My Book is Published {Say What?!}

So, yeah. Yesterday, World Suicide Prevention Day, Faith Potts and I released our novels to the world.

Wow.

You can find out more HERE.

(Oh, there's also a giveaway . . . )

Cover Reveal {Beloved + Freedom}

GUYSSSSS IT'S HERE.

THE COVER IS BEING REVEALED TODAY.

Nah, I'm not excited. It just seems that way.

YEAH ANYWAY.

I've made so many covers for this baby that I loved, and thought that would be the final, but then realized that no, it wasn't the right one. But y'all, I've finally got one I'm utterly in love with.

You're chomping at the bit to see this baby, yes? Well, don't let me hold you back any longer! *drum roll* I now present to you . . .

THE COVER!!!

About the book:

Life hurts.

Cara Richards just doesn’t care anymore. Alone and unloved, she decides that there’s only one response to the nightmare that has become her life.

When an unwelcome intervention disrupts Cara’s plans, her life is changed in a way that she never imagined. Regardless of how tough she believes herself to be, she’s unprepared for another foster family. She’s even less prepared for five foster brothers, one of whom is convinced that God is the answer to all of her problems. Though she prides herself on a resilient heart, her life continues to spiral into a world full of questions.

Is death really the answer? Does God actually care? Can everyone truly be loved, no matter what?

Add on Goodreads

Nope, not excited at all . . .

So, as something super fun, Faith and I each ordered a copy of our books just for this special occasion! In case, ya know, you'd like to see the spine, back, and a bit of the inside. ;)

Prepare to be bombarded with pics because I'm kinda in love with this and I did a photo shoot on a GORGEOUS evening.

*allllll the heart eyes*

'Cause, I mean, ya gotta see the back. It's almost more beautiful than the front, in my opinion

Shouldn't put the author name in black . . . oh well

*More heart eyes*

My first attempt at formatting! I'm pretty pleased with it, myself. ;) If only this were the final draft...

And of course, what authoress would I be if I didn't take a selfie with my book, messy hair and all?

*squeals* *screams* Isn't it so beautiful??

If you'd like to see Faith's equally-beautiful cover (well, I mean, I'm kinda in love with mine, but I mean, hers is amazing too), visit her post! Seriously, y'all. It's g o r g e o u s.

There are also a good number of people helping us spread the news—and the covers!

Thank you to Rebekah M., Victoria, Faith B., Kara, Isabel, Kassie, Molly, Anita, A. Kaylee, Lily, Neey, Rebekah A., Angela, Izzy, Kaitlyn S., Shine, Merie, Rose, Abigail, and Elizabeth, for sharing the covers on your blogs! And another huge thank you to Kara, Raechel, Julia, Libby, A. Kaylee, Brooklyne, Neey, Victoria, Angela, Faith L., Faith B., Rosalyn, Karissa, Rose, and Joshua, the people who shared them on both Facebook and Instagram! To find their posts, look up this hashtag: 

#FreedomBelovedReveal.

One more thing before you go—as I've mentioned before, Faith and I are co-releasing late this summer. We've got a date for the blog tour, as well as a graphic! Be on the lookout for the sign-ups this summer.

Thanks for stopping by, y'all!

What's your opinion on the cover(s)? Which of my (epic) pictures is your favorite?

What's one of your favorite indie (self-published) covers?

Cover Reveal Sign-ups {Beloved + Freedom}

Hey peeps! GUESS WHAT. I'm co-hosting a cover reveal with the fabulous miss Faith Potts!! Are you as excited as I am to spread the word and reveal the covers for our WIPs Beloved and Freedom?? Yes? Well, if so, YOU can participate! If you'd like to be one of the first to see these beauties, simply fill out the form below!

Why are we co-releasing our covers? Well, since we're co-hosting a blog tour (Y'ALL WE HAVE A DATE), we decided that we'd release our covers together! Why a dual blog tour, you ask?? (Yes, you were asking. I heard you silently crying out the question in your soul. Don't deny it.) Well, I'm glad you asked! You see, both of our books deal with the topic of suicide. So what better date to release suicide-awareness books than together during Suicide Prevention Week, and specifically releasing on Suicide Prevention Day? September 10th, y'all. That's the day. Are you as excited as we are??

So yeah, first things first. Sign up to spread the news—and the cover pretties! Don't have a blog? No problem! If you have social media, then we want you as a part of the release team as well! Sign-ups close on the 25th, two weeks from today. Cover reveal is June 1st!

The Rising Authors Tag Revisited

Back in the day, I was tagged to do the Rising Author's Tag (you can see it here). Wow... reading through it recently, I realized how differently my writing style/habits have changed. So, I thought it might make a fun post to redo the tag, having both the old answers, and the new.

What's your favorite writing style? 

Old answer: Hmm… probably 3rd-person. And some 1st person.

New answer: Wow . . . since writing Beloved, I've grown to love 1st person. Yet I also love 3rd person. So, there's really not just one answer to this.

Where's do you usually sit to write? 

Old answer: Anywhere—the dining room, schoolroom, kitchen, etc. I'm not picky. I'm currently on the patio. :D

New answer: Still the same, haha! I mostly prefer the kitchen table, though, or an easy chair with a lap desk.

If you write for long periods of time, does it bother your fingers/wrists/hands?

Old answer: UGH, yes.  Mostly my wrists, but my hands get writer's cramp too.  Which really doesn't help at all with school. ;)

New answer: Mhmmmm. It's awful.

Do you snack while you write? If so, what's your favorite snack?

Old answer: Every once in awhile.  But when I do, I just LOVE Cheese-It's and Mediterranean Herb Pita crackers.  (Yes people, I am VERY specific.) ;)

New answer: Um actually, I probably snack even less than I used to. But yeah, my favorite snacks are probably still the same. If you add strawberry Twizzlers to the mix.

Are you published? If so, best publishing advice you've received? If not, do you want to be? 

Old answer: Nope.  And… I don't really know.  I think it would be fun to be published, but… it's not a priority.

New answer: Pretty sure y'all know the answer to this one! ;)

Writing/publishing wise, where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? 

Old answer: Umm… I really have no idea. ;P  Maybe still just sharing my stories with my friends?  Or maybe even posting them… ;)

New answer: Well, having Beloved published, obviously . . . but in five years? I really don't see myself publishing again anytime soon. In ten years? That's up to God, folks.

Do you listen to music while you write? 

Old answer: Not often.  I get distracted REALLY easily.

New answer: Hahahaaaaa, yeah, things have changed. I listen to music all. the. time. while I write.

What's your opinion of editing? 

Old answer: Well, I know several people who would say, "I HATE it!!", but I really can't say as I dislike it that much.  Of course, I haven't really edited enough to be sure. :P

New answer: It . . . has it's place. I enjoy it, when there's nothing major I have to change. If there's a lot of research to be done, I'll always be nervous that I've got the facts wrong, which makes the editing process more difficult.

Do you enjoy research? 

Old answer: Yes, I do; at least, when it comes to writing.  For school, not so much. ;P

New answer: My opinion of it is dwindling . . . much like I said in the last answer, I'm always scared that I don't have my facts right.

Do you fiddle with the font style and size of your works? 

Old answer: Nope.  Maybe the title, but… I've never tried it with everything else.

New answer: Some, yeah. I like to make my font super small, then after I've written for what seems like forever and it doesn't look like a whole lot, I change it to 'normal' size and see just how many pages I've written. ;)

And lastly, what's your thoughts on writerly tags? B-) 

Old answer: I love them.  That's all there is to it. B-)

New answer: I like 'em.

150-word story-snippet request: Can I see a piece of your writing? 

Old answer: Absolutely! :D  This is an excerpt from a story I wrote called Katie's War:

Mom looked up in surprise.  “Katie, I thought you were doing homework in your room.”
“I finished it.  Now, what does the telegram say?”
Mom slowly opened the telegram, unfolded the paper inside, and her face blanched.  “I-I have to sit down,” she said faintly.
Katie’s eyes widened with fright.  Something’s happened.  Dad or Jerry are dead.  Oh, God, please, no, no!  She squeezed her eyes shut to keep the tears in, placing her hand on the back of her mother’s chair.  “Shall I get Joey?”  
Mom nodded absently.  “I believe he’s in the backyard studying.”
Katie walked quickly through the house and opened the backdoor.  “Joey,” she called.
Josiah looked up with a smile that quickly vanished at the look on Katie’s face.  “What’s wrong, Kate?”
Katie bit her lip and swallowed hard.  “We... just got a telegram.  Mom didn’t tell me what it says, but Joey, a telegram…”

New answer: Mmkay, if you insist. This is from, you guessed it . . . Beloved.

I stop at a corner, waiting to cross, reaching the curb just before a woman and her little girl. The mother glances at me, narrows her eyes, and grabs her daughter’s hand. When the light turns green, she rushes ahead of me, adding credence to my theory that everyone is bigoted against anyone different from themselves.

My feet move almost without my bidding. Down the street, walking, walking . . . always walking. Never looking back. Crossing streets, dodging thieves. Not that I have anything worth stealing anyway. A person with no one to love, and no one to love them, isn’t worth anything to anybody.

Believe me, I know.

Well, I hope that my writing has improved some . . .

******

Well, how was that peek into my writing life? I hope you enjoyed my humiliation . . .

Wanted: Beta Readers

I'm finally doing it.

I'm asking for beta-readers for my novel, Beloved.

When I wrote this book a year and a half ago, the thought of asking for beta-readers was always in the back of my head, and I'm finally making that thought a reality. So yes, if you're interested in being a beta-reader . . . *points to form below*

Bonus points if you:

-Live in California, or are at least well-associated with it, particularly the west coast.

-Have any medical knowledge, particularly about concussions and drowning.

-Have any knowledge about foster care, particularly in California.

-Are good—and picky—at pointing out typos, flaws and inconsistencies.

If you fit any of these criteria, sign up!

If you're wondering what this book is about, here's the (unofficial) synopsis:

Life hurts.

Cara Richards just doesn't care anymore. Alone and unloved—or so she believes—she decides that there's only one answer to the nightmare that has become her life. But when an unwelcome intervention disrupts Cara's plans and turns her life in a direction she never imagined, she is faced with a decision. Is death really the answer?

Can everyone truly be loved, no matter what?

This book is feelsy and geared more toward girls that deal with depression. It is, as my brothers call it, a 'chick flick' (yeah, even though they've never even read it).

Ya interested? Just as a warning, signing up does not make you an official beta-reader. I'll let you know.

All that said, sign-ups end two weeks from today, on Saturday, February 16th.

(also, I completely redid the blog's look . . . whatcha think?)

Top Books of 2018 {Plus 2019 Goals}

So, I tried to narrow my favorite books down to one... but there were actually two that just really stuck out to me.
There were several books that I LOVED and rated 5 stars, and they each basically made me speechless (because c'mon, 5 stars?  It has to be good).  But there were two that just... ahhhh, I loved them so. very. much.

What are these two books, you ask?  Well, *grins* lemme show you.

    

Blaze of Glory by Jeff Struecker and Angels Walking by Karen Kingsbury.

Oh. my. word, y'all.  Okay, so I was so surprised by Angels Walking.  I had been told that it was amazing.  I'd been urged by a good friend to read it, but as I knew that Karen Kingsbury writes romance, I was rather hesitant.  I mean... romance.  But.  Wowwwwww, I was kinda shocked at how much I loved it.  Allllll the feeellllsssss.  I've recently acquired an appreciation for feelsy stories and this one is definitely worth a re-read.

So, Blaze of Glory.  I enjoy intense books, and um this book delivered.  I checked it out of the library on a whim because I thought the cover looked cool (and because the author is military so I knew the military aspect would be epic).  Well... it was... incredible.  If I hadn't known better, I would've thought that I literally went on a rollercoaster, it was so intense.  But it was amazing.  And the spiritual aspect. <3

So yes, my two favorite books from the year were actually basically opposites, which is interesting but cool. (Also I got Blaze of Glory—the whole series, actually—for Christmas, and a candle that SMELLS LIKE A BOOKSTORE AND IT'S SO AMAZING)

******

Okay, now 2019 goals.

Right about now is the time that everyone is making their New Year's resolutions—a new year, a fresh start at becoming more, becoming better.

I've never made New Year's resolutions.  Why?  Because the definition of a resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something.  Resolutions take determination, y'all.  And while I get that determination and perseverance can be good things, I didn't want the burden of knowing that if I messed up one of my resolutions I'd feel like a failure, which basically reverses the effects that resolutions are supposed to have.

So, I came up with an alternative: goals.  Because I know I'm a work-in-progress, and by God's grace I'm going to continue to improve every day.  It's the same thing with my goals.  Rather than making a resolution, I made several goals to work towards rather than piling it on top of myself all at once.  So I'd like to share with you a few goals I have for the new year.

1. (Tentatively) Publish Beloved.

Okay, so yeah, this may or may not happen.  But *crosses fingers* Lord willing, I'll put the hammer down and stop procrastinating.  This poor baby has gone through (and is going through) so many changes, it'll be a miracle if I get it ready for publication by 2090.  But I'm going to try. ;)

2. Exercise at least 4 days out of every week.
Those who know me well know that I'm seriously so out of shape, it isn't even funny.  So since Mom got a membership at the local gym, I'll hopefully get going regularly with her, as well as exercising at home.  Because goodness knows I need it.

3. Read at least 60 books.
So according to Goodreads, this year I've only read 76 out of my 90-book goal this year, which is sad, but it also means that I haven't spent as much time with my nose in a book (or I'm just not as fast a reader as I used to be... but I refuse to accept that), so that's good, right?  So I thought I'd let off some pressure and rather than shoot for the stars on this one, I'd shoot for... well, the neighbor's yard, I guess.  (Living out in the country, that's not exactly close...)

4. Blog consistently.
Um maybe by the end of the year I'll actually master this one?  Because while I obviously need help in the consistent blogging department, I've been doing better lately, and maybe I'll just have to designate a few days this year to just write like 20 posts at a time and schedule them and possibly actually publish a post every week.

5. Write at least 50,000 words.
Well, seeing as how I probably wrote barely 10K this year, this might not happen, especially if I'm going to be dedicating a bunch of time to Beloved.  Buuuut we'll give it a whirl.  I mean, hundreds of people write this much in one month alone (NaNo, anyone?) and surely I can do it in the span of 12 months... right?

6. Create a 2019 playlist.
Now, this is an idea that I kinda halfways stole from a blog I follow, but I thought it was a neat idea.  I love music, and I'm constantly listening to music or singing or playing piano or just playing a song in my head over and over (I don't recommend that though, unless you want to get really tired of that song really fast).  I'm not sure how I'll do this, maybe a song per week, or when something significant happens.



7. Finish reading through the Bible.
I started this for school this past semester, and I'm actually supposed to get 3/4 of the way done by the time next semester is over, so I'd hope this would happen... but I guess ya never know.  Maybe I should shoot for reading through the Bible again after I finish...

8. Memorize at least 20 Bible verses.
I don't memorize nearly as much as I should, and I'll hopefully step up my game this year.  I've never really cared that much for memorization (unless it's music that I accidentally memorize by listening to a specific song over and over), so not only will this increase my knowledge of the Bible, it'll also bring me out of my comfort zone.

******

Yeah... that's a lot of goals.  We'll see how I do!  I might write an update post this summer... we shall see.
Do you have any goals/resolutions for 2019?

Character Q&A Answers {Beloved}

Now, the moment you've been waiting for.
The character I will be interviewing is.......

Erich Carlos!

Erich, tell us a bit about yourself.

Well, I'm a born-again Christian, the second child adopted by the Carlos family, and the one with rugged good looks.

Oh really?  Well, we'll see what your brothers say about that.
We received a few questions for you from Kara—

She already knows about me.

No, my sister.  Kara.  Your Cara is spelled differently.

Oh.  Okay then.

What is your favorite color?

I'd say something fancy like aquamarine or magenta, but then I'd start sounding like Fergus and I don't really want to do that.  That guy needs help.
But no, my favorite color is Blue.

What character in the book are you closest to?

Wow... I don't know.  My entire family is pretty close to me.  Cara.  Kade, my coworker.  They're all important to me.

That's a lot of people.

What can I say?  I'm a lovable guy.

Mmm... moving on.

What is your personality type?

...what?

Hang on.
*15 minutes later*

Okay, after about 100 pointless questions digging into my personality, we've determined that I'm an ESFJ.  Whatever that is.

It means you're extraverted, sensing, feeling, and judging.

Which means...?

You're popular and love socializing.

Oh.  Okay.

Hey, you share a personality type with Harry Truman!

Well hooray for President Truman.

What role do you play in the story?

Erich.  I play Erich.

You know what she means.

Fine.  I'm Cara's older foster brother, and I also *censored*

Sorry, can't having you give away spoilers.

Well, you're no fun.  What kind of an author are you, if you won't even give away minor spoilers?

A good one. *halo*

How do you influence the story?

Um... by living?  I'm not sure what else to say here without being censored again.

Well now, you're catching on.

What is your middle name?

That was random.  My middle name is Isaac, if you really have to get that personal.

Annnnd, that's all the questions!

Really?  Hallelujah!  I was beginning to think I'm not going to have any more secrets.

*grins* it's the price you pay for being in my book.

That wasn't even my choice.

Well... that point could be argued.  But I won't say any more about it.
Thanks so much for coming, Erich!

Hey, don't mention it.  I actually enjoyed myself.
Well, except for when you censored me.
That was just rude.

Yeah... sorry 'bout that.
Anyway, maybe we'll see you again sometime. :)

Of course I will.  All the girls love me.

Hahaha, goodbye, Erich.

Just one more thing—on a more serious note, you're loved.  God loves you.  More than anything.  Don't strive for others' love.  Strive for His.

On that excellent note, I will sign off.

Character Q&A {Beloved}

Every author is always ready to share all things possible about their books (even though I'll become completely tongue-tied if you walk up to me and ask me what my book is about).  So of course I'll be doing multiple posts about Beloved, since... well... I'm a writer.  Therefore, rather than do a regular character spotlight, I thought I might do a character Q&A, since my last Q&A got a good response.

I'll put a poll up on the sidebar so y'all can vote on which character you want, and then you can comment your questions.
If you don't know exactly who these characters are, I guess you'll just have to wait until the questions are answered.

So choose wisely. B-)

Your choices are:

-Fergus

-Kade
-Cara

-Erich

-Mrs. Carlos

-Peter
-Ashley

Feel free to ask any questions you like, but I retain the right to refuse any questions for any reason.

Or, rather, the characters do.
Deadline is Sunday, May 20!

Beloved {My Book}

As promised, here I will tell you allll about my book.  And share lots of snippets.

And maybe a character spotlight.

So.  Without further ado, I present... my book, Beloved.

The unofficial cover ;)

Sixteen-year-old Cara Richards can't seem to figure out what she wants.

Alone and unloved—or so she believes—she decides that there's only one answer to the nightmare that's become her life.  When an unwanted intervention disrupts Cara's plans and turns her life in a direction she never imagined, she must make a decision.  Is death really the answer?

Can everyone truly be loved, no matter what?

It was a late-July evening, when I was out in the garden with a watering hose in one hand and the phone in the other, browsing Pinterest (Yes, watering the garden is BORING. XD), and I came across this pin:

So... I think, at some point in their lives, every girl (others too, but this is geared more for gals) goes through at least some insecurity.  And I, being no exception, have dealt with it, too.

But my point for writing this book is not a pity party.  

Sure, the protagonist is incredibly sorry for herself, but that's not the reason I wrote it.

I wrote this book because girls need to hear, again and again, how priceless they are in God's sight.

This isn't a love that lets us do anything and everything we want—we misbehave, and get punished for it.  But we are loved.

ANYWAY.  

On to the rest of the post.

Snippets:

His head comes up and he cocks his head.  “In a little financial trouble, are you?”

I nod.  I meet his eyes, my own filling.  “My mom kicked me out of the house, and I’m so alone, and…” I let my voice trail off, sniffing.

He rakes a hand through his hair.  “Then can I… is it all right if I pray for you?”

Oh good, I happened to pick a religious person.  “Sure.” I nod.

He folds his hands, elbows resting on his knees, and closes his eyes.  I follow suit.  “Dear Heavenly Father, Who knows all our needs and wants, I come to You today to lay your hand of protection and providence over this young lady I have sitting with me here.  Give her guidance as only You can, and show her how much You love her.  In Your Son’s name, amen.”  He sits up straight and smiles at me.  “May God bless you.”

That’s it?  No ‘let me help you pay for your ticket’ or ‘can I help you to where you’re going?’  Lovely, I’m gonna have to resort to plan B.

*****

The water laps at my feet.  Surprised by the chill, I do a little dance, then inch forward again.

The water rises to my ankles, then my shins.  My knees; my thighs; my waist.

It’s coming up to my neck.  Oh, it’s so cold.  I shiver—from both the cold and from the anticipation—and keep going.  The contrast is strange—the sun heating the top of my hair, the water chilling me to the bone under the surface.  I hold my breath.  My mouth goes under.  My nose.  My eyes…  I’m underneath, the water filling my ears and prying at my eyelids.  I keep going, though I’m half-floating.  I let myself sink.  

I’m running out of breath, and I automatically open my mouth to suck in some air but all I get is a lungful of water.  My eyes fly open while I begin to panic, inducing tears to flow from my stinging eyes and mingle with the salty water.  Is this what drowning feels like for everyone?  

The awful-tasting water slides down my throat in a painful trickle, then in gulps.  I begin to kick, despite my intentions.  I’m choking, and my arms thrash about.  Black spots appear in my vision and gradually block out everything else.  I feel my body going limp.  Yes, this is it.  I’m going to die.

I feel something grab a hold of my arm and yank it, but I can barely feel it, much less register the pain; my mind won’t focus.  Finally, I can feel myself falling into the welcoming dark abyss of unconsciousness.  Death, here I come; are you ready for me?

*****

I scream.

The visions of a bright blue, sunny sky vanish as reality—cold, freezing reality—breaks into my senses.  I scramble out of bed, nearly falling face-first to the floor in my haste to crawl out of my ice-filled bed.

“Ready to go?”  Erich’s annoyingly amused voice greets my ear.  I hop to my feet, glaring with all I’m worth.  

“I swear, Erich, I’ll—”

“—Kill me?  Yeah, I’ve gotten that reaction a time or two before.”  Erich waves my empty, unfinished threat away with the flick of his hand.  “I knew I’d never get you to church otherwise.”

I inch toward my bed, hoping my movements are subtle enough that he won’t realize I’m drawing closer to my weapon.  Suddenly I spring into my sheets, ignoring the bone-chilling cold that chills through my bare feet.  Gathering several chunks of ice in my fists, I hurl them at Erich, who tries to duck, but fails when a piece knocks him in the forehead.  I heave the blocks as hard and as fast as I can, basking in the satisfaction that most of my ammunition finds its mark.

Erich holds up his hands.  “I give, I give!”

I pause, hand cocked in midair, ready to fire at the slightest sign of hostility.

From his lying position on the floor, Erich scrambles to his knees.  “I knew it wouldn’t be easy,” he said, “but good grief, Cara, can you make this any harder?”

I raise an eyebrow.  You have no idea how hard I can make this, buddy.  I lower my arm a little, not yet willing to trust him.

With good reason.  He suddenly dives to the side, out of vision from my perch.  I crane my neck, then squeal with pain and surprise when hands suddenly clasp my arms behind my back, then bind them together with something—probably Erich’s leather belt.  

Once my hands are tied, he grabs the back of my collar and dumps ice down my spine.  My back arches involuntarily, and my body convulses at the temperature shock.  
“Give up?”  Erich’s voice hisses in my ear.

My stubborness kicks in.  “Never,” I whisper through teeth clenched to keep them from chattering.

“All right, we’ll do this the hard way.”  Another avalanche of ice slides down my nightshirt, then another.

Finally I can’t take it anymore.  “All right, all right, I’ll go to church with you!”

*****

Once they’re gone, Erich shudders.  “I hate it when she pinches my cheek.”

“That’s exactly why she does it, Brother.”  For good measure, Peter reaches over to tweak Erich’s cheek and dances out of reach.

Erich whirls.  “So help me, I’ll—” he doesn’t finish his sentence, leaving me to wonder exactly what he’ll do.  Peter just laughs and disappears into the dining room.

“That bonehead,” Erich mutters, returning to the dishes.  We work in silence for a moment, until he takes on a high-pitched voice and British accent.  “Whenever someone cooks, there’s always pots to wash.”  He scrunches his shoulders, gives a girly giggle, and shoots me an exaggerated grin.  “And that’s my job today!”  He begins to sing, “I like washing pots, that’s what I do; I scrub the food away and make them shine too!”  

I stare at him, hands poised in midair with a dripping plate dangling from my fingers.

“I hold them up for an inspection, because I like to see my own reflection in a nice, clean pot.”  He gives me one glance and throws his head back with a laugh.  “Cara, you should see the look on your face!”

No thank you, I’d prefer not to see myself looking like a gaping idiot.

“Lame, Erich.  Real lame.”  Fergus, finished with his sweeping, grabs a towel off the counter and snaps it at Erich’s behind.  Erich spins around and locks his sopping, sud-caked hands on Fergus’s hair.  “Oh yeah?  Think you can do better, huh?”

Fergus rolls his eyes and twists out of Erich’s grasp.  “Well, I can certainly do better than a little kids’ TV show song.”  He frowns, cocking his head.  “Come to think of it, how do you know that song?”
“Don’t ask.”  Erich rolls his eyes, chuckling.  

*****

Suddenly an arm slips around my middle and abruptly jerks me back under the water almost before I catch and hold my breath.  Once I rise again to the surface, I can barely keep myself from attacking Fergus.  I give him a glare that would fry eggs.  “And what was that for?”

He smirks.  “You need a little spice in your life.”

I roll my eyes and turn away, then quickly spin back around, scooping water into cupped hands.  I fling the liquid in Fergus’s face and grunt in satisfaction when he gasps in pain, rubbing the brine from his eyes.

“Don’t mess with me.”  I shoot him a heated look.

He returns the glare.  “Just because you don’t tolerate my intolerance, doesn’t mean I have to tolerate your intolerance of my intolerance.”  He pauses and frowns.  “And that… barely made sense.  But I think—I hope—I got my point across.”  Folding his arms, Fergus shifts his weight to one hip and raises an eyebrow.  “I’m going for my best irritated Cara look.  How’m I doing?”

I slug his arm—hard—and dive at his legs.

“Hey, what the—” his words are cut off as his head is submerged under the water.  The wake created nearly knocks me off my feet, and once I regain my balance he’s reemerged and launches himself at me, arms spread wide.  I scramble to get out of the way, but my feet simply slide around on the shifting sand.  Fergus’s body comes down on me like a deadweight, dragging me back under the surface.  I let out one squeal before I hold my breath.  When I resurface, something strange comes out of my mouth—something I never thought I’d hear myself do again.

*****

Yes, that’s what this is:  an unrealistic novel, written by something out to destroy me, designed by nightmares from my childhood.

Nightmares, Cara?  Really?  Since when did you have nightmares about a quirky family in California that make you actually consider laughing?

Shut up, Martha.  Correction: they try to make me consider laughing.  For the record, I don’t think it’s working very well.

Yeah, sure, go ahead and tell yourself that.  But you are changing, aren’t you?  You’re definitely not who you used to be, Cara Richards.  You can’t deny that.

Quiet, Martha; I can deny anything I want, whenever I want to.  Granted, I don’t necessarily want to kill myself any more—the boys are too amusing to keep from seeing who’s going to make a fool out of themselves next—but that hardly means that I actually like the people.

Oh yeah?  Prove it.

*****

He grabs my shoulders.  “No, Cara, that’s not true; you know that’s not true.”  He gives me a violent shake.  “I love you, y’hear me?  I love you.”

I gaze at his face, his features blurred by the tears swimming in my eyes.  “But why?  Why would you love me?”

He pulls me into his embrace again.  “Because you bug me; duh.”  He chuckles.  “Actually, it’s more than that.”  His voice turns serious.  “I love you, not as a girlfriend, not even as just a friend, but as a sister—a sister in Christ.  And that makes you priceless.”

“My mother didn’t love me.”  My voice is small, betraying my insecurity.  “What kind of a girl is priceless if her own mom doesn’t love her?”

“I don’t pretend to know what goes on in the mind of your mother,” he replies, “but I know one thing: everyone is precious in the eyes of God.  We’re mortals; we can’t see what He sees.  But Cara, when He looks at you…” he breaks into a grin and studies the leaves, as if they possess the words he’s looking for.  “When He looks at you, Cara, I think He points at you and says, ‘she’s Mine, and I love her more than words can say.  I bought her, I redeemed her with My Son’s blood, and I claim her as my own.’  Words can’t even begin to describe the depth of love He has for us.  Our minds can’t fathom it.”

*****

Okay, that's all the snippets, I promise! XD

Pins from the Pinterest storyboard:

     

My sweet writing partner took this pic for me when she went to the beach! <3

Ever heard of a book's soundtrack?  It's like a movie soundtrack, only... for books. XD  When I find a song that I like and that seems to fit my book pretty well, I'll save it to my playlist.  Here's a few:

Beloved - Jordan Feliz

You are Being Loved - Steven Curtis Chapman

Drops in the Ocean - Hawk Nelson

Tears - Matt Hammitt

Priceless - For King & Country

There you are, folks!  Interested? ;)
~Kaitlyn