Friday, March 31, 2017

Alarm Clocks, Short Stories, and I MET AN AUTHOR // March Recap

March has come and gone, but this month didn't seem to fly by quite as quickly as the past two...or is it just me? Either way, let's delve into specifics. XD 



// Life. // 

>> Getting woke up at 3:53 AM because every phone in the house is buzzing with an amber alert. Not fun. XP 

>> I got new glasses!! :D They're blue/green and brown/gold-ish and I LURV them. 



>> I had weird/random conversations which is totally normal for me. *coughcough* 



>> I found out I have the same personality type (INFP) as this lovely human. Which is like...super awesome. XD 

>> I basically lost an hour of my life because #DaylightSavingsTime  Meh. 

>> I followed the Iditarod with my friend Rebekah which was a lot of fun! :) 

>> We went to the homeschool convention!! And I bought books!! (More on that down below.) But most amazing of all, I met Mrs. Susan Marlow. EEPPPSS!!! :D She is such a sweet, amazing lady, and I so enjoyed chatting with her and Mr. Marlow. ^_^ 



>> My little bro had a birthday. *nods* 'Nough said. (14...like, WUT?!) 

>> When you realize... Most teens are 'trying' drugs and alcohol, and I'm just over here sniffing books... *coughcough* No, I totally did not just say that. Nope




// Books. // 


Reading and book-buying was AWESOME this month. :D 


I read 22 books this month...eeps!! 

Jude -- 5 stars 
More Perfect Than the Moon by Patricia MacLachlan -- 5 stars 
Then Came You by Becky Wade -- 3.5 stars 
Grandfather's Dance by Patricia MacLachlan -- 5 stars 
The Other Side of Infamy by Jim Downing -- 5 stars -- Review HERE
Where Have All the Flowers Gone? by Ellen Emerson White -- 3.5 stars
Only Children Chase Sawdust by Willowy Whisper -- 5 stars -- Review to come. 
Micah -- 5 stars 
Philemon -- 5 stars 
Half a Man by Michael Morpurgo -- 5 stars 
Andi Saddles Up by Susan K. Marlow -- 5 stars 
Andi Under the Big Top by Susan K. Marlow -- 5 stars 
Drums of Change by Janette Oke -- 4 stars 
66 Ways God Loves You by Jennifer Rothschild -- 5 stars 
The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines -- 5 stars 
Dark Storm Rising by Jesseca Wheaton -- 5 stars 
Enjoy the Poodle Skirt by Kate Willis -- 5 stars 
The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo -- 4 stars 
Just a Kiss by Denise Hunter -- 4.5 stars 
Three Little Words by Melissa Tagg -- 4 stars 
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner -- 4 stars 
Crafting Unforgettable Characters by K.M. Weiland -- 4 stars 


Acquired 15 books... 


~ 2nd & Charles 
A Simple Christmas Wish by Melody Carlson 
Travelers Rest by Ann Tatlock
The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan 
Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot 
Elsie's Endless Wait by Martha Finley, revised by 



~ Homeschool Convention 
Andi Saddles Up by Susan K. Marlow 
Andi Under the Big Top by Susan K. Marlow 
Along the Western Trail compiled by Susan K. Marlow 
Behind Enemy Lines: A Young Pilot's Story by H.R. DeMallie 
A Promise is Forever by Robin Jones Gunn
Katy by Mary Evelyn Notgrass 
Almost Home by Wendy Lawton 



~ Amazon
The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bischof 
To Get To You by Joanne Bischof 
A Question of Honor by Jesseca Wheaton


All the pretty covers!! *sighs dreamily* *dies happy* 




// Writing. // 

~ Total word count: 18,056

So a major thing that happened in In March was beta-readers. I actually sent my precious book to 20 different people for them to love (or hate) and edit (or tear-apart). And it was lovely. So far 1/2 of said people have been able to mark the book as 'read' on Goodreads, and my precious little Dandelion Dust now has an average rating of 4.73 stars. *beams* 


As far as writing goes, I worked a lot in A Soldier's Story -- which I talked about in my recent writing updateActually, just last night I figured out what the 'missing link' was to that story, so I should be able to finish it up pretty painlessly now. :D (After April, of course *ahem*.) 

I also worked on some short stories (and finished two). Those will be popping up on here sometime soon. Want a teaser for the story that is currently my favorite of the three? (Or is it my second favorite?) Well, here you go... 



In April, I'll be participating in Camp NaNo *internal screaming*, and I'll be doing weekly recaps every Saturday like I did last July... So be on the lookout for that. :D 




// Movies & Music. // 

Hmm...not much to add to this segment. I saw I'm Not Ashamed and afterwards just sat there for about ten minutes like "WOAH". *nods* Twas good. 

I did some re-watches (Faith of Our Fathers, God's Not Dead 2, and Secondhand Lions), but that's all I can recall. ;) 

Music? Well, I'm currently in love with Never Been a Moment by Micah Tyler. So fab, y'all. 




// Goals. // 

~ March Goals 

>> Send Dandelion Dust to beta-readers (and try not to die in the process).    I DID IT!!! *happy dance* 

>> Catch up on emails (AKA give my inbox some love).     Ehhh...pretty much, yes. 

>> Get caught up and stay caught up on my current two alpha-reading projects.    *cough* I got caught up in one, I read *some* in the other...yeah, I'm so bad. 

>> Read 12 books.    Haha, definitely. XD 

>> Write 10k in various projects.    Yup, yup!! 

>> Keep up my Chosen Vessels posting schedule.     Um...for the most part I did? 



~ April Goals 

>> Survive and win Camp NaNo (while eating AND keeping up with school). 

>> Write 40,000 words. *points to above*

>> Finish first draft of War Tears (YES YES YES ITS MY CAMP PROJECT *SHRIEKS*). 

>> Stay semi-caught up on emails. (During Camp? Heh.) 

>> Alpha-read consistently. 

>> Read 10 books. 

>> Post on Chosen Vessels and Stories by Firefly once a week. 

>> Stop making so many insane goals for myself. *grins* 




So let's chat. Did you have a good March? Looking forward to something special in April? Are you doing Camp NaNo? TELL ME ALL YOUR SECRETS, PEOPLE. *ahem* 

~Faith 


P.S. Did anyone notice I skipped the blogging segment? If so, did you miss it? If not, should I bring it back next month? There was a ton of good posts this month, but I just wanted to see if y'all enjoyed that part or not so much. ;) 

22 comments:

  1. *chokes* 22 BOOKS?!?!?!?!?! HOOOOW???? I can't even read... 5 *whimpers*

    Jazzy @ http://thrivinghope.blogspot.com

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    1. *snickers* Um...I don't even know. I was sick one weekend and read like a ton of books, so maybe that's how? Also, a lot of the books were short, so...yeah. XD Hey, five is better than four, right?!

      Thanks for commenting, Jazzy!

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  2. I don’t think March flew by as quickly as the past two months either. It still seemed kind of fast, but not too much. ;)
    Getting woke up in the middle of the night is never fun. One time our fire alarms stated going off in the middle of the night for no reason. It was not fun.
    Following the Iditarod together was so fun!!! :D
    I’m so happy that you were able to meet Mrs. Marlow! I’m looking forward to our homeschool convention and hopefully finding some good books there. :)
    Wow! 22 books is a lot! Great job. =) I’ve read “Andi Saddles Up”, “Andi Under the Big Top”, “Dark Storm Rising”, and the Boxcar Children”. A couple weeks ago I got “More Perfect Than the Moon”. What number is it in the series?
    You acquired some great books too! “Elsie’s Endless Wait” is good! “A Simple Christmas Wish”, “Andi Saddles Up”, “Andi Under the Big Top”, “A Question of Honor”, and “A Promise is Forever” are all great books too. :D The other books you got look good too. ;)
    I look forward to reading the short stories you wrote!!
    I hope Camp NaNo goes well for you! Yay for “War Tears”!!! It sounds SO good!
    I really enjoyed your recap, Faith!

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    1. Hehe, glad it's not just me. ;) April seems to really be flyyiinnnggg by though!
      Oh no!! That would be a terrible way to get awoken! We've had smoke detectors going off while camping before (like, um, yeah, it's called a campfire :P), but usually not in the middle of the night. XD
      Yes it was!! :D
      It was amazing!! Eeps, yes, homeschool conventions are THE BEST!!
      Hehe, more than I intended for sure. ;) Those are all super good! Oh, yay!! Let's see... "More Perfect Than the Moon" is book four in the Sarah, Plain and Tall sequence. :)
      Yay!! I love picking up books on chanc and then finding out people I know have enjoyed them. ^_^
      Awesome, I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I've enjoyed writing them! :D
      Aww, thank you, Rebekah!! I hope you enjoy "War Tears" some day, and thanks for commenting!

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  3. Your new glasses look great! I think the shape of them kind of gives them a 1950's vibe. :D
    It's so awesome that you met Mrs. Marlow!!
    Okay, books: "Katy", yes, so much yes, "A Promise is Forever", yes, and the two Circle C Beginnings books! I actually had no idea they were out yet. O.o
    Good luck on your Camp NaNo project! :D

    ~Lydia~ <3

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    1. Thank you, Lydia!! :D Hehe, yes, they do! #vintage
      Yes, it was so much fun!
      "Katy" sounds so good, Christy Miller, I really need to finish those. And Circle C Steppingstones, YES!! Hehe, I think the release of those first two kind of got overlooked with all the Courageous Love hype. :P
      Thanks so much!

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  4. Ahhhh! You met Susan Marlow?! I love her books so much! <3

    Oh my word, you read 22 books this month? I wish I could read that many in a month. I only read 5 and two of those were beta reads. ;)

    Congrats on writing 18K! I wrote a little over 15K in March. It's been so much fun doing word wars with you. You've been doing fantastic! :)

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    1. Yes, I did!! :) Ahhh, me too!! They're so good!! (Btw, I didn't know you were a Circle C fan?? Awesome!! :D)

      *laughing* yeah, apparently I did. XD Hehe, that's still a lot of reading! ;) And beta-reading -- yes, thank you!! <3

      Thank you!! :D Yeah, that's awesome! I've so enjoyed word-warring with you too! I'll be sad to see the makeup end. ^-^

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  5. *realizes that I haven't finished Dandelion Dust yet* Oh, goodness, what a forgetful peanut. I need to go finish your book! *slaps self* I promise it's only because I've been insanely busy. My own books have suffered too, as well as my poor social media life. XD I WILL GET IT DONE!!
    So exciting that you got to meet Mrs. Marlow!! Can't wait to meet her myself!
    Hope you have a totally fab April! :D

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    1. *laughing* Oh goodness, don't stress about it. I'm not worried!! XD But I do hope you enjoy it, and thanks a billion for beta-reading!! :)
      Eeps, yes, it as amazing!! :D
      You too, Rebekah!! ^_^

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  6. Glad you had a good March! And you got "The Lady and the Lionheart"! Ahh, I'm a little jealous. ;) Just kidding. ^.^ That book is definitely on my To-Read list!! :)
    Congrats on meeting an author! That is so exciting! :)
    Best wishes on your writing this month. :)

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    1. Oh and your new glasses look lovely on you!

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    2. Thank you, Raechel!! :) Eeps, yes!! And it's. so. gorgeous. *pets book*
      Hehe, mine too!! :)
      Yes, it was fabulous! Thanks!
      And best wishes to you for a lovely springtime month!! <3

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  7. uh wow you read a lot this month and didn't you love the Magnolia book?? xD Good luck on nano WE CAN DO THIS xD

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    1. *laughing* Um, yeah, I did. XD GOODNESS YES, ITS AMAZING. (Also, I kinda wanna go to Waco and visit the silos now. ^.^) YES WE CAN!!!

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  8. "I just sit over here and sniff my books."

    *guffaws*
    This is my life.

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  9. Okay, I was pretty sure I had commented on this post...but I guess not. xD
    Good luck with Camp NaNo!! Also, yay for everything that was in the writing section! :D Looking forward to A Soldier's Story!

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    1. Oh no! Someone else mentioned that in another post/comment, and now I'm wondering if my blog is the problem... O.o
      Thanks, Livi!! Awesome, I hope you enjoy it!! I was actually thinking of you and your story when I was working on A Soldier's Story one day. ^.^

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  10. WOW girl, what a productive and fabulous month you had! 22 BOOKS? Come on!! lol. Also, that's super cool that you're an INFP. That's what my mum and younger brother are! :D (I'm an ENFP). :P

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    1. Aw, thanks, Victoria!! *laughing* Well, a lot of them were short, so... XD Oh, awesome!! Finding people with the same or similar personality types is the best. ^.^

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