Megan Byrd

Writer

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Share Four Somethings: December 2022

share four somethings

We’ve reached the end of the year and what a year it’s been. I traveled to Mexico with my extended family (and came back with Covid). My first novel released this fall. We spent a week at the beach and saw a sea turtle nest hatch. Many other enjoyable things happened including hikes, time with friends and family, and finishing some really good books.

This is the last Share Four Somethings hosted by Heather Gerwing. After five years, it’s coming to a close, but I want to thank her for bringing this positive little community together to remember the good, especially when the past few years have had plenty of frustration and disappointment. I’ve enjoyed this monthly prompt that required me to take a few minutes and consider the good found in the month. Without further ado, my four somethings:

Something Loved

I love how beautiful my house looks when decorated for Christmas. I love our Christmas trees, the decor on the mantle, and all the lights! The house looks so bare in January when we take it all down, which helps me to appreciate December all the more. I enjoy remembering the stories behind many of the ornaments on our tree. I’ve participated in numerous ornament exchanges, received ornaments from family and friends depicting big moments, purchased ornaments during our travels, and accumulated a collection of kid-made ornaments from school. And I love watching the same holiday movies year after year. There’s so much to love about this month, including the time to reflect and opportunities to spread love and joy through giving of time and resources.

Something Gleaned

At the end of the year, I like to take some time to think about the past twelve months and figure out what I’d like the next year to look like as far as goals and activities. This year, I used several sources for this process. I worked through the Fresh Start pages of my 2021 Cultivate What Matters Power Sheets planner (I now use a Bullet Journal and customize my planner). I also went through Laura Tremaine’s 10 Questions for Starting Over and Kendra Adachi’s (aka The Lazy Genius) 30 Questions for the Start of a New Year. It was really nice to work through the questions and look for repeating themes. I’m confident that next year will be focused toward having the year I desire.

Something Saved

I started using a bullet journal as a planner at the end of 2021. Each month I can modify the pages to my needs. I’ve found a standard set of pages I like to use each month and decided to create next year’s pages all at once to save time next year. I wanted to end with a wrap-up spread to highlight everything from the year and searched online until I found one that I like. The photo of what my review page looks like for next year is from Blossoms & Bullet Journals.

Something Achieved

This month I finally finished my edits of the next book in my City Love series and sent out manuscripts to Beta Readers! It’s an exciting milestone, for sure. It puts me one step closer to publishing, though the first time I put a new piece of writing in front of others’ eyes is nerve-wracking. (Who am I kidding? EVERY time is nerve-wracking.) I’m interested to hear what others think and learn what changes need to be made. Maybe someone will even help me come up with a title along the way (I think it’s one of the harder parts).

Since this is the end of S4S, if you’d like to continue to hear about my books and other things going on my life, subscribe to my newsletter. You’ll receive an email on the first Wednesday of each month. I often have links to free e-books and sometimes hold giveaways. It’s also where I seek out Beta and ARC readers for my novels. Click the link to sign up: https://meganbyrd.net/newsletter/

Tell me something good about your December.

share four somethings prompts

Share Four Somethings: August 2022

share four somethings

We’ve reached the end of our kids’ summer vacation. My two officially start school on Monday. I’m not excited about the early wake up time and all the alarms I have to set, but I’m looking forward to getting back into a routine. And we’re only a week away from college football! I know that doesn’t excite everyone, but it also signals the countdown to autumn, which I love. Before my brain thinks about colorful leaves, pumpkins, and bonfires, I want to share some things from this past month along with all my friends who take part in the monthly Share Four Somethings link-up with Heather Gerwing.

Something Loved

We had a family wedding this past month. It was an outdoor wedding, with the reception in an enormous tent with a live band. The weather was perfect, and it was great catching up with a bunch of people we hadn’t seen since last year’s family wedding. We danced and ate and talked and laughed all night. It’s always wonderful to be part of a celebration of love and I look forward to doing it again next year!

Something Gleaned

My grandmother-in-law is well known for her angel food cakes. I was gifted the recipe and tools needed to make it myself years ago, but hadn’t tried to make it until I put it on our Summer To-Do list a few months ago. I read the recipe, gathered the ingredients, and went for it. It looked amazing when it came out of the oven, but ended up falling/sliding out of the pan and becoming a crumbly disaster. It tasted good, which was something. I sought my mother-in-law’s help in figuring out what the problem was with my attempt. After discussions with her mother, and a text containing my MIL’s version of the recipe (which differed slightly from the one I received) we decided it was probably because the egg whites weren’t room temperature and/or not whisking them until frothy (neither of which were in my original recipe). My second try turned out completely successful, including being light and tasty. I’m confident that I will make delicious angel food cakes in the future.

Do you make an amazing sweet treat? Share the recipe with me in the comments!

Something Saved

The last Monday of each month I post memes on my Facebook page. As such, I tend to screenshot and save funny ones I find online. I’ll include a few from this month’s stash for your enjoyment. If we’re FB friends, come see the rest on the 29th!

Something Achieved

I spent a good portion of this month working on the book that’s coming out next month. I worked on the cover and interior formatting to make sure the paperback version looks right. I ordered a proof copy to see how my attempts turned out and was overall pleased with how it looks. I made a few changes and hope to be satisfied with everything so that I can get everything set for the book’s release.

What was something awesome or interesting that happened to you this month?

Share Four Somethings: June 2022

share four somethings

It’s officially summer! The kids have been out of school for three weeks and we have been busy. Our family went to Mexico with my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and nieces. It was so wonderful to get away from real life for over a week. The kids started at a camp the day after we got back, so the fun continues for them. They’ll be excited to have a long, lazy weekend for the 4th of July next weekend. Keep reading to read some specifics from the past month and share your own in the comments or by linking up at HeatherGerwing.com.

Something Loved

While we were in Mexico, I went scuba diving with my husband and father. It had been a few years and was nice to be under the water again. We saw some gorgeous fish and cool reefs. Some highlights: a nurse shark, a puffer fish, three lobsters, three green moray eels, and a large crab.

Something Gleaned

I’ve been reading through Live in Grace, Walk in Love, a devotional by Bob Goff. It’s a 365-day devotional and each day offers encouragement and a reminder that we are meant to offer the love and grace we receive from God to those around us. I’ve been noting favorite sentences and would like to share a few with you.

If it’s more important for you to be “right” than to be like Jesus, then it’s time to get back to the basics of your faith and your relationships.

We won’t be distracted by comparison if we’re captivated with purpose.

If it takes a little longer to achieve your goals, you’re doing things that last.

It’s easy to confuse a lot of activity with a purposeful life.

God never told us to compare our faith with another’s. Comparision is a punk. God told us ot be faithful to the path laid out before us and take your next step, not someone else’s.

What dazzles God are humble people who use the gifts they have and let God use them any way He decides. Don’t make following Jesus more complicated than He made it.

Something Saved

I was going through my phone to delete old photos, and I found this quote. I like to keep encouraging and motivational sayings in an easily accessible place for the days when I need some inspiration or a pick-me-up. As a people-pleaser, criticism can be hard to take, but, with the proper perspective, it doesn’t have to devastate me. I can determine whether it’s helpful or something about which I need not concern myself. The quote above reminded me of one by Theodore Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

If you have a quote that encourages you, please share it with me in the comments. I can always use more!

Something Achieved

If you read last month’s post, then you probably aren’t surprised what’s this month’s achieved. I finished and published my contemporary romance novella! It’s been exciting to see people downloading the book and so far the feedback I’ve received has been encouraging. Hopefully, it’ll spur me on toward publishing the first full-length book in the series. Below is the blurb of the novella. If it interests you, click the button below to receive a free copy!

Can love happen by accident?

Jeff Gaines has the ideal life. He surfs for a living and helps others learn to surf when he’s home in Huntington Beach, CA. The only thing that could make life better–a loving relationship. When a surfing accident lands him in the ER, he takes an immediate liking to his doctor, but she turns his date request down flat.

Dr. Lisa Taylor loves the fast-pace of the ER, providing care and support to people on their worst days. She’s open to love—to anyone except adrenaline junkies. It’s the reason she won’t even give Jeff a first date. With the help of one of the ER nurses, he gets his foot in the door. After several dating disasters, Jeff is ready to give up.

Can they overcome their fears and find love, or are the forces against them too great?

Accidentally Yours is a sweet contemporary romance that introduces readers to the City Love series (Book One coming Fall 2022).

Get your copy of Accidentally Yours here

If you’ve already read Accidentally Yours and enjoyed it, please consider leaving a rating or review over at Goodreads.

Share Four Somethings: May 2022

share four somethings

May has been a busy month full of ups and downs. My car battery died in carline one day and I had to get a jump from another parent. It died again when I was supposed to hang out with a friend, so I got it replaced and it has worked perfectly since. I got the house cleaned as a Mother’s Day present and then hosted five family members (and occasionally my in-laws) for a week and a half while we celebrated a variety of events including my daughter’s final musical theater performance in her after-school program. I showed off Asheville, taking family to the Biltmore, Mt. Mitchell, Craggy Gardens, downtown, Triple Falls, Hooker Falls, Looking Glass Falls, the Green River Cove Trail, Rainbow Falls, Southern Highland Craft Guild Folk Art Center, and River Arts District. The kids took their EOG tests, and we said goodbye to our cat of fifteen years, Maui. After all of that, I’m very much looking forward to the end of school and our family going on vacation next month. We all need it!

Now it’s time to get to the monthly prompts. Keep reading to see what else we packed into the month. You can read other’s Somethings or add your own over at HeatherGerwing.com.

Something Loved

There was so much to love about this month. I received two books signed by favorite authors (birthday gifts to myself). I turned 40 (!) with family in town and celebrated with sushi and a delicious strawberry cheesecake from 3 Eggs Cakery. I selected a picture from my favorite local artist Jeff Pittman as a birthday present and saw my daughter get baptized and join the church. A lot of great things happened this month.

What’s something you’ve loved about this month?

Something Gleaned

I’m trying to read books whose title starts with each letter of the alphabet. It’s one of my 2022 reading challenges. I had a few options for Z because there are several books about Zen. Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing was my choice. I knew nothing about him other than he wrote Fahrenheit 451. It turns out he’s written tons of essays and this book was a collection of them about creativity. It was educational and encouraging. Below, I will share a few quotes.

What is the greatest reward a writer can have? Isn’t it that day when someone rushes up to you, his face bursting with honesty, his eyes afire with admiration and cries, “That new story of yours was fine, really wonderful!” Then and only then is writing worthwhile.

Quantity gives experience. From experience alone can quality come.

How does one get lost? Through incorrect aims, as I have said. Through wanting literary fame too quickly. From wanting money too soon. If only we could remember, fame and money are gifts given us only after we have gifted the world with our best, our lonely, our individual truths.

Something Saved

This is a fun new category about something I’ve saved on my phone via screenshot. I use this feature all the time. This month I’m working on getting my novella out into the world and have been studying how other people have done it for best practices. I’ve taken photos of BookFunnel promotions (my chosen book distribution method), and e-book front and back matter formatting. Having the photos on my phone makes for easy reference. Hopefully, next month I can put “published novella” into Something Achieved.

Something Achieved

I struggled for a bit with this category. This month was unusual in that my routine was interrupted while we had visitors. Pleasantly interrupted, of course. However, I wanted to post on Instagram every day this month and have succeeded in that, thanks to a lot of planning and prep. I created content on Canva and then drafted and scheduled posts using Buffer so that I didn’t have to think about it while my family was in town. I did post some about our adventures, but that was bonus content.

What’s something you achieved this month?

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