“I’ve taken your family. Your things. Your memories. Nothing left but your tattered skin. I’d kill you…” My enemy straightens. “Why bother killing a nobody?”
Click here on the link to read the rest of my nano fiction story, “Sparks and Ash,” published on the Splickety Publishing Group’s Lightning Blog.
The theme for this contest was “identity,” and it was a blast to write. 😀 I hope you enjoy it.
Posted in Contests, Flash Fiction, My Books | 2 Comments »
Unintentional blogging hiatus…
I’m so sorry, readers. It has been several weeks, and…no official blog posts! I even forgot to put together a Simmer Starters last week! Argh. I hope to be back on the ball soon. I have a few different threads of thought simmering which I’m eager to put to words. 😀
Writing updates…
I’m happy to say, however, that I’ve been making more progress on my book. 😀 I’m taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo, with a modest word count goal of 10,000 words, so I hope to make good headway with this draft, and finish it in a couple of months – exciting!
I’ve had some great conversations with family and friends about what direction I want to go with it, too. I’ve clarified my purpose and my plans afresh, and I even hope to pitch Book One to a publishing house at the Realm Makers Conference this summer (which I am all registered for now…my first ever writing conference!! *SQUEE*).
I’m also starting to gain an idea of what I want to do after I finish The Kraesinia Trilogy. (*shocked face* I’m actually considering life after TKT. It’s a stretch, but I’m imagining it!) I’ve always assumed I would move on to the other WIP I’ve had around for a decade, Renegade…but that may not be the case! In particular I’m interested in trying my hand at something completely new to me, without all the “baggage” that comes with reimagining something I first created in my early teens.
I will probably have to share a more lengthy post in the future about my recent writing angst and revelations. 😉
Contest runner-up!
I also have exciting news! 😀 Last Friday I was named a runner-up in Splickety’s Progeny Contest with Tosca Lee, for my nano fiction piece, “Sparks and Ash.” What an honor!
They’ll be publishing my story on their Lightning Blog sometime in the near future, so I’ll definitely post a link when it’s up! It was fun to write, and one of the first times I’ve tried my hand at nano fiction (stories at or under 100 words).
I hope to have a “real” blog post up soon… But for now, Happy April to you all! And I will try to have a regular Simmer Starters up again this Friday. 🙂
Posted in Contests, My Books, My Life, Writing | 2 Comments »
I’m sorry for not blogging in the last couple of weeks! I’ve been busy writing – hurray! Hopefully I will have a post up next week, but in the meantime here are some Simmer Starters. 🙂
Laurie Isn’t a Good Guy; He’s a Nice Guy™ (Maddie Rodriguez) – Haha, this is pretty eye-opening! Although it reads some modern sensibilities into Little Women, which was written in a very different era, it’s still a great set of observations on why Laurie was not the right guy for Jo.
The Reason Every Kid Should Talk Back To Their Parents (Dr. Kelly Flanagan) – Even if you’re horrified at the name of this post, or don’t agree with the worldview behind it, it’s worth a read.
God’s Banquet in Your Desert (Bryce Young) – “Three days out from the pinnacle of the most supernatural display of sovereign election since Noah, and Israel’s most immediate consideration amounts to, ‘Wait, there’s no food?’ … It strikes us — or ought to strike us — with a certain horror only because in it, we read our ordinary disbelief with the skin and tissue pulled back. If our own distrust doesn’t appear so shockingly absurd, it’s only because we’ve stretched over it a tawdry flesh of reasons and explanations to prove we have real grounds to believe God hung us out to dry.”
Boosting Your Prose (A Checklist) – (David Farland) – A great, extensive list of ways to check your book to make sure all the elements of it are strong.
Posted in Christian Living, Editing, Literature, Motherhood, Simmer Starters, Toddler Life, Writing | Leave a Comment »
5 Awkward Questions to Ask Your Protagonists (Janeen Ippolito) – A great set of questions to get to know your characters better. (My characters answered the questions in the comment section too. 😀 )
Who’s Your Daddy? (Redeemed Reader) – Fascinating thoughts here on the absence (or antagonism) of fathers in literature and what it might mean. “But there’s a deeper reason for the absent/adversarial-dad theme, I think: the central conflict of humanity is that we’ve lost our Father. We’ve made him our Adversary, or we imagine him as ineffectual, or we can’t find him at all. However unspiritual a man claims to be, deep down, he knows that something is wrong. Of course it is; he’s missing Dad.”
Writing Your Own Story Doesn’t Involve Your Editor (A.C. Williams) – I relate to this so much! “That’s how Satan gets to me. He tells me that my problems are unique, that nobody understands the way I feel, and that I should just grin and bear it all in silence. But every time I tell that voice to shut up and share what’s on my heart, I find dozens of people who feel exactly the same way I do.”
It’s Not a Talent Show (Jon Bloom) – This is great. So important for creative types especially! “There are times I fantasize about moving to a quiet cabin in northern Minnesota to escape the pressures that expose my lesser talents and just read books. You know what that is? It’s a sinful, talent-burying fantasy. I think it’s a common-to-man temptation for less talented servants.”
Sex, Death, and Christian Fiction (Simon Morden) – Fascinating article. So many great thoughts here, especially if you stick through the opening ramble.
Why I’m Not a Woman (The Other Brothers) – “So in support of denying the natural (maybe even genetic) desire to abuse alcohol, we set up huge programs to assist people in fighting what comes naturally to become something better. To be the best version of themselves. Yet, for the man who naturally (maybe even genetically) desires to have sex with another man, we tell him to just embrace that simple desire and pursue it wholeheartedly without abandon.”
Posted in Christian Living, Controversies, Creativity and the Arts, Publishing, Simmer Starters, Speculative Fiction, Writing | 2 Comments »
Hobbies to the Glory of God (Tim Challies) – Love this!! “I believe that it is God himself who makes each of us enthusiastic for different interests and activities. We can embrace these and have no reason to fear them or be embarrassed by them. We can experience joy—God’s own joy, I think—when we follow this enthusiasm to activities that bring us pleasure and satisfaction.”
4 Tips for Writing a Satisfying Ending To Your Story (Stephanie Morrill) – Some great guidelines on leaving your readers with a satisfying conclusion to your book.
God’s Glory Requires Skill (ScribblePreach) – Awesome post about how God raises up the skilled to serve Him with their gifts…contrary to common sentiment, He does not usually raise up the unskilled “in spite of themselves.”
Inside the Heart of God: Holding my Daughter as She Lay Dying (Laura Kelly Fanucci) – Just a beautiful, touching story about the love of God in the midst of suffering. “The lump in my throat escaped into a sob. No. I wanted to do skin-to-skin with two healthy twins ready to nurse. I did not want to do this with a tiny, sick preemie who would die within hours. I wanted anything but this.”
Three Gifts We Need, But Hate to Receive (Christina Fox) – Always a good reminder that all is grace. “We all like to receive gifts. But we must remember that God doesn’t give gifts like we do. He gives us the gifts we need most of all.”
Posted in Christian Living, Encouragement, Motherhood, Simmer Starters, Writing | Leave a Comment »
Bethany A. Jennings is a YA speculative fiction and poetry author, a freelance editor, and a lover of artisan sandwiches. Born in SoCal, with a heart and soul raised in many different worlds, she now lives happily in New England with her husband, four children, zero pets, and a large and growing collection of tiny houseplants. She is a firm believer in the power of words to reach hurting hearts, uplift the weary, and pierce the darkness.