2017 Reflections, 2018 Goals (ft. Some Exciting Announcements!)

Yes, I know I'm late. But I knew you guys would all be terribly disappointed if I didn't post this, SO HERE YOU GO, OK? 

2017 is over...man, where do I start? There have been so many ups and downs...so many tragedies and joys... I other words, I have a lot of mixed feelings about 2017. And HOW DID IT GO BY SO FAST!!?!?!? Like, whaaaaaat? Tbh, no other year has gone by this fast. I'm not kidding. SOMETHING made this year go by faster than previous years and whatever it was I want it to STOP. Seriously.
2017 held a lot of challenges for me, but most of them were positive. I'm going to give you some of the things that happened to me during 2017, followed by what I plan/hope to achieve this year because of those things. We'll see if this actually works or not. Bear with me please. ;) 

~ 2017 College Reflections ~

I finished my first year of college during last year. Lots of nail-biting moments, late night stress dreams, exhausted mind and body while cramming for upcoming tests...but I completed that milestone and it felt great. :) 

~ 2018 College Goals ~

I want to be able to finish my second year of college and wrap up my Associates degree with the hope that I can then go on to get a Bachelor's degree in English at some point in the future.

~ 2017 Job Reflections ~

Last year I got my first actual job (cleaning grandparents houses hardly counts as a job after all) as a nanny for one baby girl. When that job fell through, God immediately gave me a follow-up opportunity with another family. Now I watch two little girls, four hours a day, three days a week (sometimes more, sometimes less). 

~ 2018 Job Goals ~

This next year, with my nanny job still going full steam ahead with no end in sight, I'm excited to watch the two girls grow in their education and personality as well as hopefully gain a relationship with Christ. As for me, I will probably become a master Mac and Cheese chef and learn how to come up with even more creative ways to keep their active hands busy in a good way. ;) 

~ 2017 Author Reflections ~

I published my first novel-length book in the spring of 2017. "The Princess and I" has been my greatest creation yet and I was so blessed to see it welcomed by my community of author friends and loved to pieces by family members and church members. My favorite compliment I received from our church's assistant pastor's wife. She said she forgot she was reading a book by me because she was so caught up in the story. 
Though I didn't officially "do" National Novel Writing Month in November, I completed a novella within Thanksgiving break. The outlining, plotting, research and writing...all of it...within a week. It was one of those story ideas that latched on and didn't let go until I had it all out. Not only that, but I sent it off to an editor and had a cover artist make a cover and promotional material for me too. (If you don't know which book I'm talking about, it's "Sleeping Handsome", a retelling of Sleeping Beauty...sort of.) 
To top my writing of last year off, I wrote a total of 42,537 words in "A New Name" and am beginning to realize that this might be one of those books that have 100,000+ words and take up a third of your shelf space. O.o I keep deepening the plot and realizing I'm going to have quite the challenge climbing back out again.

~ 2018 Author Goals~  

I'm hoping to publish my first exclusive e-book edition of "Sleeping Handsome" on Valentine's Day of this year. So far, I haven't heard back from my editor so plans may have to change a bit. But we'll hope for the best in the meantime. 
Also, I'm having to do a chunk of re-writing in "Ocean Mist", but I'm hoping to have it ready for publication by this summer. 
Though "Alice and Alyssa" has been finished for over two years now, I have ye to actually get it published...so that is something I'm hoping to accomplish within this year. The sooner the better.
And finally, as if three books isn't enough, I'm planning on having the first completed draft of "A New Name" written by the end of this year. (Maybe actually PARTICIPATING in NaNoWriMo this year for the first time?) 
Yeah. I'm crazy. I know. Wish me luck! XD 

~ 2017 Reader Reflections ~

I was sadly unable to read 100 books this year (at least I failed to record them if I did). But I did discover several new authors I now love, and had the privilege of beta-reading for a couple dear author friends. Beyond that, I also discovered I'm not a huge fan of college textbooks *cough* and WHY DO I NOT GO TO BARNES & NOBLE MORE OFTEN?? 
However, I was able to finish reading through my Bible in a year, although I started a bit late and finished a bit late. STILL. 
My bookshelf has four shelves stuffed full of books...and I have officially run out of room. At this rate I will have to start laying books on my books that are lined up in height order. Not the prettiest sight, but sometimes extreme measures must be taken. Ignore the fact that I could just stop buying books. (Who does that anyways?) 

~ 2018 Reader Goals ~

Yes, I signed up to try to read 100 books again. *shrugs* Might as well, right? With a pile of books on my dresser as we speak just WAITING to be read, a virtual TBR list that is miles high and teetering dangerously on the brink of toppling over, and more on my shelves that need tender loving care, I've got my work cut out for me...all I need now is time. *laughs* Sounds so easy. NOT.

~ 2017 Blogger Reflections ~

Instead of the record breaking 100 posts I wrote during 2016, I only posted 47 times last year. However, I'm about four posts away from having a 300th blog post, which is pretty mind-boggling. 
I gained over twenty amazing followers this last year, and can I take a moment to say how much I appreciate both you who have been following me from the start and you who have joined recently or sort of recently. Every new face I see pop up brings a smile to my face and brightens my day. You have no idea how much your comments mean to me and how much I love watching you react to my posts. Blogger's don't post for themselves, they post for the enjoyment of others, and we love watching our audience interact within themselves and with us! :) 
It's been incredible to be a part of the teen writer community, and I'm beyond thrilled to call many of you my friends. Some of you I've been able to actually meet face to face, and I look forward to maybe meeting more of you someday. :) 
I have to admit, I've been very scattered on here recently. You never know WHAT I'm going to post about next. It's been a roller coaster of a year and that impacted my blogging. Having a lot of you faithfully checking my blog and leaving comments gives me a bad case of "the warm fuzzies". ;) 

~ 2018 Blogger Goals ~ 

You may have noticed the new theme if you're a slightly observant person. Guys, my dear friend Savannah Grace from Scattered Scribblings has cheerfully offered her services when I asked for someone's help in designing a new blog template. Personally, I LOVE how it turned out, and I'm sure you guys will too... Once the actual theme has been put into the system, that is. Yes, I'm leaving you with a construction theme right now, but this is only temporary, I assure you. Patience, guys. ;) 
Thanks to a certain post from a certain fellow blogger *coughs* I'm hoping to get this blog more professional and streamlined with a bigger focus on writing. However, since I don't have a newsletter email yet, I'll still be doing my monthly overview posts more or less on a regular basis. ;) Just so you guys know what's up in Western Washington. 
I'm hoping to also keep up better on my other blog, Simply Stories, with regular posts on behind-the-scenes stuff about my books. So if you are interested in character interviews, pictures, sketches, or backstory details, that will be the place to go. 
In short, I'm going to TRY to get more organized. We'll see how that goes.

~ A Couple Exciting Announcements ~

~ (as promised) ~

First, "The Princess and I" is OFFICIALLY out as a paperback and e-book on Amazon/kindle as well as being found at Barnes & Nobles, the iBook store, nook, and of course Lulu. So to those of you who have been waiting patiently for my slow release of the ebook form of my book IT'S AVAILABLE NOW! 

Second, I'll be announcing a cover reveal sign-up for "Sleeping Handsome" in a week, so stay tuned for that post coming up! 

Third, I'm going to begin my search for a group of FIVE core alpha readers for "A New Name" sometime in the next couple months, so if you're interested in that, keep an eye out for that post coming up. 

Fourth, I'm hoping to have a group of betas read through "Alice and Alyssa" and finally get that book published for good. I have it sort of published, but I have yet to go through the whole system yet.

Finally, to wrap this post up, I'll give you the list of goals I made for myself at the end of 2016 and make a new list of goals for this year. (To be completely frank, I don't think I even glanced at this list since maybe spring? *sheepish laugh*) 

Here they are, my official list of goals for 2017!

~ Goals of 2017 ~ 

-Read through the Bible
(I actually did do this one, barely.) 
-Read 100 books
(*cough* better luck this year, eh?)
-Make new friends who help me grow closer to God
(I did make a couple new freinds. Looking forward to getting to know them even better this year! ^_^)
-Have stronger relationships with siblings
(In all honesty, I did get closer to my siblings. Some more than others, but in general too.)
-Finish writing "A New Name", "Alone", and "Beyond the Galaxy"
(Nope. Though I made significant progress in at least two of those stories.)
-Publish "The Princess & I" and "Alice & Alyssa"
(One down, one to go. I can do this!)
-Complete a year of college
(*sings hallelujah chorus while checking this off with a florish*) 
-Have a closer relationship with God
(I feel like I could have done better with this goal. I'm not saying I think my walk with Him has grown more distant, but I feel like I could definitely be a lot closer. However crazy my life gets, God still needs to be at the center.)

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for, a list of 2018 goals! 

~ Goals for 2018 ~

-Memorize the book of Daniel
-Read 100 books
-Attend a writing conference
-Have a consistent prayer life
-Grow closer to my family members
-Finish writing "A New Name"
-Publish "Sleeping Handsome", "Ocean Mist", and "Alice and Alyssa"
-Complete my second year of college and get my Associate's Degree
-Have a closer relationship with God

Think I can do it? Well I guess time will tell. ;) What were some of your goals for the new year? Do any of you guys have major writing milestones planned this year? How about reading goals? 

Until next time, let everything you do be done for the glory of God! :) 

Both a Farewell and a Welcome: 2016 Reflections

Don't look at me like that. I know this post is rediculously late. HOWEVER. Due to a nagging feeling of duty, I decided to still write one last post about the year of life I spent during 2016. After all, it's never coming back. There is only one 2016 (A.D.) in all of time. I think it deserves some reflection. So here I am. :) 

For me, 2016 was a year of milestones. Despite not reaching some of my goals (to be completely honest, I forgot all about my goals about half-way through the year) I accomplished some things that were very unexpected. Here are just a few of the biggest ones that made 2016 go by so fast for me.

-My older sister began courting (because he didn't live in our state, this meant a lot of traveling for different people in our family...and, coincidentally, babysitting jobs for me. ;)

-I preformed in a Senior Recotal with my bestie (this took a LOT of piano, flute, and voice practice. Both by myself and getting together with her for certain songs we did together.) 

-I completed and graduated from high school at the top of my class. B-) #homeschoolingisawesome (My parents handed me my diploma at our church as part of a homeschool graduation ceremony.)

-I participated in Camp NaNo and wrote almost 40,000 words in one month. (Don't laugh all ye who participated in NaNoWriMo. That was a big deal for me.)

-I completed my first novel-length book at over 75,000 words (and it keeps growing, thanks to my editors!! :) 

-I finished the writing part of two complete stories ("The Princess & I" and "Ocean Mist")

-I had my 18th birthday in August (WHAAAT?? I'm an ADULT?? How did that happen?) 

-My sister got married (!!!) and moved to Georgia with her new husband :( 

-I got my driver's license (FINALLY. Although, I still seem have trouble typing the word "license" correctly. XD) 

-I voted for the first time as a citizen of the United States (which gave me both a scary and excited [?] feeling)

-My blog reached its third birthday, I wrote a grand total of ONE HUNDRED POSTS LAST YEAR, and I have almost 50 fabulous followers O.O  (I'm not counting email followers) Which is utterly EPIC. I don't deserve your fabulousness.

-I strengthened my old friendships and made a ton more friends, both online and "real" (You all are awesome. Just saying. <3) 

-I became a deaconess at my church (this sounds a lot more important than it actually is. XD) as well as being the substitute secretary for a week. 

-And last, but CERTAINLY not least, I have grown closer to my beloved God and Savior. 

So, as you can see, 2016 was pretty fantastic for me. ;) I'm not going to bother giving you the goals I wrote for 2016 in this post because I've already mentioned the important goals as part of my list of milestones. :) 

However, because no New Years Day post (even the ones that are embarrassingly late) are complete without new goals, I'll make a list. *gulps* 

Goals for 2017: 
-Read through the Bible 
-Read 100 books
-Make new friends who help me grow closer to God
-Have stronger relationships with siblings
-Finish writing "A New Name", "Alone", and "Beyond the Galaxy"
-Publish "The Princess & I" and "Alice & Alyssa"
-Complete a year of college
-Have a closer relationship with God

I know, adult goals, right? ;P I'm slowly learning how to do this adult thing. Well, *cough* we'll see if I can manage to complete any of these. 

To end this post, I'm going to give you my absolute favorite fiction and non-fiction book of ALL OF 2016. (To be honest, deciding this was what took me so long to get this post up. I mean, I'm terrible at deciding favorites. TERRIBLE. But, for you, I spent a good hour looking through the books I read last year and slowly bringing the numbers down to a single favorite. Be impressed. I was. ;) 

MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE FICTION BOOK OF 2016: 




MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE NON-FICTION BOOK OF 2016:




A note from the Editor:
On a more serious note, you may or may not have heard a prayer request circling my social media, so I'm also posting it here:

On Thursday, one-year-old Lemuel Houston (part of a pastor's family we're very close to), while being babysat by some older siblings, fell into a five gallon bucket of water and was later found not breathing. One of the older kids applied CPR right away and they called 911.
His dad was away on a missions trip with another one of his older siblings and booked a flight home as soon as possible.  
My parents went to the hospital where he's being kept right now yesterday afternoon between church services. Lemuel is doing surprisingly well after what happened, but is still in a comatose state and has to have help to be able to breathe. His 
heart rate was elevated, but calmed down when his daddy held 
him and talked to him. <3 He stared at my dad the entire time he was praying for him there.  
Thank you all again for your support. This means a lot to our family, the Houston family, and everyone who knows and loves this little guy. <3

My 2016 New Year's Resolutions

To say that a lot has happened this last year would be a HUGE understatement. :) I know all of you know what I'm talking about.
This post is going to be in two sections. The first section: an abbreviated overview of last year and all the crazy things that kept me busy. The second section: my New Year's resolutions and what I look forward to this next year.

Ready? Set? GOOoooo!

As you might or might not know, I was able to finish math early this year! *sings the Hallelujah Chorus*. That took a huge load off my mind. ;) My senior year of high school started beginning of September, but thankfully due to all the school I did last school year, my senior year has been mostly a relaxing year. :)
Also, I was able to finally self-publish my guinea pig book, "The Silver Flower" and am now working on the final stages of editing my other book, "Alice & Alyssa". This will continue to be a job for me...but hey, at least I can kind of see the end in view. ;)
This last year I read through my Bible with several other people in our church and just completed it after getting home from a New Year's celebration at our church. (I know, I was cutting it AWEFULLY close. :P) It was a blessing, as well as a challenge to get through it all. Even the weird books. But I managed, and I hope to do it again this year. We'll have to see. ;)
I turned seventeen this year at the end of August, and was blessed to have TWO pen pals (one from Kansas, one from Eastern Washington...you know who you are B-) come visit me! It was so fun to meet those two wonderful, Christian young ladies and fellowship with them. And we got to talk about books and characters. ;)
One of my faults...being disorganized. I gave myself a goal of getting more organized last year and since the bar wasn't very high...I was able to do it! I cleaned out my drawers on a more regular basis, made my bed ALMOST every morning, organized my books (thanks to the book tag ;), and kept all my clothes in the closet hung up. :)
I also began buying my own clothes more, which isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be since I enjoy shopping, and I love clothes...so actually it was fun to start taking over some of my own shopping. :)
I got my learner's permit and began learning to drive. A few months afterwards, I successfully drove our family's twelve passenger van to and from church. And I didn't crash. ;) From then on, I was the main driver to church and back simply because I loved driving, so I would ask mom if I could drive whenever the opportunity presented itself. :)
I made a couple new friends through my blog and/or e-mail (love you guys! ;) as well as a few new friends at church. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful young ladies to help me live for Christ. They all help me in my walk with God and I love having them there to give me encouragement or rebuke (we all know I need it sometimes!) :)
And last, but certainly NOT least, I feel that I was indeed able to grow closer to God and my family. Now, I have to say, I get along better with some of my siblings more than others, but I've been working on trying to not be quite so demanding and bossy with those who aren't as easy to get along with. It has helped me learn to pray more. ;)

I can already tell this is going to be a long post...I should have warned you... ;)

Here are my new New Year's Resolutions/things I'm looking forward to doing this next year (not necessarily in order):

1: Finish editing "Alice & Alyssa" and self-publish it
2: GRADUATE!!!! (:D)
3: Turn eighteen and get a driver's license
4: Finish writing "Beyond the Galaxy" and "The Princess & I"
5: Direct and preform in my first play
6: Pray every night for at least ten minutes
7: Read my Bible every day
8: Make new friends (sound familiar? ;P)
9: See my pen pals again! :D (one can always hope, right?)
10: Practice my musical instruments more
11: Grow closer to God and my family
12: Being a wedding coordinator for the first, and hopefully not last, time!

So how was your year? What do you look forward to doing this next year? What are some of the highlights/favorite memories of last year?

God bless you all! :)

Another Year Gone By...

Snoqualmie Falls, WA

Hey y'all! I haven't posted since last year!!! ;P
Is anyone else a little stunned that 2015 has come and gone? Or am I just getting old? ;)
This year has been wonderful, scary, and exciting all at once. I looked back at last year's activities (check my post "Welcome 2015" and "My New Year's Resolutions 2015").
Here they are!

1: Read through the Bible in a year with other people from our church
2: Grow closer to God and my family
3: Get better at driving and learn to drive our family's twelve passenger van
4: Be a little better about keeping my belongings organized
5: Start buying my own clothes and shoes on a regular basis
6: Finish writing at least one of my books, hopefully more
7: Get it/them self-published
8: Make new friends
9: Finish math! (forever!)

Annnndd...guess what? I was able to do all those things last year!!! :)
Were any of you able to complete any of your New Year's resolutions? If so, how many?

God bless you all this next year as you grow closer to him! :D