EXCITING NEWS!!! So, as I said in my last POTW , I made a goal to finish edits on my book, Low Expectations , by the beginning of the F...

EXCITING NEWS!!!

So, as I said in my last POTW, I made a goal to finish edits on my book, Low Expectations, by the beginning of the Fall semester (the 21st), and I SLID IN TO FINISH TWO DAYS BEFORE MY DEADLINE!!

In honor of this, I am doing the latest Beautiful People (hosted by Cait and Sky) with 10 of the characters from this manuscript, using a different character for each question, so you can get to know them all a little bit better! Character names link to pins that are close to the look of the characters. None are exact, but they at least get you in the neighborhood of what I imagined as I wrote them. 😊

1. What Are They Addicted To/Can’t Live Without?

Clarisse (Elliot’s social worker): she is addicted to coffee. Sounds cliché, I know, but with her job, she needs it (Elliot and her other kids can be something of a handful). She has sampled every variety that Starbucks, Panera, and any local coffee shop has to offer, concluding that her favorite is anything with MUCH CHOCOLATE, MUCH COFFEE, and MUCH WHIP CREAM. According to her, the combination is “#heavenly.”

2. Name 3 Positive And 3 Negative Qualities Of Your Character.

Since Elliot is the MC, I decided to use him for this. He is:

1. Shockingly loyal and self-sacrificial
2. Surprisingly sweet, and
3. Very observant.

He also:

1. Has exactly negative ninety-seven billion self-worth
2. Almost never shows how sweet he is (and when he does, he’s so subtle, he barely knows he’s doing it), and
3. Suddenly loses all observation skills when others are showing they care about him.

3. Are They Holding Onto Something They Should Get Rid Of?

Rob (Elliot’s foster father): Mistakes he made in high school. He still struggles with guilt over certain mildly spoilery pieces of his past. But basically, he feels like he could’ve been a Christian and a stronger witness when he was younger, instead of being too afraid to speak out, and possibly saved the lives of some of his classmates.

Also, Bryce (one of the bullies of Elliot's story and banes of his existence): is holding onto literally his entire past. Bryce is a walking set of 100 classic therapy issues released in general nastiness and cruelty to anyone in his general radius.

4. If 10 Is Completely Organized And 1 Is Completely Messy, Where Do They Fall On The Scale?

Mary (Elliot’s foster mother): Naturally, she’s a solid 10. But since becoming a mom, she’s had to ease (AGONIZINGLY) back to a comfortable 7 or 8.

5. What most frustrates them about the world they live in?

Devon (Elliot’s best friend): EVERYTHING. He puts on a joking front, but EVERYTHING ABOUT THE WORLD WRECKS HIM. What bothers him most, though, is when people like Bryce get away with murder, and people like Elliot have no choice but to put their heads down and shuffle on. He hates ALL injustice with a passion, but especially that which hurts his friends (which he basically considers to be his family).

This kid’s set to be some kind of activist, I tell you.

6. How Would they dress for a night out? A night in?

Demi (Devon’s twin sister, another friend of Elliot): Demi’s a very loose-t-shirt-and-jeans kind of girl for a night-in, but for a night-out ALL THE MAKEUP and ALL THE HAIRDOs and ALL THE CUTE LITTLE DRESSES come out. Basically, her night-out style (for dresses, at least) is Gabriella from High School Musical.

7. How many shoes do they own? What kind?

Mileya (Elliot’s foster sister): Probably four or five pairs. There’s a pair of light-up sneakers mentioned at the beginning, an old white pair for her to get dirty in, and probably 2 or 3 Mary Janes and/or flats for church and other special occasions. But for the amount of money her family has, I don’t imagine her having that many shoes. Her parents wouldn’t get more than they thought she needed, though the ones she has are undoubtedly very nice.

8. Do they have any pets? What pet do they WISH they had?

James (third member of Elliot’s friend group): James would have a goldfish (because low-maintenance and will listen whenever the shy baby needs to talk). Also, I imagine this goldfish will live for like 10 years, because James is super careful and precious like that.

9. Is there something or someone they resent? Why and what happened?

Lela (other bully of the story and bane of Elliot’s existence): Definitely her mom. As Lela sees it, her mom chose her husband over her daughter when her daughter needed her most. That’s not exactly what happened, but her mom wasn’t nearly as active in helping and protecting Lela as she should’ve been.

10. What’s usually in their fridge or pantry?

I’m gonna do Rob and Bryce again, since I couldn’t decide which one of them to do for question 3:

Rob keeps ALL MANNER (and I mean all manner) of chocolate and sweets for special milkshake nights.

Bryce keeps the blood of innocents.

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And these are my Beautiful People for the month of August. Hope you enjoyed, and if you did a BP, comment yours below! I will check it out ASAP. :)

So I got the new Beauty and the Beast from the library, and my sister and I watched it last weekend. The movie itself was pretty enjoyable,...

So I got the new Beauty and the Beast from the library, and my sister and I watched it last weekend. The movie itself was pretty enjoyable, but my favorite parts were the costumes (THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL THOUGH) and the new songs. All of them are pretty wonderful, but this one... this one I just can’t get enough of.

Dan Stevens does a great job in the actual scene of the movie, but this is my favorite version of the song. Josh Groban’s voice is so smooth and the melody behind it is more pronounced, which I also love. And it just makes me feel all loverly inside... Yeah. Everything about it is just gorgeous.

So what’d you think of the song? Also, unrelated sidenote, but the eclipse today. Were you able to watch it? My family and I stepped out for a few minutes, just as we came close to totality (about 90% where we live) and it was so cool to see. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the song! See you in the comment section!

Quick writing update: I FINISHED EDITING MY BOOK !!! I’m super excited, because that was my one big summer goal for writing and I finished ...

Quick writing update: I FINISHED EDITING MY BOOK!!! I’m super excited, because that was my one big summer goal for writing and I finished just before school starts for me (Monday!). So, yeah. I'm lowkey thrilled about that. ;)

ANYWAYS!!

Mysterious Search Terms by Shar. She had some really awesome search terms, I gotta tell you. And her reactions are on point, lol. (Also, don’t forget to wish her and Shanti a happy blogoversary!!! Virtually Read is one of my favorite book blogs, so totally check it out if you haven’t yet. :) )

Why I Relate to the Psalms by Sofia. In which she shares the incredible truth and constantly needed reminder that God always hears our prayers, even when it feels like He’s silent.

My First Writing Conference by Keturah and Realm Makers 2017 Report by Victoria. In which they both make me wicked jealous, lol. This conference looks AMAZING, and I would love to be able to go someday.

Beautiful People #27 by Skye. This character though. This character.

In Praise of Uhura by Heather. Because Star Trek is awesome and Uhura is awesome, and you should totally read this post (and maybe rewatch Star Trek while you’re at it, which I may or may not have done. ;) )

Faithfulness by Faith Another beautiful post about the Fruit of the Spirit, and a perfect example of the One who does it best.

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Well, that’s it for this week! Have you gotten any weird search terms? Visited any writing conferences? Hope you enjoy the posts, and I’ll see you in the comment section!

So, don’t get me wrong. This century has a lot of problems; I won’t bother listing them because, frankly, some of us might disagree as to w...

So, don’t get me wrong. This century has a lot of problems; I won’t bother listing them because, frankly, some of us might disagree as to what they actually are, but that isn’t the point of this post anyway. The point is this century has issues. People in this century have issues. This country, America, has issues, and so does probably every other country in the world. Sometimes, a little complaining is justified, even helpful: it’s often cathartic, plus acknowledging the problems is the first step towards fixing them, towards a change that will make this century, this country, and this world even better.

But sometimes, it’s time to try that old trick of counting our blessings just to remind ourselves of how good our lives actually are.

I was thinking recently about the many new inventions we enjoy: advances in science and medicine, some that just make our lives a little more convenient, like computers, GPS, or microwaves, and some that actually keep our lives from ending! Two of my brothers are diabetic, but with the help of insulin and other advancements, they get to live. And they get to live far better lives than they would have last century, or the one before that, or whenever it was that “the good old days” occurred. Not even to mention the fact that we’re black and, even for the issues that are still there, things are honestly better for us now than they have ever been in history. Religious freedom wasn’t always available, and maybe it isn’t perfect, but we’re not getting tarred and feathered, burned at the stake, or anything close in America, and that is seriously saying something. We have incredible access to knowledge: today, we don’t have to travel ten miles in the blazing sun or ten-foot snow to learn most things. It’s all right there, somewhere in the great, big interweb, and it only takes a Google search to find it.

Then there are things like laptops and YA books and book blogs and YouTube and pop music and superhero movies and Khan Academy and Wal-Mart and Netflix and Amazon and Facebook groups and internet friends, and all the other awesome everyday things we take for granted. The fact that I can curl up on my bed with this skinny, little, notebook-like machine, open it up, press a button, and the machine lights up, like a mini star, is pretty cool in and of itself. But it gets better. Then I can load up a “program” (that I don’t actually understand but can still use, because of the century we live in), press a bunch of little buttons on my little machine, and words just materialize in front of me. And then I log onto the internet (another thing I don’t actually understand but can still use), press another couple of buttons and these virtual words just appear, somewhere in the universe, so that people literally all over this world can read what I have to say. Anyone who has “internet access” can have my little words show up on their little machine, as it lights up like a mini-star, and they can discover what some teen girl in middle-of-nowhere Virginia wants to say to them. They can comment and interact with me and we can actually have a conversation, both of us in the comfort of our own homes, hundreds or even thousands of miles apart. One of my best friends and I haven’t seen each other since May, but we still talk at least once a week; I have friends in three countries and I-don’t-even-know-how-many-states, and for all of this, it doesn’t take but a second for us to communicate.

That. Is. Amazing.

And it’s only possible because we live right here. Right now. In the midst of crappy 2017 with all of its various difficulties and political problems and social justice issues and everything else that is wrong with this world. Yes, there are parts of this century that suck. Yes, parts of it are even dangerous. But today, I’d still like you to smile. You’re reading this post, and that in and of itself is pretty amazing. 😊

Everything about Hollyn’s music just makes me so happy, lol. I love the sound and rhythm of them, but her songs always hold so much truth t...

Everything about Hollyn’s music just makes me so happy, lol. I love the sound and rhythm of them, but her songs always hold so much truth too, so it’s not just a cool beat: it’s a cool beat plus vital things for us to remember.

Lovely, for instance. I think I’ve mentioned before that, throughout my teen years, I’ve experienced a lot of body image issues, particularly so when I was younger. I didn’t have Lovely in the thick of that, but songs and other reminders of this nature are so important when you struggle with this. The reminder that, literally, no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no exceptions, He calls you Lovely. And when our minds are steeped in doubt, we have to take that moment to sit and soak and meditate on that wonderful knowledge. :)

So what’d you think of the song? Have one with great music and a great message to share with me? Can’t wait to hear from you, and I’ll see you in the comment section!

So for the first time in forever, Posts of the Week is back! I’m hoping to do this bi-weekly instead of weekly, to give me enough time to...

So for the first time in forever, Posts of the Week is back! I’m hoping to do this bi-weekly instead of weekly, to give me enough time to both write my own posts and read enough of other people’s to do a compilation, but yeah. The idea is that POTW (technically Posts of the Last Two Weeks, but that is nowhere near as catchy) is back in business. :)

How Blogging Has Changed the Way I Read by Shar.  So technically, this one came out two months ago. But I saved it when I read it originally, because I thought it was really thought-provoking and I knew I wanted to share it the next time I did a POTW. So here is the next time I’m doing a POTW. If you haven’t checked it out yet, give it a read. :)

What Delivery Guys From Macys Taught Me by C. Lee Mckenzie. It’s so interesting the amount of things in our real lives that can relate to writing, and I think all of these, particularly the professionalism, are vital for writers to remember. :)

Jack Sparrow’s Beach Day by Skye. This photo shoot is absolutely wonderful! Listen to the song as you marvel over the pics, lol. You won’t regret this.

Goodness: A Good Thing? By Faith. I was blown away by the simplicity and truth of this post about the Fruit of the Spirit. It is so brilliantly eye-opening.

When You Fix a Plothole by Saphira. I’m absolutely in love with her gifs and pics, lol. This is hilarious!

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Well, that’s it for this week! What are some lessons you’ve learned in life that applied to writing? Last horrific plot hole you had to fix? Haha, hope you enjoy the above posts and I’ll see you in the comment section!