Kate Willis's Blog, page 61
March 2, 2020
Castles and Batteries
When work has been too crazy and you’re too tired to write, the answer is of course to draw a map of your castle. Or several maps of your castle.
Not your castle, the characters’ castle, of course. (Though wouldn’t one specifically just for writing and feeling majestic be awesome?)
[image error]
If you promise not to judge, here are my attempted maps of the castle in my fantasy story. I’m not sure it’s final layout, but it helped me figure out where things are in relation to each other, which is ESSENTIAL for moving characters around. (I should have done it earlier.) The second page is more accurate to the interior, and the first one includes gardens/courtyards. Also, please admire that I remember how to draw doors on blueprints from some tricks my dad showed me when I was a kid.
[image error]
On the days when I wasn’t too tired (a.k.a. not Draw a Castle Day), I got to do a lot more writing this week. 
Something is actually happening on their travels, and I’m getting to do more character development which always pleases me. 
February 26, 2020
Book Review: Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe
“What if you could ask God anything? What would you ask? And how would He answer?
Chelsea Chambers is on her own. After a public split from her NFL superstar husband, Chelsea takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Café, an old-fashioned coffee shop in dire need of reinvention. But when her courage, expert planning, and out-of-this-world cupcakes fail to pay the bills, this newly single mom finds herself desperate for help. Better yet, a miracle.
Then a curious stranger lands at Chelsea’s door, and with him, an even more curious string of events. Soon, customers are flocking to the Higher Grounds Café, and not just for the cupcakes and cappuccino. They’ve come for the internet connection to the divine. Now the café has become the go-to place for people in search of answers to life’s biggest questions.
When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask God a question of her own. Heaven answers in a most unexpected way.” (from Goodreads)
I’ve loved a few of Max Lucado’s books for children and Unshakable Hope has been really important to me, so I thought I’d give this one a try.
It was sooo good. More than I could have imagined. It was honestly the perfect book to start off 2020, and I’m so glad I impulse bought it. XD
It was uplifting, interesting, and felt very real. I grew to love (or at least just understand) all the characters, and even the coffee shop itself felt like a character. Also, have you ever read a book that promised to include a lot of food and then didn’t? This one was properly food-full and made me want to bake something complicated and unique. 
February 24, 2020
Never Have I Ever Tag (Writer Edition)
Abigail Harder literally always has the best tags, and I thought this one looked like fun, so I snagged it.
February 22, 2020
Giveaway Winner!!!
Happy, rainy Saturday!
February 19, 2020
Book Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages
“Some time has passed since the inimitable quartet of Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance have had a mission together. But with the arrival of a new Society member — and a new threat — they must reunite to face dilemmas more dangerous than ever before, including the villainous Mr. Curtain and a telepathic enemy tracking their every move, not to mention a dramatically preteen Constance.
In its triumphant return, the Society encounters all new challenges, but the series’ trademark sly humor, sweet camaraderie, hairsbreadth escapes, and mind-bending puzzles are all as engaging as ever. Fans of the series will be thrilled to see the Society has grown up a little with them, while a new generation of readers will fall in love with these irresistible adventures.” (from Goodreads)
When I finished the original trilogy just six months ago, I had my doubts about reading this one. Why read another book when that ending was sooooo satisfactory? Well, here I am, and I’m very happy to have read it.
February 17, 2020
Nothing Is Wasted
My family has been through some things (especially in the last eighteen months or so) that I can tend to wish would never have happened. (I’m still uncomfortable talking about them anywhere, so be warned that this post is going to be a bit vague.
February 14, 2020
You Are So Loved
Happy Chocolate (and Love!) Day!
February 13, 2020
Love and More Love
Do you ever have a moment when something you love is loved so much by other people and you get all happy inside and feel like a happy human floating on a happy cloud of love?
This happens pretty often for me (when someone discovers an underrated indie author or my penpal listens to the favorite songs I bombard her with), but it happened in an even bigger way than ever before this last Sunday.
Some backstory first.
February 7, 2020
Your Guide to Epic Buddy Reads (with Mikayla, Kate, and Cheesecake)
Today my awesome friend Mikayla and I completed our fourth official buddy read. (There have been one or two “accidental” ones, for the record.) We thought it would be super fun to share some of our buddy reading tips with you.
February 5, 2020
Book Review: My Name Is River
“It’s 1983, and twelve-year-old River Starling’s life is anything but normal. She was adopted on a whim and came without a birth certificate. Her adoptive parents gave her up to her grandmother when she was only two, but River is certain her parents will come back.
River’s hopes fall apart when Gram uproots them from their farmhouse and decides to move to Birdsong, West Virginia, the most miserable town River has ever seen. There she makes an unlikely friendship with an unusual boy and learns about acceptance, hard work, forgiveness, and the love of Jesus.
Discover the unforgettable story of one girl’s search for a place to call home.” (from )
The second book actually caught my attention first with its promise of a scoliosis rep, but I picked this one up too and really enjoyed it. (It was actually one of the last books I bought at my local Christian bookstore before it shut down. A moment of silence for brick and mortar, please.)
It was so good. Definitely love-at-first-paragraph with the writing style. The characters really leapt off the page, and I felt like I knew them. River was a super cool, resilient kid. I especially loved her parenthetical asides and (sometimes theologically incorrect XD) tween-logic. She made me feel just what it would be like to be her. Gram reminded me so much of someone I once knew and loved as my own adopted grandmother. Just the little quirks of her saving up for her pitcher or doing makeshift physical therapy were lovely. And her no-nonsense love for River was the best.
I loved Billy. I’d be friends with him in a heartbeat. His creativity and his knowledge of birds, his upstanding and gentle heart, and his absolutely wonderful attitude toward his disability were just a few of my favorite things about him. His relationship with his family was super sweet as well.
I also loved how the Gospel message and theme of true identity were skillfully and seamlessly woven through the story.
I originally picked up this book for my younger sisters, but it ended up being more tragic and dark than I was expecting, so I’m having second thoughts about sharing it with them now. One character’s backstory included SPOILER ALERT! kidnapping, and there was bullying that lead to DISTURBING SPOILER! the death of a child. *cries*
Altogether, I enjoyed this book though it made my heart hurt with sadness and some hope by the end.
I would also love to hear from an OwnVoices reviewer what they thought of the portrayal of Billy’s disability.
