It has happened.

2020 is over.

A new year is here! I just love new years…

Okay, so hello, hey, howdy! It’s been a good while since I’ve been around here consistently and I’m so glad  to be back! To anyone who is new here, welcome to Life of Heritage Corner! We are so glad to have you here with us!
You heard me right. I said we!

If you saw my Merry Christmas post, you are aware that I got married last December! You have no idea how hard it was to keep that a secret! I wanted so badly to share, but I had to wait for the right time. But as of December 19th, 2020, I am now Ryana Lynn Miller Peterson!

Now I know you probably want details, and I am more than eager to share a few, but I am working on a special post to share with you in February! But for now I can tell you this. His name is Jacob and he’s a preacher and Bible teacher!

That’s not the only thing that has changed for me. This Tarheel Gal is now in living in Maryland! Don’t worry, I’m still the same southern girl I’ve always been 😉 I’m just living in boarder territory now! So, with that in mind, I suppose I should be updating everyone on just what to expect here on the blog!

As of right now, I am resuming my posting schedule of Mondays and Fridays (Psst! Subscribers get bonus content and bonus posts on Wednesdays!), but there is gonna be a slight change. Book reviews will be extra posts as a rule, with more writing/history type posts coming your way. But don’t worry, my book list posts and spotlights are still going to be making their way onto the blog, as are my devotions and missions spotlights! Devotions will be as close to the 1st as possible and Missions spotlights on the first Monday of the Month. The following Mondays will be writing/bookish posts with history coming up on Fridays!

I don’t know about y’all, but 2020 was an amazing, busy and crazy year for my family! I have to shake my head as I see all the negative remarks about 2020 and laugh at silly remarks I made to my family, mostly in jest. Aside from the political unrest, fearmongering, and losing two special people to cancer (nope, they didn’t catch the-virus-that-shall-not-be-named), 2020 was one of the best years of my life! Here’s just a sample of the reasons why!

Three nieces got saved this year!

My cousin got married!

We were able to help my grandpa organize several aspects of his house and clear out a building for out of town company!

I published a book and made good headway on 3 more!

My sister had a baby!

I got to work at the polls! Yep, it was in person and I enjoyed every minute of it!

We were able to take my grandpa and my uncle (who is down syndrome) with us on a trip to Tennessee to see the Christmas Dixie Stampede!

I married the man of my dreams and moved to a new state! And just saying, I love our apartment 😉

On a bittersweet note, my grandma (Dad’s mom) and grandpa (Mom’s dad) are no longer suffering with cancer and are safe in the arms of Jesus, at rest at last. I miss them terribly and while I am so happy for them, I am very sad for me… I miss them more than I can express. As a result of these funerals, my dad’s cousin got saved and we were able to witness to nearly a dozen lost family members! God is so good even in our hardest trials!

I have been doing word of the year segments for going on three years now and I have enjoyed it so much! In 2019, I chose the word Stand (Click here for that post) and in 2020, I chose the word Vision (Click here for that post). And no, I didn’t pick it because of 20-20 Vision. I hadn’t even thought of that until two months after I chose it! So, without further ado, let’s unveil the Word of the Year 2021!

REJOICE

But let those that put their trust in Thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest them: let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee.
Psalm 5:11
King James Bible

As Christians, we have so much to rejoice in! And as a personal goal, I am trying to find something to rejoice about everyday, small things, big things, things that don’t make sense and things that do. Will I succeed? That is yet to be seen, lol, but it’s the goal!

Well, I do believe that is all for now! Thank you so much for joining me for yet another year here at Life of Heritage Corner!
 
Writing Prompts: Do you do a Word of the Year? If so, what is it? What was your 2020 highlight? What is something you can rejoice about today?
 
Writing for Him,
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

I mentioned this book to my subscribers a few weeks ago, and I promised a full review, so today, that’s exactly what I plan to do!

Euphonics for Writers by Rayne Hall
(2015)
3.5 Stars

Learn how to touch your readers' subconscious with subtle tricks.

Certain sounds have certain effects on the mind. By using words which include those sounds, you influence how the reader feels

Rayne Hall is the author of the bestselling Writer's Craft series. Her short stories have been published in many anthologies, and some of her books have been translated into several languages.

 *I cannot recommend anything else she writes as I have either not read or would never read them*

I found out about this book through this article, and I was truly intrigued. I had a free Kindle Unlimited Subscription, so I decided to check it out. The concept of using specific sounds to evoke a setting for a scene was fascinating to me and something I certainly plan to play around with. Like the author said, too much can ruin the story, but a light sprinkling can make your story shine!

I didn’t appreciate some inappropriate adult-rated content that was in the book (she was using this for all genres, and some aren’t fit for anyone’s eyes and got skipped!), so I wouldn’t just hand this to a young reader without editing it first. There were also two short stories at the end that are inappropriate (horror and ghost stories) that I skipped. Other than that, I think it was a useful manual and one that I would like to have a print copy of so I can censor it and put it to use!

Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello all! Today I have a lovely writing book to share with you that I greatly enjoyed! I’ve wanted to read it for months now and finally got around to it! Before I get started, I should let you know the author generously gifted me a copy, requesting I review it, but there was no stipulation on it being a positive or negative review. All thoughts are my own and I am excited to share them with you!

Outlining Your Novel by K. M. Weiland
(2011)
5 Stars

Can Outlining Help You Write a Better Story?

Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal.

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success will:

•Help you choose the right type of outline for you
•Guide you in brainstorming plot ideas
•Aid you in discovering your characters
•Show you how to structure your scenes
•Explain how to format your finished outline
•Instruct you in how to use your outline
•Reveal the benefits
•Dispel the misconceptions

Includes exclusive interviews with ten respected authors, answering important questions about outlining.

Outlining can organize your writing and help you take your stories to the next level. Find out how!

This was an incredibly helpful writer’s guide. As a self-proclaimed “Plotser” (someone who plots and writes without one, half and half) this book has helped me see some corrections I need to make in my process. While I may never be able to plot a book fully, she had so many helpful tips and examples for making your book the best it can be! I plan to reference it often! Below I’ll share some samples of some fun tips! Even if you never intend to plot your novel, I recommend you give it a read. It’s worth your time, trust me. Now, I didn’t agree with all the works she chose to highlight for her examples, and if I remember correctly there were two bad words, so watch for that. Otherwise, this book is a gold mine!

|| If you’re a visual learner, you may find it useful to create folders of pictures related to your story. “Cast” your characters, scout likely settings, and collect pertinent props. By associating pictures with particular scenes, you not only give yourself extra details with which to flesh out the scene, you can also help yourself spot plot holes or inconsistencies. I began keeping a folder of story-related pictures while writing Dreamlander, and this practice has rapidly become one of the most useful (not to mention most fun) tools in my repertoire. When stuck on scenes, I will often surf the Internet for related pictures. More often than not, when I find a picture, I find my missing puzzle piece. ||

|| The story we put on the page will never be a perfect representation of the story in our imagination, so it’s little wonder we aren’t always aware of where our stories fall short. But here’s a little trick to narrow the gap between your idealization of your story and its printed reality: Write yourself the “perfect” review before your story ever hits paper. If you could have a professional reviewer read your idealized concept of your finished book and totally get it—completely understand everything you’re trying to say with your characters, plot, dialogue, and themes—what would he write about your story? Close your eyes for a moment, emotionally distance yourself from your story, and pretend you’re that reviewer. ||

|| Nothing wrong with those words (they’re the tools of our trade, after all), but give…focusing on the raw sensations {a try}. Close your eyes and visualize the scene you’re writing. What colors stand out? What can you smell? What does your body feel like? This is the best way I know to find those all-important “telling” details that bring a scene to life. ||

That’s it for now! Have a Blessed Week!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello everyone and welcome back to Life of Heritage Corner! Today, I have another post on writing themes! (You can read my first one here!) Let’s hop right in!

So I’m a little late jumping on the theme band wagon. A Song of Home was only the second book I’ve written where I had it decided before I started writing it. And that theme was duty.

When we think of duty, or at least when I think of it, the first thing that comes to mind is a soldier, serving his country, risking his life, because it is his duty to keep the fighting from harming us. He is the sheepdog, fighting off the wolves that would love nothing more than to ravage the herd. Another image that come to mind is that of a policeman. It is his duty to protect us from harm. Even when the sheep fool themselves into thinking he is the wolf and the wolf is the sheepdog, he risks his life to keep us safe.

But soldiers and policemen aren’t the only ones with Duties. Here’s a list of ideas for incorporating Duty into your story!

• A soldier dedicated to serving his country and why it matters to him personally.
• A preacher, proclaiming the Gospel even when faced with opposition from local businessmen.
• A younger family member taking on the duty of caring for an elderly family member. Is it only duty though or love that motivates them…or both? Or does one morph into the other?
• A policeman, protecting a citizen who moments before was insulting him.
• A dog, crossing a war zone to deliver a message to save his handler.
• A father, protecting his family from a home invasion.
• A mother, taking up her God given calling to raise her family rather than pursue her dream career.

These are just a few ideas. How can you depict Duty in your work in progress?

Have a Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

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