Five Fall Favorites || Real Heros

Hey everyone! I'm kind of taking an unexpected dive into Five Fall Favorites hosted by Rebekah Morris. There is also a giveaway, so more info on that at the bottom of the page.

Today I'm doing a post of my five top stories about real heroes. Or in my case, fictional characters that displayed heroic character. Some of them were just heroes to me. So here we go!

Never by J. Grace Pennington. These characters stand for what they believe and hold to it even with extream results.

Christy by Catherine Marshal. Christy is such a relatable, yet amazing character. This book really shows the impact one person can have on a lot of people.

The Heart of Arcrea by Nicole Sager. Druet, the main character, is definitely a hero. Uniting people, displaying great character, and sharing his faith. He also goes on an epic quest and fights some pretty horrible beasts.

A Different Kind of Courage by Sarah Holman. If anyone fits here, it's William. You'd really have to read the book to know why though because of spoilers.

Wren by Rachel Rossano. These main characters show an amazing amount of integrity and loyalty. They stick up for people and are generally pretty amazing.

 

Make sure to hop over to Rebekah Morris's blog (Read Another Page: linked below) to find the links to all the other posts and follow the link here to a giveaway for the books pictured above!

  

Writing of Late

Hello everyone! I've been working a lot on my writing lately and was very excited to finish a novella this month. It's the fifth book in my "Ordinary Girl" series. I haven't mentioned this series in a while, mainly because it's been about three years since I finished book four.
This book meant a lot to me, so it was amazing to have it finished. This book is really a bridge in the series where my main character really starts to turn from a kid to an adult, and it is the first of the series to not include a case at the crime-fighting organization my characters work for. It's more laid back and I got to really focus on my characters, so it was a lot of fun to write.
I thought I'd share a little snapshot from the book, in one of my favorite scenes.


I could see David nodding in my peripheral vision as he stared out the window at the people passing by. I pulled a piece of my cinnamon roll-off, enjoying the feel of the soft bread between my fingers. I plopped it into my mouth, savoring the melting sweetness. 
“Are you okay, Mandy?” He asked, his voice gentle. 
I glanced over at him, my eyebrows arched.
“Well?” David prompted me to answer in a soft tone.
Something in me sank as I took in a deep breath, “I just don’t know anymore.” 
David took a long drink of his coffee, seeming to turn my words over in his head as he did, “That’s okay.” 
Surprised raised in me. That wasn’t the reaction I had expected. 
He looked over at me with a small smile, “It’s okay to not be okay.” 
“Thanks.” I didn’t know what else to say, but something inside seemed to ease.
“And I know we haven’t known each other very long,” He wrapped his hands around his mug “But I’ll be here until you are okay again.” 
He leaned towards me and in a stage whisper said; “I’ll even stick around afterward.” 
I chuckled, smiling at him as he leaned back into his chair.
“For the record,” I said, “That means a lot to me.” 

How are your projects going? 

 

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me

I thought it would be fun to do a post about some things you might not know about me! These are just random facts I thought about. 

1. I love bagels. (I thought I'd start this list off with something lighter) If you have ever spent a few days with me, you probably know this. Bagels make up 90% of my breakfasts and dinners when I can.

2. I love old(er) TV shows. Bionic Woman, Emergency, Star Trek Next Generation, Roy Rogers, and so many more. Older TV shows just make me happy!

3. I like to write to music with words. I have one series I'm writing that has a whole playlist I write to. Only when I am very, very deep into writing do I switch to instrumental.

4. I have over 200 font's downloaded from free font sites. As someone who loves to dabble in graphics design, fonts without copyrights are always a good thing. So I follow sites that give them out for free and I collect way too many. In case you're wondering, yes, I do use them, just not all of them.

5. I don't like sad music. I like songs that move me deeply, that are slow, and borderline sad. But songs that are sad just to be sad? Not my thing.

6. I love audiobooks. The very first audiobook I listened to was Little Women and I listened to it about five times before I realized it wasn't the only audiobook in the world. I love multi-tasking, so audiobooks make my life amazingly better.

7. I wanted to work for NASA as a kid. I did not want to be an astronaut, but I loved space and wanted to work for people exploring it.

8.  I've got three NASA shirts, a jacket, a NASA sticker, keychain, and a photo signed by a real astronaut specifically to me. I'm a fan (if you ever want to get me a gift, NASA stuff is a safe way to go).

9. There is only one season that I don't like: Winter. I love all the other seasons, but I detest winter. Unless it brings snow, then I'm okay with it, since snow only comes every few years.

10. I am the proud owner of a ten-year-old iPod. I'm not really into Apple, but it has been an amazing little device and it was the very first electronic I owned.

So there you go, ten things you may have not known about me. What are some facts about you?

Five Reasons You Should Read Annabeth's War

If you've known me for a while, you may know that one of my favorite books ever is Annabeth's War by Jessica Greyson. She asked if I would write a post about it because she is doing an epic giveaway on her blog including this beautiful book. Details below, after my top five reasons you should read Annabeth's War


1.  The Characters. Guy, these characters are still some of my favorites of all time, even though I first read the book six years ago. Annabeth is a very strong heroine, but not in a typical tough girl way. She was an amazing mix of sweet and strong. Every side character pops off the page in a way that makes them easy to distinguish and impossible not to love.

2. The Setting. Annabeth's War takes place in a fictional country, and enough forest scenes to make a nature person happy. 90% of the book is outdoors and with everything from woods to stars, to horseback riding, this book will make you want to go on an adventure. It also may include underground rivers, cabins, and castles, just so you know.

3. The Faith. Annabeth's war features a simple, beautiful faith element that sets a tone in the book. Annabeth's faith is so beautifully woven into the book by her morals, ability to get back up after being pushed down, and forgiveness. Also, she always seeks to do what is right, not what's easy.

4. The Adventure. This book is full of good old fashioned adventure... but not in a cliche way. Old circumstances had fresh perspectives on them. There are sword fights, dungeons, castle walls to get inside off, bad guys to escape, and outrunning enemies. None of it was really done how you would expect though.

5. The Friendships. This book featured some of the sweetest friendships. They are real, which means this book holds some tension between friends and some really sweet points. We've got good guy friends (Who remain just friends. Shocker.), we've got protectors, and people who just let friends by themselves.

Those are my top five reasons to read Annabeth's War. If you couldn't tell already, this is one of my favorite books of all time and I'm reading it for a fifth time just to prove it.

Find it on:

Amazon || Goodreads || Authors Blog 

Jessica Greyson is doing an epic giveaway over on her blog which includes every single one of her books. Every. Single. One. And super awesome stuff that goes with each one. Check it out, enter, and get a chance to win Annabeth's War and a super awesome charm bracelet that goes with it! Here's the link: Jessica Greyson.

Comment below if you want to read it, or if you have read it!

Remember

Photo by Jesse Mills on Unsplash

People say I’m too young 

To really remember 

Maybe it’s true 

Maybe I didn’t see 

The towers falling 

Maybe I don’t fully know 

The horror of that day 

But you know what? 

I've felt the effects 

The shockwaves  

Rippling through time 

I've felt the tension  

As people talk about terrorist 

I saw people silently 

Choosing not to fly anymore 

I saw people rising 

Against insurmountable odds 

I saw the sad glint 

As people talk about freedom 

I’ve watched the towers fall 

I’ve seen people cry  

As the horror hits them again 

I’ve seen people vow 

They’ll help this country heal 

They’ll be the ones to rise  

I may not remember  

When those planes were hijacked 

Or when the towers first fell 

I may never fully understand

All that it did to this country 

But I know that God gave this country grace 

To rise again from the ashes  

To heal and to help others 

And eighteen years later 

God’s still using this day 

To draw us to Him 

 

August Highlights

Here are my highlights from August!

I hadn't been to a baseball game since I was about eight, and then in August, I got to go to two games! I got free tickets once, and then our church went, so my family went. Both times our team won and they put off fireworks at the end. Since baseball is the only sport I really enjoy watching, it was fun.

My siblings and I went swimming a lot. We go almost every day, so it's pretty awesome!

After going to a lot of Little Free Libraries and getting a couple books from them, I finally got to donate some books to one. It was so fun! Those things are the cutest.

I got to meet the awesome Gray for lunch.

I did a good bit of editing in my book Just Your Ordinary Sister. I have really been loving diving back into this book because it's been three years since I actually completed a book in this series. I am super close to finishing, so I'll probably be doing a post on it soon!

I got sick three times this month. That wasn't what I would have chosen, but God was so gracious and each time was pretty short!

We had a flat tire once, and a couple days later our spare tire almost fell down from underneath the car. Both times we had people stop and help us. It's just another thing I love about Texas. =)

I started a new babysitting job every Monday for a Classical Conversations group. If you don't know what that is, don't worry, I am not completely sure myself. ;D

We got some rain, which since we are in a stage two drought was a huge blessing. It wasn't a lot of rain, but anything is amazing.

Me and four of my siblings went to a young adults retreat. We played games, did church, and went skating. They did a trivia game, and I got two points by knowing what Adventure and Oddessy and Veggie Tales are. Which is amusing since I don't even like Veggie Tales. Anyway, we had a great time playing games in the hotel, and hanging out with people.

I got my first bank account! I have been meaning to get myself one for a while, but just now got around to it. =)

We went to see Overcomer for my sister Rose's birthday and it. was. amazing! If you get the chance, you should watch it!

I started a scrapbook for the first time in my life. It has been a lot more fun then I thought it would be. For some reason, before I started I had it stuck in my head that it would have to look perfect, and once I actually started I was like "wait, I can do this anyway I want!" and just had fun. =)

I re-read five books this month (mainly because I gained access to some audiobooks), so my favorite re-read was Before Amen. My favorite new book was a toss us between Annies Life in Lists and Once Upon a Dime.

Chiaroscuro Apples A Farm Girls Life

18 in 19 || Birthday Harvest Aria Lisette

July in Review Little Blossoms for Jesus

Do I have That Book Once Upon an Ordinary

An End-of-Summer-Volg Life Without a Latte

What I Spend In a Week Now All I Know Is Grace

Baby Your So Classic and Welcome to My Room Sunshine and Joy

How was your month? Do you like baseball?