New Year, Busy Schedule

by Andrea Renee Cox

Have you changed your calendars yet? Have you written the correct date today, or is that 5 sticking around?

As much as I would love to tell you that life will slow down in this new year, I am not seeing any proof of that in my schedule. My day job of tutoring begins again this afternoon, and as the state assessment tests are in spring, the work will be fast and furious this semester.

I'm continuing to study my memory verses, as the Siesta Scripture Memory Team (SSMT) conference is coming up this month. So excited for this bit of busyness! The Lord is working in interesting ways through my memory work, and I can hardly wait to see what He's got in store for that incredible conference weekend.

Copyediting jobs promise to keep my busy throughout 2016, for which I'm grateful. (Have you read any of Ashberry Lane's books yet? Check out ashberrylane.com for more information.) It's such a joy for me when I have the opportunity to work on other writers' manuscripts. The challenge to retain their voice while correcting typos, inconsistencies, and factual errors is one I meet gladly every day when I turn on my computer. They say writing is a lonely journey, but I beg to differ. There is such camaraderie and teamwork that take place through the process of publishing that there is a sense of support and encouragement even when you're facing the keyboard on your own. Gives me chills just thinking about it.


Aside from all the work I've got lined up this year, there is, of course, lots of extracurricular reading planned. First and foremost, digging into the Word of God. I'm currently studying the Bible through Beth Moore's Breaking Free workbook and audio discs.  Highly recommend this study, but you better strap on your boots for this one. It's a tough study that digs deep into your past in order to break the chains that hold you captive and teach you how to live in Christ's liberty. I'm about halfway through it and am already experiencing new peace and freedom. Can't wait to see what the second half of the study will bring.

I am also reading some entertaining books, such as Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano and The Lawman Returns (Wrangler's Corner series) by Lynette Eason. My to-be-read (tbr) pile is sky high, but I'm planning on chipping away at it throughout this calendar year. The problem will be if I buy more books than I read, but I'm hoping to be more disciplined about my purchases this year. We'll see how that pans out for this bibliophile.


Here are a few (of the many) books I'm looking forward to reading this year:


Room for Hope by Kim Vogel Sawyer

February 16, 2016

In a desperate time, can Neva find forgiveness for a grievous wrong—and make room for hope?
 
Neva Shilling has a heavy load of responsibility while her husband travels to neighboring communities and sells items from his wagon. In his absence, she faithfully runs the Shilling Mercantile, working to keep their business strong as the Depression takes its toll, and caring for their twins.
 
When a wagon pulls up after supper, Neva and her children rush out—and into the presence of the deputy driving a wagon carrying three young children. The deputy shocks her with the news that Warren and his wife have died, insisting it was their last request that the three children go live with “Aunt Neva.”
 
Neva’s heart is shattered as she realizes that Warren’s month-long travels were excuses for visits with his secret family. She wants nothing more than to forget Warren, but can she abandon these innocent children to an orphanage? Yet if she takes them in, will she ever be able to see them as more than evidence of her husband’s betrayal and love them the way God does?


Always Watching by Lynette Eason

February 2, 2016

The bodyguards of Elite Guardians Agency have more than just skill and prowess in common--they're also all women. When it becomes clear that popular psychiatrist and radio personality Wade Savage has a stalker, his father secretly hires Elite Guardians in order to protect his son.

But when Wade's bodyguard is attacked and nearly killed, agency owner Olivia Edwards must step in and fill the gap. Olivia's skills are about to be tested to the limit as Wade's stalker moves from leaving innocent gifts at his door to threatening those closest to him. Olivia has the feeling that she's next on the list. And to complicate things even further, she realizes that her heart may be in as much danger as her client.



The Ringmaster's Wife by Kristy Cambron

What is revealed when you pull back the curtain of the greatest show on earth?

June 7, 2016

Rosamund Easling is no stranger to opulence. As the daughter of an earl, she’s grown up with all the comforts money can buy. But when hard times befall the family’s Yorkshire estate in the aftermath of the Great War, the stage is set for a series of events that change her world beyond even her wildest dreams.

Though expected to marry for a title instead of love, Rosamund feels called to a different life—one of adventure outside the confines of a ladies’ parlor. When her father sells her beloved horse, she abandons all she’s known and follows in pursuit as her horse is shipped to the new owner—an American entertainer by the name of John Ringling. Knowing she has much to learn, Rosamund agrees to a bareback riding apprenticeship in the shadow of the Ringlings’ home—the Ca’D’Zan. In what would become the last days of the enigmatic Mable Ringling’s life, Rosamund finds a deeper sense of purpose in her new life and begins to experience the awakening of faith.

With a mysterious and dazzling supporting cast of characters, Rosamund journeys far from the traditions of the English countryside to the last days of the Roaring Twenties—a journey that forever changes what her life might have been.

So, Friends, tell me: What types of busyness are already stacking up on your schedule? Anything in particular that you're looking forward to? Any good books on your tbr list?

Thanks for stopping by today! I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below. And don’t forget to drop by next Monday for my latest article.

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