I'm so excited, I don't even know where to start! I've been waiting for this story to release ever since I found out it was even being worked on. And when Kassie asked me to Beta? I was over the Moon! I was so excited to share this with all of you and so honored to participate in her blog tour! So without further ado, let's jump right in! (Points to you if you caught that I used Jump on purpose XD)

Where to even begin! This book made me laugh one minute and cry the next! It was such a touching story. The part that really got to me was when Layla was reading letters written to Mavericks mother...I've talked with a gold star mom on multiple occasions and she read me a similar letter...such a touching scene!

Andrew is probably my favorite character. I mean, he's a Ranger and a runner...and he's such a compelling lead.

That's not to down play Layla and Ranger and Jaydon though! This family is so sweet together and the dynamics of their relationship...and the tragedies that pull them tighter are so heart-breakingly beautiful!

The message of the story is so powerful. Hope, perseverance, God's hand in our lives and the desire to honor our heroes...ah! I can't say enough good about this book. And there's even a Police Officer line in the story! And of course, the balloons...

Because the story does deal with war injuries and PTSD, I would recommend this for 14+ for understanding. The book is clean and all, and there are no gory descriptions.

O To Be Like Thee still has my heart, but this book...nope, can't even compare them. They are both so good!

*I received an e-book copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own*

What inspired this story, especially the aspect of a double amputee?
Well, the story’s inspired by {a song} which isn’t about the Army or amputees unless you’ve got an imagination. XD The whole double-amputee part kind of just happened. I just wanted to bring together a three-legged dog and an amputee in a story. It was just an image I had in my head I wanted to write about.
 
What is one thing you want your readers to take away from this story?
There’s usually more to a person’s story than meets the eye. Maybe you’ll never know it. Maybe you will. People may be struggling in ways you will never know, and some heroes aren’t so obvious. And—maybe my favorite line of the story—you never know who’s trying to make a hero proud.
 
What has God taught you through the writing Tattered Wings?
If He tells you to do something, don’t give up. Not-so-little-known fact: I didn’t really want to write Tattered Wings. It’s my stubborn story for a reason. But not giving up is one of the themes of the story…and I’m so glad I didn’t give up on it. Because when you don’t give up, it will be oh so worth it.
 
How has your perspective on life changed through writing this story?
(how did she come up with these) Y’know, that’s a good question. Yeah, maybe the answer’s I’m more determined than ever not to give up. Or maybe the answer is that you can actually navigate between both the civilian and military world and it won’t always make sense and that’s okay.
 
Tell us about Maverick (just anything you want, girl). *He's a side Character that is never on scene in the story*
He’s my reckless Texas cowboy named after Lane Frost who loves animals and is such a softie but he will fight with a vengeance when he needs to because he’s basically a working dog at heart. (Don’t tell him I said that.)
 
If you could meet one of your characters, which would you want and what would you say to them?
I think I’d want it to be Layla, just so I could tell her the one thing she’s not sure she wants to hear: I know and I’m sorry. Everything’s gonna be okay and you are so brave. And by the way your dog is super cute, not that I’m biased.

(adds under my breath: “I know what I’d really want to say to a character. This is for you, Maverick.”)

*Reads that line and tears up...*
 
What piece of advice, based on your experience with this book, would you give writers?
Write the story that’s in your heart. I don’t care how hard it is. Just write it. Somebody needs to read it, and somebody’s heart will break in the best way possible over it. Don’t compare your stories to each other. Just don’t. You’ll still love them all, I promise.
 
How can we reach out to people like Layla and Andy?
In this essay I will…. X’D Just kidding. There’s a lot I could tell you. But at the end of the day, be respectful and just be a friend. Andrew’s struggles are a lot more visible than Layla’s. Saying not to treat them any differently isn’t helpful when they’re so unlike the average person you meet on the street. But don’t ever treat someone like they’re from a different planet just because, say, they’re a double amputee. Just say hi. How you doing. Crazy weather we’re having, right? And by the way…thank you; we really do appreciate it.
 
Okay, what inspired Isaiah?
(Fun fact: I don’t think I’ve shared this story before.) Okay, so I needed a battle buddy for Andrew, and Isaiah’s story just grew from there. My crazy Southern kid is based on a soldier from Alabama who was working the gate at Ft. Hood, saw my mom’s West Virginia license plate, and made it his personal mission to faithfully tell us “ROLL TIDE” every time he saw us. That was, one, how we found out WV was playing Alabama in the Super Bowl, two, how the poor boy earned the undying title Private Roll Tide, and three, how we ended up with a soft spot for all things Roll Tide. A good five years later, if pre-deployment Isaiah isn’t so Private Roll Tide… <33
 
Parting thoughts? (Literally, anything you want😉)
(First thing that came to mind; couldn’t resist and it’s kinda fitting…) “All we ask is that you don’t forget, ‘cause the war’s not over when the fighting ends—haunted souls and memories, Airborne Ranger Infantry.”

I'm not crying...<3

Okay, so that is it for now! Click here to purchase the eBook and here for a print copy!
Have a Blessed Day!
Rangers Lead the Way!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

There is only so much time in a day and only so many days in a year. And yet there are so many things we wish to accomplish. How can we ever get it all done, especially when one is writing a novel? Well, today, we are going to look at the art of setting goals and see how I am planning to get a novel written this year!

1. Pick your project. This one seems like a no brainer, but when setting goals, you must select one project to break down into goals. Sure, you can work on multiple projects at once, but when setting your goals, it’s crucial to stay focused. For the sake of illustration, I will select “A Song of Home” as my sample project. (No, you will not see my real timeline 😉. This is just for example.)

2. List the steps needed to accomplish your goal. Take out a sheet of paper and map out everything that needs to be done from start to finish. You may find that you need to add more steps as you progress, and that’s fine! Just get down the basics.

Ex. Brainstorm Novel, draft, revise, edit, team edit, beta-readers/proof edit, publish, market.

3. Set your deadlines. Be sure you have at least a tentative schedule of when (realistically) you want to have these goals met. Now, I’m in a ministry family. We travel…a lot. We get meetings spur of the moment that throws my plans to the wind. So give yourself grace if you have to take several weeks (months, years) to realistically complete a goal.

Ex. Brainstorm, 2 weeks; Draft, 3-6 months (depending on the length of the novel, how well you have it outlined, etc.); Revise, 1 month; Edit, 2 months; Beta-Read/Proof, 1 month; publish, set tentative month you want it out by. The turnaround time for printing and binding varies according to who you use and what time of year you order; Market…you never really stop, so this one doesn’t need a time limit. (Disclosure: These are totally random time slots I chose for this example and do not represent the ideal timeline. You do what works for you. I’m not even sure I could follow this!)

4. Break Up your steps. This is kind of like Step 2. Take each step and divide them into mini-steps.

Ex. Brainstorm: Book synopsis/blurb; picture file; playlist; outline; character questionnaire, etc.

5. Set Deadlines. Yep, this again! Look at the time frame you’ve given yourself and assign a deadline to each mini-step to help you accomplish your goal. This can also help you take stock of how realistic your plan is.

Ex. Brainstorm (2 Weeks): Book synopsis/blurb, 1-2 days; picture file, ongoing; playlist, 1 day; outline, 1 week; character questionnaire, 1 week. Okay, so it looks like this might be accomplished in 2 weeks if you multitask, but better safe than sorry. I’ll give myself another three days.

6. Get to it! Once your plan is in place, jump in, and get to work! And try to stick to your plan. Again, the unexpected happens. This is simply a tool to help you avoid laziness and procrastination. Don’t beat yourself up if other commitments call you away and throw everything off. Adjust and carry on!

This really can apply to any long-term project you want to accomplish.

I hope this post is a help to you and makes your writing/life process less stressful.

Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

The New Year is 4 days away. What? How did it all get by so fast? What happened? Well, no use crying over spilt milk. This New Year is a fresh slate with no mistakes in it…yet. As long as mankind remains on the earth, mistakes will be made and sins will be committed, though we should be doing our part to keep the number down! Today, I thought it would be fun to share with you some resolutions, since that’s what we are “supposed to do” at the end of a year. These are for writers, and hopefully, these will be attainable. Let’s dive “write” in!

Keep Priorities Straight.

Don’t ever let your writing come in place of your Bible study, Prayer life, or family responsibilities. Believe me, every writer has struggled with at least one of these at some time or another. Purpose in your heart to keep your priorities in line. Remember JOY: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last. And yes, writing is in the “Yourself” category.
 
Read a Book on Writing Craft.

These can be so helpful! As in anything in life, if you are a writer, you need to keep growing in your craft. My favorite writing book is Did God Put a Book in You? By Jerry Ross. Another good one is 5 Basic Points of Plot Structure by K. M. Weiland.
 
Read the Writings of the Master Author.

I borrowed this title for our Lord from Amanda Tero. He wrote the best Book in all History and none can be compared to it. And our efforts in any area of life will amount to nothing without Him. So study the Bible (the King James is the proper translation for English speakers), apply it to your life. And as for your writing? Find verses that apply to your story. Use the lessons God teaches you through His Word in your writing. I got an idea for a battle scene from reading the book of Joshua. I also applied something God taught me through Ruth in a Camp Fire Story. You never know what God has in mind for your writing until you submit to being His student.
 
Write a Short Story.

It has been said that if a preacher can’t preach a message in 5-10 minutes, he’s not a real preacher. Well, the same might be said for a writer. Writing short stories is a good exercise for authors, teaching them to keep out all unnecessary dialogue, details and backstory. You’ve got a minimum of space to tell your story. Challenge yourself to cut the chatter and write a story with a convincing plot and character in 1,000 words or less. See if it doesn’t teach you a lot about writing in the process.
 
Keep an Inspiration Notebook.

I keep one in my purse as I travel to jot down story ideas, tidbits I want to research, songs I want to use, quotes or even whole scenes that come to me. You never know when Inspiration will hit: in the car, at the store, in the middle of the night, etc. so buy a little notebook and let the thoughts flow.

That's all I have for Now!
Have A Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Themes…ugh! I don’t know about you, but this is one of the hardest parts of developing a story for me. I can come up with (what I think) is a fantastic plot line with all the fun/frightening details (I write about historical events and First responders, so yeah, some things get a little scary), but what are people supposed to learn from my stories?

Well, today, I’m going to take a theme and break down a few ways you can use it in your Work in Progress (WIP; I use this abbreviation for the sake of space and time 😉). So, if you’re ready, let’s begin!

This post is a little different from what I usually do. I got the idea from this post on different ways to write about Love, so be sure and check that one out too. I’m not talking about romance here. There are more love stories out there than romantic ones, y’all!

I was brainstorming a requested story, trying to plot out some ideas when I determined that this book should have a stated theme before I even began to plot it. I asked my family for ideas, giving them the setting for the story, etc. My mom suggested Forgiveness.

Forgiveness. Such a simple concept and an overt command of God, and yet so many struggle with it. It’s not an easy thing to do. I mean, sometimes it is, but not when it’s those things that really, really hurt you in life…those things that go deeper than the surface. The heartaches, the betrayals…those kinds of things are harder to let go of. That’s why it’s so important to write about it, to share what we have learned from the Bible and from personal experience about forgiving others.

But how can we show forgiveness in our writing? Here are some ideas.

• The struggle of a family forgiving the person who killed a family member in a head-on collision.
• A sweet story of children having a dispute and mom coming in to teach about the silliness of holding a grudge.
• A short story of an animal “forgiving” their human for stepping on their tail.
• A policeman getting beyond their past and trying to help an ex-criminal straighten out their life
• A couple working out an argument.
• An elderly lady with memory problems struggling to understand what’s happening to her and trying to forgive her family for seemingly abandoning her
• A child learning to forgive someone for saying mean things.
• Use the parable in the Bible about the servant who was forgiven much, but wouldn’t forgive his fellow servant. Tell a similar story in modern-day to teach about receiving and giving forgiveness to others.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. How can you teach forgiveness through your WIP?

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Colossians 3:13
King James Bible

Have a Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

This month is National Novel Writing Month, so I thought, since the end of the month is right around the corner, it would be good to get you a book on editing that book you may have just conquered!

Okay, so I have no idea why I waited so long to read this book! I enjoyed it so much and learned a lot from these authors…though it does need a little censoring…

Go Teen Writers: Edit Your Novel
By Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson
2018
4.5 Stars

My Review: This is a writer’s go-to guide for editing your novel, and not just the grammar part! It’s about: Story plot. Character expansion. Hooking the reader with your story. Making sure that it’s the best it can be! Now, a disclaimer, I didn’t like all of the story examples they used. Most of them were from books I wouldn’t read, but very few had anything I had to mark out.

A young writer friend of mine read the book before I did and warned me about a few of the things I mentioned. She took the issues to her mother. Younger readers, this is a highly advised practice! When in doubt or if you stubble upon something in a book you know is inappropriate, take it to your parents/guardian.

Also, I would recommend this for older readers, 16+ for complete understanding/censoring purposes. Once it’s checked out, I’d say 12 and up are good to go.

So yes, if you are older, this book is an invaluable resource!

Have a Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22