So many words. So little time.
Category: inspiration
This was a good writing week! I wrote four book reviews: Hotel of Secrets, by Diana Biller, Yours Truly, the Duke, by Amelia Grey, Please, Sorry, Thanks, by Mark Batterson, and When You Wish Upon a Star, by Elizabeth Lim (forthcoming on April 4th). I did a little bit of work over on my other blog, A Little Bit Greener, and I should have a related post up later today there. Also still toying with a fiction idea. I’m very pleased with this week’s writing.
Happy writing!
This week, I only wrote one book review, Whistleblower, by Kate Marchant. I also wrote three other posts over on A Little Bit Greener, which makes me very happy. It’s not much writing—but it’s way more than I had been doing.
Happy writing!
This week, I wrote three book reviews: The Weight of Air, by Kimberly Duffy, Off the Map, by Trish Doller, and The Lost English Girl, by Julia Kelly (will be live on Tuesday).
I also started another writing project here, so that’s a step in the right direction.
What have you been writing?
Happy writing!
This week, I actually wrote two book reviews, To Get to the Other Side and The Wedding Ranch. It was nice to get some reading done, amidst all the craziness. And maybe, just maybe, I feel a fiction idea brewing.
Happy writing!
Title: The Bright Side Running Club
Author: Josie Lloyd
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5
When Keira first receives her breast cancer diagnosis, she never expects to end up joining a running group with three women she’s only just met. Totally blind-sided, all she can think about is how she doesn’t want to tell her family or step back from work. Nor does she want to be part of a group of fellow cancer patients. Cancer is not her club.
And yet it’s running – hot, sweaty, lycra-clad running in the company of brilliant, funny women all going through treatment – that unexpectedly gives Keira the hope she so urgently needs. Because Keira will not be defined by the C-word. And now, with the Bright Side Running Club cheering her on, she is going to reclaim everything: her family, her identity, and her life.
One step at a time.
I enjoyed this book so much! I loved Keira as a character, and I loved all the secondary characters as well (except her horrible coworkers). Her journey was both terrible and inspiring as she deals with a terrifying diagnosis and the treatment that isn’t much better. I loved how much she learned about herself and the people in her life, and I’ll admit the book brought me to tears a time or two. I highly recommend!
Josie Lloyd is from Brighton. The Bright Side Running Club is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Title: Awaken My Heart
Author: Emily Wilson Hussem
Genre: Devotional
Rating: 5 out of 5
Do you feel as if you are running on empty? Have you fallen asleep to the glory of God and his love being revealed to you each day?
Bestselling and award-winning author and popular YouTuber Emily Wilson Hussem has been there too. She invites you on a year-long transformational journey of practicing gratitude, becoming more closely aware of God’s presence in your every day and serving others in his name. These fifty-two reflections will help you cultivate a deeper prayer life, find freedom from the frenzy of tasks and the noise of the culture, and discover the lasting joy that can only blossom in a heart awakened to the beauty of God’s quiet, loving presence.
Awaken My Heart is an invitation to become aware of the presence of God in your life. Emily Wilson Hussem provides a roadmap for replacing busyness and distraction with intentional moments of noticing God’s abiding love and practicing gratitude for his many gifts—big and little blessings such as a visit from a friend, a call from your sister, the laughter of your children, a setting sun, or crumbs on the floor. These fleeting moments and everyday happenings can seem insignificant, but when you behold them with intention and thank God for making them possible, you’ll find yourself in regular conversation with Jesus, the lifeblood of your deep connection with God.
This fifty-two-week devotional blends spiritual insights, authentic vulnerability, and wise guidance for women of every age who want to have a heart fully awakened to God’s presence and the beautiful bouquet of blessings he’s put in your life. The reflection for each week includes a specific focus for the upcoming seven days. With stories, challenges, and insights into scripture, each reflection is designed to draw you deeper into awareness of Christ’s love and the love he is calling you to share with the world. Wilson Hussem also offers practical ways to choose to love—visiting the elderly, calling your mom, or pausing to pray for a special intention—that are simple enough for even the busiest lifestyle.
This is an excellent devotional! The illustrations the author uses are relatable and actionable. She’s not preaching, she’s just talking to you and telling you about things she’s experienced. There’s a reflection for the week, a soul exercise, and a prayer. This book invites you to deepen your relationship with Jesus while exploring what’s truly in your heart.
Emily Wilson Hussem lives in California. Awaken My Heart is her newest book.
(Galley courtesy of Ave Maria Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Cheers for another solid writing week: four book reviews, two fiction-writing sessions, two lessons in the Stiefvater class, and a brief brainstorming session on the revision of Chasing Shadows. (Think I’m going to just bite the bullet and start this, so I don’t get too bogged down in procrastination.)
I hope everyone had a good writing week!
This week was a much better writing week! I got in all four planned fiction-writing sessions, and I wrote a handful of book reviews, too. Happy for the improvement!
I started my new work schedule—sort of—this week, so I was able to get in five writing sessions (last Monday was still the old 6-to-6 schedule, so writing was out). Fifteen pages of fiction this week!
I also did some outlining in the current WIP, the King Arthur story; as well as in my tentative idea for NaNo (creating six characters and outlining five scenes). I’m super happy with the week!
This was my first full week without school or work obligations on Tuesday and Thursday, and it was an excellent writing week!
I got in writing sessions on three days, for a total of six pages, plus some planning on the King Arthur project, and a bit of work on the Holly Lisle HTWAN class. And…I’ve decided to do NaNoWriMo this year for the first time in…years! I’m actually super excited about this, and the Muse is already hinting at ideas. I want to finish the first draft of the King Arthur story before November, though. So it would probably be a good idea to plot that out…
Also wrote three book reviews and I’m trying to write a narrative nonfiction essay just because.
Tomorrow Is Another Day 