Oh, shoot, there is no other Friday in April - Monthly Musings

 

This month whizzed by, so I really don't have a lot to say. I'm still editing, but I'm also at the third part of the book, so that's good. I just had to write away some plot holes and inconsistencies I accidentally wrote into the story, which takes a lot of looking back at earlier chapters and even at FP (I almost renamed a whole character) for reference. I have a plan to do some co-writing sessions live on Tiktok. I don't have much of a following, but I know writers are leaning more toward using Tiktok than they do Twitch. I think that's a good idea, because I would like to keep my Twitch exclusive to gaming.

I spoke with my therapist about switching my career completely. I have been jumping departments but remaining in the same position for 13 years now. I'm tired of the position. I said the last job would be my last secretarial job, and then I took another one. On the other hand, I'm also looking at an opening for a secretary position in my city. Whether or not it's hybrid is a question, but again, if I'm just down the street from my house, how much do I care? I've leaned on the flexibility I have in my current job (e.g., writing out blog posts), and my boss and I have been trying to rework my job a little, so I'm stuck between "be patient" and "it's not enough." I still have a few days to decide before the position closes, so we'll see what happens.

That's really all I have for y'all. I will see you for the quarterly goals post in May!

Movie Review - Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

 

Happy April!

 

I can't tell you the last time I did a movie review on my blog. Now the world is trying to open back up like COVID is dead, I at least get the pleasure of going to the movies again, which is something I did miss during quarantine.

 

My sister and I had the pleasure of joining the Black Girl Gamers x Paramount for a screening of the new Dungeons and Dragons movie: Honor Among Thieves. First off, didn't know there were two movies before it. hahaha. I'm 85% sure they were terrible, because they came out in 2000 and 2005, not prime movie effect era unless you were The Matrix, and literally just the first one, because the effects in The Matrix: Reloaded were awful.

But anyway, back to D&D: HAT. The movie starts with Edgin (Chris Pine) and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) pleading their case to get out of prison so they can get back to Edgin's daughter, whom he left with one of his thief buddies. Not to spoil anything, but honor among thieves ensues, as well as dungeons and dragons. Saying anything else will give away just about everything. It's a pretty standard plot and character arc, though. Not much will surprise you.

This movie has a big cast of stars: Chris, Michelle, Hugh Grant, and Regé-Jean Paige, as well as smaller known names like Justice Smith (Jurassic World, The Get Down) and Sophia Lillis (IT, Uncle Frank), etc. Their chemistry is just about perfect, and they all give some great performances. I didn't expect to laugh the entire movie. It was hilarious. Everyone's comedic timing really was a gem to watch. My sister said someone said Chris Pine can save any movie, and not that this movie needs saving, but he is a favorite of mine, and he shines as a bard/harper/team planner haha.

I have an understanding of the game D&D, mainly from a couple episodes of Community, Futurama: Bender's Game, the short-lived "Dungeons & Durags" on Twitch, and Hello From the Magic Tavern's version "Offices & Bosses," so the different beasts and special weapons didn't get lost on me. As someone who plays Shattered Pixel Dungeon every day, I especially loved the appearance of a mimic in the game, and what I think might have been a basilisk? Anyhow, there wasn't as much action as you would expect, but the effects were really good. When the first non-mythical creature effect happened, I said out loud, "That was a really cool effect." The only one that was pretty bad was an animatronic cat baby (you'll get it when you see it). But the mythical creatures are all very well-designed.

I think I'm going to give this movie 5 of out 5 stars. My sister said it's one she would watch over and over on tv, and I agree. It has great characters, great acting, great storytelling, and overall, it's just a great adventure! So if you haven't seen it already, go see it!

Quarterly Goals

 

It is the 5th Friday of the month, and that means I reflect on the goals I set the previous quarter, check my progress, and set new goals if needed!

I should have read 8 books by now, but I've at least finished 4 and listened to 2, so I'm patting myself on the back. I'm glad Goodreads doesn't count when I started reading a book, though, because, oof. I actually saw a tweet that said to DNF (do not finish) a book you're dreading picking back up, and I believe I will have to do that. I have so many other books I need to start, books that I bought almost 10 years ago at this point. If a book is bad or just not for me, then, that needs to be okay, Deborah (I have to tell it to myself).

I've actually been writing more, some just getting "off-screen" narratives out of my head and some that are actually going to end up in Divided Princess's pages. My contract with WCP ends in January, so in the meantime, I am working with someone to prepare the re-release of Fractured Princess that Spring (a more definitive date is forthcoming). If all goes well with that, I want DP finished, edited, beta'ed, and ready by Winter 2023. I wish I could keep publishing the books on my birthday like I did the very first one, but maybe the next series premiere (*wink*).

So, I had an interview for a proofreading job this past quarter. Unfortunately, it pays pennies, and if I were younger, that would suffice, but I have a mortgage and student loans, so it does not suffice at all. I actually saved the description of a job I saw on Upwork as something I'd love to do. I've done a few jobs on Fiverr, too, and I also have a couple of other pending job prospects that may just turn me in the right direction. We shall see!

And since scheduling this post, I've also picked up a freelance job as a copywriter for my sister's friends' company and discussed another full-time role with another company. Both have told me I was low-balling myself, so my price is about to go UP!

So overall, things are continuing to move, some even speeding up. I'm feeling a little more optimistic about everything, and I hope that continues.

A Look Back 10 Years! My Blogiversary!

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On Saturday, April 21, 2012, I posted my very first blog post. Overall, my posts were all over the place. I was reviewing books, movies, albums, word vomiting, I had my mid-life crisis, had my posts scheduled on different days depending on the week. It was a LOT. I'm surprised I had any followers, as chaotic as my blog was. But either way, I made it to TEN YEARS! Cue fireworks!

Yay, Squall is happy for me.

I also believe that first post was my very first query. (Shout out to Revo Boulanger for helping me with my synopsis back then, and also my old coworker Lisa for uplifting me still!) I queried Save the Queen to Tom Doherty & Associates and was rejected. 10 years later, with countless more rejections, two title changes, two publications, two sequels in progress, and a pending re-release, I'm still passionate about what is now Fractured Princess.

There have definitely been a lot of bumps in both my life road and the writing road, but I can't wait for people to latch on to Jonnie the way I had intended from the very beginning. I'm also proud to see how far the story and my writing have come. Characters took hold of the reigns and steered the narrative in ways I did not expect. Storylines emerged that I would never have imagined 10 years ago. I tweeted a couple of weeks back how big the sequel is about to be, and it will be BIG. I'll get to explore side stories I just wrote to get out of my head and weave them into what was originally a standalone book with no desire to write a trilogy. And to be frank (you can be Mary), I could write several novellas based off of diverging timelines, and I keep thinking about it, so you never know.

Now, let's look back at 2012, shall we?

If you click this link, you can read 4 posts about the first stages of the book, how I pared it down from 120K words (I don't even remember what the heck was in those early chapters to warrant 120K) to 107K (it's now at 92K if I remember correctly), how I had to add a little thing called logic to situations, and some spin-offs that I was working on, some of which make it into the series (*hint-hint wink-wink*).

This post is where I changed Jonnie (then Ghuli (JOO-lee)) from white to black in real-time. The picture that inspired me was this now hard-to-search picture of Kerry Washington. As you can read, I had first decided to make the Crystal Bearers a mix of colors, but I ultimately decided to make them black. I also settled on diamonds in their hands. The Sprites were also originally white, but I diversified their skin tones as well, with the northern Sprites being lighter and the southern sprites darker. This is currently happening again with another race in the story for geographical reasons. More on that later in the year.

This post is definitely something I want to do with the final version, so I can see how far I've come. You posted the first line or last line of your chapters to see how compelling they were. It was such a great idea. I wonder if they're still doing it.

Here is a God-awful query I thought was the one. If passive was a query. It's this one!

And lastly, here is a Q&A I was honored to be a part of way back when.

Jonnie and I have come such a long way, and there is more to come. I will be at Dover Comic-Con this June with free samples of the new edition and hopefully some bookmarks, business cards, etc., whatever I can get from Vistaprint. I'll be able to release the new edition of FP in 2023, and I plan to have it published in all formats. In the next 10 years, I hope I will have published the entire series, moved on to one of my NA fantasies, and maybe even have finally found a job I love, because even 10 years ago, I was lamenting about being an admin, and *sings* I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm still here, here, here...

For everyone who may have started with me on the old Write Mage blog and for new followers everywhere, I thank you!

April Writing Update

 

Good news! I've been writing!

Certainly not like Kermit in that one meme, but I have been getting a few hundred words down on "paper," and that's better than I've done in a long time. It's the motivation of the light at the end of this current tunnel. I have a goal again, so I'm ready to get to work.

I've also been tweaking a few things in Fractured Princess for the next release. More will come on that later. Explanations will be involved, as well as one or two Instagram videos to accompany, maybe even a Live.

Oh! I also learned the other day that the poetry site I once posted two of my poems on has revamped, and now the archive of poems is gone. So, I plan to dive back into poetry and publish a slam book. The question there is, should I use a different pen name for poetry and pending romance stories? I don't know if I have the bandwidth to think of a THIRD pen name (as Debra Renée Byrd is my second). *sigh* I'll get back to you all on that.

Even more good news: I have this month's posts all written and scheduled out! So that means, if nothing else, I've been writing blogs again! I'm so glad I moved the posts to Fridays.

Black Author Spotlight: Douglas S. Reed

Welcome to Fridays! And happy April! I hope everyone participating in A to Z has a great time! I thought about joining in, but as you can see, I am not. Maybe next year!

But anyway, I am starting off the month with another Black Author Spotlight!

The goal of this segment is to highlight black authors who are often marginalized and ignored in the publishing industry. Black writers usually turn to self-publishing--an already densely populated industry--to have their stories seen, and it is said that we have to work twice as hard to get half of what our white counterparts have. Hopefully, shining a little light on these authors will help to signal boost the work they are putting out there.

This week, I am highlighting Douglas S. Reed.

Douglas is an educator who was born in Queens, New York. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a basketball coach, and the creator of Kataza Films and Kataza Books!

His novels, Garden's Corner and the award-winning Child of Gilead, are available at Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, BookBaby.com, Rakuten Kobo, and Target! Here is the blurb for his current book Child of Gilead:

Take the road less traveled, my son. Always. No exceptions.

These are Hannah's words to her child, spoken to reveal a higher truth of what it takes to live a life of meaning. Most importantly, they are words meant to keep a child away from harm and danger. But one day, mother and son are visited by an old family friend whose arrival brings with it the potential to uncover dark family secrets always intended to stay hidden.

Sparse and simply told, Child of Gilead is author Douglas S. Reed's long-awaited second novel and is a modern-day parable that seeks to answer the seemingly unanswerable truth, "Do you know me?"

That sounds really compelling!

You can visit Douglas's website and blog here. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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If you are a Black author who would like to be in the spotlight, email me the following information at debreneebyrd@gmail.com

Name or Pen Name

Genre

Website/Blog

Social Media handles

Book (if any) and where to buy

Permission to use photos

April Review

 

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It is already the last Wednesday of APRIL. This is wild.

This month has flown by. Things are steadily picking up a pace of sorts for me. I took a break in March, which was helpful. I also had my 3-month lab and doctor appointment, and my oncologist said I could get my port removed! So, this past Monday, that's exactly what I did, just 1 year and 2 days after my last chemo treatment! I got Thai-rolled ice cream and then later DQ ice cream to celebrate with my younger sister, who went with me. I can't wait to sleep on my left side and not feel that piece of plastic in my chest, or the cut healing, which feels very weird when a surge of slight pain hits.

I had started streaming my video game play, and I realize I don't really like to, so after I finish replaying the Final Fantasy VII Remake, I probably won't stream again for a long while. Maybe when I have a fanbase and someone to talk to besides a potential follower in the future, I'll pick it back up. N.K. Jemisin does it every now and then, and I'd like to do that, too one day.

While I don't want to keep on the secretary/admin track I've fallen into, my older sister said she recommended me to my brother-in-law to do his admin work when he gets his business up and running. That would be a little different from being a government secretary, and certainly a work-from-home gig, which I would highly appreciate. I'd also really like to do more proofreading, so I set up a profile for Upwork for freelance jobs. I have an alert for Writing jobs set up through Linkedin, but I realized I don't want to do a writing job that isn't me writing my books. That's enough pressure as it is. Proofing is something I can almost do in my sleep, and I used to have a business in it that didn't really take off past a few clients I already knew, so that's what I would like to lean towards.

Writing-wise, I looked at both my NA Fantasies this month. I need to get back to those, but as I've figured out my next step in the Fractured Princess sequel, I need to work on that more. I honestly don't know what the future holds for me being a signed author versus an independent author, but I do know I'm going to keep writing that series.

I hope everyone has had a prosperous April. Just three more days, and you know the drill:

April Writing Update

 

It is mid-April! UGH. Time. Slow down!

More specifically, it's the third Wednesday, where I provide an update about my writing if I have one. AND I DO. Last week, I realized who the main antagonist is the Shattered Chronicles series, and I'm super excited. I might even have enough material for a whole other book. Which is scary, but we'll see what happens. It's not like I don't already have prequel-type scenes sitting in a Word doc already. *wicked smirk*

More news to hopefully come soon about the republishing of Fractured Princess in two parts. The current policy of SFF/For the Culture brand is for books to be approximately 45K, so I can't do anything about it but hope that it changes in the future. We shall see.

Wednesday Words: Stephen King's The Shining

 

I'm actually back, I think! Happy 2nd Wednesday of the month! On this day, I share with you all what I am reading, and this month is a fun one. If by fun, you like being scared out of your wits.

A few weeks ago, my younger sister said she had never seen all of The Shining, so I said we should watch it. As we were watching it, I realized I'd never seen the whole thing! Before then, I had only seen from the point where Wendy was speaking to a therapist, but also, I'd only ever seen it on cable, so there were several scenes that were cut. I'm not a fan of Stanley Kubrick's movies. I think he butchers and over-sexualizes books when he adapts them, and that's going off of the two I've seen. So, the only important scene that was really essential that I'd never seen but had heard my older sister always talk about was the old woman in the bathtub. She was featured heavily in Doctor Sleep, which was a GREAT movie. Maybe we'll read the book next, as there is an excerpt at the end of this one.

But anyway, I say all this to say that after we watched it and told our older sister, we decided to read the book together, so that's where we are. I haven't read a Stephen King novel since Full Dark No Stars, which wasn't really scary, just super dark. I know how The Shining ends, and it doesn't end with Jack frozen in the maze, eyes rolled back for no reason. But if you haven't read it, I won't give it away.

Here is a bit of dialogue about the creepy old woman, cutting out the rude misogyny in this. It's excessive here:

"...a chambermaid, Delores Vickery...she gives out with a helluva shriek while she's makin up the room where those two stayed, and she faints dead away. When she comes to she says she seen the dead woman in the bathroom, layin naked in the tub. 'Her face was all purple an puffy,' she says, 'an she was grinnin at me.' So Ullman gave her two weeks' worth of walking papers and told her to get lost. I figure there's maybe forty-five people died in this hotel since my grandfather opened it for business in 1910."

All the big hotels have secrets and superstitions. I'll stick to Days Inn then. haha

What are you reading this month?

Insecure Writer's Support Group

 

Happy April!

I'm currently on a blogging break, but I did want to pop in to answer this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question! You can visit the website and our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, for the list of co-hosts for the month and other participants, as well as join us by signing up!

This month's question is: Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?

I don't know if I'm a huge risk-taker. I probably have a darker focus in my work than other YA/NA writers. I've never been afraid to have more gruesome scenes or imagery in my stories, even when I was a kid. I grew up in a Stephen King-loving household, so I'm sure that has something to do with it.

Actually, Style/POV-wise, I decided to write the Shattered Chronicles series in present tense to pull myself more into it emotionally, and I know present tense might be considered a risk. I hardly notice the tense in books when I read them unless it suddenly changes, so it's not something I consider a risk, but I know others don't like it. Makes no difference to me. :)

What about you?

Quarterly Goals

It is the 5th Wednesday of April, so that means I am looking at and making my goals for the quarter. How has everyone done with their April challenges? Has anyone done them?

This time last quarter, I was halfway through my chemo treatments, which I have now finished! The days didn't go by quickly, but I'm grateful to God that He brought me through it. My family and friends threw me a surprise social distance-approved bell ringing as I pulled up to my sister's house. That made me feel good. My mom also felt good enough to cook, so I had her meatloaf and mashed potatoes, which I hadn't had in years. My friends also threw me a Zoom party, but I was too sleepy to stay by the time I got home. Needless to say, I had a great last day of treatment.

This time last quarter was also two months before COVID-19 really broke out over here, so...yeah. Anyway, my goals for last quarter included:

eating better/cooking more/grocery shopping more - I have actually cooked a few times, done more grocery shopping than I ever have before, and eaten more fruit and vegetables. But I'm still a sucker for a sausage Mcmuffin with egg;

exercise on my good days - because I'm working from home, I have taken walks, danced, and worked out on my lunch breaks. It's definitely helped boost my activity and kept me from going stir crazy;

and reading/writing more - I think I mentioned both in my last posts. I've gotten back into both in one way or another. Reading my last quarterly goals, I realize I need to peek into my NA fantasy to see what notes I left. It's sad that I don't remember.

My goals for this next quarter are relatively the same. I'd like to get back into shape, lose 10 pounds and keep them off over the next 6 months. I did it once upon a time. I was in my twenties at the time, but we'll see what happens.

Did you guys make any goals for the quarter?

April Writing Update and Monthly Review

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Last Thursday, I realized I forgot to post a writing update, and fortunately I saw my post about it last week and remembered what today is before I could completely forget my monthly review. I need to do better. Here's both at the same time!

It has been 5 weeks since COVID-19 really started hitting the scene, and I think 3 weeks since I have been telecommuting. I have done a little writing, but I may have read and rearranged more words than I've written. I plan to do a little more writing today, and certainly more reading this week. I do know what needs to be written, so it's just a matter of actually doing so.

At the beginning of the month, a group of writers I'm in had an Instagram Hop and gave away our books to one winner. It was fun and gave us a little more exposure. I need to do more marketing and promotions. I use Facebook's ad campaign every now and then, but I know I can do more. I joined a promotional group this week, so we'll see how it goes.

This Friday is my last chemo treatment! It's been a long 6 months, but I'm glad that it's almost over. My last scans looked great, so I expect the next one to be great, too. I can't wait for my life to go back to normal, current situation notwithstanding. Feeling sick every other week hasn't been a good time. I just pray the lymphoma stays away and I can be in the number of survivors!

How has everyone's month been going? Please continue to stay indoors, especially per the CDC guidelines. We are all experiencing a new normal right now, and guess what? That's actually okay! This will pass, but we have to actually let it.

Insecure Writer's Support Group

April is here! That means it's already time for yet another installment of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! You can visit the site and join us at the previous link. Also be sure to visit Alex J. Cavanaugh, our founder, and co-hosts to show them some love!

I've already said how I'm doing last week, so here is a little something from the support group heads:

The IWSG’s focus is on our writers. Each month, from all over the globe, we are a united group sharing our insecurities, our troubles, and our pain. So, in this time when our world is in crisis with the covid-19 pandemic, our optional question this month is: how are things in your world?

I want to hear from you! Stay safe out there.

Monthly Review: April 2019

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We are now at the end of April, and what?

Life-wise, not much has changed since my last monthly review. My mom has been at a friend's house recuperating, and she'll be moving back home with my sister and me by the end of next week. That will at least alleviate the travel. People up north say Dover is small, but try driving from one end to the other every day. Not being home as much as I like has really taken a toll, so at least she'll be closer.

That said, reading has been slow. I've been playing more games on my phone, because they've been cathartic. I need to get back into a reading groove, though. I also found my Introvert Activity Book by Marzi Wilson, so I'm going to do that, too, to see if that is a good stress reliever. I also need to reincorporate exercise into my day, if I want to lose the weight I want for once. I've been terrible at that.

Now that I've seen the cover, I know exactly what's going on the bookmarks and the background for the thank you notes for my Kickstarter backers. I'm really excited about that. I have to build up the courage to ask some of my blog friends to do a cover reveal with me. I just really don't like asking people for things.

I believe that's all for now. I hope everyone has had a great April. I forgot the April daily challenges are going on, too, so if you've participated in A-to-Z, Poetry-A-Day, etc., I hope you've accomplished your goals!

When I see you next time...

...so see you then. haha

April Writing Update

It wasn't until Friday that I remembered I was supposed to post Wednesday. *facepalm* This will be a short one.

So, also on Friday, I got to see a draft of my BOOK COVER! I'm so excited. That means it's really happening. I can't wait to show everyone. I plan on a cover reveal in May and publication in June, so hopefully that stays on track.

I'm working on a newsletter and trying to build something a little closer to a website via Wordpress. I'm not the biggest fan of Wordpress, though, so if I have to make a home page-type page for here, as I've already bought this domain and know Blogger fairly well now, then that is what I'll do, and just change the domain in 2020.

I've been writing in my next fantasy project, and I'm finally pulling pieces from my document of scenes for later. I can't wait to get to the end of this one and then develop the sequel. I feel that's gonna be a journey. This story is already pretty adult and darker than I've done in a while (kind of what happens when your first words came from an angry place, but c'est la vie). I can't wait to see where this one is taking me.

If you celebrate, I hope you enjoy the Easter weekend. I will see you all (on time) next week!

Wednesday Words: How Long 'Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin

It is the 2nd Wednesday of what feels like a really long month already. But at least I'm starting a new book today!!

Bless Jesus!! Mail!! @nkjemisin pic.twitter.com/mhvTsm2025

— Deb R.H.: Fantasy Writer (@DebTheAuthor) December 5, 2018

As you all might know by now, I'm a huge fan of N.K. Jemisin, so I can't wait to crack this book open some time today. How Long 'Til Black Future Month? is a collection of short stories based on modern times. I love the title, a very poignant question for today, and the cover is amazing!

How do I randomly choose a page from a short story collection? The same as I always do. There are 397 pages in this collection, and random.org chose page 245, a page in the story "Cuisine des Mémoires." That page is a little racy, so I'm gonna go ahead and hit the generate button again. 229, "Walking Awake."

And there was something about this chaos, something so subtly counter to everything she knew about the Masters, that she understood at once these were people without Masters. They had built the vehicles and they had built the roads. They had built the whole city.

They were free.

A new word came into her head, in whispers. (Revolution.)

Yeeees. And that makes me understand the title of that story as well. I can't wait!


What are you reading this week?

Insecure Writers Support Group - April Showered!

Brought to us by Alex J. Cavanaugh,
sensei and founder of the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

To say I had quite an April would be putting it...quite mildly. This is going to be a longer post than I like, so I'm sorry in advance.

Let's start back in October, when the administrative assistant for the Chief Security Officer at my job moved onto another company. I had been eyeing her job for quite some time and took the opportunity to express my interest in her position to my manager (who told me when I joined to look around and see what might interest me because I'm currently in a Casual/Seasonal position, and she worried that I was over-qualified to work for her team), and the CSO. So, the CSO told me she had spoken to my manager about needing my help, and my spirits went way up.

After meeting with her, they returned to earth. She had plans to close the Administrative Assistant position and create a new one for a Security Administrator. So for the past few months, I've been helping her team as they did eventually close the job I wanted, and I started applying, yet again, to jobs elsewhere.

In those months, I also spent a lot of time preparing my posts for the A to Z Challenge. I had decided last year that I would focus on Final Fantasy, as the Write Mage, so I did a lot of research and picture searching, and gif searching, and started scheduling those posts. My excitement for each post mounted and mounted, and eventually (if you saw), I even had multiple characters per post and honorable mentions because I couldn't decide, and I just knew I'd draw people into my excitement once I started going around to the others' posts.

April 1st gets here, and I can't wait to get home and start reading blogs. I took a break to go say happy birthday to my surrogate great-grandmother, and when I get into the house and hug my surrogate pop-pop, he says, "You know Pastor died?"

And then most of my April was basically pre-scheduled to not go the way I wanted. Our Pastor had been such for almost 35 years. I was on the committee for this 35th anniversary. His 34th would have been the week after we had his funeral. So a lot of people--our church and surrounding communities--are still shaken up, and when you have a man who not only takes care of his church but pulls together other churches to serve the community for 34 years, we're rightfully so.

But trying to get anything else done got pretty difficult. I have library books that need to keep getting renewed, I'm now 4 books behind on my Goodreads schedule, and I now have to catch up on reading the A to Z Blog posts I'd started. I know I can still do them, but still.

On the bright side, my April didn't end too badly. I kept applying, as I said, to other jobs, many at the local hospital, and at the end of March, I was finally granted an interview. Then, I moved onto the next interview. And then, I was offered the job! SO May begins my countdown (12 DAYS) to becoming a full-time administrative assistant! I'm extremely excited, and I can't wait to move onto bigger and better things!

So, April was a roller coaster, but I'm still strapped in for the ride. :)

The Write Mage is On Break... But I'm not!

Happy Friday!

If you would like to learn more about Final Fantasy, visit my A-to-Z Challenge Blog: Deb's April Dailies this month!

This year I'm taking a break from my main blog so that I can focus on reading other people's A to Z Blogs! Let me know if you're doing the challenge this year, so I can stop by. :)

A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal (And a thousand GIFs)

I went simple last year, helping people out with some different colors for descriptions in their stories. This time, I'm making it about me and my gaming habit. So, hopefully, someone reads it haha.

My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is...

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(Was that dramatic enough?)

FINAL FANTASY!!

I will be highlighting my favorite characters from the Final Fantasy franchise, so I will also be utilizing the (GA) tag for those looking for specific tags on the linky-list. To visit me, I will be over at my April Dailies blog. I hope you enjoy. :)