Happy Almost-Autumn!
I’ve been a little sparse on social media and newsletters lately because I’ve been working hard to finish my first novel by the time my October birthday comes along. Turning 39 last year felt like an alarm to get busy if I’m ever going to do it! (It’s also why I’ve paused The Book Club Life YouTube show for a bit.)
Would you believe me if I told you I got to go to a writers retreat with Julie Klassen, Mary Connealy, and some other amazingly talented writers last year—on my birthday??? Well, I did. It was the sweetest gift from the Lord. It felt so neat and special that I didn’t even mention it before now.
Note to self: When you think “I won’t bother with makeup or looks because I’m here to write”—think again! Lol (Another reason I never posted about it! Although, I’m certain none of these ladies cared that I was in a kids camp T-shirt.)
A few more recent highlights
May, I got to speak to a local Mom to Mom group on Heart, Home, and Legacy. It was such a treat!
In June, we went on a family vacation to Silver Dollar City. It was hot and fun. I was proud of myself for going down a scary water slide where the bottom drops out. Eeee!
Also, my husband and I visited New York for fun and novel research. We had a blast, and God blessed our time. (check my Instagram for pics and details!)
In July, we visited the countryside, and our house was covered in spider webs. Eeek! It took hours to clear the house of webs and spiders, and still the next morning I had a baby spider crawl onto my computer when writing and another one drop down from the bottom of my coffee cup. Ewww! Despite all that, I DID get some good writing in.
In August, we traveled one more time to visit friends and then got busy readying for school!
Throughout all this time, I’ve been watching my novel word count grow by hundreds and thousands of words. I’m getting closer and closer to my goal of finishing by October! If you want to pray for me, I would be so grateful!
I’m also preparing for the Florida Christian Writers Conference coming up in mid-October. Prayers for that would be appreciated, too. I’m bringing a children’s book that I’ve written and love as well as my current fiction work-in-progress.
Thank you so much for your love and support!
Autumn Book Recommendation
Another novel by Siri Mitchell that’s perfect for autumn is Love’s Pursuit. It made me cry, and I’ve even heard one author I love say she reads it every fall. My favorite line in the whole book is the last sentence on page 327. Don’t skip ahead! But I do recommend the journey to get there. It’s totally book-club-worthy, too. <3
May the pages of your life be full of God’s grace and blessing.
