Book Notes: August 23, 2023 - Inspirational Romance & #abouttheauthoraugust Challenge

 Welcome to the scenic route! I've got book reviews, three random words, and a challenge response to share with you today. Are you ready? Let's go!

Book Review: Her Second Chance Cowboy (Brothers of Miller Ranch #1) by Natalie Dean

Her Second Chance Cowboy by Natalie Dean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It Was Ok

I found this book in an email listing free. When I visited the Amazon page, I saw that books 2 & 3 were also free, so I got those. Then I read this one and must confess I'm wondering whether I'll enjoy them more. I hope so.
I had a whole lot of trouble relating to the heroine. She came across as obtuse and ridiculously, immaturely stubborn. If I was asked, I'd say the hero loved her more, and that his love for her was real and lasting. Also, there was mention of church and prayer, but God and serving Him was definitely more of a token thing than an actual life practice. Loved the moms of the MCs, as well as Keiko, but ended up not having a whole lot of respect for the MCs.
The book is technically clean, so that was a win. There were a few glaring typos, especially toward the end.
Overall, I've read better...but I've read far worse. And I will read the next two in the series. One of the heroes is a wounded warrior, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the author will craft his character.

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Book Review: Someone To Trust (Life Unexpected Book 2) by Melanie Snitker

Someone to Trust by Melanie D. Snitker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Good Story...3.75 Stars

This book was ok. I was hoping the theology would be more solid, but it's a sweet romance novel. I took off 3/4 of a star for that. The constant stalling for a reason that shouldn't have taken so long to get over...I took off a star for the way that made the story kinda drag. If neither of those things bother you, give this book a try. The backstories were good and most of the characters were, too.

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These were both good books, as both were clean and the MCs showed a desire to live a good, moral life. I like a story in which the MCs are doing something I find positive, like trying to improve on themselves. Most of the inspirational books I read manage to accomplish this. 

I think my biggest issue with Natalie Dean's books is that her heroines, and sometimes her heroes, often come across as immature in a way that I cannot seem to comprehend. I should probably explain where I'm coming from. 

Where I grew up, and where I'm living now, there were (and still are) certain personal responsibilities which were taken almost for granted that each individual would have to manage doing. We learned them almost from the time we could walk. It saddens me that this is fading from our society. I listen to big city kids talk, and social media influencers, and I just weep for their lack of understanding. What exactly are our kids learning in today's society, that they end up coming out of college and not knowing how to really live. Life is not a game, nor are the people around a person going to hand them everything they need while they sit there with their hands open. One has to work hard to achieve one's dreams.

When I said 'really live,' I mean knowing they have to work at a job, and having to learn how to deal with mean people. I dealt with mean people all my life, coming from a lower middle-class farm family. That didn't make me a victim. That made me stronger and better able to stand up for myself. I also learned (and am still learning) which situations to walk away from. And the most important thing I learned was courtesy toward others. 

If you were wondering, in the few different places we've lived or visited, I'd say Texas comes out ahead in the courtesy category. Georgia used to be a close second. But the way Atlanta is devouring all the surrounding small towns, filling them with many transplants from not-so-courteous-minded states, that precious mentality is becoming rare. 

I don't usually say too much on these book review posts. Fridays are usually my opinion days. Still, I thought I needed to share my viewpoint since I know others will have a different one. My values may not line up with the next person's. It may be important to know that, so that when you pick up one of these books, you'll see where I'm coming from. 

Moving on...

Just Keep Writing: Wednesday Whimsy

If this is your first time participating in this kind of writing exercise, you're in for a treat. If you've done this with me before, just keep scrolling for the prompt.

Rules:

1. You can use any/all of the words and/or the photo in the prompt below to create a unique written work. Fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose, even lyrics are acceptable.  
2. Please keep the material you write clean (i.e. nothing R-rated or worse) if you wish to share the link to your work here, as well as if you link back to my site. I strive to keep my site free of such things. My readers know and expect this. I respect your right to write whatever you feel you need to write. And you're free to use my prompts. But if your material is graphic, I'd rather not view it, and most of my readers will not wish to. 
3. Have fun! This type of exercise is perfect for growing in the writing craft, or for helping through a rough patch in your current WIP. If you're looking to push your author limits and you normally write in nonfiction prose, try a whimsical collection of lyrics. If you normally write poems about real life events, try your hand at a fanfic. Give yourself some room to explore.

Don't forget to leave a link to your creation (unless you're writing graphic material) so my readers and I can check out your work. I'd appreciate a link back to this post to help me reach more readers, but it's not required. 

What do you think, creatives? This is an interesting collection, to say the least. I hope you'll have fun with it. 

Writing Challenge! #AboutTheAuthorAugust 2023 Week 3, Day 3

I'm supposed to share my favorite writing advice or quote today. I shared my favorite writing quote in a previous challenge a few years ago so I'm going to share it here, too. 

I love this quote because it is so very 'me'. I absolutely despise going along with the majority of people just because it's the newest trend or the 'done' thing. I'm finding that applies to my writing, as well. If that means fewer sales, so be it. I'm not sacrificing who I am so I can haul in bags of cash. 😑 This is also why I'm sticking with indie writing.

As for favorite writing advice, I'd say this: 

• Just keep going. 
• Remain true to yourself and what you believe.
• Be willing to learn. 
• Stay teachable. 

Even if someone has a different worldview than you, you can still learn valuable things from them. Their worldview doesn't diminish their value as a fellow creator. And you don't have to listen to every little thing they say and take it as the absolute "must do." Use your judgment to figure out what will work for you and what won't.

As a bonus, I'm going to share the scariest piece of writing advice I've ever heard. Stephen King says to write your draft, then whittle it away until it's just one sentence. Then write it again from there. 

Y'all! 😖 The amount of anxiety that advice stirs up in my soul is crazy! Yes, perhaps I could benefit from doing this, but I already write and publish so slowly. This would extend that amount of time considerably...or maybe not? Maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way. I may try this during Nano 2023. What do you think?

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you found something useful and/or encouraging in the post. If you visit again tomorrow, I'll have another prompt ready for you and another challenge response to share. 

Until next time,
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