A Soldier's Freedom // My Copy Came + Story Playlist

Hello lovelies! :D 

Who has been waiting anxiously for this post? Okay, so, probably no one, but I hope y'all enjoy anyhow. xD 

Yes, you read right. My first-draft copy of A Soldier's Freedom arrived from Lulu on November 14th. (In case y'all hadn't already gathered as much...yes. First-draft copies have become my thing. I just love holding my creation in my hands, even if isn't perfect. ^_^) Welcome to a nearly-moment-by-moment recount of that epochal time. 

Okiedoke! So, after stalking the tracking page for like hours, I finally saw that my package had been delivered, so I trekked over to the mailbox. 

And got this lovely (and very heavy...like my arm basically died before I got home) box! 

I tried to tear into it on the way home, with no knife or even decently-sharp nails, to no avail. 

Ta-da! ... An order receipt. Wow, Faith. 

After digging under the brown paper....ahh, there it is. Sooo pretty. *heart eyes* 

The glorious spiineeee. *is officially in love with this font* 

And the back cover!! I had never had a custom-made back cover before, but after my lovely designer fren made the front, she was like "Hey, want a back cover?" So she made me one. <33 

A better pic that wasn't taken while Faith had shaky hands. xD 

The pretty interior... <3 *is slightly proud of how it turned out even if I did do it* 

All of me finished works – ft. my cluttered desk. I is a happy writer. ^-^ 

Annnnd now for the playlist! I listened to a ton of great music while writing ASF, and I've boiled it down to 9 songs that I like and that reflect some part of ASF in some way. I totally get it if you don't listen to all the songs (I probably wouldn't), but have fun learning how they each connect. :D 

Broken Things ~ Matthew West

Around the time I finished writing A Soldier's Freedom, this song was #1 in Christian music, which made me immensely happy. It talks about how God uses broken people. I think we're all broken in some way, and the characters of ASF most definitely are. xD 

Broken Hallelujah ~ The Afters

Again, this song talks about broken people – this time giving praise to God, no matter how broken they are. 

Semper Fi ~ Trace Adkins

*snickers* I don't think I even need to explain this one. It's a song about marines, James is a marine, it has a catchy tune that Faith likes, end of story. xD 

The Cure ~ Unspoken

Ahhhh, this song. <3 It talks about Jesus being the cure for the disease of the world, and the cure for James' hurting heart? Yup. *beams* 

Stand ~ Rascal Flatts

This epic country music song is kinda of a call-out to stand up against opposition and overcome. Again, goes right along with ASF. 

Who You Are ~ Unspoken

I hadn't even thought to compared this one to the book, but a friend suggested it and I was like "DUDE YES." I mean, 'who you are'? Finding your identity in Christ? *thumbs up* 

Oh My Dear ~ Tenth Avenue North

This song wasn't originally on the playlist, but I heard it the other night, and I think it fits. It was actually written by TAN's lead singer for his wife. That meaning doesn't really fit, but the words and the confiding-your-darkest-to-someone-you-care-about theme does. 

'Til the Last Shot's Fired ~ Trace Adkins

And...this one doesn't exactly fit either? The verses don't, but some of the chorus does. But it's soldier-y and it's the background music for a lot of Wounded Warrior commercials (not that I would know...), sooooo. Yeah. We'll go with it. XD 

In Christ Alone ~ Keith and Kristyn Getty 

Wow, y'all, this song is like sountrack for the best parts of the book. I heard this song one day in the earlier stages of ASF, and I just kinda stopped for a minute. I was like "wait...that's their song." And it is. <33 

Thanks for reading! What did you think of the songs? Are you in favor of first-draft copies or no? 

~Faith