Happy Friday, y’all! It’s the last Friday before ACFW Conference, so I’m what my friends call nerv-cited, which is a tiny bit of nervous and a whole lot of excited. My husband just got back from 10 days away for work and play. Don’t feel bad — he was in HAWAII. Here’s what’s been going on in this neck of the woods:
You guessed it. More from the editing cave, working on my novella, and prepping for conference. I’m going through the manuscript and toning down the villain in one of my characters and changing a work situation for my hero this week.
This is a little peek of my one-sheet mock-up where I played with images, fonts, and colors. The final version looks much different than this, but it was sure fun, especially with these fonts.
Celebrations are in order for my beloved writing sister, Anne! She announced her first book contract this week, a novella in a new Gilded Age collection from Barbour Publishing. I couldn’t be more proud of her!
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I started Present over Perfect by Shauna Niequist. It is life changing. Life. Changing. A few weeks ago, I posted about my need for more rest/Selah in my life, and this book unpacks why. It’s perfect for the people pleasers and hustlers, making sure we keep a healthy perspective on our work and life and sanity.
Speaking of sanity, I finally ordered these Tombow Dual Brush Pens on an Amazon lightning deal. I’ve been eyeing them for months and falling down so many Instagram and YouTube rabbit trails that showcase the magic of these pens. I can’t wait to practice my lettering with them!
Last but not least, if you’ve wondered where I’ve been lately, the answer is the Olympics. I am definitely an avid Olympics fan — ever since 1996, and even though my US Women soccer team got eliminated early, I had so much fun watching gymnastics and swimming and track. You know how much of a sucker I am for a good story, and every single one of these athletes has literally worked their entire life for this moment! The resilience and bravery and fierce prowess of these individuals are super inspiring — especially the moms!
<< link love >>
- New podcast recommendation for women! Anyone who grew up in the Golden Age of Christian Contemporary Music will recognize the name Christy Nockels of Watermark. I love her music and now I love her podcast. She has the best guests and begins each episode with a fantastic devotional-style segment. I always feel relaxed and refreshed after I listen 🙂
- Regardless of your political beliefs, every proper book nerd should be at least a little bit curious about President Obama’s TBR pile…
- I love the concept of tiny goals and the big things they accomplish. Shaunta Grimes wrote about this for Jeff Goins’ blog!
- In the mood for a yummy new dessert to try? Check out these Double Chocolate Raspberry Stuffed Cookies from How Sweet Eats. I die.
<< in case you missed it >>
- The lovelies at Coffee Cups & Camisoles were kind enough to host me this week! We talked about happily ever after and authentic love in romance fiction!
- I also shared a glimpse of the places I work on #workspacewednesday!
- Keep your eyes open because next week, I’ll be joining the Authors’ Open House with Teresa Tysinger!
Have an awesome weekend — and if you think about it, please say a prayer for everyone going to ACFW 2016!
