24 hours: 4 hours(Oops... I'm kinda behind now. Oh well.)
Dream List: None
Reading Update
Fiction: 7Reviews: 7Audio Books: 0
Traveling
Nights gone: 24New States or Countries: None
July Goals
No goals: Accomplished all of them
,What I've Been Learning
From the looks of things, my life probably isn't going to slow down any time soon, which means I'm going to have to do a better job of keeping up with every day life even when I'm not in a place where I can have a routine. That means continuing to eat healthily, train for the marathon, get to sleep at a reasonable hour, and move forward with my writing, even when it's really difficult to get everything smashed into a day.
Despite my fantastically large imagination, there are times and places when focus is obsolete and boredom is an actual reality. (I hadn't realized this was possible.)
Life certainly isn't predictable, and sometimes the best thing to do is let go of expectations and goals and change your focus. Just because you don't feel like you're doing something important doesn't mean that you aren't, and sometimes it's the little things that can be most important in the long run.
It really stinks to miss church for multiple weeks in a row. Personal devotions are really important, but nothing takes the place of actually being in church and fellowshipping with like-minded people.
Even when some writing projects feel pretty hopeless, if you just stick at it long enough and work through it and keep going and going and going, eventually it will (most likely) begin coming together. So, don't quit.
Other
This whole month was a blur. Not like a fast blur, but a long blur. Between June 28th and July 24th, I was only home one night. Then, I was home from July 24th until the 30th, and headed out again. Most of that time was spent not exactly knowing how the next day would play out, and since I thrive on planning, it was a probably really good for me, but also a bit like "aghhhh." (So descriptive, I know.)
It was delightful getting to spend most of the month with my adopted parents and I'm incredibly thankful I got to. I did miss my other family a lot during the month though, and now that I'm with my other family, I miss my adopted one. (Which obviously means I've been incredibly blessed to have two families to take turns missing.)
This last week I was able to empty my email inbox. Any of y'all who have emailed me in the past can testify to the fact that I was practically the world's worst email-replier ever, which is pretty sad. I've had a great time this year keeping my inbox close to empty (I put the emails in folders as soon as I reply to them), but to have it totally empty makes me pretty happy. Of course I also like receiving emails, so if any of y'all wanna give me ideas for posts you'd like to see on Noveltea or if you're interested in doing an author interview, just email me at: aidylewoh@gmail.com.
This is a rather short monthly review because there isn't a ton to write about, but overall it was a good month with lots of answered prayers and grace and non-expected happenings.
I'd be delighted to hear about y'alls July!
July 30, 2016
Workplace Musings
Last night I was a bit late getting home from work, and I had what felt like a gigantically messy room to clean up, clothes to wash, packing to be done from my last trip, and everything to pack for my next trip. I even snapped a picture of my office/room before starting so I could see what a huge difference I was making with before and after pictures.
This picture is somewhat amusing to me now, because for the first two decades of my life, I would have considered the room to be clean and good to go. Breaking the constantly-messy room habit was something I worked at for years, but never succeeded with until I made it a goal to have my room clean at least once a week. (Pretty much the best goal I ever set.) Over time my ideal of "clean" morphed and eventually it got to the point where my office hardly ever became a disaster because I was in the habit of cleaning it, and well... Goals. (They're a pretty strong pull for me, if you haven't guessed.)
Before
By the way... Those clothes are the ones I pulled out of my bags from last week, washed, then simply dumped on the chair (and obviously the floor), cause this week was crazy-busy. As a writer I find a clean, peaceful, and homey office is delightful to work in, and a messy one drives me crazy. Soft lighting, a flickering candle, fuzzy blankets, and heart-warming music all go into creating the perfect atmosphere to delve into writing or editing.
Thankfully I don't need to have these elements before I can sit down and focus and pound out a new story, but they definitely make it easier and more enjoyable. Cute, cosy socks are also a plus, and cuddly animals are even better. (Real animals are the best, but stuffed animals work well, too. I have a box of stuffed animals under my writing table and they make my little heart happy.)
After
The bags on the couch are what I packed for this next trip which I'm supposed to leave for in approximately two minutes and fifty seconds... Even though I won't be able to hang around and work in my clean office right now, it makes my homecoming so much more looked-froward to, to know I'm going to be able to crash immediately in a clean office.
These next few days I'm planning on getting more editing done, but after I'm finished with the draft of WLHYL that I'm currently on, who knows... Perhaps I'll even start a new book which would be fantastically amazing. Or, there is a possibility I'll begin editing Echoes, which would be equally amazing because I'm really excited about that book.
What about you? Do you practically need to have a clean workspace?
This picture is somewhat amusing to me now, because for the first two decades of my life, I would have considered the room to be clean and good to go. Breaking the constantly-messy room habit was something I worked at for years, but never succeeded with until I made it a goal to have my room clean at least once a week. (Pretty much the best goal I ever set.) Over time my ideal of "clean" morphed and eventually it got to the point where my office hardly ever became a disaster because I was in the habit of cleaning it, and well... Goals. (They're a pretty strong pull for me, if you haven't guessed.)
Before By the way... Those clothes are the ones I pulled out of my bags from last week, washed, then simply dumped on the chair (and obviously the floor), cause this week was crazy-busy. As a writer I find a clean, peaceful, and homey office is delightful to work in, and a messy one drives me crazy. Soft lighting, a flickering candle, fuzzy blankets, and heart-warming music all go into creating the perfect atmosphere to delve into writing or editing.
Thankfully I don't need to have these elements before I can sit down and focus and pound out a new story, but they definitely make it easier and more enjoyable. Cute, cosy socks are also a plus, and cuddly animals are even better. (Real animals are the best, but stuffed animals work well, too. I have a box of stuffed animals under my writing table and they make my little heart happy.)
After The bags on the couch are what I packed for this next trip which I'm supposed to leave for in approximately two minutes and fifty seconds... Even though I won't be able to hang around and work in my clean office right now, it makes my homecoming so much more looked-froward to, to know I'm going to be able to crash immediately in a clean office.
These next few days I'm planning on getting more editing done, but after I'm finished with the draft of WLHYL that I'm currently on, who knows... Perhaps I'll even start a new book which would be fantastically amazing. Or, there is a possibility I'll begin editing Echoes, which would be equally amazing because I'm really excited about that book.
What about you? Do you practically need to have a clean workspace?
July 29, 2016
A Post to Make You Laugh (Part 3)
July 28, 2016
When Blogging Meets the Real World
With my non-writing job, part of the work I do is in the kitchen at a private retreat center. During retreats I'm 100% focused on the cooking and work and behind-the-scenes stuff that goes into making everything (appear) to run smoothly. That means I don't generally socialize much at all with the retreat attendees, and even if I do, the conversations we have are of a very basic nature. This is because my brain is sorta maybe yelling to me the whole time, reminding me not to let the cookies burn, and did I remember to cover the baked chicken, and goodness, did I get the rice started? (Because cooking flops feel more like disasters when the food is being prepared for 50+ people.)
My scribbled notes to myself to make sure I kept to the right time table. Last month during the last day of a retreat I was finally feeling the ability to think of stuff other then meal prep, so when people were going through the breakfast line I introduced myself to several of them. (I stand behind the counter to refill serving dishes and answer questions.)
After I introduced myself to one guy, the daughter of one of the leaders of this particular retreat (she was about twelve and had hung out in the kitchen some), informed me that introductions were supposed to be made on the first day, not the last. I teasingly responded that I liked to wait until the last day to make sure people were nice, cause if they weren't then I wouldn't use my real name when I said "hey."
That day at lunch, when the aforementioned guy went through line he said, "Hey, after you told me your name this morning, I suddenly realized you were that girl." I was obviously confused and asked who "that girl" was, and to my shock he was talking about me being the author of Noveltea. Yes, for real, folks. He had read my blog before. *cue mouth hanging open in surprise*
And crazily enough, that was the forth time I've had a stranger come up at various places (twice at the retreat, once at my house, and once at a wedding), and inform me that they read my blog from time to time. I can't even describe the feeling when that happens. I feel so honored to know that these people who are complete strangers to me have taken time to read what I write. It's also sometimes a little bit freaky, because hey, I know nothing about them and they have the ability to know quite a bit about me. Mostly though, it's just like "woah." (I know, so descriptive!)
Blogging is one of my favorite things to do each day, and knowing that I have the ability to interact with people from all over the world while sitting at my writing table is amazing. Thank you, Noveltea readers, for taking the time to read my blog. Thank you for encouraging me with my writing, and going along on this journey with me. You seriously make my writing journey better. And, if you ever see me in real life, please come up and introduce yourself, I'd be extremely delighted to meet you.
Has something like this ever happened to you? What was your reaction?
My scribbled notes to myself to make sure I kept to the right time table. Last month during the last day of a retreat I was finally feeling the ability to think of stuff other then meal prep, so when people were going through the breakfast line I introduced myself to several of them. (I stand behind the counter to refill serving dishes and answer questions.)After I introduced myself to one guy, the daughter of one of the leaders of this particular retreat (she was about twelve and had hung out in the kitchen some), informed me that introductions were supposed to be made on the first day, not the last. I teasingly responded that I liked to wait until the last day to make sure people were nice, cause if they weren't then I wouldn't use my real name when I said "hey."
That day at lunch, when the aforementioned guy went through line he said, "Hey, after you told me your name this morning, I suddenly realized you were that girl." I was obviously confused and asked who "that girl" was, and to my shock he was talking about me being the author of Noveltea. Yes, for real, folks. He had read my blog before. *cue mouth hanging open in surprise*
And crazily enough, that was the forth time I've had a stranger come up at various places (twice at the retreat, once at my house, and once at a wedding), and inform me that they read my blog from time to time. I can't even describe the feeling when that happens. I feel so honored to know that these people who are complete strangers to me have taken time to read what I write. It's also sometimes a little bit freaky, because hey, I know nothing about them and they have the ability to know quite a bit about me. Mostly though, it's just like "woah." (I know, so descriptive!)
Blogging is one of my favorite things to do each day, and knowing that I have the ability to interact with people from all over the world while sitting at my writing table is amazing. Thank you, Noveltea readers, for taking the time to read my blog. Thank you for encouraging me with my writing, and going along on this journey with me. You seriously make my writing journey better. And, if you ever see me in real life, please come up and introduce yourself, I'd be extremely delighted to meet you.
Has something like this ever happened to you? What was your reaction?
July 27, 2016
Exclamation Points and Their Sneaky, Weasel-ly Ways
Confession: I was pretty pleased with myself.
Back at the beginning of my writing career, I used exclamation points like they were going out of style. This slowly evolved over time until I not only abhorred them in books (except for when someone is yelling or cheering or such), but I rarely even use them on Noveltea. Now, I must admit they sometimes sneak into my emails and texts like a prison-wide jail break, but that's normally when I'm being frivolous with my writing style anyway.
So, I decided to search When Life Hands You Lymes and see how many exclamation points I had. I figured there would probably be a dozen or so, cause there's some yelling that goes on, plus a surprise party.
Y'all. I had EIGHTY-SIX exclamation points. No, really. Eighty-six. How in the world? And right there, the pleased-ness (yes, I just coined that word), I felt at my morphing into a non-exclamation-point-using author vanished. So, of course I had to look at each and every one of those exclamation points and see why in the world they were cluttering up my book.
Thankfully in the space of two sittings I was able to significantly cut down on that scarily excessive amount of exclamation points and return my book to a much more respectful standing in the library of my brain.
Here are some examples of exclamation points I change to periods or question marks:
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
Yet, despite my best efforts there were times when an exclamation point was really needed to convey the way the words was spoken. Take for instance, "Merry Christmas!" is the normal way to greet someone (on Christmas day at least), and if I had just written "Merry Christmas." then the readers would get the impression that Madalyn wasn't actually excited about Christmas. And yeah, we couldn't have that. So, here are some examples of the exclamation points I kept:
* * *
Same thing with birthday greetings. No one texts "Happy Birthday, Best friend." when they're wanting to spread cheer and happiness, right? An exclamation point is practically required with that type of text:
* * *
And then there's the case when someone was surprised and screeched a word in excited happiness:
* * *
And that, folks, is the saga of my vicious fight with the semi-dreaded exclamation points and how I cut their number from eighty-six down to thirty-seven. I'm still slightly shocked that so many of them worked their way into WLHYL, and that no one pointed them out to me, but I guess maybe they were hidden pretty well...
What about y'all? Do you have a hard time with those sneaky little bits of punctuation?
Back at the beginning of my writing career, I used exclamation points like they were going out of style. This slowly evolved over time until I not only abhorred them in books (except for when someone is yelling or cheering or such), but I rarely even use them on Noveltea. Now, I must admit they sometimes sneak into my emails and texts like a prison-wide jail break, but that's normally when I'm being frivolous with my writing style anyway.
So, I decided to search When Life Hands You Lymes and see how many exclamation points I had. I figured there would probably be a dozen or so, cause there's some yelling that goes on, plus a surprise party.
Y'all. I had EIGHTY-SIX exclamation points. No, really. Eighty-six. How in the world? And right there, the pleased-ness (yes, I just coined that word), I felt at my morphing into a non-exclamation-point-using author vanished. So, of course I had to look at each and every one of those exclamation points and see why in the world they were cluttering up my book.
Thankfully in the space of two sittings I was able to significantly cut down on that scarily excessive amount of exclamation points and return my book to a much more respectful standing in the library of my brain.
Here are some examples of exclamation points I change to periods or question marks:
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
Yet, despite my best efforts there were times when an exclamation point was really needed to convey the way the words was spoken. Take for instance, "Merry Christmas!" is the normal way to greet someone (on Christmas day at least), and if I had just written "Merry Christmas." then the readers would get the impression that Madalyn wasn't actually excited about Christmas. And yeah, we couldn't have that. So, here are some examples of the exclamation points I kept:
* * *Same thing with birthday greetings. No one texts "Happy Birthday, Best friend." when they're wanting to spread cheer and happiness, right? An exclamation point is practically required with that type of text:
* * *
And then there's the case when someone was surprised and screeched a word in excited happiness:
* * *
And that, folks, is the saga of my vicious fight with the semi-dreaded exclamation points and how I cut their number from eighty-six down to thirty-seven. I'm still slightly shocked that so many of them worked their way into WLHYL, and that no one pointed them out to me, but I guess maybe they were hidden pretty well...
What about y'all? Do you have a hard time with those sneaky little bits of punctuation?
July 26, 2016
A Little Life Update
After only being home for one night in nearly four weeks (I was gone from June 28th until July 24th), it was delightful to arrive back late Sunday afternoon. I promptly kidnapped my best friend's (and neighbor) little girl, who quite happily still remembered and loved me. We had fun with books and stuffed animals, which are really two of the best things in the world.
Then I dove back into the world here with my non-writing job and siblings and normal life. (Haha, as if this crazy life could ever be classified as normal.) I got to cut grass which made me immensely happy, challenged my little brother to a few rounds of Uno, and did my first serious marathon-prep walk/run in waayyy too long.
Today is another one of those busy days that are so much fun to look back on and feel satisfied about (at least that's the plan). As soon as I finish this post I'm going to hurry and get some grass cut before the heat really takes over, cause believe me, it's been hot.
Thank you to everyone who prayed for my adopted dad, he's recovering well which is a huge answer to prayer. He obviously still has a long way to go, but I'm pleased with the progress he's made so far. (For those of you who don't know, my adopted dad had a heart attack and then open-heart surgery, which is why I was unexpectedly gone for the last while.)
This morning I was working on memorizing Philippians, and I was reminded again at how beautiful the book is. It's not only wonderful and truth-shinning as God's Word, but it also makes my writerly soul happy with how the words flow together and sound as they fall off of my tongue.
This week is shaping up to be really busy with my non-writing job, but I'm hoping to be able to get some work done on the writing front, too, because I'm very, very close to having the 15th draft of WLHYL finished. It's exciting to see how the story is growing (actually shrinking), and changing and nearing completion. I am so very thankful for everyone who has helped me with the project, because seriously, we (the book and I) really needed the help.
And, this my friends, is just a little random update on life. What have y'all been up to?
Then I dove back into the world here with my non-writing job and siblings and normal life. (Haha, as if this crazy life could ever be classified as normal.) I got to cut grass which made me immensely happy, challenged my little brother to a few rounds of Uno, and did my first serious marathon-prep walk/run in waayyy too long.
Today is another one of those busy days that are so much fun to look back on and feel satisfied about (at least that's the plan). As soon as I finish this post I'm going to hurry and get some grass cut before the heat really takes over, cause believe me, it's been hot.
Thank you to everyone who prayed for my adopted dad, he's recovering well which is a huge answer to prayer. He obviously still has a long way to go, but I'm pleased with the progress he's made so far. (For those of you who don't know, my adopted dad had a heart attack and then open-heart surgery, which is why I was unexpectedly gone for the last while.)
This morning I was working on memorizing Philippians, and I was reminded again at how beautiful the book is. It's not only wonderful and truth-shinning as God's Word, but it also makes my writerly soul happy with how the words flow together and sound as they fall off of my tongue.
But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now until God our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Phil. 4:18-20)
This week is shaping up to be really busy with my non-writing job, but I'm hoping to be able to get some work done on the writing front, too, because I'm very, very close to having the 15th draft of WLHYL finished. It's exciting to see how the story is growing (actually shrinking), and changing and nearing completion. I am so very thankful for everyone who has helped me with the project, because seriously, we (the book and I) really needed the help.
And, this my friends, is just a little random update on life. What have y'all been up to?
