☀️It Dawned on Me… {#22}
For We Are Saved By Hope; more progress; free ebooks & audiobooks; what I'm reading & 2024 favorites
For We Are Saved By Hope
Have you ever been in a situation or season of life that felt hopeless? It’s the worst feeling. Please join me at (in)courage where I share recent thoughts on hope, its absence, and where to find it again.
More Progress 🙌
Next Friday, I have a follow-up appointment with the orthopedic surgeon who put my right arm back together in September. I’m in occupational therapy twice a week, but I see the doc less often now. Colder weather impacts how my arm feels, at least this first year. I never wanted to be one of those people who can predict the weather with their body, but here I am. 🤷♀️😂
In book news, I’m working through additional drafts of my first novel while taking The Advanced Course online at The Novelry. One of my favorite parts of joining the site is weekly themes—like conflict, trust, drip-feed, love, doubt, description—in a member area called The Workshop. Submit 250 words from your manuscript on that week’s theme and get feedback from other members and a book coach. Although it’s an active site with many member areas, I’m among the few who participate in this one each week.
One of the most difficult—yet beneficial—things a writer can do is be vulnerable enough to open themselves up to feedback. A few people are reading a draft of my novel now. If you’re interested, read fiction, and are willing to offer honest feedback, let me know!
Free eBooks & Audiobooks 🆓
I’m always looking for ways to expand my library, and one of the easiest methods I’ve found involves choosing the slowest Amazon Prime shipping and subscribing to the BookBub newsletter.
When checking out at Amazon, you often get the FREE No-Rush Delivery option with a reward for digital purchases, like the example below:
I choose this option for anything that can wait, and the reward amounts vary. Sometimes I get $2.50 in digital credit. Your purchase must ship before you receive the credit. You can probably spend credits on digital movie rentals or purchases too, but I buy ebooks for my Kindle.
I subscribe to BookBub, which emails cheap ebook deals in your preferred genre(s). When I combine those deals with my free digital credits from no-rush shipping, many ebooks are free or at least further reduced. From the screenshot below, I currently have 26¢ of credit (I spend it almost as fast as I earn it), but additional credit will be added to my account next week.
In the example above, right now I could get this $17 ebook for $1.73. (BookBub deals don’t last long.)
Did you know Spotify Premium plans include 15 hours a month of free audiobooks (restrictions shown below)? Get three months free ($11.99 after for new users on an Individual Premium plan, $16.99 for a Duo plan, and $19.99 for a Family plan) here.
Currently Reading 📖
Since my last post, I’ve read the following:
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
No duds in this group.
Author Events
I’ve attended three book signings/author events recently with Ron Rash, Marybeth Whalen & T.I. Lowe, and Beatriz Williams & Karen White.
Ron Rash’s The Caretaker was one of my ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads of 2024 and the book I chose when I hosted my neighborhood book club in March.
Over a decade ago, I did a blog design for Marybeth Whalen when she wrote for Proverbs 31 Ministries. We’re both writing fiction now, and it was fun to see her again with my youngest daughter at FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock, GA.
HarperCollins UK named Marybeth’s new release Every Moment Since their Fiction Book of the Month for December!
My youngest daughter and I saw Beatriz Williams and Karen White on book tour for their new release The Author's Guide to Murder. Oh. My. Word! They could do stand-up comedy together.
2024 Favorites (so far)
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
The Last Exchange by Charles Martin
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Kinfolk by Sean Dietrich
The Caretaker by Ron Rash
What are you reading now, and what was your favorite read of 2024?
