Greetings from the cave! 

It is I, your friendly neighborhood absent blogger, coming back from a long and not-so-relaxing stint of living life in 2020. Seriously, grad school kicked my tail at the end, it was horrible. Took a whole three weeks to recover enough to even think about writing. 

But, a new year is fast approaching, so I'd better get the last vestiges of 2020 out of the way (and the sooner the better...)

- I received a copy of How We Rise by Brooke Riley! After reading it at Lia's house last year, I put it on my to-purchase list. And then earlier this year, I received a copy from Lia herself! It is such a good book (even though the ending will definitely destroy you), go get a copy! 

- Been binge-watching free episodes of Animal Planet and Science Channel shows like Secret Life of the Zoo, Rocky Mountain Vet, North Woods Law, and Mysteries of the Abandoned. Anything to keep me entertained (at least until they create their own streaming service....).  

- Discovered that YouTube Movies has free movies...including classics like 12 Angry Men and earlier, The King's Speech. Win!! 

- TWR is back from the editor!!!! And after a brief break for the holidays, I am already starting the edits. It's going to be a long struggle but oh so worth it....

- NaNo came and went, as you probably read in my last post. TMC...didn't really grow all that much, I'm sorry to say. But 4k is better than 0k, as many of my friends have said. 

- I picked up Chivalrous by Dina L. Sleiman at a discount store on a whim, and while I didn't exactly enjoy the story as a pleasure read for various reasons, it gave me analytical material for three different posts. I guess there are those books that are just meant to be picked apart....

- I got four books for Christmas: Mattimeo and Mariel of Redwall by Brian Jacques, The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor and Lia's first poetry collection! All of which I really enjoyed :) 

- I also got a couple of DVDs, including Rouge One (FINALLY), my own copy of Tangled (FINALLY), and the movie Gettysburg. 

For Working by Candlelight, I wrote no posts. I ended up missing this blog's 4th blogoversary, which is a rather sad affair. 

For Rebelling Muse, I wrote 8 posts: Know the Novel, Part 1, The 2020 Writing Special Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4, End of NaNoWriMo 2020, Catholic Writers, We Have a Job to Do, and The Feminine, An Unknown in Literature. 

For Maidens for Mary, I wrote no posts. 

Also announcing....the revival of my history blog! It's now called The History Cat, and it will be nerding out about history all the time. Also, not gonna lie, super stoked about the aesthetics in this blog. Check out the introduction post HERE! 

Goal #1 (TWR): Throughout this year, I have been working hard on this story. Starting with two rounds of drafting, sending it to an editor, and finally getting the feedback back, it has been a ride. There is a lot of work left to do before publishing, though. 

Goal #2 (Platform):  This year, I have opened up some additional social media accounts (i.e. Instagram) as a means of building some sort of platform. I have also looked into other things to grow it, but so far, there really hasn't been anything that works for me. 

Goal #3 (April NaNo): FINISHED. You can view the completed story on Wattpad HERE.

Goal #4 (NaNo): FINISHED. Well, not really, but...  

Goal #5 (Movies): Because of, ahem, factors, I wasn't able to achieve this goal this year. 

Goal #6 (Library): Because of the pandemic, the library has had many closures. So I was unable to achieve this goal this year. 

Goal #7 (Vlogs): FINISHED. You can view the Fandoms one HERE and the Bucket List one HERE.

I did a lot better on these goals than I did in my other goals list on Working by Candlelight. I think this is because this year, I focused a lot more on writing and, except for a brief period of sewing madness, really used that as an escape from the madness of the outside world.  

In my next post, which will be my first in the new year, I'll outline my yearly goals. 

In terms of fiction, 2020 was not such a bad year. Many good books came out, many decent films became available, and writing became ever stronger during the pandemic. I have confidence that 2021 will bring many more good books (though I don't have much hope for the film industry), hopefully including my own :). 

Here's to a better 2021! 

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine

Femininity is a rare commodity for a book character. 

As I re-engage with the reading world, I am surprised anew at the sheer lack of femininity in many supposed "female" characters. Many blog writers have already written about the over-presence of "kick-butt" female characters, so I believe a restatement of that is pointless. What I want to address, however, is the erasing of the "truly feminine" and how it affects portrayals of women in literature and art. 

In older novels, we see no shortage of likeable, good feminine characters. I think this has to do with the fact that femininity was respected and practiced among general society. But as feminism took mothers out of the home, very suddenly the feminine role model disappeared. The feminine journey of success - which is usually tied intrinsically to the family or to sanctity - was altered forever. Feminine attributes, such as we find in role models like the Blessed Virgin, simply were forgotten. In a sense, second and third wave feminism have contributed greatly not just to the absent mother syndrome but also to the explosion of choleric, kick-butt females that are more masculine than anything. 

That being said, there has been some pushback from the Christian market. Recently, I came across a book called Chivalrous by Dina L. Sleiman in my local discount store. I had read Sleiman's work before and had been curious about this one...and the price was right. 

Through the first third of the book, I wanted to shake both the author and the protagonist. Lady Gwendolyn wants to become a knight in order to escape being forced by an abusive father into a marriage to a toxic male brute. This was a classic case of feminist thinking in a medieval setting - unfortunately a common fantasy trope. I was quite annoyed at the lack of femininity, not just from an emotional standpoint but also of historical accuracy.   

However, Sleiman did something unexpected. She made it clear that Gwen was, in fact, ignorant of what the feminine role was. What she had was bad example from her parents, as well as a lack of spiritual education. In Gwen's case, Sleiman drew out an arc of (partially) discovering the feminine role through Scripture and a book of sermons. While I hesitate to recommend this book as pleasure reading material (especially to my Catholic friends, as it has some rather dubious spiritual messages in it), this "ignorance of femininity" is a fascinating concept and one that bears more exploring  

It is also a concept that I relate to. As a convert into traditional Catholicism, I had legitimately no clue as to act in a feminine manner. I was a tomboy then (which was rather inevitable, considering I had four brothers). Years of study later, I claim to be no expert. Yet, I am a person that is better led by example. Hence, seeing the dump of feminist-like lead female characters, really drives me nuts sometimes. 

Therefore, my goal is to create truly feminine characters - starting with my protagonist in my upcoming debut novel, The White Rose. As I look to revise Janina's arc I have been looking at the Hero's Journey method of character plotting. And in my research, I came across this video by a YouTuber called Professor Geek, which talks about femininity and story-telling in the context of a cartoon character named She-Ra. 

The comments about emphasizing the gender distinctions and the recognition of the feminine hero's journey as "taming the masculine" are two points that I would emphasize highly. But the Professor's last comments about the societal effects of femininst branded media really shook me at the core.  

I want to stress that to us Christian and especially Catholic writers, the need to explore femininity and apply it to our characters is paramount. Piggy-backing from my last post about Archbishop Vigano's words on the subject, we have a duty to write feminine characters into our stories, as a means of preserving the feminine role in society. 

That will mean studying femininity. That will mean studying Proverbs 31. That will mean looking up saints like St. Zita, St. Louise Martin, St. Therese Lisieux among countless others. That will mean imitating Mother Mary and her virtues. 

It's important that we get this right. Because if we do, then chivalrous male characters are sure to follow. 

And now, tell me your thoughts! What do you think about feminine portrayals in literature? What are some good examples of feminine characters? Tell me in the comments below! 

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine 

To my fellow Catholic writers, we have a job to do. 

We have been gifted, by Almighty God, with the talents of writing and/or story-telling. This talent is part of a cultural institution that is intrinsically tied to humanity itself. Stories reinforce cultural values and practices and even preserve aspects of history. 

It is one that we cannot afford to bury. The world needs our stories - stories about authentic Catholicism, virtues, and Catholic culture...the latter of which is in danger of dying. 

Why am I making such a big deal about this? 

Well...I'll be frank. I have gotten woken up a little myself. 

I browse LifeSiteNews daily - it's the only news source that I trust anymore. Recently I came across an article that made me really stop and think. 

It was an article about a preface that Archbishop Vigano wrote for an academic work about the restoration for a Catholic culture. Many of my "trad Catholic" readers will recognize Archbishop Vigano immediately, but as I know there are several readers that won't, I'll give a little background. 

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano is an Italian archbishop who serves the Vatican as a Papal Nuncio. A "nuncio" is an official emissary from the Vatican that represents the Pope in religious affairs - basically the equivalent of a diplomat. In Archbishop Vigano's case, he formerly served as the Nuncio for the United States...before he exposed a wicked cardinal named McCarrick and angered quite a few high-ranking people. In spite of this, His Excellency has been an eloquent, in a very blunt way, champion for tradition in the Catholic Church. 

(Archbishop Vigano is also known for writing in support of President Trump a couple of times within the past year, which has garnered some national attention.)

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. 

What caught my attention to this particular article was the fact that His Excellency outlines literature as a tool for a revival of Catholic culture and an aid to restoring a Catholic "memory". This is a concept that, as a public historian, I am VERY familiar with and one that I feel passionately about. 

(You can view the full article HERE. Fair warning, His Excellency writes in a dense style, and he has some politically incorrect views on Vatican II). 

Memory is basically tradition and past rolled into one. While it can be warped, it is an immense tool for understanding culture and history on a molecular level. 

Memory also figures into plotting and character development. For example, a scene where the family prays the Rosary strikes a chord with many of us. We recognize it, and we connect to it, as something that our family, friends and church community does. Even non-Catholics will recognize it sometimes, and connect it with memories where they were exposed to it. 

The scary thing that Archbishop Vigano points out is that the Catholic memory is declining drastically, which causes ignorance of the Faith, it's practices and even it's images. The nuances of Catholic art and culture are now unrecognizable to general society. 

It sounds unthinkable at first. But think about this: Do you see art being taught in schools? What about the material used in so-called "literature" courses? What university even dares to pick up Catholic texts without bashing them? Or even better.....where is the art in the churches?

 A common phrase that we Catholics bandy about is a quote from Scripture: "by their fruits, ye shall know them". Archbishop Vigano points out that we're dealing with a degradation of society; one that was created by evil forces that wish to strip all that is good out of society. 

So, how does advocating for good literature do any good against such forces? 

Stories have power. A lot of power. How much are we influenced by stories of others? I bet a lot more than we are willing to admit.

Three years ago, a group of us bloggers banded together to create Rebellious Writing, which advocated for clean literature in three key areas - language, abuse and lust. We recognized that the normalization of these evils was breeding a lot of problems among our generation. Although we didn't quite realize it, in a way, we were preserving a culture that could speak politely, and have healthy relationships. While we aimed to have a broad audience, our work heavily benefited Christian authors and readers. 

In this same vein, His Excellency argues that Catholic literature can stir the soul and bring it closer to God, much like a sacramental as well as preserve Catholic tradition. It is this potential of conversion that we must tap into as authors. Not to shove it down people's throats (heaven forbid!), but to create the ambiance and letting God do the rest. 

I have felt strongly about eliminating Catholic stereotypes in literature before, and now it's stronger than ever. I don't want my Church to be remembered as a object of ridicule, or worse, just another religious body. A Church with such rich legacy needs to be preserved. 

So, to my Catholic writers, do not hesitate to include Catholicism in your stories! Historical writers, look up Catholic liturgical traditions and saint biographies. Fantasy writers, check out J.R.R. Tolkien on how to sneak Catholic references into a fantasy world. Contemporary writers, investigate writers such as G.K Chesterton, and Flannery O'Connor. Bounce off of other Catholic writers in your community. 

Above all, avoid the fate of the steward of the buried talent (Mt 25:14-15, 18-19, 24-26). We have a job to do - to bring souls to God! Let us restore the Kingdom of Christ, even if our contribution is our little stories! 

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine

*As curtain opens, Catherine strides out on stage....followed by a whiny literary child*

TMC: But Mother!! I've only grown 2k this month! 2K!! 

Oh relax, Midnight Cave! There's still plenty of time in NaNo. Why, it's only the...22nd as of this writing. 

TMC: Yeah. That only leaves a week left in NaNo, remember? 

Oh don't bother me right now with trifles. I gotta get this post done and then I'll back to....

*a bedraggled literary-child drags herself and her torn luggage in* 

Catherine: WHITE ROSE!!

*Catherine rushes to her literary baby's side* 

TWR: Mother, I've got bad news. I need to have Plot Surgery, a POV reduction and a Main Character reconstruction. 

Well, considering the mess you were in when you left, I kind of expected....

*Catherine reads the official diagnosis and performance sheets from the editor* 

Ohhhhhhh boi. Well, I can't say that the Editor wasn't thorough. No flowers, huh? That's not happening. The rest seems...reasonable. 

*Catherine tosses the sheet aside as TMC comes up* 

TWR: Hmm, still as small as when I left. I thought you would have been bigger, Midnight. 

*Midnight Cave glares at White Rose as Catherine notices the audience coming in. Hurriedly, she shooes them off stage* 

Lord preserve me from jealous literary siblings. 

Welcome one and all to the last installment of the 2020 WIP Special, hosted by Julian Daventry! Man I can't believe the end is nearly upon us (I mean that in a limited sense of course). 

Today's installment is all about how NaNo has gone in conjunction with all the craziness in 2020. All I can say is, be ready for a hot mess....

1. How has COVID-19 affected your writing this year?

When the pandemic first started, I used some of the extra time to work on edits for the The White Rose, which was extended into the Camp NaNo session in July. Once the lockdown measures in PA were eased, I went back to work, and applied for graduate school. Since then, writing time has been difficult to find. 

2. How has COVID-19 affected NaNoWriMo itself for you?

COVID-19, surprisingly, is not really affecting NaNo for me that much. Had the lockdown continued or restarted, then it would. But, things have gotten to about 80% normal for my area (the mask mandates and capacity limits are the big things). Instead, the problem is from another sector, as you'll see in a minute. 

3. What particular or personal (non-COVID-19) challenges do you face for NaNo this year?

This year, I started graduate school full-time. That has been a huge time adjustment on multiple levels. I have suddenly had no time to keep up the house, and things have been dropping for my two volunteer positions AND I've recently been forced to cut my hours at work. And any SPARE time has been devoted to keeping the mischievious puppy Skye out of...well...everything. 

4. Are you trying to over-achieve and go over 50K?

Heck no. I'll be lucky if I get up to 5k. 

5. What is your plan if you don’t reach 50K?

The plan is to immediately table The Midnight Cave after November and start in on editing The White Rose so I can get her published by next year. At least that's the hope, as long as the dreaded Plot Surgery doesn't have any complications. 

6. Have the current situations given you any new ideas and/or changes for your story?

Absolutely! It has really made me rethink my entire plot, and hopefully will make it much more realistic. 

7. What are some things that excited you about writing this November? 

The plot changes and the continuing of the story that I started with The White Rose

8. What are some ways you took care of yourself during NaNo?

Take care of myself? Me, Certified Glutton for Punishment, take care of myself? Who are we kidding? 

9. How would you describe this NaNo year (in one word)?

Pitiful. 2k in 30 days? That's the worst I've ever done in any NaNo event. 

10. Are you going to relax in December or do you still have more work to do?

Uhhhh, NOPE. The first half of December is finals week for graduate school, so there will be plenty of work there. And then straight into edits....which will last an eternity and a half. 

And that's a wrap! A huge shoutout to all of my fellow WIP Special participants Julian, Sarah and MK, aka The Overachiever Squad. Y'all rock :) 

How has NaNo gone for you guys??

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine

*Catherine is sitting in her bedroom* 

So, I have RSVPs from Aderyn, Sieglinde, Conlaoch...awesome. Let's see, I will need to get some arran bread, some cheese, and maybe some chocolate or ginger biscuits....

*A blue orb appears above the dresser* 

What the.....

*The orb gets bigger and opens into a wide portal* 

*Long, green-clad legs hurdle through, followed by a flowing bright blue dress. Groans were heard as a dark bearded head picks up*

"Heigh ho, Mistress Catherine! Have we arrived past the hour for tea?" 

Past?? I should say not, Prince Bradach Leofwine. As a matter of fact, you are ten days early. 

"Ten days??!" Bradach's bright green eyes go wide. 

Another groan emitted from the other head. "Bradach, I TOLD you you had miscalculated the time difference. Ow!" The girl snatches her hand away. "Gosh, I hate pins." 

Ehh, sorry about that Gail. I meant to have that sewing basket cleaned up before you got here. Now, the question is....what to do with you two until the tea party? 

"You mean, what to do with us five." 

Five?

*The portal shimmers and three more bodies emerge, albeit a lot more gracefully. The portal closes.* 

"There you are, brother!" One of the girls said cheerfully. "We were wondering where you had gotten off to." 

"Oh, just went on a little adventure with Gail, that's all, Sieglinde." 

"You always seem to go on 'adventures' at the worst times..." Conlaoch muttered. "I do apologize for intruding on you so early, Miss Catherine. I would say that it won't happen again but....you know my brother too well." 

I do indeed, Prince Conlaoch. I do indeed....

*Gail's eyes light up* 

"Hey, is that....a Quanta?" She points to the bed, where Catherine's laptop sits. 

It's similar, but not quite. Not nearly as sophisticated. I was trying to look up recipes for arran bread on it earlier. 

"You need a device to look up something as basic as that?" Conlaoch exclaims in horror. 

Aderyn clears her throat. "Forgive me, Prince Conlaoch, but the traditions on Earth are in danger of dying. The devices save them and make them better for others." 

"A poor substitute, if I may be so bold." 

*Awkward coughs echoed around the room.*

Right then, I suppose I ought to scrap up some kind of tea. After all, you all have had a long portal trip...

"Shall I help?" Aderyn's face lit up. 

I'd love it. I could use Gail's help too, if she's so inclined. 

*Gail makes a face* 

"I'll help as well." Sieglinde says. That only slightly diminishes the look of disgust on Gail's face. 

"And what are we to do?" Bradach asks impatiently. 

"Do you have some...milk, I believe you call it? I can set him to work to making cheese, get that nervous energy out." Conloach smiled. 

"No thank you. Tell you what, I'll go find some chocolate...." And with that, Bradach disappears out the door. 

"Oh no, not again...." Conlaoch groaned as he exited hot on his brother's heels. 

Well, that's just great. I now have two Aistarainians loose in my house...

*hears outer door slam* 

And now they're loose in my neighborhood?! 

"Want me to go after them?" Gail's voice raises a pitch. 

"NO." Three female voices clamor at once as they all make their way to the kitchen. 

Well, this tea party is off to a great start! What sort of shenanigans are your characters up to, writers? Readers, do you like posts like these? Tell me in the comments below! 

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine

P.S. Happy Veterans Day! 

*audience gathers* 

*audience waits* 

*audience chats amongst themselves* 

*audience waits some more* 

*audience gets restless* 

*audience gets angry* 

*audience starts walking out one by one*

*Diva is in the corner filing her nails again* 

Diva: Told you she wasn't coming. 

Loyal Reader: She'll come. 

Diva: *scoffs* did you SEE that homework load? 3 essays, at 1000 words each. In two days. Come on. She won't make it. 

Loyal Reader: She will. 

*hours go by* 

Diva: Face it. She's late now.  

Loyal Reader: Catherine always picks up the ball, even if she drops it off a cliff. I've seen her do it. 

Diva: Surrrrreeeee. Look, one of her friends messaged her. The one that SHE normally checks up on. You know it's bad when you're so far in your cave that a fellow cavemate asks if you're okay. 

*Loyal Reader doesn't say anything. She starts rummaging through her bag* 

Diva: Oh save the tissue. Let's just go before...

*running feet can be heard in the distance* 

*A back door is busted open as spotlights go on* 

*Catherine stumbles the door and onto the stage* 

AHHHHH LIGHHHTTT. HEY STAN, TURN THAT DOWN WILL YA? 

*lights go down* 

Thank you. 

Loyal Reader: Here. Got your caffeine for ya.

*Catherine shoots it down* 

Loyal Reader: Guess I should have made that a double. What happened? 

*Catherine glares* 

Extra five hundred words required for the one essay. 

Loyal Reader: Oof. At least you got your notes.

*Catherine nods as she stumbles towards the mic* 

Greetings from the cave on this lovely Wednesday....

Diva: IT'S THURSDAY

 *Catherine sends a withering glare*

Yes, thank you, I appreciate your....never mind. 

Y'all, let me extend my heartfelt apologies for being so late to the party. Unfortunately, this has been a continuation of several "ball-droppings" that have happened in the last couple of weeks. As many of you know, I spin many plates and unfortunately it seems like every single day I'm smashing one of them and the blog one just happened to be the one that got smashed yesterday. 

Such is the life of a graduate student. Who apparently is the world's biggest Glutton for Punishment. 

I think that's going to be a branding slogan for now on. 

ANYHOO. Let's get back to the business at hand, shall we??

Today, and for the next couple of weeks (hopefully, if I'm still alive), I will be participating in the 2020 WIP Special, hosted by Julian Daventry! I will be featuring my current NaNo WIP, which y'all were introduced to last week. 

TMC: And one that hasn't grown any since Day 1! Why can't I grow up, Mom???

*Catherine glares and shoves TMC off to bed* 

So without further, lets' get started! 

 1. Title, Genre, Expected Word Count of the WIP.

The title of the work is The Midnight Cave, though it might be called The Midnight Cave of Aistaraina upon publication. We'll see. 

The expected word count is 60k words. This plot is a lot simpler than TWR's, so I'm hoping that it will take less words. 

2. Provide a blurb.

Gail is an ordinary teenage techie junkie, living on the planet of Tawra. When her parents insist on her taking a camping vacation, she is not at all pleased. But when a storm breaks and she is forced into a cave for shelter, her phone is whisked away to Aistaraina...wherever that is.

With the portal suddenly closed, Gail is forced to adapt to her new surroundings. As she becomes accustomed to Aistaraina's way of life, she becomes aware of several races of creatures. Creatures that seem harmless but Gail suspects of having dark motives. 

When the children of Aistaraina start showing signs of mysterious disease, Gail is determined to find the cause. What she doesn't know is that she has been lured to Aistaraina...and her tempter is coming for her....   

3. Describe the MC(s) in one word (each).

Gail - Bold. 

Conlaoch - Warrior. 

4. Is there an antagonist? If so, how would you describe them?

Oh yes. His name is Orothien Haisthilt and I would describe him as cruel, stalkerish, and vengeful. Does that cover it? 

5. Describe your story in ten short phrases. 

- a mash-up of high, portal and science Fantasy

- sarcastic banter

- millenial vs. world

- novel disease pandemic

- missing brother

- imprisoned villian

- Modern inspired technology

- shield-maiden in training

- Is there a romance? 

- Leader of the wolf-pack

6. Are you planning on publishing this WIP? If so, when and how? 

I am indeed! But it won't be for a couple of years yet. And how, will depend on how The White Rose is published because it is part of the same series. 

7. Something about the WIP that you love.

Everything, lol.  

8. A scene that you are looking forward to writing.

I'm really looking forward to re-writing some of the beginning scenes! Especially the scene in which Gail comes home drunk, lol. 

9. What was the original plot bunny?

The original plot bunny was Gail, as an American, was to be transported via a portal to Aistaraina (known as Alldermaere then) and then save the world from all sorts of technology induced diseases. 

10. How does it differ from the original plot idea?

Gail is now from a made-up planet, the diseases have been lowered to one, and the world-building has changed completely. And I'm sure that it will change even more once I finish with it. 

And that about covers it! 

And now I'd love to hear from you! What projects are you working on for NaNo? Do you remember Diva and Reader? Any tips on how to break off the "glutton for punishment" thing? Chat with me in the comments! 

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine

(also, shoutout to MK for checking up on me. Girl, you're a lifesaver.)

Greetings from the cave!! 

*ahem* 

How do you deal with grad school homework dumping, work hours piling, boy trouble, puppy shenanigans, snarly inter-church group communications, prepping for a friends wedding, all while waiting for your first literary baby to return from an editor?? 

Apparently my answer is....

Plot another novel. 

If this isn't a proof of my being a glutton for punishment, I literally don't know what is. 

Today, I shall be participating in part 1 of Christine Smith's Know the Novel linkup to introduce my NaNo project for 2020!! Ahh, I am so excited to share this with you after hinting and hinting at it for soooooooo looonnngggg (all year, in fact). I definitely recommend all of my writing buddies to join in this linkup - I'd love to see your projects too! You can view Christine's original post HERE. 

Now, to introduce the star of the show! 

Mock cover by me :)

This WIP is one of the longest running WIPs that I've had in my entire brood (Plain and Simple Truth is the longest). She has been known as "Caoimhe" from her inception in 2015 until 2018-19. Then she was dubbed "From the Cave" until early 2020. And then her name was changed one last time to "The Midnight Cave" to reflect continuity with the rest of the prospective titles of the Epics of Verden series. 

To answer the following the questions, I'll be borrowing some answers from a previous Meet the Books blog link-up, all the way back from 2018. Obviously, some things have changed since then, though if you are curious, you can read that old post HERE. 

So, without further ado, let us begin! 

Still don't know if I'm going to keep the fairy keys or not...that was one idea I had when I was first drafting this story. But they look so cool!!!!

Greetings from the cave! 

October has come once again, and it is a beautiful October so far. Leaves are now getting their red and gold colors. The sweaters and ponchos are in and the flip-flops are now packed away. And man am I craving a good apple right now....

But what has been happening this month? 

- Gotten a couple more freebie Kindle books. My favorite so far is Eyrie (Gryphon Insurrection #1) by K. Vale Nagle. The concept is really good but it probably could have used an editor to tighten things up *sigh*

- Watched Rush Hour with the boys. Forgot how much I love Jackie Chan as an actor, lol. 

- I received news that TWR is going to be delayed another month. I expected it to take a little longer considering the monster size of the novel and the complexity...and the fact that my editor had a spell of heart trouble at the beginning of September. So please keep her in your prayers and hope that TWR will be back in my hands by the end of October! 

Annnnnndddddd.....wow is that pathetic. Please tell me how I can change this up cause I got nothing....

For Working by Candlelight, I wrote 1 post: My Own Standard of Men to Date. 

For Rebelling Muse, I wrote 2 posts: Meet the Books: Ancora Spei and Avender Double Header: 2 Tags from Green Gables! 

For Maidens for Mary, I wrote no posts. 

Goal #1 (TWR): TWR is still at the editors, the last word that I heard is that it will be another month before I get her back. Currently, I'm not worried, though I hope I get it back before the end of 2020.  

Goal #2 (Platform): I've branched out into some new social media platforms that will hopefully be useful for building my platform. Now I suppose the next step is a proper email list....

Goal #3 (April NaNo): FINISHED. You can view the completed story on Wattpad HERE.

Goal #4 (NaNo): Preptober starts this month!! Going to be drafting The Midnight Cave and I'm excited!  

Goal #5 (Movies): No progress, though I did watch a new movie this month :) 

Goal #6 (Library): No progress.

Goal #7 (Vlogs): FINISHED. You can view the Fandoms one HERE and the Bucket List one HERE.