As I sit here, consuming too much coffee ice cream and enjoying the gentle breezes of summer (which has FINALLY decided to show up) I feel like I should wax poetic on this introduction. I should contemplate the many mysteries of life, like why do birds sing and how fast do stars die and why does my friend think a gorilla is a sasquatch...but I won't. Why?
BECAUSE I'M HERE WITH SO MANY EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!!
A special thanks to the five girls who sent in questions for my Q&A video, it was fun to answer them, and MAN did you give me some hard ones! (But no math equations so thank you so much for that.) I hope you all enjoy my answers and find them helpful and informative. I'm hoping to do another one soon, closer to my birthday, so keep an eye out for that link. ;)
I know that this monthly wrap-up post will be different than most, but I thought I should acknowledge a couple very important things going on in my life:
1: I'M AN AUNTIE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!!!
That's right, my friends. My older sister told us last Saturday that she was expecting. I don't know if the baby is a boy or girl yet, since Sarah is only like one month in to this new adventure...BUT...*deep breath* I've been freaking out in a good way ever since I heard the news! I think I'm more excited about this little human than my sister is. XD
2: I'm having another book-signing at the end of June!!!
A little less world-shattering after becoming an auntie, but exciting news none-the-less. I'm hosting a book-signing for "Sleeping Handsome" and "Thoughts in Verse" on June 30th, 2018. If any of you are local (or even up to a couple hours away) you should TOTALLY try to make it to my house for that! I wish all of you could come and hang out with me, but I know due to location that most of you won't. :( If you CAN make it, let me know and I'll give you directions. (Psssst, there will be free cookies... B-)
NOW. Since all of you have probably skipped to this section already, here are the winners of my giveaway!
Grand Prize Winner:
ABIGAIL MCKENNA
*confetti shower*
You get a signed copy of "The Princess and I" AND a cute set of silver earrings. :)
1st place winners:
Abigail Harder,
Kaitlyn Krispense,
Ashley Nicole, and
Becca Wall
You girls get a signed copy of "The Princess and I"!!!!! *happy dance*
2nd place winners:
Ashley (of precious moments fame),
Bethany R., and
Rebekah Ashleigh
You girls all get a signed copy of "Sleeping Handsome"!!! Congrats!
3rd place winner:
Deborah C.
You win a copy of "Alice and Alyssa" WHOOP, WHOOP!
4th place:
Faith Potts
You win a copy of "The Silver Flower" *hugs*
A HUUUUUUGE congratulations to all of you! Thanks so much for the amazing group of followers you are! As I've said before, and will say again, I wish I could give all of you free copies of all my books...but I can't. :(
To those of you who won, please email me with your address and I will get those signed books out to you ASAP! :D
If this post seemed short to you...that's because it was. :) I'm hoping to get into a better blogging rhythm during summer, but we'll have to see how that works out.
Until next time, let everything you do be done for the glory of God!
I have been writing on this blog for FIVE YEARS now. Like WHAAAAAAAAT????!!?! Where did THAT time go? I couldn't pass up this special milestone without making a special post just for this moment. <3 So here I am.
My blog has taken me through some of the happiest and saddest moments in my life. I went through my tumultuous middle-teen years on it, and have been blessed beyond measure with an incredible community of followers. Seriously, y'all are the BEST. <3 <3 <3 I have written and published my first book, my first novel, and my first poetry collection during those five years, not to mention several short stories and songs. I have met some amazing friends on here, and been introduced to some pretty fabulous authors, cover designers, editors, and writing mentors on here that I would never have met in person. I know this post is bound to sound sentimental and mushy, but I really don't think I would be the author I am today without every single one of you amazing people. <3 You all mean the world to me, and I look forward to spending another five years (and more!) getting to know you better and hopefully meeting more and more of you face-to-face. (Trust me, I'm already planning a trip across the United States! :P)
In honor of this, I'm letting you fill out THIS FORM with as many questions as you want, (writing related, book related, person related, curiosity related, ANYTHING) which I will then write on pieces of paper and answer in my monthly wrap-up post at the end of this month. I'll only be accepting questions through the next couple weeks though, so hurry and submit as many as you can! ;) The only thing I ask is that you refrain from asking math problems. That's all I ask. Please. For the sake of my sanity. XD
Another amazing thing happened a couple months ago...it marked the one year anniversary of the publication and release of my baby, my very first novel I've ever written! :D That's right, The Princess and I is OFFICIALLY a year old, as of March 5th of this year! In that time, I have sold hundreds of copies to friends and family, seen my book placed in libraries and bookstores, and even hosted my first book-signing! I'm overwhelmed by the incredible support I've been shown by you, my online community, and my friends and family here in Washington. You have all made this last year incredible. <3
Because of these two HUUUUGE milestones, I'm going to be hosting the BIGGEST giveaway I have EVER hosted. Guys, I'm going to be giving out a total of TEN books. Five copies of "The Princess and I", three copies of "Sleeping Handsome", and one copy of "The Silver Flower" and "Alice and Alyssa". AND THAT'S NOT ALL. I'm also giving away four scripture bracelets (for if a guy wins), and a pair of silver earrings (if a girl wins) as a grand prize to the person who gets first place. That means a grand total of TEN people are walking away from this post with a prize... And, good news for my lovely Canadian followers, I will be sending you guys an Amazon gift card if you win (due to my pocketbook not wanting to send books across the border) so you can still enter and buy my book with your card. ;) You're welcome. ;) The only downer on that is that it won't be signed...but I promise that when I become a rich and famous author I will fly to your house in my private helicopter and sign it for you in person. :P
Before I give you the giveaway link, I have one more amazing thing to share with you: I've been low-key working on the sequel to my novel The Princess and I, called, The King's Cousin. The main character is Susan, Megan's cousin, and the hope right now is to finish the first draft by the end of the year. I already have a lovely cover to share with you all thanks to the amazing Jessica Greyson. ;)
Yes, I know. SO LOVELY. What's even better? I came to deliver a snippet to you all. :) Can't get much better than that, right? :P Enjoy. :)
My cousin was getting married. The letter that had brought
me the news lay open upon my dress, its words still fresh in my memory. I
pondered them now, as I sat by the edge of the cliff, letting the salty wind I loved so much
blow the wisps of hair away from my line of vision. My eyes focused on the
horizon where sea met sky, but my mind was much farther away than that.
I welcomed
news of any kind. As a small girl, I had longed to go on adventures like heroes
from the songs of bards. My heart ached with an indescribable longing to go
somewhere, to discover something, to experience something no one in my
acquaintance had before me. However, as a daughter and only child, my options
were limited. My parents needed me at home.
With an
almost inaudible sigh, I stood up, dusting the pieces of grass and rock from my
skirts before turning around. The invitation to my cousin’s wedding had been addressed to my
parents as well; it was time they read it for themselves. Perhaps hearing the
good news would bring them some joy and lighten the depressing mood that seemed
to have hung over our heads for the past few weeks.
Placing my
fingers to my lips, I uttered a shrill whistle that would have made my mother’s delicate ears shrivel in horror. A
joyful bark answered my call and a brown ball of excitement bolted toward me
through the long grass. As he jumped around me, trying in vain to lick my face,
I stroked his soft fur and laughed; his happiness was contagious. Named Beowulf
after the famed hero of old, the hound held a very special place in my heart.
He was my almost constant companion, though at times distracted by the many
scents which led him on scattered trails throughout the tall, waving grass.
With an
added skip to my step, I walked back down the beaten path which would lead me
to my home. My smile was damped only a small amount when the dismal castle came
into sight. The mossy and vine-covered stonework seemed to shout to everyone
who passed our home that the money we used to have was lacking. All lords’ castles are much smaller and more
simple compared to our king’s castle, but our castle and the surrounding
countryside used to dwarf the other lord’s estates. Alas, due to difficult
circumstances, my father had to sell much of our land and let go of many of the
household servants. Despite the sunshine, it was always dark and dank inside
our home, which did little to help my mother’s many aches and pains. However,
this place was home. And though it was no longer a place of power and prestige,
I loved it.
Giving a
quiet grunt, I pulled open the door, which required all my strength. The wooden
boards creaked in ancient protest, but gave way to my heaving with an eventual
sigh. The air inside was a far cry from the fresh breezes lifting off the
ocean, but with one experimental sniff, my grin returned and I followed my nose
to the kitchen.
“Must be dinner time,” came the dry
remark in thick Scottish brogue as soon as my feet crossed the cook’s
threshold.
I came over
to where my oldest friend was bent over by the fireplace. “Ah, you know my ways only too well,
Dubbs.”
The
Scottish woman gave an expressive sniff. “That’s Mrs. MacDubbs to you, lass.” Her words were harsh,
but as she said them, she shoved a plate of freshly baked biscuits in my
direction and pointed to the cupboard with her knife. “You’ll find butter and
jam over there.”
I hugged
her around her plumping waist and prepared my biscuit with haste. The heavenly
morsel was exactly what I needed after the long hike to the cliffs and back. My
eyes rolled back and I gave an ecstatic sigh of contentment. “I swear, Dubbs, your biscuits can
work miracles on an empty stomach.”
“Most food does,” was the curt reply.
However, I could tell that I had pleased the woman by the twitch of her mouth
and the lightening of her steps as she busied herself around the kitchen.
“When is your little one expected?” I
asked, eyeing her expanding stomach with interest. “You’ll let me help with the
birthing this time, won’t you?”
The woman
paused for a moment, and laid a hand on her bump. For a moment, a ghost of a
smile danced across her work-worn face. Almost immediately it vanished and she
turned her back to me before replying, “She’s bound to want to come at the most inconvenient time,
which means she’s probably going to arrive right at the beginning of harvest.”
“Will you let me assist with your birthing
this time?” I repeated when it looked like she wasn’t going to answer.
Without
pausing in her preparation for our dinner, she answered, “Births aren’t a pretty sight, lass.”
“I know,” I answered, “but I feel like
I should have the experience before I start having a family of my own.”
Mrs.
MacDubbs looked thoughtful. “Maybe
so, lass…but you’ll have to gain your mother and father’s consent. It’s not my
place to order you around.”
Having her
mention my parents, I suddenly remembered my original reason for returning to
the castle. “Oh!” I
exclaimed, dusting the biscuit crumbs off my hands and standing up abruptly.
The cook
regarded me with a raised eyebrow. “What was that for?”
“I received a letter this morning from
Megan and Malcolm, and it contains some important information that Mum and
Father need to hear about as soon as possible!” All the information came out in
a rush as I tried to explain while dashing from the room and across front hall.
I lifted up my long skirts in order to make short work of our flight of stairs
into the upper level where my parents spent the majority of their time.
Well, friends...what do you think? I've been enjoying creating a few new characters and heavily shipping some old ones. B-) I can't wait to share more about my book with you all when it starts coming together more, but this is all I can do for now since...you know, spoilers. :P
Now...for the last item of business. THE GIVEAWAY. *waves invitingly at link*
Yes, you read that correctly, my friends...my poetry book releases TODAY!!! This is a new experience for me in several ways:
1) Because it's the first time I've ever released a poetry collection
2) Because it's also the first time I've done a book in this style (namely: spiral bound) and
3) Because this is the first book I've done with not two but THREE different cover styles. O.o
So, that said, there are a couple things you all should know about this unique release. First, because of the style I chose to do, it can ONLY be purchased through Lulu...which kind of sucks because that makes it a little more complicated for you guys to buy it. ALSO, it means I really need your help in spreading the word about it's release. If any of you are interested in sharing the links (I'll leave them at the bottom of the post) on ANY social media of ANY kind, I am willing to give you a couple really cool things. (Yes, I have resorted to bribery. XD) You will get: 2 "The Princess and I" bookmarks 1 poem of your choice from the collection FOR FREE (and signed if you want) 1 card from me telling you what a nice person you were for helping me out ;P 1 shout out in a future blog post (if enough of you are willing to help) Sound interesting? PLEASE let me know via e-mail or comment if you want to help spread the word. Again, I don't care which program you use to share (think: Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, blog post, Facebook, Goodreads...WHATEVER WORKS BEST FOR YOU)! Here's a little bit more about the book to peak your interest. ;)
~ The Summery ~
And MAN did I have a tough time writing this.
APPRECIATE THE EFFORT. XD
This first collection of poetry by the author of "The Princess and I" and
"Sleeping Handsome" was written over a period of thirteen years. Rebekah Eddy's
first poem she ever wrote, "The Duck Pond", was penned when she was only six
years old. The other poems were written between her fifteenth and nineteenth
years of life. The poems within this small volume cover a wide variety of
topics that include Christmas and Easter traditions, everyday thoughts on life,
and even some more humorous and fun poems at the end. She created this book
in a style with the hopes that you, as the reader, can fill in the spaces with
your own illustrations and have fun doodling your own creative ideas into the
spaces between her poems.
GUYS I HAVE NOT DIED. Left you hanging two months ago with no further word from me for all this time, yes...died, no. Life in general forced me to put my blogging on the back burner for a couple months, much as I disliked doing so. However, I'll hopefully be posting on here more regularly after this surprise hiatus. Did y'all miss me? ;) (Only answer if you did. Otherwise just ignore that question and let me enjoy my innocence.)
Want to know WHY I've been strangely absent the last couple months? By all means, read on. :)
~ Life ~
Basically, the craziness all started the two weeks before Easter. I place full blame of my hectic life during the last two months at that holiday's feet. What with cantata practice, church decorating (and un-decorating), Easter itself, and that holiday being shortly followed by our church's mission's conference, our family was kept on our toes. Throw in some babysitting, housecleaning, college, and housesitting and you might get a little picture of my life during that time.
We had a brief week of rest (where, coincidentally, ALL my writing for Camp NaNo took place...in other words, I did not get to my writing goal for that month) before Margaret and I headed out to Georgia to visit our older sister Sarah and her husband Jesse. For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you probably got pictures and updates at least during that time. For those of you who didn't, here's a brief run-down of the week we spent there:
Day One: ALL THE TRAVELLING (added Colorado and Georgia to my very short list of states I've gone to in my lifetime)
Day Two: Visited some outlet stores and bought some clothes that were more suited to the hotter, more humid weather, and caught up on sleep (that blessed thing we were very short on for most of our trip). Also, went to a jazz concert put on for free by a local college.
Day Three: We went to a cool park that had all sorts of animals in cages along the path like cougars, bald eagles, gophers, and my personal favorite, the lake with turtles in it. We also went to the biggest Western store in the South (sounds contradictory when I say it like that) and had a hilarious time trying on all sorts of hats and boots. The day finished with my first visit to Sarah and Jesse's church where I got to meet the pastor and his lovely wife.
Day Four: We drove to a fair and stood in line to get into the biggest book sale I have ever gone to. I bought a grand total of 27 books for only $34.25! Needless to say, this was probably my favorite day of our stay there. We also toured a historic house and I tried fried pickles for the first time. (They were weird, but not necessarily bad tasting??) That night we went to another free college concert, this one a flute choir, which was super cool to watch.
Day Five: We hiked stone mountain, and walked half-way around it to see the engraving of the three most famous confederate figures (Lee, Jackson, and Davis) in the mountain's side. We walked a total of 6.3 miles that day...and promptly wasted all our efforts by eating dinner at Chick-fil-a (my first time though...so TOTALLY WORTH IT). Fun story, I almost lost my phone there, which gave me a minor heart-attack...but we recovered it after I figured out it was missing half-an-hour down the highway and drove back to the restaurant to collect it.
Day Six: We went to Zoo Atlanta. Highlights of that trip: coming within two feet of a very hungry looking lion and tiger, and seeing live pandas for the first time EVER. After the zoo, we walked around Atlanta for a little bit and bought raspberry geranium popsicles at a snooty "organic" store. They taste better than they sound, believe me.
Day Seven: We went to Sarah and Jesse's church again and got to see what church feels like for normal people. (a.k.a NOT pastor's kids) It was weird. Interesting, but weird. The people there were really sweet and made us feel very welcome, and the pastor was even preaching from the same book Dad does on Sunday morning!
That afternoon while Jesse barbecued some ribs for a very tasty Sunday dinner, us girls cooled off in the pool, pretending we actually knew how to swim. It was very entertaining. :P
Day Eight: For the last day we had to spend together, we drove to some more outlet stores and enjoyed just looking around at the fancy clothes and accessories. We got some coffee at the local Barnes & Noble bookstore and chilled (as much as we could in the heat of the day). That evening when Jesse came home from work we walked around a college campus that had beautiful grounds and enjoyed dodging bugs and talking.
Day Nine: We flew home. Georgia was lovely for the time we got to spend with Sarah and Jesse, as well as the many new experiences I had...but I was awfully glad to get home. I love my state. I love my friends and family I have here. And I wouldn't trade this life for anything else you might offer me. :)
After getting home, I've spent the rest of the time getting back on Washington time, unpacking and handing out souvenirs, and catching up on everything I had to catch up on.
~ Writing ~
The last couple months, as I have just finished explaining, have not been the best for getting any writing done. However, I did do some writing, and I have hopes of getting more done as time goes on. For Camp NaNo, I got a grand total of 5,045 words written. All of that in one week of April between our mission's conference and our trip to Georgia. *face palm*
I started a new book (I know, I know, groan with me) called "The Assassin's Child" and I hope to have it end around 30k words long.
Good news, I got over the writing block that was keeping me from continuing writing in "A New Name" and I'm hoping to have at least another 20k written in it by the end of this month. Wish me luck!
With the impending release of my poetry collection, I put most of my time into polishing that, which included writing a six-page introduction. More on that project later, I promise.
~ Social Media ~
I currently have been more active on my Instagram than here, and for that, I apologize. It's just so much easier to post a picture and a couple quick sentences during the midst of a crazy busy day, or like a post while scrolling through a feed rather than read an entire blog post and leave a creative comment at the end.
However, I know how much it means to me when someone takes the time to wade through my posts and leave a comment, so I'm going to try very hard to do better at this. If I have to set aside a scheduled time in my day to read blog posts and comment...SO BE IT.
That said, please don't feel left out if I somehow miss your posts in my feed or run out of time to read yours in particular. I only wish there were enough hours in the day to allow for that to never happen, but I'm afraid it's inevitable. I love all the blogs I follow (which is why I follow them :) and just because I'm unable to comment on yours, that doesn't mean I don't care. Quite the contrary, I assure you. <3
~ Music ~
Living Hope (Phil Wickham)
The Power of a Prayer (Matthew West)
Evermore (Josh Groban)
~ Announcement Section ~
Ok, first thing I'm kind of freaking out excited about is the fact that my first poetry collection EVER is releasing THIS UPCOMING SUNDAY!!!!!!!!! Like, WHAAAAAAAAAAT?? Feel free to freak out with me...it'll make me feel better. (maybe)
Yeah, you read that right: "Thoughts in Verse" is releasing in SIX DAYS. Due to the style I'm publishing it in, my book will only be available on Lulu, so any help you can give in spreading the word would be GREATLY appreciated. In fact, if you're interested in publishing the announcement on Sunday anywhere, just drop a comment below or contact me via email if you're willing to commit to sharing about the publication. If you can and do, I will send you these:
1: a "The Princess and I" bookmark (signed if you want)
2: one of the poems in my collection of your choice (I'll send you the list to pick from)
3: a note with me gushing about how nice of you it was to help a poor author out
Sound interesting? Cool. I'll hear from you soon. ;)
Second thing I need to announce...
Turns out I totally missed the first birthday for "The Princess and I"! Which is very sad, because I wanted to have a huge giveaway to celebrate my baby's first year of being published. So, instead of celebrating on the release date, I'm going to celebrate when my blog turns 5 (in a couple weeks) and we'll host a huge party for the both of them on the same day. Sound good? Think, LOTS of books being given away as well as a bunch of extra goodies, questions about the book being answered and even a sneak peek into "The Princess and I"s sequel "The King's Cousin". The best part? I'm going to allow you guys to ask me ANYTHING you want in the comments, and I will write them all down, put them in a hat, and video myself answering them.
To end a VERY long blog post before you are bored out of your mind, here's the ending period.
Well, almost. ;)
Until next time, let everything you do be done for the glory of God!
