The Princess and I Blog Tour: Day Two

Two days down, three to go! And today...I'm joined by Bonnie. So be sure to go check out her lovely blog for a review, spotlight, AND interview! :D Three awesome things for the price of one! (We'll ignore the fact that the price of one was *cough* free.)

I'm super excited to share some of the things that inspired different parts of "The Princess and I" so let's jump right in, shall we? (I promise there won't be any spoilers involved!)

Have a picture of my book. Just because. ;)

 

Music:

Most of the music I listen to during writing is movie soundtrack tracts in my "Rebekah's Writing Music" playlist on my computer. I do that in order to keep my writing exciting. However, there were a couple songs I listened to while I wasn't writing that inspired a couple scenes as well. Those of you who have read the book might know which scenes they inspired...but I don't want to give parts of the scenes because...you know, I promised there wouldn't be any spoilers. So. 

To those of you who have read my book to completion, the following songs I put on here will make the most sense...but you might cry. Just thought I'd warn you.
I dedicate each song to the character I think would be singing it. :)

William Price

 

Megan

 

Megan

 

Steven/Megan

 

Steven

 

Pinterest:

It's not ALWAYS a giant time waster. Most of the time, I grant you, but not ALWAYS. Pinterest has had its moments. Moments when it actually helped me more then it was a distraction. I got a lot of pictures and dialogue prompts that pulled me out of a rut and put me back on the road to finishing the story. 

Blogs/Websites:

I follow a couple blogs/websites written by writers who have a lot more experience then I do when it comes to being an author. There are times when I need help with a certain area of writing or editing, and these have proved helpful more times than I can count. 

The Story Forger

Go Teen Writers

Helping Writers Become Authors

Friends:

There's a couple people I go to when I'm feeling in need of some inspiration. Sometimes, I just need a person other then the voice in my head to tell me that my story sounds good and will be awesome when it's done. During the writing of "The Princess and I", I had several people infect me with their enthusiasm and ignite my mind with new ideas. (A few scenes inside the story are only there because someone mentioned it would be good to add something there.) I won't name them here, since I'll end up forgetting someone, but there were a LOT and my book wouldn't have made it all this way without them. <3

Family:

My family served as inspiration in more ways then one. A lot of the banter between character sibling groups was inspired by my own siblings and cousins.

While I write stories, I often read them aloud to my younger siblings, and they were constantly begging me to read another chapter and asking me what happens to their favorite character. Recently, my younger sister asked me after reading the proof copy of my book "You've started working on the sequel, right?" When I mentioned I had done some brainstorming she replied, "Good. Hurry and finish it so I can read it." 

My older brother who is currently working seminary in Wisconson calls us upon occasion. One of those times, he and I had an hour long conversation at a point when I was stuck at a fork in the road of my story's plot. He helped me solidify the end of my book and decide which direction I was taking it. 

Yep, it's awesome! Love my family! <3

Books:

A couple people asked me if there were any stories in particular that helped inspire "The Princess and I". I did get ideas from some random fairy tales and Medieval history books. A lot of the life at the castle (the feasts, descriptions, etc.) came from a book called "Castles" we've had gathering dust on our bookshelf. I read that over and over again. It gathers dust no longer. ;) 

Dreams:

Yep. A few parts of the story came from dreams. Upon waking up and realizing the outcome of the brilliant plot twist made no sense (somehow the villain was a rhinoceros? And somehow ducks were really dangerous... Yeah, I wasn't putting that in the story) I had to edit the dreams a bit after thinking about them. But it was...interesting. My brain is a little weird sometimes. 

And thus I was inspired. Weird things ended up helping my story become the novel it is today. Every little piece made the puzzle into a picture. 

Come back tomorrow for a list of 21 things I researched for my book. Until then, I hope you all have a fabulous day! 

The Princess & I Blog Tour: Day One

Hello and welcome to day one of the blog tour. I'm thrilled to the bottom of my shoes...*checks feet* Oh, ok, so I'm actually barefoot. I'm thrilled to my toes? *cough* Moving on then. 

Today, I'm joined by Jesseca Wheaton (click on her name if you want to read a review, see my book in the spotlight, and watch try to answer her difficult questions in an interview) and Liv K. Fisher (click on HER name if you want to see another spotlight and lots of questions you may want to see the answers too...just saying) to tell you that my book is going to be available to buy in only FIVE DAYS. :O Am I freaking out? Maybe. Just a little bit. 

My goal for the next five days is to give you a little bit of the background and sneak peeks into the behind the scenes of my book each day. You'll get to see some of what I went through during the writing and editing process, the original inspiration, and get to "meet" some of my characters!!! Ready for the outline? 

(I thought I should give an outline since that's what all good books start with, right?) 

Day one (TODAY!): The background and beginning of "The Princess and I"

Day Two: Inspiration

Day Three: Research

Day Four: Meet the cast!

Day Five (RELEASE DAY): Looking into the future

AND...all of that will be spoiler free!! (I know you're wondering how I'm going to pull that off...well, you'll just have to come and see! ;) 

Before I dive right into day one...here's the beautiful cover for you all to oooooo and aaahhhh over again. 

*five minutes later...* OH MY GOODNESS I'M WRITING A BLOG POST RIGHT NOW!!! Focus, Rebekah! Focus. Ok. I got this. 

So, what started this book? What made me want to write a book about a princess's lady-in-waiting? 

Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved the old fairy tales. Cinderella, Snow White, Rumplestiltskin, The Princess & The Pea, Sleeping Beauty, Beaty and the Beast, etc. Not the movies, mind you, but the actual, original, STORIES. They fascinated me. I was intrigued by how each tale was so similar, yet completely different from the last. 

When I was about twelve, I wrote the first three chapters of what would become "The Princess & I", determined at the time to create my own fairy tale. However, due to my scattered self, I somehow got distracted with other stories (namely "The Silver Flower" and "Alice & Alyssa") which made me completely forget about my story...

Until, I discovered the file FOUR YEARS LATER when I had just turned sixteen. (I know, I know. Cringe with me.) Anyways, I retread what I had written all those years ago and decided to have that be my next project since I had just completed writing "The Silver Flower" and "Alice & Alyssa". 

But, the story took a turn away from the fairy tale it had started out to be as I continued building the plot and polishing the beginning to fit better to my new plan. I pulled more from my love of Medieval history than my girlish delight in fairy tales in the writing of this older version. Right away, I added sword fighting (I had just finished watching the black and white Zorro television series...so obviously swordfighting was needed) and a friend for my main characters. (Enter William Price!) This added five to six chapters to the three I had originally.

My story would be put again on the back burner as I started the editing process for "Alice & Alyssa" and about that time I again got distracted by my multiple story ideas. "Beyond the Galaxy" was started about this time, and I completed six shorter stories. "Thistle the Dragon", it's sequel "Thistle & Friends", "The Magic Saber", "Into the Future", and two holiday stories "A Precious Gift" and "God Will Provide". Yes, I was busy. And all that time, my poor story waited patiently for me to get back to it. 

Finally, I heard about Camp NaNo from a friend in the spring time of last year (you know who you are) and I decided to try it out. I searched through my archives for a story that was both unfinished and had a rough outline I would be able to follow to the end. Guess which one was the only story that fell under that category? Yep. "The Princess & I" was found again. 

I threw myself into writing it, and wrote over half the book in the three months of Camp NaNo topping out my word count goal at over 40,000 words. Though I failed miserably at the Word Wars (let's just say I don't write well under pressure) it helped SO much to have a goal and reach it. I was able to FINALLY finish writing the first draft of "The Princess & I" in November of 2016. 

So, what started as a twelve-year-old's dream to write a fairy tale ended as an eighteen-year-old's dream to complete a novel. Even though it DID take me six years to get around to it. XD 

There you have it. The complete history of how "The Princess & I" came to be. I hope you enjoyed it! Come back tomorrow if you want to hear more about the different things that inspired different parts of my story. :D 

21 Answers to the Question: What Is Your Favorite Book?

Hopefully I'm not the only one who finds this question hard to answer...I mean, yeah I'm the type of person who finds it difficult to narrow down anything I like to ONE favorite, but with books this is especially true. I'm not talking about the OBVIOUS answer to this question (see answer 1)...I'm talking about if some clever friend of yours *cough* *pointed stare toward certain pen pals of mine* doesn't forget to add onto this tough question "other than the Bible". So, because I needed these answers (probably more than any of you do) I decided that this would be my next 21 Answers post. Enjoy! :) 

1: "The Bible. Duh."

2: "That was plural, right? RIGHT?"

3: "And thus...I die."

4: "How do I politely say that this is an impossible question for me to answer?"

5: "It's possible to only have ONE favorite book?"

6: "I do not have the superpowers needed for this decision."

7: "You DID NOT just ask me that."

8: Invent a favorite book on the spot that doesn't exist and ramble on and on about it, adding details as you see fit.

9: "To quote Hamlet, Act III, Scene III, line 87: 'No.' "

10: "Would you mind repeating that question? I think I went momentarily deaf right when you said that last part."

11: "I am not in the mood."

12: "WHAAAAAAT???"

13: *curl into fetal position and begin sobbing*

14: "Fiction or non-fiction? Something I've written or something written by somebody else? Thick or thin? Deep or shallow? CLARIFY PLEASE."

15: "OH MY WORD I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING BEHIND YOU!!!"

16: "I don't know, you tell ME."

17: "Mighty fine weather we're having."

18: "How are those *insert popular sport team* doing?"

19: "Pat the Bunny. Goodnight Moon. Green Eggs and Ham."

20: "Be original. I mean, seriously? That's the best question you could come up with?"

21: "I don't have A favorite. I have several. And I'd tell you about them...but you'd end up being here for a LONG time. So how about we go get a sandwich instead? I'm starving."

So...which was your favorite answer? Have any trademark answers YOU give to this question? (If so, please give them to me...BECAUSE I NEED THEM.)

The Princess & I: Cover Reveal and Blog Tour Announcement

Guys. I'm here. I'm here on this wonderful Valentine's Day to give you the VERY FIRST GLIMPSE at the gorgeous cover Alea Harper designed for my book "The Princess & I".

But not yet. }:)






(Forgive my evil author chuckle...)

Make SURE you visit these other delightful blogs who graciously participated in my cover reveal. (Including a few of my brave editors and my cover designer!!! :D)

Jesseca Wheaton: 
http://www.jessaswhimsicalwritingsblogspot.com/

Alea Harper: 
http://www.elvishpensfantasticalwritings.blogspot.com/

Faith Potts: 
http://www.chosenbythePotter.blogspot.com/

Bethany R.:
http://www.bethanyr4him.blogspot.com/

S. M. B.: 
http://www.reviewsbysoleil.blogspot.com

Hanne T: 
http://www.rockandminerals4him.wordpress.com/

Anika: 
http://www.anikasavenue.com/

Abigayle: 
http://www.theleft-handedtypist.blogspot.com/

Savannah Grace: 
http://www.scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com/

ashley nicole: 
http://www.colorfulcreativecards.blogspot.com/

Grace Karlson: 
http://www.novelsdragonsandwardrobedoors.blogspot.com/

Kaitlyn Krispense: 
http://www.akansasfarmersdaughter.blogspot.com/





Just kidding. I am going to. ;) Ready for some fabulousness? Good. You're about to be blown away by some. ;P

I know, I know. *sighs* Isn't it BEAUTIFUL? Alea Harper outdid herself. It was so much fun working with her and to all you fellow authors out there, I HIGHLY recommend her work. :)
I had a little bit of trouble getting the right wrap-around design on Lulu, but she re-worked and re-worked the size until it went through. No extra blood, sweat, or tears from my end. (Ok, so maybe some...but not enough to mention.) I never felt so calm hahahahahahahaha no, I'm not calm. Not at all. I'm totally freaking out and ready for my book to be published. No worries, no concerns, no obsessing over small details. She took care of everything for me. :) It was AMAZING.

Before I go on with the rest of the cover reveal, I have a confession to make: I am terrible at writing synopses for books. Especially my own stories. So, hopefully the one below that I created for "The Princess & I" makes SOME sort of sense to those of you who don't already know what it's about. xD Please let me know in the comments what you think of it. I'm trying to get better at that sort of thing since I'll be having to do it more as an author. ;) (Probably should have started getting better at synopses sooner? :P #procrastinatorforever)

But now, without further ado, I give you the synopsis of my beloved story, "The Princess & I":

About the Book:
Megan is content with her life, despite her parents' death and her brother Malcolm's job that keeps him busy at the King's castle. But when she is offered the position as Princess Christine's lady-in-waiting, Megan is glad of the change in scenery and accepts it with the hope that she can spend more time with her brother. The promise from Malcolm of lessons in swordsmanship only adds to her enthusiasm.

However, helping keep an eye on the emotional and excitable young lady proves to be much harder than becoming her friend. As rumors of war circulate the castle, Megan strives to encourage her new friend even as she tries to settle the doubts and fears in her own heart when her responsibility in protecting the Princess is put to the test. Follow the unwanted adventure which serves to teach her that loyal friendship, true love, and God's amazing grace will always triumph over revenge, greed, and hate.

Also, it is SO weird writing about yourself in third person. Anyone else with me on that? #authorproblems
But, I think I pulled it off. Maybe. Read the following bio at your own risk. ;)

About the Author:
Rebekah grew up surrounded by family members who appreciated and read good literature. First, she fell in love with the stories her parents read aloud to her from The Bible and books like The Chronicles of Narnia, Great Expectations, The Hobbit, and Anne of Green Gables. After learning to read on her own, she discovered other fantastic books which helped to build her ever growing imagination.

She completed her first written work at the tender age of eight and now uses it to humble herself whenever the need arises. The story 
did serve to show her that God had given her a desire to write, however, and from that moment on 
Rebekah has never looked back or regretted picking up her pencil and becoming an author.

This eighteen-year-old homeschool graduate lives in rainy Western Washington and is currently working on receiving her BA in English in order to further her passion for creating worlds on paper.

Now, I have some exciting news. Ready? ;)

My book is being released on March 3rd, 2017 along with Jesseca's book "A Question of Honor". We both thought it would be fun to be book-release buddies. :)

I am going to be hosting a blog tour from February 27th through March 3rd (RELEASE DAY!!!), so if you'd be interested in participating in THAT, click on the following link:

Sign-up for "The Princess & I" blog tour

I will be posting some "behind-the-scenes" glimpses of different parts of the writing process that helped make my book into what it is now including:

Music that inspired specific scenes
Pinterest inspiration
And a conversation with a character (vote below in the comments which character you want me to interview)
Plus a few surprises I have up my sleeve. B-)

So in other words, you don't want to miss out on this blog tour. Trust me. Until then, I bid you all adieu.

*mysteriously disappears in fog*

Martin Hospitality: Blog Tour

*Swooshes curtains aside*
*fanfare*

Step right up folks for this limited sneak peek of a fabulous book. (Actually, it's not limited. You're free to buy this book now, that's why we're letting loose it's fabulousness to the world.)

I should warn you to prepare yourself for excessive fangirling in this multimedia presentation. *clears throat*

BECAUSE I LOVE THIS BOOK. 

AND THE COVER IS AMAZING. 

AND THE AUTHOR IS PRETTY COOL TOO. ;)

So sit back and enjoy seeing the cover, oooing and ahhhing over it again, and then going and buying the book. (Because you KNOW you want to...)

Without further ado, here is the gorgeous cover I already shared with you all: 

About the book:
Gemma Ebworthy is eighteen, pregnant, and alone. Now that she’s been evicted, she spends the night in a barn, never dreaming that tomorrow could bring kindness of a life-changing magnitude.
The Martins aren’t a typical family—even for rural Kansas. With more kids than can be counted on one hand and a full-time farm, Gemma must make a lot of adjustments to fit in. But despite their many differences, Gemma finds herself drawn to this family and their radical Christian faith.
When Gemma’s past collides with her yet again, she must begin revealing her colorful history. With every detail Gemma concedes, she fears she will lose the Martins’ trust and the stable environment she desires for herself and her unborn child. Just how far can the Martins’ love and God’s forgiveness go?

Fangirling moment:
Here is where I put aside a section for gushing about the book. BECAUSE I REALLY LOVED IT!!! I was given the delightful job (though it could hardly be called a job) of beta-reading "Martin Hospitality" last year and enjoyed every minute of it. :) 
Gemma is both loveable and easy to relate to as she tries to cope with first a new environment and then having everything coming crashing down around her later. The Martin's are a beautiful example of a harmonious (but still imperfectly human) Christian family who seek to glorify God with their everyday life. Some of them grew nearer and dearer to my heart than others, but I loved them all. <3 (*whispers* Josiah + Gemma = TOTALLY ADORABLE...just saying) Gemma's baby alone makes the whole book worth reading again. I actually fell in love with that little tyke and all its cuteness. ^_^
 I will refrain from giving spoilers, but you guys...*deep breath* YOU GUYS NEED THIS BOOK IN YOUR LIFE, OK? Just...please go buy it and read it. For my sake. Please. 
The different settings are perfect, and the villain is shudder-worthy. Despite having a large number of minor characters running about in different parts of the book, Abi does a fantastic job keeping them unique from each other. Which I know, as an author myself, is a very hard thing to do. So, in a nutshell, here's my thoughts about the various parts of her book:
The characters: sdlkqsrlkhasflkhafasflknafafslb <3333
The plot: AMAZING!
The setting: I LOVE KANSAS. LIKE I SERIOUSLY WANT TO GO THERE.
The villain: *shudders* perfectly horrible
The themes and messages: In awe. I am in AWE. 
I loved how Abi was able to bring the gospel message into her book in an interesting, non "preachy" way. I loved how the Martin's answered Gemma's various questions with intelligent, thoughtful answers that made logical sense. I was so blessed and encouraged by this book, which I know was Abi's goal, and I know you will be too if you read it.
Am I looking forward to more books by Abi? ABSOLUTELY. (You'll help me convince her to write a sequel, right? ;) 

About the author:

Abigayle has been inspired to write since she could spell her own name. Her passion wasn’t completing the stories (she did that twice and decided it wasn’t for her), it was jotting down the ideas.

But in 2015, a story grabbed her—one she had to finish. Inspired by a crazy dream in a genre she no longer reads, Abigayle set off on a journey to write her first novel and she hasn’t looked back since.

Writing is her ministry, freelance editing her job, and reading her pastime—all of which prove that God really does know what He’s doing when He inspires a 6-year-old with a pencil in her left hand.

Annnnd (special bonus!!) an exclusive interview with the author IN VIDEO (I told you it was multimedia, didn't I?):

Now comes the moment that you were waiting for: that moment I tell you to go find this book at Amazon and buy it. And then when you get it, read it. Because then, you can join all us other fans of Abi's work and we can talk together like this:

"OH MY GOODNESS THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTIC!" 

"I know, right?" *hugs characters and book*

"asdlkfjzdflkjzdlfkjzdoijf"

"I completely agree"

...Etc.

So, what are you waiting for?? GO READ "MARTIN HOSPITALITY". That's totally an order. ;) 

My First EVER Cover Reveal Sign-Up

 This is the VERY FIRST TIME I've done a cover reveal for a book of my own. Excuse me while I FREAK OUT JUST A LITTLE BIT. Sure, I've done cover reveals for friends...but guys, it is totally different when you're doing one for your OWN beloved book. *hyperventilates* *faints*

After a looooooong editing process (which was actually my fault, not my editors) and some oooing and ahhhing over various cover ideas from my wonderful cover designer Alea Harper, I finally settled on something that is just too perfect for words. *squeaks and hugs cover* Those of you who sign up will have to promise NOT to let loose the awesomeness of the book cover BEFORE the date given (I know it's going to be hard!) But I will allow you to reply to my email with all the flailing you want! :)

So...are you guys ready for this?? Please, please tell me you are. Because HERE WE GO.



https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1AOZqpC5Fc8saAre2IBVzl_ImPzhuyRASavRv902ydU4/

A Question of Honor: Cover Reveal

I TOLD you there would be more of these coming up. ;) This time, I'm here to share the cover of "A Question of Honor", a WWII novel written by my friend and fellow blogger, Jesseca Wheaton. I had the privilege of beta-reading this book and I can tell you with confidence that the story inside is just as beautiful as its cover.
AND it will be available for you all to buy on March 3rd, 2017!!! :D

So, what am I waiting for? Here's the stunning cover you have all been waiting to see:

About the Book:
A Man. A child. A war.
 
When German soldiers invade France during World War II, young Joyanna's perfect world is shattered. In the hands of those who hate her, she battles to comprehend why people can be so ruthless and cold toward those whom they have never met.
 
David Sullivan, pilot in the Royal Air Force, was certain he would never hate, but a painful loss forces him to either reconsider or do the inconceivable—forgive.
He is suddenly challenged by the realization that doing God's will is not easy, but most important.
With the lives of freedom-fighters relying on him, he must learn the difficult lesson that he is not in control, but merely one who must surrender his heart of obedience to One greater. 
 
A sudden turn of events lands Joyanna and David in the same country—but for far different reasons.
When their paths cross, David finds he must make a decision that will affect them both for the rest of their lives.
 
Will he chose vengeance, or will he let his life be ruled by a higher standard? A standard of Honor.

About the Author:
Jesseca is an 18-year old daughter, sister, and a child of God. Her days are spent reading, cooking, spending time with siblings, or playing piano. And writing, of course! At an early age words fascinated her, and her love for the printed page has only grown. She lives with her parents and seven siblings in the sunny state of Kansas, and she’s convinced there’s no place like home.

Can't wait to see your book out and available to the public, Jesseca! Best wishes on this publishing journey! :)

A Glimpse of January

Some of you are the observant type and noticed the change in my monthly recap title style. Annnnd, the rest of you noticed it just now when I mentioned it. :) Now, all of you are probably wondering why I brought it to your attention. Ok, so let me explain:

January was a difficult month for our family. Yes, a lot of amazing, wonderful things happened to us in this first bit of 2017, but there were a lot of tears involved too. So I wanted to keep this post a little less flippant than my usual monthly recap and started by using a more reflective title. This is not the new norm, only an exception. I'll be back with the regular title style next month. :) 

Without further ado, let me give you a glimpse of what my January was like. 

Life:

As I mentioned before, this month has been hard. 

January started deceptively calm...though there was a lot of recouping after the holiday madness we know as "Christmas" and "New Year's Eve". I got a lot of editing done and even squeezed in a little writing and reading around studying for college courses. My mom, older sister Margaret, and younger sister Tabitha went down to Georgia to visit Sarah and Jesse. That left Dad and I in charge back at the home base.

This...happened.
Welcome to life with a brother who just started being able to text.

The really funny thing is: we were sitting on the couch together after the littles were in bed...the entire time this "conversation" took place

I got to have what I like to call "Mommy Practice" (a.k.a babysitting while Dad studies for sermons, helping kiddos with school, and more general housework than normal). This was...fun, but also challenging and kept me VERY busy.

He will be missed. <3

Most of you know about the accident Lemuel Houston had that eventually claimed his life. Singlehandedly, this was what made last month so difficult. I have cried more in the last couple weeks then probably all the months of 2016 combined. To warn you, there may be a post coming up about this...but that's only a maybe. Please continue to keep the Houston family in your prayers as they go through this time of grief. Their lives will never be the same.

Me, my friend Kathryn who is now in Florida, and a mutual friend of ours, Grace. We went to a coffee place as a final "friendship fling" before she left. :'(

I also had to say a temporary goodbye to one of my closest friends who is now at Pensicola Christian College in Florida. It's hard for me to let people out of my life that I'm close to, but I realize that it's important for my friends to pursue their different paths into the future. I'm so proud of my dear friend, but she will be missed. <3 

Writing: 

Snoopy's way of writing is scarily similar to mine...

I wanted to write five chapters in my brand new story, "A New Name" last month...and I almost did it. But, (and I'm totally blaming this on college) I stopped short of my goal by one chapter. Total words written? Well, not counting all the editing I did, nor the blog posts I wrote, etc. the total word count was
8,046. Not excellent...but pretty good considering everything else that was going on in my life. 

Reading:

Oh, goodness...must I even talk about this? After you all posted about what a great month of reading you had...here I am to say that I read a grand total of two books. Granted, I'm in middle of like three other books...but STILL. You're probably wondering which books I did read, and for those curious souls like me out there, here are the two books I was able to enjoy front-cover to back-cover:

No, I did not take this picture...

Editing:

FINALLY something in which I got a decent amount of actual work done. Ok, so it wasn't just me...my editors (I REALLY appreciate you guys btw) did a large chunk of editing as well. *whispers* So now...I am working on the finishing touches, formatting, cover reveal and blog tour stuff, and am almost ready to actually publish "The Princess & I"!!! *squeaks* SUPER EXCITED about this. (You probably couldn't tell. ;) Keep an eye open for the posts coming up where you can help me spread the good news of my book being released soon! 

Music: 

Again, with college and writing, a lot of the songs I listened to in January were movie soundtrack style. However, there were a couple songs I've had stuck in my head that have words. I'll share a couple of both types. :) 

Quotes:

Goals Reached:

1: Have editors finish editing "The Princess & I"

Yep. *gives a glorious check mark next to this*

2: Read at least five books

Um...yeah. So I failed THIS goal miserably. -_- 

3: Write a book review

Does it count if I did a book review on Goodreads? Because if THAT counts, then I reviewed two. ;) 

4: Finish writing "Alone"

Nope. To busy writing "A New Name" and editing. 

5: Write a "21 Answers" post

Yes. I did that. And as usual it was surprisingly popular! So another one is due for this month. :)

6: Write at least five chapters in "A New Name"

Well, I almost made it. So close...yet so far away. Better luck this month. :)
So...I got HALF my goals completed...which is better than last month. *faint cheer*

Goals for February:

1: Get "The Princess & I" completely ready for publication and release

2: Write 5 chapters in "A New Name"

3: Read 5+ books

4: Host my first cover reveal

5: Begin the editing process for "Ocean Mist"

 

So *huge sigh* THERE was your glimpse of what life was like for me in January. I hope you all have a fabulous February. :)