So…What Have I Been Up To? (Quarterly Life Update, Story Announcement, And a Peek Into My Ridiculously Scattered Brain XD.)

*sits down to write post*

*realizes I had forgotten to make an important, news-worthy announcement for a story last year*

*facepalm*

*ahem* Oh, hey everyone! So, I thought about doing monthly updates, but after some thought, I felt like maybe a quarterly update might work better? Anyway, I realized that I forgot to tell you all about an an upcoming short story of mine that’s to be published this fall (erm, I did kinda already mention it on my Published Works page up there in the menu, but I had planned to write an official post shortly afterward….and it didn’t happen.)

You see, around the time of Should We Tell Her? ‘s release last summer, I wrote a short story that got accepted into the Heard In Silence anthology! I believe, a month or two ago, I mentioned that I was beta-reading this collection, but… I don’t think I’ve said that a short story of mine is in it. *bangs head on table*. My brain must’ve been scattered with my novella’s release, (and more recently, writing Agatha’s Story). Since I didn’t know when the anthology would be published back at the time, I decided to wait on making an announcement…to which my brain forgot to do later on *hides face* So sorry guys!!! But now we have a more specific date on the anthology’s release, which is September 8th (Lord Willing that everything goes well!)

Anyway. Let me back up real quick, as I’m getting ahead of myself.

So, originally, Heard In Silence was a short story contest hosted on Sisters Three before the Phillips decided to incorporate the winners into an anthology. When submissions opened for more stories to be added, I decided to give it a go. (The challenge was to write a story where the main character is either deaf, or suffered hearing loss.)

Since there’s still more stuff to prepare in advance for the release (cover, formatting, final edits, etc.) I’ll be sharing more about it in the coming months (Buuut! If you’d like a little sneak peak, you can learn more over here on the Sisters Three’s blog. Mine is called ‘Stormy, With a Chance of Logan‘, and it features a young MC who loves the weather. Just to note: one of the stories got pulled from the anthology by the original author and another author joined in, so the list isn’t fully updated. Again, there’ll be more updates on the anthology over the next several months, so please stay tuned! If you’d like a heads start on adding the book to your Goodreads shelf, you can find it via this lovely link here.)

Okay, now that that announcement is done, let’s see what else I’ve been up to!

Writing

Since my novella’s release (and submitting Stormy, With a Chance of Logan), I haven’t submitted any other stories or written for any other contests/anthologies (though I’ve considered it. Time just got away from me though). I tried focusing on my own writing; however I went through a couple writing disasters instead. Alas, writing can hit really low points, and this one came kinda hard.

Long story short (as I plan to talk more about this in future posts), I tried working on a sequel idea for Should We Tell Her? last October/November but it fell through by the time January rolled around. Then I picked up another story idea that I really loved, but it too didn’t work out. In other words, I was going through a serious case of writer’s block. Taking a step back from devices/social media sorta helped, but not completely. So, I tried (at my mom’s wise advice) to focus on a simpler story to tell. While I figured that out, I started building small sets for the needle-felted rabbits I was currently making. I had decided that I would use the pictures to tell children’s stories. Perhaps going back to the basics and focusing on a short story would help.

I actually never did reach writing short stories, because after Bible study one day, a new story idea appeared (along with a new character.) I tentatively pursued it, jotting notes, and learning this character’s name (she said it was ‘Agatha’ *lol*). And thus began the journey to tell Agatha’s Story.

I couldn’t have been more happier to see a story come together so quickly. I was so excited (and still am) that it’s coming through, by God’s grace. Now, the first draft is complete and major edits are underway!! *tosses confetti*

Life Stuff

Here’s the little bunnies I’ve been working on! That last one on the far right in the photo above was in the process of being finished *lol*. The other two pictures in the top left corner are some of the craft supplies I used to make the basic walls of the rabbit’s house.

More recently, (outside of writing), I’ve been taking some sunset and nature photos *glances at files upon files of photos*. Okay, actually, a lot XD. My dream is to turn them into postcards to sell (and maybe include a Scripture verse on the front…once I find a font that I like.) I tried submitting some of my photos to Cut and Paste Magazine too (I didn’t make it into the summer issue, but there’s another chance to submit for the next one!).

Also, weather permitting, the whole family has been taking more walks. We’ve been experiencing a lot of rain (and at one point, snow!), which flooded our local lake and put a small foot-bridge underwater *yikes*.

I also bought an Animal Crossing game so I could play it with my younger sisters (*lol*, it’s been fun visiting each of our towns.) Crafting-wise, I’ve been working on making more felted bunnies (and the occasional doll, though it’s been awhile. I’d like to pick that up again.)

Reading

I’ve been going through the Mister Max Trilogy with the family. I love it! You get so involved with the characters, which are well-written; and the setting, to me, feels immersive without going overboard with description. We’ve just about wrapped up the last book (though #2 is my favorite of all).

On my own, I’ve also been reading more picture books, middle grade books, and indie MG books too (Oh my goodness, Little Red Writing is my new favorite! Though it’s a picture book, it’s oh so clever and funny! I think it’s something writers will especially appreciate as it’s about a little red pencil that sets out to write an exciting story). Children of Exile looked promising to me, when I checked it out at the library, but the twist was rather bizarre (much to my disappointment), so I won’t be finishing the series. I also finished beta reading for the Heard In Silence anthology, and am currently reading The Bridge by Jeri Massi.

Watching

Tv-wise, I’ve been trying new Hallmark or Great American Family movies (and rewatching old Hallmark mystery movies, to which I’ve forgotten who the culrpits were *haha*. More recently, it’s been the Garage Sale Mystery series, and the Nikki and Nora Sister Sleuths movie.) Other things I’ve been watching are Pysch (just to let you know, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea); Hudson and Rex (which again, can get a bit dark for some…yes, I’m on a mystery show watching spree *haha*); The Way Home (which is an intriguing premise, but I’m not sure how I feel about it as a whole *lol*); and, finally, American Idol (Plus a few other movies to which I forgot the names to.)

Bible

Last, but not least, I’ve been doing a home Bible study with my mom and sister, and we’ve finished our deep dive into the Sermon on the Mount. Let’s just say, when you go deep, there’s so much more to learn, and it’s amazing to see how the whole thing connects together (Unlike doing it in sections, like I’ve seen it taught in a lot of churches, we looked at it as a whole). We’ve been bouncing around ideas on what to study next, and I’m hoping we’ll go through the attributes of God this time around (who knows? I’ll have to wait and see.)

And that’s pretty much it. Bible, family, and writing have been my main focus. I’m very happy that Agatha’s Story is turning out. Well, I’m not too excited about doing the edits XD (*cough* Trying not to stress about all that needs fixing *cough*). But I’m glad that it’s coming along and I already have a clear list of what I want to fix. As for my goals in the coming months? Well, editing for sure. And hopefully more reading and doing Bible study. Plus, I’m hoping to create more blog posts and create fun promo content for my books and Heard In Silence. *Lol* We’ll see how it goes.

As a final note, since publishing my author interview post with Abbigail Raine B, I’ve found some more interviews and book reviews on her debut book, The Guardian. If you’d like to check them out, I updated that post to include the links, so you can find it all here!

Thanks for sticking with me throughout this post (it ended up a bit longer than I thought it would XD.) And thank you for putting up with my scattered brain *lol*.

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How have you been readers? What’s a writing goal that you accomplished this month? (It can be big or small, and be about any form of writing, not just book-wise!) Do you have a favorite hobby in your downtime? Have you heard of the Heard In Silence Anthology? And what have you been reading/studying/watching?

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