An Exciting Announcement // I wrote a book

Um, okay, so... You've already seen the title. You already know the entire purpose of this post... 

PEOPLE I WROTE A BOOK. *shrieks* *flails* THIS IS SO EPIC PEEPS I WANNA CELEBRATE!!! XD 

Okay, so I am celebrating. I have been for days now. Ice cream, candy, loads of just-for-fun-reading, new pens, and...formatting, fixing the cover of, and ordering a first draft a copy for myself from Lulu. :) Hooray! And now I shall ramble for a little while about this lovely book. (What? Pfft. I am most certainly not biased.) 

~ Dandelion Dust stats ~ 

Started: December 26th, 2016 

Finished: January 20th, 2017 at 12:15 AM 

Days it took: 25 days 

Word count: 34,484 words

I stayed up past midnight many nights to write. I consumed lots of chocolate and sour patch. I ate ice cream out of the carton. I wrote over 1,000 words a day (which is a record for me). The least I wrote in a day was 1,003 and the most was 3,479 (which was the last day...and which was a record breaker, upping my most-words-written-in-a-day from 2,150 in July). 

A CD that I've listened to on repeat through this entire writing process (my family loves me so much) is officially the soundtrack of this book. Along with songs like Photograph (Bea Miller) and Worn (Tenth Avenue North). For anyone who is interested, the CD is What Country Means to Me by Lawson Bates. I got it for Christmas (because I have an awesome Mom) and now everyone in my house knows the lyrics to every. single. song. Because I play it so. very. much. 

Okay, so... What else can I squeal about?! ... How about the synopsis and COVER?? :D 

Synopsis: 

Like a speck of dandelion dust riding the tides of a prairie wind, life is fleeting. Though I never realized just how fragile it was until that day . . .

Charity always had a dream. It was simple, really. Find a guy, fall in love, and get married.

The day she met Ryder, Charity knew he was the man God had chosen for her. But she never expected their relationship to be tested and tried through the fires of a freak accident. Suddenly, her world is thrown into chaos, and the bleak, white walls and sterile smells of a city hospital fill every spare minute. And then there comes the dreaded news. It was likely Ryder would never make it out of the hospital bed.

As her carefully laid plans for the future come crashing down around her and the sun seems to set on her dreams, can Charity still find hope in the dark of night?

Like a dandelion, life is beautiful. But treasure every moment. . . . for one day, the flower will be gone.

-- credit for the amazing synopsis goes to Jesseca D.

And...here's the cover. ITS SO GORG. Kaitlyn K. made it for me and y'all...she is SO GOOD. 

Isn't it AMAZING?!?!? :D Gahhhh, I'm so in love. <3 <3 

And NOW...I shall show y'all some pictures from Dandelion Dust's Pinterest storyboard... :D Because, you know, I could just link to it, but it's private because spoilers. So no. 

*nods* *pulls up boards* *grins wickedly* *throws all the goodies y'all's way* 

*sniffles* This story is so precious, y'all. Like, how can I not fangirl over it?!!    So...are you interested yet? If not...maybe this will further entice you... ;) 

And now, because I like y'all so much (kidding, kidding. It's because I want to send some of my writing y'all's way), I'm gonna share some snippets. *rubs hands together*  

  Ryder plucks a dandelion from the ground near his boots and holds it out to me. “Make a wish.” 

  I smile, peeking at him from under the hat’s wide brim, and take the fluffy, white floret from his hand. Scrunching my eyes shut at his prodding, I come up with a wish to mumble under my breath. Eyes open again, I fill my lungs with the fresh and sunny air and blow into the back side of the dandelion. 

  The tiny tidbits of white fuzz drift through the air as we stand watching them. Here one moment and gone the next… Just like ours lives. 

  Tiny specks of dandelion dust floating on the breeze of life. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

  I nod, before realizing she can't see me. “Yeah. Okay. Call me – no matter the time. We’ll get through this.” 

  We exchange goodbyes and as I drop my phone back to my lap, my mind bounces back to my own words. We’ll get through this… No, I didn't lie to Hannah. We will get through this. But by ‘we’ I mean me and her. Her and I. The sister and the long-distance girlfriend. 

  But Ryder? I'm not so sure right now… 

~*~*~*~*~ 

  "I'm hearing words that I can't even spell like transfusion and defibrillator and ventilator. I just can't comprehend that that's my brother they're talking about.” 

  I listen as Hannah spills out all the gory details. It's doing her good to get it all out to someone, and it's good for me to be able to put words and diagnoses to the pain in my heart. I mumble some decent reply, although I have no idea what it is. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

  “Feels like I'm signing my life away,” Mr. Traven mutters as he scribbles his name across the bottom of the page and hands the clipboard back to the man. 

  “Not yours, Dad.” Drew doesn't even look up from his clasped hands. “More like Ryder’s.” 

  Every head swivels in his directions, but Drew doesn't so much as twitch in his seat staring forlornly through the large glass panes. 

  The tension in the air is strong enough to be felt, as everyone turns in drew’s direction. Hannah was right with what she told me the night of the accident. Something is bothering him, aside from the obvious. 

So yes. Hugs to all the lovely people who were such an inspiration to me during the writing of this (in no particular order). Y'all are awesome. <3 *hugs* 

Jesseca, my lovely critique partner, for reading my work, offering suggestions, always encouraging me, and being willingly to help me format the book. 

Rebekah, for reading the snippets I sent her way, liking them and wanting to read more, and encouraging me the whole way. (I smile so much while reading our emails, girl. :)) 

Kaitlyn, whom I already mentioned as my cover designer, for all her encouragement and for the lovely covers that kept me working through to the end. 

My 'writing group girls' for being interested in my story and demanding to beta-read ASAP. *grins* Y'all never fail to make me smile. <3 

All the awesome people in the NaNo Makeup chat for lots of writing sprints during the last couple days of writing Dandelion Dust. You guys made that last stretch to "the end" all the more epic. :D 

Have a blessed week everyone!! :D 

~Faith

POW/MIA Recognition Day

Hey guys! :) 

Sorry – this post is going up at a weird time. I should have written it ahead of time (like last week would've been nice), but yesterday it just didn't happen among school, a funeral, fall decorations, and When Calls the Heart (first time ever, folks, and I love it). But without further ado, let's jump right in. ^_^ 

  Do you know what today is? If you read the title of this post, you probably have a pretty good guess. 

  Up until this past spring, this day – the third Friday of September – wasn't anything special in my mind. But then I came across the story I'm about to share with you,...another story (which I'll mention and link to)...and an article in our local newspaper. 

  Today is POW/MIA recognition day, the day we fly the POW/MIA flag (I mean, someone does. I don't have personally own one. XP). The one day a year set aside to remember those prisoners of war and missing in action soldier who never came back to American soil. 

  This spring, while in a WWII-mood (when am I not?) I was reading Faith Under Fire by Stephen Rabey. And I came across a story about a man named Newt Heisley. Mr. Heisley, a WWII vet, designed the POW/MIA flag in the early ‘70s. 

  In 1971, while the Vietnam War was still being fought, Mary Helen Hoff, the wife of a service member missing in action and member of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, recognized the need for a symbol of U.S. POW/MIAs, some of whom had been held captivity for as many as seven years. The flag is black, and bears in the center, in black and white, the emblem of the league. The emblem was designed by Newt Heisley, and features a white disk bearing in black silhouette the bust of a man (Jeffery Heisley, Newt Heisley’s son, a returning Vietnam veteran), watch tower with a guard on patrol, and a strand of barbed wire; above the disk are the white letters POW and MIA framing a white 5-pointed star; below the disk is a black and white wreath above the white motto: "You are not Forgotten." The POW/MIA was flown over the White House for the first time in September 1982. 

>> Borrowed from Wikipedia.

  The second source I came across earlier this year, Finally Home by Deborah Raney, tells the story of a returning, injured Vietnam veteran. It was in this that I first learned about the bracelets. (Seriously, those elementary/middle grade history books overlooked so much.) 

  These metal bracelets worn by anyone who so wished too, starting during the Vietnam war. A name was engraved into it, a name of a soldier who was missing or prisoner of war. The person wearing the bracelet was not to take it off their wrist until the soldier, most likely a complete stranger to them, was found. The metal band served as a visual reminder of those left behind. Some people wore those bracelets for over twenty years. 

  Lastly, there was an article in our local newspaper a few months back about Vietnam vets. Did you know there are still many men who fought in the Vietnam war and aren't accounted for even now? Their families don't know for certain if they are dead, POW, or MIA. That is so sad! They fought for our country. They deserve better. They deserve to be remembered and honored. 

~~~

  Remember our POWs and MIA soldiers today and always. Both those who eventually came home and those who didn't. Pray for them and their families. 

In Christ, 

Faith

P.S. The seventh Imagine This challenge was scheduled to end today, but I have decided to leave it open through the weekend. :) So if you would still like to enter you have through Monday night! 

**All photos borrowed from Pinterest. 

**This is a ‘double post’ which is going up here and at Chosen Vessels.