Day 30 | Changes & Succeses

Day 30 and I've made it!!  I hit 50,015 words at 12:58pm today and am super happy with the novels progress so far.  I've gone through some suspenseful situations, a little bit of romance, and I'm almost to the big action scene I'm wondering how I'm going to write (#writerproblems right??).

I am super excited to keep up as much of the momentum as I can in order to finish this book by the end of December.  I think it's completely possible and, for once, I'm not burnt out at from NaNoWriMo.  For some reason, this year has gone more smoothly than the last 4 years and I feel like I've been even busier this month than any previous.  I guess the sayings are true - if you want something done, give it to a busy person ;)

In addition to all of this, maybe you've noticed my blog changing from day to day?  I apologize for that! I had decided to "freshen" it up a bit and made the necessary change but then suddenly the formatting was all off.  I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for it (more than likely having to do with my lack of true tech skills...) but I decided, rather than fight it, I'd change it again.  Hopefully it hasn't thrown many of you off.

Thank you all for coming with me on this amazing journey through National Novel Writing Month and I hope that next year some of you will join me?  I'll leave you with the cover that I created for this years novel - it's just something I whipped up for fund but I thought I'd share anyway!  Be on the look out for more about this book and some fun character sketches too!  Have a wonderful weekend :)

Day 29 | The home stretch

I closed last night at 46,718 words at Chapter 18.  Yes, that means only 3,282 words left (in 2 days).  I think I can handle that seeing as how I've done 4,000 in one day at one point to catch up (hehe).  So far my journey through NaNoWriMo hasn't been quite as eventful as past years.  I haven't fallen too far behind at any one point - though there was a time where it was getting dangerously close to almost 5,000 words behind and I needed to 'kick it into gear' to get that down.

From this side of the next two days (including today) I feel confident.  As long as nothing major happens - that is, I keep all my fingers - I think I should cross the finish line sometime early Friday morning or even late Thursday night.  The fact that it has been raining recently also greatly increases my writing desires!  At the point in time when I cross that invisible finish line, I fully expect you all to cheer with me, even if that's just you in front of your computer doing a little dance.  Hey, I'll take what I can get.

I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate all of you who have supported me either through "like's" on Facebook  or texts/emails to encourage me.  A big shout-out to my roommie for putting up with never  seeing me (though, in our case that's not an uncommon thing seeing as how we are both pretty busy).

I'm also excited to announce that I'll be guest blogging on my NaNo experience on my friend Anne's fun blog A Pew Perspective on December 7th.  Something for you all to look forward to.  I'll be putting up my own celebration and reflective post on Friday (that is, if all goes well - those fingers and all) but I'll go more into depth on her blog about some valuable things that I've learned.

Anywhoo, thanks (as always) for stopping by!  It was so great to have Cheri Swalwell on the blog yesterday for {Writer Wednesday} (check out her post HERE if you missed it) and I look forward to the great lineup for the rest of this year an on into next. You'll want to make stopping by for {Writer Wednesday} a habit - trust me!

Cheri Swalwell {Writer Wednesday}

I'm blessed to have Cheri Swalwell on the blog today - take a few minutes to get to know this wonderful author.

Cheri Swalwell is a wife, mother, and avid reader, but first and foremost she is a Christ follower. She has a degree in Psychology and has been blessed to be a guest on a variety of blogs including Christiandevotions.us, Circle of Friends, and Crosswalk.com/family. She is a regular contributor to book fun magazine. If you want to hear more about the heart she has for marriage, parenting, and relationships from a Christian perspective, feel free to visit her blog HERE  or “like” her on Facebook. She loves to interact with her readers, feel free to email her too!
 

 Author Interview | Cheri Swalwell

You and Writing

Tell us a little bit about yourself:  How did you start writing?  What has kept you writing?

My journey with words might be a little different than most writers. I have created stories in my head since elementary school as a way to keep myself entertained.  I dabbled in writing after college where I finished a book but never pursued publishing.  About five years ago, I prayed to God asking Him to show me His purpose for my life.  I wanted my life to make a difference for Him and His kingdom and wanted Him to show me what He wanted me to do.  I promised to be obedient whatever the answer.  To my surprise, this is the path He led me down.  As a result of my obedience, He has opened so many doors and given me so much assurance that I’m where He wants me.  Until God shows me something different, this is the path I will continue to walk.  And, the best part is, when I started following God’s desire for my life, I received a peace and a passion that was missing before.  It doesn’t mean the road is easy, but there is a calm that can’t be shaken. 

Your Writing

Tell us a little bit about your book or what you’re working on currently? Why are you/did you write it?

      Mantle Rock Publishing released my first devotional, A 40 Day Habit Between Friends: Taking It to the Next Level, on November 20th in ebook format on Amazon.com. November 28th or November 29th, the printed version should also be available on Amazon.com.   Around December 1st, my second devotional will be for sale: A 40 Day Habit Between Friends: Because They Need You, first in ebook format and then in printed form.  The paperback books of each devotional are perfect stocking stuffers for the holidays, a way to give encouragement and hope and help your friends and family as they consider their own relationship with the God we serve.  They are short, sweet, and meant as conversations that we would have if we were taking a walk around the neighborhood, sitting at our children’s practice, or having coffee together. 

      A 40 Day Habit Between Friends: Taking It to the Next Level is a general devotional.  It offers encouragement for relationships, marriage issues, and just general spiritual questions that we all wrestle with from time to time.  A 40 Day Habit Between Friends: Because They Need You is geared toward parents and deals with situations that we all face as we raise our children in today’s society.  Each devotional is meant to encourage, challenge, and offer hope in a variety of situations that we might find ourselves in from time to time. 

      These devotionals were originally written as part of my blog.  I received so much positive feedback that I felt led to group them together and offer them as a book to be given as gifts to hurting friends, family members, or just to offer encouragement to those in need.  I chose to offer forty at a time since it takes forty days to create a habit and my prayer is that when you have finished this devotional, you will want to continue pursuing a relationship with God or perhaps deepen a relationship that you already have with Him.  The whole purpose of these devotionals is to give people an opportunity to draw closer to God while being offered hope and encouragement from a friend.  

I have a few more projects that I am working on that I’m excited about as well. One is a nonfiction book that God laid on my heart to write dealing with miscarriage, stillbirth, and the death of a child, and the other project is writing women’s fiction.  I feel blessed that God started this journey for me with devotionals and can’t wait to see what He has in store next.

Writing  
When you write, what is your overall intention with your stories? 

      When I first started my blogs, my intent was to share, in an authentic way, my relationship with my personal God and why I choose to live a life that pleases Him.  Ideas for blogs would come from the strangest sources.  For instance, while watering our garden one summer day, I thought about how my husband and I are similar to spaghetti squash.  Another day, while doing chores around the house, God brought an analogy to mind for me regarding laundry and mowing the lawn in regards to marriage.  Another time, when upset about an accident my daughter had, I realized that I truly was thankful for her bruises after all.  I desire to share my heart with others and this is the best way that I have found, for me, to do that.  I have such a passion for God and He continually teaches me so much that instead of keeping it to myself, I want others to experience that joy for themselves as well.  Most importantly, though, is that people see my authenticity.  I am the same whether we run into each other at the store, smile and catch up at church, a school function, or meet for the very first time.  I make mistakes, I’m not perfect, but with God’s grace, I’m growing and learning and hopefully improving a little each day.  My desire is that my children will see that while I have areas I still need to improve, I’m willing to admit them and work at “taking it to the next level” in all areas of my life. Then, when they are navigating life, they will be less afraid to admit their weaknesses and instead focus more on living authentically than covering up their mistakes.

You
What is your favorite thing about the Christmas season?

I love everything about the Christmas season.  I love that it lasts from the day after Thanksgiving until New Year’s Day.  I love the Christmas lights, playing in the snow, fires in the fireplace, Christmas songs, gingerbread cookies, hot chocolate, playing games, a slower schedule (sometimes) which means more time with family, movie nights, etc.  However, my absolute favorite thing about Christmas is the Christmas Eve candlelight service at our church.  We get to worship all together as a family and our church always plays Silent Night while we stand there with our candles lit, illuminating the entire building.  God’s presence is always palpable but especially during that service and I wish it lasted much longer than it does.  It definitely helps our family to slow down and focus on the real meaning of Christmas, Christ’s birth and His reason for coming to Earth, before being caught up in family celebrations, presents, and too much food.  I look forward to it every year and it’s always over much too quickly. 

Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog and allowing me the opportunity to introduce myself to your audience.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to get to know me a little and I look forward to getting to know all of you through the comments below.  

Thank you so much for sharing Cheri!  I love the fact that you asked the Lord what He wanted to do with your life and then did it ;)  I think it's so easy to get caught up in our own strength we forget that God is there to help us do His will.  For a post I did about doing things in His strength, click HERE.
If you are interested in purchasing any of Cheri's books you can find them HERE and remember, she would love to interact with you (my dear readers) as well so feel free to comment below!

Thoughts on Community (part 2) {Thinking Theology}

I felt it was high-time we made it back around to community.  (If you missed part 1 be sure to check it out!).  I'm going to start titling these posts focused on spiritual growth: {Thinking Theology}. 

At church we've been going through a section of our Mission of God series that our pastors are calling "The Gospel in Real Life".  They then attach a focus to the end of that like "eating" or "bless" or "education".  The point they are trying to make is the fact that the gospel affects everything in our lives.

Take a moment to let that sink in.

When was the last time you really thought about how your relationship with Christ affects the way you eat?  I know I've thought about it with regards to being thankful, but what about using the time spent around the table as a focused, gospel-centered time?  Then to have this same thing affect the realm of your finances.  Pastor Luis shared that we are "blessed to be a blessing" and not blessed without an outward focus. Too many times I've found myself blessed with something and haven't thought past my own good fortune to think how my blessing could bless others.

I've really begun to see how viewing this life in light of God's Kingdom changes everything.  I'm no longer content to walk around blind to the fact that all things are to revolve around God.  I feel like Christian society today is too easily divided.  We have the secular realm where we do business, live life, eat food, and spend our free time as we please, and then we have the sacred realm where we are "good Christians" who attend church, talk about spiritual things, and generally live "better" than most.  Is that what true Christianity is about? 

I just don't think so.

Christ is our perfect example and I can't say that He separated his life into two realms.  In fact, He was the embodiment of living fully in all ways of life.  The pharisees were always so quick to watch Him and critique who He ate with, how He spent his time, and what He was saying but they never fully saw that He was modeling life for their sake (for our sake as well).  Christ ate with sinners and tax collectors (Mark 2:13-17).  Do we realize who those people were?  They were the outcast, the maligned - the rejected of society and He was sharing a meal with them (think Luke 7:36-49 /John 8/John 4:1-45).  You could equate a tax collector to a secret service agent (someone known for protecting the nation) selling national secrets and being known as a traitor.  Christ was having dinner with that guy.

Do we even invite our unsaved neighbors in for dinner?

For me, this is where all this talk of community is launched into overdrive with purpose.  The beauty of living our entire lives in light of the gospel is that we get to do this together (and that's not even mentioning the Holy Spirit...)!  Christ saved us as a people for himself [more on this in another post] and because of that we are live as a people - redeemed and always ready to give an answer for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15).

How beautiful that Christ not only gave us himself as a sacrifice but as an example too! 

There is so much to say about community but the point I'll leave you with today is this: does the gospel affect every area of your life?  Or have you relegated it to Sunday mornings or a Tuesday night Bible study?  Are you living effectively in your neighborhoods or at your jobs to be an example and a blessing to your neighbors and coworkers?  How are you (or can you) partner with Christians in your area to love those people and show them that you care for them - not to fulfill some heavenly quota of "people saved" but to truly reach out and share the Good News with them? 

I would love to hear creative ways that you have found to reach out to those living near you or those who you work with.  I'll share some ways in my next {Thinking Theology} post!

Introducting... {Writer Wednesday}

I'm excited to announce {Writer Wednesday} to you all!  These posts will be multifaceted in that they will feature writers and authors answering my personal, interview-style questions regarding their writing and themselves.  These Wednesday posts are designed not only for readers to hear from their favorite authors (or potential favorite authors) but for writers to gain tips and inspiration as well.

I am really excited about the lineup for December and I encourage you to keep checking back!  Remember, you can always "follow" or "join" this site to be automatically reminded when I post.  There are rumors of a book giveaway in the near future - and let me just say, they are all true!

So, to start off the first ever {Writer Wednesday} I decided to interview...me!  I thought this way you could gain a little bit of insight into my writing and get to know me a little better too.

Author Interview | E.A. Hendryx

You & Writing
      1. Tell us a little bit about yourself:  How did you start writing?  What has kept you writing?
I started writing when I was younger - don't know the exact age - but my parents would always read to me before bed and, being an only child, I've always had an active imagination, so stories always came easy for me.  It started with Barbies and then eventually transition onto pages.  When I was in high school I always did well in English and wrote a novella for my senior project.  After that I was hooked!  
Now I keep writing because I enjoy it so much!  It's relaxing to me.

      2. Do you have a favorite book or work that you've written?  If so, why?
Currently, I'd say my favorite is one that isn't even finished yet!  Its working title is The Arrangement and I'm pretty excited about it.  I think it's my favorite so far because it has such a fun voice to it - very easy to write and fun to imagine. 

      3. If published, what was the hardest thing about publishing?  The easiest?
I'm not published but I hope to be someday! I can only imagine how difficult it is but, as they say, there's no gain without pain (or something like that).

Your Writing
      4. Tell us a little bit about your book or what you're working on currently?  Why are you/did you write it?
I'm writing a novel for National Novel Writing Month and it is something completely different than I've every written.  It's not so much genuine sci-fi (I don't know enough about science to write that yet) but it is set in the future which creates its own set of problems.  How do you talk about something when all the technology you know would be way outdated by then?  
 
      5. In this work do you have a favorite character?  If so, why?
Yes, his name is Koen and he is hilarious - at least to me!  He's a complex character that puts on sarcasm and flirtation to mask deeper, underlying struggles.  He's a smart guy who plays off his intelligence and there's something very real about that.  I feel like I've met people who do this and it saddens me.  In writing him, I hope to bring him through that stage into a deeper responsibility to his actions and understanding.

      6. What is one take-away from your book that you hope readers identify with?
Right now that's hard to tell - I'm only 30,000 words in and know there will be much editing to come once I finish.  One of the main issues that I'm trying to bring out is how purpose-less life can be without God.  

Writing
      7. Where do you find inspiration for your story/characters?  Are they based on real life or pure imagination or both?
I'd have to say both.  There are times, especially during NaNoWriMo, when I am in desperate need of a character or a defining trait and something will pop into my head that one of my friends does/says etc. and suddenly it's in my book.  It's almost a little tribute to them.  Other times it's straight form my imagination.
 
      8. When you write, what is your overall intention with your stories?
I write first and foremost to bring glory to God.  Now, with that said, I think that my writing can take on various forms.  Sometimes, I'm just writing because I'm a sap and I love a happy ending.  Other times I have a specific point I want to make.  God is always good to direct all my writing and I see how He works plot lines out to form greater themes than I could have ever come up with.  
 
      9. What advice would you give to aspiring authors for writing and/or publishing?
I have yet to be published but I have a feeling perseverance is key!

You
      10. What is your favorite snack to eat when writing?
I love pretzels.  My roommate and I eat them like crazy and they are a great snack that won't make your fingers sticky/greasy/icky allowing you to keep writing! 
 
      11. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Such a hard question - but I'd have to say O Holy Night ... or Silent Night (I can't decide).
 
      12. What is your favorite thing about the Christmas season?
I love the togetherness of family and friends during the holidays!  There is just something so special about celebrating the birth of Christ and the greater meaning of Christmas with the ones you love (whether they are family by birth or through Christ or both!).  I also love the baking, cooking and giving of it all.  My favorite thing is to share my baking or cooking with others and it's such a great season to share all of these things with others!

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Well, there you have it.  The first of many author interviews!  Make sure you check back next Wednesday to hear from #1 Best Selling author Staci Stallings, author of Cowboy of The Harmony Series and in the mean time keep and eye out for part 2 in the "Thoughts on Community" post.

[Hint: check back on Tuesday December 4th for a special offer you will not want to miss!]

Day 16 | You're not ready for this

Hello my dear thinking thoughts... readers!  I have some exciting news, an update on the NaNo novel, and an encouraging story to share with you today.

I'll start with the exciting news :)

As I've been thinking through my writing and have recently joined American Christian Fiction Writers (check out the post HERE) I really have felt the Lord leading me toward more writing-related endeavors.  It's such an exciting and inspirational thing to have friends who encourage me in this and to be introduced into a community like ACFW.  The loope emails we all receive are so great and have stoked my writing embers into a blaze.

The result of all this are a few new things coming to blog.  Starting next week I will be introducing {Writer Wednesday}!  These posts will be on Wednesday (crazy, right?) and will be a compilation of a few things.  First, they will feature a different author (published & un-published alike**) each week.  I have come up with a pretty inclusive set of questions for an 'interview style' type of post.  With these questions I have tried to tap into the authors writing process, their motivations for writing, and some fun questions about the person behind the book!  In addition to this, I want these posts to be helpful places for writing tips from the authors themselves.  I think {Writer Wesdnesday} will be fun for everyone - writer or not - and a great way to discover new books or pick up a new writing/publishing tip!

I'll be starting off the very first {Writer Wednesday} next week with my own personal story ;)  I'm excited to already have a great lineup for December including a book giveaway by the talented Emily Ann Benedict.  You will want to make sure and "join" this site (use the lovely little blue box to the left that says "Join this site") so that you will be updated on new posts and more potential giveaways and contests! I'm also on Networked Blogs if you want to follow me that way too.

As for my NaNo Novel, things are going well!  I'm currently at 26,744 words and am plugging away quite nicely!  Still have some work to do today on it, but I'm feeling confident (hope that doesn't come back to bite me later).

That pretty much sums up my week so far.  In addition to {Writer Wednesday} I'll also be reviewing books soon.  I need the dust from NaNoWriMo to settle before I make my way through all of them but I'm excited to have a few new books to the market to share with you all.

Lastly, I mentioned I had an encouraging story to share.  Yesterday I was part of a group from my church that partnered with a pastor from another church in our area to stock-pile their food pantry shelves for the Thanksgiving/Christmas season.

It was such a blessing to join with other members of my church (parents and children) to fill up over 10 carts of food for this small little food pantry.  Pastor George, who heads up the pantry for Church of Hope, was so grateful!  He told me afterward that the food we bought today will more than likely take them through March (which includes the other donations they will get around the holiday).  I was overwhelmed to hear him say that!  It was only a small part of my day but by far one of the best parts.

It reminded me of the sermon from this past Sunday by our Pastor Luis.  His focus was blessing and the key phrase I have taken with me this week is:  We are blessed to be a blessing.  When you put your life in that perspective everything takes on a different meaning.  It's so 'focusing' (and yes, I may have made that up) to think that every blessing we have/receive is not for us (necessarily) but for us to bless others with!

I hope this encourages you to look for ways in your life you can bless others because of the blessings you've received!  Make sure to check back in next week for the first {Writer Wednesday}.

_________

**If you're an author and would like to guest post for {Writer Wednesday} make sure and send me and email including a link to your blog and I'll be in touch. 

Day 12 | Exciting Developments

A few exciting things have been going on and I thought I'd share!  First of all, I won a CD from a contest on the fantastic blog Mocha with Linda [make sure and check out her blog].  As you all know, I absolutely adore Christmas music and she was doing a giveaway of a few Christmas CD's so I ended up with Josh Wilson's Christmas release "Noel".  I am looking forward to receiving it soon so I can blast it now until Christmas!

In other news, I am plugging away at my novel and it's going quite well!  Current word count is: 20,331 (38 pages) and I've just started Chapter 9.  I skipped a day - oh the horror! - but made up for it last night.  I even got to bed early so that was a bonus. 

On a related writing note, I will soon be doing book reviews for new releases in Christian Fiction (yes, I can hear the cheering now)!  Since I joined the American Christan Fiction Writers group, I have been given some great opportunities to connect with other authors about upcoming releases and reviews.  I am also going to be guest blogging on a few sites and trying to build my audience.  I have really felt the Lord calling me back to writing in these last few months and I am excited to answer that call and forge ahead with as much gusto as possible! 

What do you, my readers, think of this?  I know many of you enjoy Christian fiction so I hope that this blog could become a great resources for you to find new books as well gain insight into other writers, their process, and who they are in a down-to-earth sort of way. 

In addition to all of this, I have experienced some truly amazing theological conversations with some pretty amazing people in my life right now.  All of it has got me itching to do a few more posts on community (remember that first post?) and I will have that up here soon as well. 

Pastor Luis said it best today when he spoke on blessing.  He said that we have been blessed to be a blessing!  I want to be a blessing to all of you in everything that I post and I hope that is evident in my passion for writing and for you, my readers!

Remember the Lords words to the nation of Israel and go be a blessing with His help!

I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.  I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.  And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Ezekiel 36:24-27

Day 8 | Music to write by

Fa la la la la, la la - la la!

I will just go ahead and admit right now that my most inspirational novel-writing music is Christmas music!!  I know, I know, I can hear you protest even through my awesome, noise-canceling Skullcandy headphones but you will not stop me!  Sure, it may not be after Thanksgiving and it's definitely not December yet, but I just love my Christmas music so much that I can't help but not listen to it.

For my noveling times I've created a mix titled: Christmas Writing Mix (so creative, eh?)

This mix is composed of awesome instrumental Christmas music that not only spurs me on to write pages upon pages but also creates a bubbling well-spring of joy in my heart for the holidays.  My fondness of Christmas and all things fall/winter knows no bounds.

I heard once that Stephanie Meyer listens to Muse when she's writing.  I've often felt like Imagine Dragons would be the perfect sound track for my current book. What about you?  Do you listen to music when you write?  Can you listen to singing or can it only be instrumental (like me)?

Well, if you need Christmas music inspiration, here are my top three favorite albums from my Christmas Writing Mix:

Our Daily Bread: Majestic Christmas
*I took out the songs that had singing and just listen to the instrumentals.  My favorite is The Wexford Carol!

The Nutcracker
*Have had this (as a CD) since I was in high school and I used to fall asleep to it every night at Christmas.  Now I write by it and it's just as good!







The Boston Pops Orchestra [Arthur Fiedler, Conductor]
*This album was one my Dad gave me and it is so fantastic!  I grew up in a house where orchestra music was (and still is) valued.  There is nothing better than the Boston Pops to get me in a Christmas mood!

P.S. Writing update!!  Word Count: 12,173 :)

Day5 | Synopsis: what's it all about?

Closed the day yesterday at 7,541 words! That's 873 words ahead of my 1,667 word schedule :)  I'm actually a little shocked at how we'll it's going.  Every time I've sat down to write I've been able to press ahead in the story without much pause and without any roadblocks as of yet (knock on cyber wood).  I'm sure there will come that time when I'll think to myself, "Why in the world are the characters here?" or "How was I planning on getting them out of this?" but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. 

After an invigorating run in the chilly air this morning I am ready to start this week fresh.  Sundays always seem to rejuvenate me and get me ready for the upcoming week if my heart is in the right place, focused on the Lord.  Yesterday was one of those days for me.  I was so encouraged by the message Pastor Doug spoke and challenged to think through a lot within my own heart. 

As I look forward to this week, I know things will be difficult.  I've got two sessions to edit from last week, a few more to schedule, dinner tonight with friends, practice on Thursday, and plans on into the weekend.  To be diligent in every area is definitely a prayer request for me!

Well, I thought I'd share the synopsis (or 'back cover enticement' as I like to call it) with you for my book for this years NaNoWriMo.  The idea is to have you (the reader) dying to read my book after you finish reading the small paragraphs below.  I may or may not have accomplished that, but at least you'll have a small idea about what I'm writing :)

Have a fantastic Monday and remember that the Lord's mercies are new every morning.  Just as I am refreshed & ready to go - you too can experience that by resting in Him!

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Synopsis 

Set in 4050, Worlds Tour is the first of three books about an exploration tour sent out every 100 years to discover new worlds and potential planets for human habitation.

Serafin finds herself on the Worlds Tour ship in search of her brother Graeme who is supposed to be a participant for this centuries Tour. She will go to great lengths to find him, even committing her life to a Tour she was never meant to be a part of.

Rowan, born leader and potential captain, is starting the next stage of his life as a participant in this centuries tour. He has been preparing for this since he was a boy and has hopes to be placed in charge of his own mission. However, all of his training and natural instincts can't prepared him for what he will face.

Two stories intertwined. A purpose greater than anyone could have imagined. This centuries Tour will test the limits of the known worlds and bring about a change that will affect the future.

Day 1 | Success

It's hard to measure success by numbers in some cases.  But...when you're writing a novel in a month, it's much easier!  Word Count met?  Success!  Word Count missed? Failure.  It sounds harsh, but it really is a mental game you have to play to push yourself.

I was tired yesterday.  So tired, in fact, I almost went to bed without completing my 1,667 word count goal.  There I was - looking at the clock and thinking 5:45am would come very early the next morning.  The temptation was great.  My eyelids were drooping.  I stifled a few yawns looking longingly at my bed.

Then that small whisper tickled the back of my mind.  Just a few hundred more words to go.

A few hundred.  Well, I thought, that's not much.  I admit here and now that for some this number would be stifling... thankfully for me, its a drop in the bucket compared to 50k ;)

Right then and there I knew.  My decision in that moment would more than likely dictate my attitude for the rest of the month.  Things are guaranteed to be busy.  I will inevitably overbook myself.  I will be tired.  I will not want to write.  I'll be uninspired.  But will I press on?  That was the real question.

Well, as you may have gained from the title of this post, I did press on and push passed my tiredness to pen (uh... type?) the last few hundred words to push me just pass my goal for the day.

After I'd closed my laptop and lay there in bed, starting at the ceiling (only 20 minutes passed when I had originally planned to go to bed) I was glad I'd pushed through.  I guess that can apply to many areas in life, but that's another post.

So, for those of you following my plight as a writer in the harried month of November, I assure you my novel is well on its way (for it only being Day 2) and shaping up nicely.  I'll give you the first few paragraphs for your reading enjoyment. 

**Note: I've edited next to nothing on this so its rough, not that pretty, and potentially not that entertaining but I figure if I really want to be a writer I should get used to the idea of people reading my writing, right?
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Chapter 1

G1

            The night was pitch black.  If it hadn’t been for the illumination lamps spaced every half mile down the road, there would have been no light in the room at all.  The silence saturated the moment, giving Serafin pause.  Was this really the best idea?

            She pushed that thought to the side and slipped to the end of her bed, grabbing the canvas bag concealed there.  She’d escaped into the night a dozen times before, just because she was going further this night didn’t make it any different.

            She eased the dorm room door open a fraction of an inch and waited. 

            Silence.

            She opened it just enough for her slight frame to push through and quickly closed it behind her.  The night guard wouldn’t pass by for another twenty minutes, just enough time for her to climb out the window down the hall and make her way to the garages.  Waiting only a few seconds, she steeled her nerves and went through with her plan.