Christmas Trees, Shoeboxes, and Meeting a Friend || November Recap

So apparently there's only 31 days left in the year. Faith is slightly in denial over the fact, but since there's little she can do it about... Ya know. Moving on.

|| Life. || 

>> Allll the pretty leaves. *heart eyes* We usually have nice color in mid-October, but it was on into November this year. 

>> So I wore plaid, like, daily this month. Because...because that's what you do when the temperatures droop lower and leaves are changing and there's pumpkin stuff everywhere. (Also, I voted for the first time! And I'm slightly proud of it. Check out the sticker on the back of my phone case. xD)

>> One night, I ended up talking about Marine haircuts with my bro. While brushing my teeth. Yeah, not sure what happened there...

>> Christmas tree harvest...happened. So things are rather crazy at the Potts residence currently. *inserts image of all the baled thingies in the ditch* 

>> I got to meet a sweet online friend in person! I've known Angela (of The Peculiar Messenger fame) for a few years. She was nearby Thanksgiving weekend and we got to hang out. Chatting with this dear was such fun! <3

|| Books. || 

// Books 

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson -- 4 stars
Freedom's Ring by Heidi Chiavaroli -- 4 stars -- Review
When God Calls the Heart at Christmas by Brian Bird & Michelle Cox -- 5 stars -- Review
Hannah's Hope by Karen Kingsbury -- 5 stars
The Thief, the Damsel, and the Dragon by Angela R. Watts -- 4 stars -- Review
Adventures and Adversities by Sarah Holman -- 5 stars
A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid -- 4 stars
O Come All Ye Faithful by Faith Blum -- 4 stars
Storyteller by Morgan Harper Nichols -- 5 stars
There was Always Laughter in Our House by Sarah Holman -- 5 stars -- Review
His Law is Love by Rebekah A. Morris -- 5 stars

Short Stories // 

Snip by Abigayle Claire -- 4 stars

Homeward by Angela R. Watts -- 4 stars

For My Good by Sarah Holman -- 4 stars 

The Christmas She Wanted by Rebekah A. Morris -- 4 stars

Christmas by the Sea by Beth Wiseman -- 5 stars

First Christmas in American by Rebekah A. Morris -- 4 stars

A Christmas Disaster by Rebekah A. Morris -- 5 stars

Befriended by Sarah Holman -- 3.5 stars 

Some Christmas Camouflage by Elisabeth Grace Foley -- 5 stars 

|| Writing. || 

Writing was kind of crazy this month. As in, crazily non-existent. The only actual writing I did was in a random fan-fiction story, and I've been editing War Tears.

Otherwise my focus was on... Behold! This month, I got the book back from my editor, applied edits, sent it to a formatter, got the final cover, ordered a proof copy, got the Kindle version up for preorder, arranged the blog tour, answered author interviews questions...

Yeah, all that good stuff. ;) Six days until release!

|| Blogging. || 

// Favorite Posts 

It Feels Like You Have Forever ~ Ordinary Girl, Extraordinary Father

This is Good ~ A Purpose and a Promise

Five Ways to Conquer Writers' Block ~ Inside Out Design

<3 ~ Like No Other

// My Posts

|| Goals. || 

// November Goals

>> Read 8 books.     YUSSS.

>> Do the final edit of Behold, get it formatted, and order proof.    *fist pump*

>> Edit pt.1 of War Tears.     Not quite, but I've made significant progress, so we're counting it. xD

>> Post weekly on both blogs.      Another yes. First time I'm completed all my goals in AGES.

// December Goals 

>> Read 15 books.

>> Publish Behold.

>> Host 12 Days of Christmas blog party.

>> Edit pt.2 of War Tears.



So how was your month, dear reader? Did you write 50k? Start getting ready for Christmas? 
~Faith

Dog Sitting, Hallmark Movies, and a Farewell to Summer // August Recap

Guess who survived her first month of adulthood? *points to self* Guess who hasn't did anything too drastic like flee the country yet? *also points to self*

|| Life. ||

>> So, I finally started work this month. xD Not full time yet, but hopefully soon! In the meanwhile, I've found lots of random jobs to compensate. Pet sitting, for one. I looked after an older couple's dogs last Saturday, and then I've taken care of two dogs for the lady I work for several times this summer. Goodness, they're sweet girls. <33

>> I also ended up driving a neighbor to and from work one weekend and made some extra cash, so that was cool. Early one day, though...like get-up-at-6:00 kind of early. O.O  (I'm not a morning person. In case you couldn't tell.)

>> I attended a corn roast/cookout with my family! So that was cool. xD


>> One night, I was hunting for my desk for a somewhat empty binder that I could clean out to use for ASL 3. And I ended up clearing everything out of my desk, tossing it into the floor, and sorting through it. I may or may not have found stuff from like 24975 years ago. Along with books that someone lent me and I never read...or returned.


>> My favorite songs of the month were Love by Jane Kramer, Blue Tacoma by Russell Dickerson, Every Storm by Gary Allen, and Come On Down and Dear Life by High Valley. And basically everything from Scotty McCreery's latest album! <3

>> So...Dairy Queen closed, y'all. The one we went to the most closed. The Sunday evening hangout spot for, like, half the county. The place with lots of memories of ice cream and laughter and friends. <33


>> I watched lots of Hallmark this month! I finished my re-watch of the lovely Signed, Sealed, Delivered series. I also watched All of My Heart, Summer of Dreams, and A Summer to Remember.


>> I may or may not have ate key lime pie for breakfast. Like three days in a row. #RockinTheAdultLife

|| Books. ||

// Reads

Outpourings of a Beloved Heart by Joan Embola -- 5 stars -- Review here.
The Boxcar Children Beginnings by Patricia MacLachlan -- 4 stars
I Survived: The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 by Lauren Tarshis -- 4 stars
Shower Thoughts by Gray Marie Cox -- 5 stars
Love Finds a Way by Wanda Brunstetter -- 3 stars
Mere Hope by Jason G. Duesing -- 5 stars -- Review here.
The Hallelujah Lass by Wendy Lawton -- 4 stars
The River Between Us by Richard Peck -- 4 stars
Thoughts in Verse: A Collection of Poetry by Rebekah Eddy -- 4.5 stars
The Way to Go by Rebekah A. Morris -- 3 stars
Behind Enemy Lines: A Young Pilot's Story by H.R. DeMallie -- 4 stars
Child of Mine by Beverly Lewis -- 5 stars
The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bischof -- 5 stars
The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins by Walter Dean Myers -- 4 stars
The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall -- 4 stars
Love Blind by Angie Thompson -- 4 stars

This month, I got nine Beverly Lewis books, two books from the Miracles of Marble Cove series, A Life of Joy by Amy Clipston, The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall, and Thoughts in Verse by Rebekah Eddy! :)

|| Writing. ||

The first half of the month was rather crazy in the writing world. I finished the second edit/third draft of A Soldier's Freedom, which included lots of new scenes. That book is now in the hands of beta-readers while I focus on other projects and decide what happens with it next. ;)

However, there wasn't much happening during the second half of the month. I worked on some random short stories, as well as planning out the stories that will be included in Behold.

Hmm, I haven't told y'all about that, have I? Behold is a Christmas short story collection that will be releasing on September 7th! Super excited for this one. <3 No cover yet, but here's the synopsis.

From two siblings caught up in the harrowing days of WWII to separated foster children in the US…
From a missing child in the wake of a natural disaster to a memorable roadtrip across the Southeast…
You’ll be swept into the Christmas spirit with the endearing stories tucked inside these pages. The storylines range from family to romance to the bond of community, with settings scattered across America and beyond.
Behold the beauty of the Savior’s birth with this gathering of stories that warm the soul and bless the heart.

So yes, that's what going on. Oh, and somewhere in there I technically failed the Go Teen Writers 100-for-100 challenge without realizing it. Whoops. xD

Word Count: 9,943

|| Blogging. ||

// Favorite Posts 

Apples of Gold ~ The Best Thing

twilight to dawn ~ DEFINING BRAVE

Counting Your Blessings One by One ~ Choosing Joy

The Rebelution ~ What Disappointment Taught Me About Dreaming Big

Inside Out Designs ~ Why Good Graphic Design is Crucial to Authors

The Introverted Extrovert ~ How are You for Real?

// My Posts

|| Goals. ||

~ August Goals 

>> Read 8 books.    Score!

>> Finish editing A Soldier's Freedom.      Yuusss. :D

>> Catch up on blog posts.     Most definitely!

>> Start editing War Tears.      Nope, but I decided to get Behold shipped off to betas first. xD So, halfway?

>> Go camping. *fingers crossed*      *sniffles* nope...

>> Complete a beta-reading project.        Yes, and gracious, it was fabulous. <33

~ September Goals 

>> Read 8 books.

>> Send Behold to beta-readers.

>> Edit pt.1 of War Tears.

>> Be a hosted author at a local book fair. #nervous

>> Host another readathon. (I'm thinking September 14th-16th... Would anyone be on board for that? I'll update the page and post more details soon!)


Quick announcement. I'm going to be participating in the Five Fall Favorites blog party again this October! Super excited to take part—and I was thrilled to see some new (though familiar) names on the list of participants. Take a peek at the invitation and be sure to mark your calendars for a week of bookish fun!

How was your August? Are you ready for fall? Saw any good movies lately? Last amazing book you read?! Let's talk! <33

~Faith

Graduation Party, Mission Trip, and Loads of Books || June recap

Yes, I'm aware that June ended last week—aware, but in complete and total disbelief. Hoowww is half the year already gone?! Sometimes I feel like time is just slipping through my fingers. I grasp it and hold on as long as I can, but it still slips away, and only the memories remain.

(Yeah, I'm kinda sidetracked. But aftermath of the trip + glitchy internet is my excuse for the tardiness of this recap, sooo... Let's move it on out.)

|| Life. ||

>> I hosted a readathon! After asking around on Goodreads, I got a lot of positive feedback, so I ended up hosting a weekend readathon. It was lots of fun and I plan to do it again sometime!


>> My parents hosted a graduation party for little ol' me at our church fellowship hall one Saturday. I acted like I'm the adult that my birthday is about to force me to be and talked and peopled and surprisingly survived... *wink*

>> I went on a missions trip, to a town about five and a half hours from my home, with my family and youth group. And, y'all, it was amazing. We roofed houses and built handicap ramps and made new friends and laughed way too hard. <3 I won't go into great detail here, but keep an eye out on Chosen Vessels for a post about that fabulous week of my summer.

>> Two of my bestest friends started a cover design/formatting business! Hop on over and check it out. :D


>> Um...that's all?? I know that tons of other things happened in June, but I can't think of another worth mentioning! I took a million and one mirror selfies and sunsets pictures, and listened to oodles of music...not that any of that is new. xD

|| Books. ||

// Reads 

Andi Dreams of Gold by Susan K. Marlow -- 4 stars
Andi Far From Home by Susan K. Marlow -- 4.5 stars
Have Courage, Be Kind: The Tale of Cinderella by Brittany Candau -- 5 stars
Chasing Sunsets by Karen Kingsbury -- 5 stars
Brush of Wings by Karen Kingsbury -- 4 stars
At the Little White Cabin by Marian Schooland -- 4 stars
George Washington: The Crossing by Jack E. Levin -- 4 stars

// Books

I got oodles of books this month! I hit a library bookstore clearance one weekend and got The Crossing, Land of Silence, Beyond All Dreams, D-Day: 1944, and the WWII collection. 

I ordered Signs of the Times from Thriftbooks because I'll need it for ASL class (next month *gulp*)...so I just had to get Deepest Roots of the Heart and Remember Wake as well. ;)

Lastly, I bought Kate's Innocence from the author. And Emmeline, Trouble in Scotland, and Time-Life: Billy Graham were gifts! <3

Does this series have some amazing covers and spines or what?! My aunt gave me the first 15 books of the 24-book series. Can't wait to give them a try!

|| Writing. ||

Well, June wasn't exactly a record-breaking month on the writing home front. (That doesn't even make sense...)

As I started in May, I continued in Go Teen Writers' 100-for-100 writing challenge. I wrote 3,412 words, all in One Summer, the prequel to Dandelion Dust.

I was filling rather discouraged on this particular project. I couldn't focus, the words weren't coming, and I wasn't even sure I wanted to finish it. But, because I chose it as my project for 100-for-100, I was eking out the minimal word count each day.

But then...the mission trip happened (for which I took a break week from writing), and I returned home with oodles of inspiration. So now I'm happily writing the mandatory words each day—and then some! I'm not sure what I'll do with this book once I've finished, but I'm pleased with how it's turning out. <3

|| Blogging. ||

// Favorite Posts 

The Barefoot Gal ~ A Letter to All the Baby Graduates

Colorful, Creative Cards ~ Broken is Beautiful Too

Rachelle Rea Cobb ~ How to Write a Romance Novel Even if You're Single

One Name ~ They Forgot. He Remembered.

Ink Blots and Coffee Stains ~ They Say We are World Changers // a poem

Ordinary Girl, Extraordinary Father ~ Maybe

Precious Treasures of God ~ The Lost Art of Listening

Totally Graced ~ Sweet Summertime

Important Nothings ~ Wonder

// My Posts 

Part One ~ Part Two ~ Part Three

|| Goals. ||

// June Goals

>> Read 10 books.      Heh, nope.

>> Write 5,000 words.      Another no. xD

>> Work on new scenes for A Soldier's Freedom.       #failed

>> Post my short story from April on here.        YES! So glad y'all enjoyed it. :D

>> Share about the trip with y'all.          Another nope...let's try for this month.

>> Go on a missions trip.           Mhm. <33

>> Celebrate my 3rd blogging anniversary and the 1st anniversary of my precious debut novella.         I ended up not celebrating my book anniversary on here, but I did have a book sale last week in celebration. :)

// July Goals

>> Read 8 books.

>> Write 10,000 words.

>> Finish another edit of A Soldier's Freedom + get it ready to send to betas.

>> Finish writing One Summer.

>> Post weekly on both blogs.

In case y'all wondered what a tired, overheated
version of Faith looks like...

How was your first month of summer, lovelies?! Tell me all about it. <3 Who else is swimming and loving the heat? Any summer book recommendations? Wanna be a beta-reader of A Soldier's Freedom? (Sign up here!) Got any ideas for random questions I can include here next month?? xD

Later,
~Faith

Amazing Vacation, Fabulous Friends, and a Class of '18 Grad || May Recap

Guess who's back?! :D I've had an amazing vacation, an inspiring hiatus, and I'm ready to tackle June with gusto! Who else is thrilled that its summertime? ;D

|| Life. ||

>> The bro and I compared actors in a movie (Love's Unending Legacy, for anyone who cares to know) with country singers. It was decided that the guys look like Blake Shelton and Chris Young, which is still debatable.


>> I WENT ON A TRIP. Three glorious weeks of road-trippin' and beautiful sights and inside jokes (cereal, anyone?) and meeting online friends for the first time. <3 Here's a few pictures to 'tide y'all over' until I can write up a real posts with allll the goodness. ^_^

>> I met my Rebe! <3 Rebekah and I have been friends for about 2 1/2 years, and we got to meet in person for the first time. My family met up with her family for ice cream and fries on evening, and then us gals hung out for awhile the next morning. It was such a joy! <3

>> I hung out with my Kansas besties! <3 Jess, Kaitlyn, and I have been dear friends for about 2 years. A little over a week ago, for the first time ever, we were all together. I can't even explain how amazing that was. <3

>> Alllll the GDPR emails. Need I say more? xD


>> When you and your mom look up a verse on angels and end up in a discussion on spiritual warfare and the occult...


>> I graduated from high school...and I'm still kinda not sure how that happened or what is supposed to happen next, because like WHAT IS THIS?! But yes, I graduated. Super hyped over that and the grand, glorious future stretched out ahead. New season of life and such. <3


>> My fabulous mom took my senior photos!

>> I listened to sooo much country music. Scotty McCreery's Seasons Change and Carrie Underwood's So Small basically sum up my life right now. ;)

|| Books. || 

May was a fabulous month for reading. I think all those hours in the vehicle paid off. ;) At some point, I was 20 books ahead of my 120 book schedule (at 67 books), so I upped my goal to 150...and now I'm 10 books ahead again....

// Reads

Quest for Leviathan by Amanda Tero -- 4.5 stars
In Bloom by Kayla Aimee -- 5 stars
The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan -- 4 stars
Rumplestiltskin by Jenni James -- 4 stars
A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade -- 4.5 stars
Laylie's Daring Quest by Kersten Hamilton -- 5 stars
Letters from Home by Gracelyn Buckner -- 3.5 stars
Shining Grace by Kristen M. Fraser -- 2.5 stars
Hidden Love by Cara Putman -- 4 stars
Jewel by Michelle Rayburn -- 4 stars
Angels Walking by Karen Kingsbury -- 5 stars
The Vintage Wren: Week 4 by Chautona Havig -- 5 stars
The Vintage Wren: Week 5 by Chautona Havig -- 5 stars
The Vintage Wren: Week 6 by Chautona Havig -- 4.5 stars
Even the Beasts by Rebekah A. Morris -- 3 stars
Dagger's Sleep by Tricia Mingerink -- 4 stars -- Review here
The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury -- 5 stars
His Mighty Acts by Rebekah A. Morris -- 4 stars
Honor All Men by Rebekah A. Morris -- 5 stars
The Rebellion by Livy Jarmusch -- 5 stars -- Review here

I also read the books of 2 Samuel, Galatians, and Jonah.

// Books 

Violet's Hidden Doubts & Praying for your Future Husband -- gift from a friend
Andi Far from Home & Andi Dreams of Gold -- bought
The Rebellion -- bought to fangirl over the cover
The Road Home & Falling for You -- review books

|| Writing. || 

Writing was pretty nonexistent for the majority of the month. During the first week, I reworked my outline for A Soldier's Freedom and made a list of scenes to add. (I have a thing for long books, apparently.)

While we were gone, I didn't write—just soaked up inspiration. Then, on the 24th, Go Teen Writer's 100-for-100 challenge began, so obviously I had to take part! I've only written like two-thousand words so far, but I'm hoping to up that greatly in June. :D

|| Blogging. || 

// Favorite Posts

The Write Conversation ~ 26 Blogging Tips

Reveries ~ When Your Writing Just Isn't Enough

Hands Made to Love ~ This Thing We Call Disability, pt.1 & pt.2

Twilight to Dawn ~ We Hold on Too Long

Go Teen Writers ~ How to Write Every Day and Why You Should

Whimsical Writings for His Glory ~ Memorial Day 2018

One Name ~ It's Because of You

|| Goals. || 

// May Goals 

>> Take a break.

>> Travel across the continent.

>> Read for pleasure.

>> Write if I feel like it.

// June Goals 

>> Read 10 books.

>> Write 5,000 words.

>> Work on new scenes for A Soldier's Freedom.

>> Post my short story from April on here.

>> Share about the trip with y'all.

>> Go on a missions trip. (In state. Meaning I'll be on a bus with crazy teens for a five hours, instead of on a plane for 12+. xD)

>> Celebrate my 3rd blogging anniversary and the 1st anniversary of my precious debut novella.

How was your May? Who else is done with school and ready to rock this summer? TELL ME ALL THE STUFF, PEEPS. <3

Later,
~Faith