You Can't Be Everybody's Cup of Tea...

  ...some like it bitter, some like it sweet. Nobody's everybody's favorite, so you might as well just make it how you please...

Y'all, I'm just gonna be honest. I lost a writing contest this week. (No, it's not the secret project I mentioned in last week's tada list. Still working on that one.) Despite the loss, I'm in love with the feedback I've gotten, especially since most of it was amazingly positive. Some of the comments given from readers of the piece were:

• "What a sweet story of love and determination. --April, Writing Battle Participant
• "You set a good hook early on that keeps the tension going throughout..." --Elmira, Writing Battle Participant
• "Your writing style is so captivating...Beautifully written." --Jackie, Writing Battle Participant
• "...you may have just turned me into a reader." --Karalee, Writing Battle Participant

This contest required participating writers to come up with a 500-word story using three randomized prompts, which weren't revealed until the actual contest began. Prompts included a genre, a setting, and a character, and writers were challenged to create a story from these prompts; mine were "medical drama," "bachelorette party," and "librarian." 

I had never done anything like it before, but I loved that the process was so exciting! Unfortunately I'm not able to share much more about the contest since most of the content is sign-in only. The great thing is that my entry is still mine to share, so if you'd like to see it, you can check out "The Bookish Bachelorette" here. I'll leave the comments open on that page too, so you guys can tell me what you think!

In the meantime, these are this week's wins:

STILL FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM is now just under forty thousand words, and it's so much fun watching Christine develop her new confidence! This week, I've been working on chapter eight, which covered the Christmas holiday in the story's timeline. It was a lonely time for Christine too, as she spent her first few nights alone in her new apartment - because she's just taken the step of leaving the Safe House! There are still big changes coming for her in the next fourteen chapters, and I'm so excited to watch it all play out.

If you hadn't seen them, make sure you check out the links at the top of this page. I've recently added two new pages: my favorite reads, and a few of my Undaunted living essentials. Both pages will grow and develop as I add new things, so check back often. And until then...

*song lyric from "Cup of Tea," Kacey Musgraves