Hello and welcome to my June Writing Update! I have some exciting news for y’all as far as my writing projects are concerned! If you are subscribed to my blog, then you may know some of this stuff all ready! But there’s some new stuff to mention here too, so let’s dive in!

The Battlefield is Silent ||

This project has been on the back burner for the past few weeks. I’ve made some good progress, but there is still much to do. But I felt God urging me to take a step with a different project so… I plan to work more on it this summer!
 

Secret Project ||

This has been on the back burner, but I’m planning on picking it back up in July!
 

Secret Project #2  ||

This is the main project I am working on right now. After much prayer and talking it over with my husband, I have taken the step to hire an editor! I have finished revisions and am currently working on a color-coded edit. After that, it goes to my editor for review and correction *halo* She’s already given me sample chapters and I am so excited to work with her!

Lord willing, this book will release in October! Details to follow!

And the title? That’s coming June 30th, so mark your calendar! (Wanna help spread the word? Email me and I’ll make you a part of the title reveal team!)

 
Are you writing a book? Share your update in the comments! Reading any good books lately? Feel free to share as well! What books are you most looking forward to for 2021??
 
God Bless and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello and welcome to my Spring Writing Update! I’m happy to report I have made some progress even if I have been terrible at keeping my updates page up to date *facepalm* sorry! But anywho! Today, I’m here with an update! And I’m actually excited! So let’s hop in!

The Battlefield is Silent ||

Things do always go as we’d like. I’d hoped to be in the final editing stage by now and announcing that it’s ready to go to press next month. But that’s not how things worked out.

As some of you know, I’ve been suffering from acute mental block 😉 I finally broke out y’all! I’m writing again and it feels so good! Yesterday, I got in over 6K in the draft! I’m now in August of 1865, closing in on September! The story is coming to a couple of climaxes and I’m so excited to share this book with y’all!

Here’s a snippet for your patience!
 
“With Malice toward None, with Charity to All…”

“I wish,” Timothy whispered. He elbowed Jordan as the crowd applauded President Lincoln’s inaugural speech. “I’ve half a mind to wave at him and say, ‘Hey! I’m a Confederate!’ and see how far that goes.”

Jordan snorted and shook his head. “I wouldn’t. Everybody knows it’s just politicking.”

“True.”

Jordan listened to the endless chatter of the ceremony as it droned on, and took in the faces surrounding him. Most were enraptured, though to be sure, not everyone was happy with the winner of the 2nd term president and warmonger. Those dissenting frowned in disapproval, but applauded politely and occasionally nodded when something was said that they agreed with.

Except for a gentleman close to the stage. He scowled fiercely at Lincoln, quite obvious that he didn’t agree with a single word the Neanderthal said. His eyes flashed and he gritted his teeth. Now there was a person that hated Lincoln.

Jordan studied his face. He had seen the fellow before, middling height, dark hair, thick mustache and sharp, piercing black eyes that snapped like a blade when aroused. Jordan couldn’t place him though.

He wasn’t sure why or what it was that made the fellow stand out, but he did know one thing; that fellow was not to be trusted. And he certainly bore watching. Perhaps their feelings of contempt for the evil man addressing the crowd were mutual, but there was no reason in flaunting it and drawing attention. No, this fellow was a rash sort. Best to keep a distance.
 
Do you know how hard it is to find a snippet that doesn’t have spoilers??

As far as stats go, I’m at 93.5K and 333 pages O.0 Yep, gonna have to edit 😉
 
Secret Project ||

It’s plotted and I’m working on chapter 2. And that’s all I’m saying *halo*

You’re welcome!
 
As for my other projects, they are still under wraps, but I have hired an editor for one project and am looking into a cover designer. And that wraps things up!
 
Are you writing a book? Share your update in the comments! Reading any good books lately? Feel free to share as well! What books are you most looking forward to for 2021??
 
God Bless and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Welcome back to Life of Heritage Corner! It’s hard to believe the first month of 2021 is over! Time sure does fly when you’re having fun! Today I’m recapping my month and sharing some of the highlights from life in the Peterson house! So, without further ado, let’s dive in!

Life ||

I moved into my new house with my husband at the end of last year! So, much of this month was spent getting settled in. And I still have much to do in the office, but progress is happening 😉
 
Books||

My ambition was to read 15 books (mostly short stories), but that didn’t happen. 😉 I did, however, get in a couple books!
 
Modern Warriors by Pete Hegseth (Check out my review here!)
O To Be Like Thee by Kassie Angle (Check out my review here!)
 
Writing ||

I didn’t hit my goal here, but I did manage to get a good chunk of rereading done and got several chapters divided out! I’m starting to get inspired again, which is a relief!
Brainstorming did happen on one of my future WIPs! Some sweet family/friends were more than willing to help me out with some parts that were bugging me, so that was a blessing! Thank you so much!
 
Song ||

Our church has a song of the month, and this month’s was such a blessing! Open My Eyes That I May See… what a lovely prayer in song! I love that our church sings all the verses in the hymn book for the most part, and this song was no exception! What is something you need God to open your eyes to in your life?
 
Food ||

My sister gave me a fantastic recipe for Tacos, and they have proved to be a hit with my husband! And a topping that just up-levels the homemade taco experience even more? Salsa con Queso! It adds just the right kick!
 
Anticipated Read for February ||

This month I hope to read the Colours of Life Series by Katja L.! There are two novels and two short stories so far, so I am excited to get into them!

10 Posts You Should Read ||

I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite posts from my archives and from some of my friends!
 
From My Blog

Now More than Ever
Why the South Fought
My Writing Journey
Stories of Valor from the War on Terror
An Interview with Mrs. Armistead
 
From My Friend’s Blogs

Welcome 2021 || Soldier Girl Stories
Plot Twist! || Read Another Page
New Years Book Tag || Little Blossoms for Jesus
8 Books to Read in Winter || Little Blossoms for Jesus
22 Tips to Read More (& How to Avoid Reading Slumps!) || Little Blossoms for Jesus
 
And Last but not least…
 
Verse ||

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

This verse was very special to me this month. There have been so many new things going on in my life, and to be honest, sometimes, if you overthink, it could be a little scary. But God has been so good to me in stilling my fears and giving me so many people to encourage me through the hard times. The good far outweighs the bad!
 
That wraps things up for January! How was your month? Read any good books? What verse has meant a lot to you? Any good blog posts or songs to share?
 
Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

*Stares at the title of this blog post*

*Groans*

Hey, y’all! So…writing updates! *Innocent smile* So, I suppose you do deserve an update. After all, I haven’t really talked about my work in progress (WIP) since…September? Yeah, it’s been a while!

I’m currently working on book 5 in The Battle for Heritage Series (for those who don’t know) set during the War Between the States.

If you are subscribed to my blog, you know from your bonus email that I set a goal to read everything I’d written so far. And then, my goal was to finish the rewrites by January 16th. Hopefully, I would have written some new chapters.

I’m still rereading as of January 15th, 2021, when I’m writing this post. I had some unexpected stuff come up, including just not feeling well. Thankfully, it’s not the virus-that-shall-not-be-named. But no fun all the same.

Was some of it a lack of motivation? Getting settled into a new normal? Being a little homesick? Distracted? Wanting to work on a different story?

Yes, to all the above.

But it’s okay.

It’s not the end of the world if everything doesn’t go the way I wanted it to go. It’s okay if I’m running a little behind or if I just need to take a step away from the story. I’m not going to do well if I’m not motivated.

But I do need to get motivated.

So what am I gonna do?

Glad you asked!

Remember that other story I said was taking my attention? I’ve set a goal for myself. Read through two chapters of TBIS before I allow myself to work on…

This is something I’ve literally been working on for almost 10 years. I’ve plotted it in my head. I’ve developed the characters with friends. I’ve written and scrapped several rough drafts of the first book. But now? I know where it’s supposed to go. I know what it’s supposed to be. I know what message I want to send with this story. I know the people I want to reach with this story.

Will it be coming out this year? Probably not. Next year? I hope so. Bear with me. I have a few other projects ahead of this one for this year. So let’s just sit back and see what God’s plans are. For now, I’m working on a thorough outline of the first book for this project. I don’t know how many books will be in this project. I don’t know how often they will publish; I can’t make concrete plans like that. It might go fast. It might drag. But however it goes, it will go in God’s timing.

All I will say about this story is that it was inspired by 9/11. That’s all you need to know right now 😉
 
I have a couple other projects I’m working on, but I’ll be sharing about them closer to time for them to get released. With how uncertain my schedule is at this point, I can’t pin down dates. But yeah, I’ve got four total projects I hope to work on this year! Full plate, but it’s fun! They are all so different from each other, it’s easy to move from book to book.

And now, I need to cut this short, so I can actually work on my stories! Thanks for stopping by! I know this post was a little different in tone, but I hope you enjoyed it!

Writing Prompt: Are you a writer? What are you working on this year? What are your goals for 2021? Readers, what book are you looking forward to the most in 2021?
 
Have a lovely day in the Lord, and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello and welcome back to Life of Heritage Corner. I hope each of you is having a blessed Memorial Day. It’s definitely gonna be different, not going to the parade, but my family is amazing, making sure I have an awesome Memorial Day Birthday!

And as you can see from the title…A SONG OF HOME IS HERE!!!

*cough*

Well, not exactly.

Let me explain.

So, the original plan was to release A Song of Home on Memorial Day. My timeline was perfect. Everything was falling into place. Then I got sick for three days with allergies. Three days that would have ensured that this book was already at the press by now. So, yeah, my timetable was upset.

I also got the opportunity to visit with my sister’s family over the past week. I was able to get progress done on my final polishing edits while there, thank God, but who wants to stay on a laptop all day when you have adorable little people asking you to play with them, hold them and randomly telling you they love you? Not me! I had a blast, loving on my littles and helping my sister and just getting an overall change of pace. It’s actually helped my editing.

So, one of the things I got finished while there was the cover for A Song of Home. The little tweaks to the back cover and all. Would you like to see it?

While I know a lot of authors have more glamorous covers, I have to admit, I really like the look of this cover. My sister was a huge help and my mom helped me settle on the right plantation house picture. Thanks, y’all!

Above, I mentioned something about a blog tour…

Yes, I decided to do one. And yes, I realize this is in the middle of a series…actually past the middle, but who’s counting? Anyway, some lovely friends of mine talked me into going ahead with it, so over the next five days, I will be posting their links here along with some something about A Song of Home here on the blog. Oh and did I mention there is a giveaway? One recipient will be gifted a set of all four of the books in The Battle for Heritage Series in eBook format! International friends are welcome! You can enter here!

So that wraps it up for the day!
Have a lovely day in the Lord!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

PS. In Honor of this Most Blessed Holiday (that came about because of Southern Ladies following the War Between the States) I have linked my previous Memorial Day post below! Don’t forget to thank a Veteran!

Happy Memorial Day! (2018)