grace & gratitude

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ~ L.M. Montgomery

October has come in a flurry of leaves and cool breeze, signaling the time to pull out the pumpkin spice and cozy sweaters. I don’t know about you, but I am beyond excited for the arrival of autumn, even though I’m aghast at the light-speed passage of time. So much has been going on in the last few months—my goals and intentions have been changing, I’ve switched projects, I’ve started new things and reevaluated old ones.

And you may have noticed something special…

My website has been redesigned. With the redesign comes new features and services over the next few months. I’m ecstatic to debut a new and improved line of author services soon, as well as a resource library specifically for my patrons. My hope is that this new site is truly inviting and encompasses everything I offer—as an author, blogger, editor, and person in general.

As I’ve been undergoing an eighteen-month-long experiment with Instagram, I’ve realized that as much as I love social media, nothing can replace the value of my website and blog. So I want this to be the hub of my bookish community, not any other channel or outlet. Those will simply be other ways to draw fellow readers and writers into this space of creativity and connection, where we can share and interact without being bombarded by everything else under the sun.

I want this platform to radiate joy and hope, and I’m starting by reinventing my monthly updates series into “Grace & Gratitude.” I’ll still be sharing goals (hopefully with the intention of keeping myself accountable) and progress updates, but in a more gracious, grateful way.

It’s all too easy to look at our lives, careers, hobbies, projects, schoolwork—whatever we have going on—through grey-colored glasses. Forget rose-colored; we view everything as being time-consuming and challenging or unfinished and slow or boring and valueless. This mindset of discontent and disappointment only reaps bitterness and resentment…and I’d much rather cultivate thankfulness and peace and see value in everything I do.

So I’m gonna change things up a bit and see how it goes!

~ verse of the month ~

“[D]o not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Philippians 4:6 ESV

~ gratitude ~

praise & worship

water

autumn

biscuits with honey butter

work

blueberry yogurt pretzels

nachos

favorite songs

birthdays

Vindication (the show, not the actual thing 😅)

my new website 😉

answered prayers

dreams come true

story ideas

Pinterest boards

~ grace ~

It’s only by the grace of God that I managed to write over 4,700 words in my not-so-forbidden project. I have more or less upgraded The Forsaken to an official WIP, and the words just keep flowing. *is in shock but also outrageously excited*

I also did a round of edits for a client and—obviously—updated my website and have made progress on rebranding, blogging, and posting.

As far as my reading goes, I read a lot and didn’t have the good sense to keep up with it. I’ve let so many things go lately. I read Therefore I Have Hope by Daisy Henkle for endorsement, Voice of the Ancient by Connilyn Cossette, and two gorgeous poetry collections: Bygone by Hannah Linder and Clarion Hope by Laurel Luehmann.

~ goals ~

My hope is that October will be The Month. That is, the month I finally launch Sky’s the Limit Press. Of course, with how chaotic life has been lately, I can’t guarantee anything, but that’s my hope.

I would also love to write at least 2k more in The Forsaken and maybe get started on my novella for Of Storm & Sea! (Yes! I’m actually working on something for this anthology, unlike with Tell Me You Love Me. We’ll see how it goes!)

I’ve got several post ideas for my blog and Instagram all three of them that I’d like to post (rather than letting those ideas float around in my brain for the next six months); and a long list of ARCs to read and review. So we’ll see how this month goes!

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What about you, O Fair Reader? What does October have in store for you? What did you accomplish in September? How can you change your mindset to encourage joy, contentment, peace, and rest?

And who else wishes there were more books like Nancy Drew out there?

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