Chapter 3! =)

Chapter 3
Blip...Blip...Blip...Blip...Blip

Halyn's eyes slowly fluttered open, and the room around her swirled for a few seconds before coming into focus. At first all she saw was white, all around her, and she wondered if she was out in the snow. But then she heard the noises, the "blip"ing of a heart monitor and the wheezing of a ventilator, and she knew she was in a hospital room. Her hospital room. Her instincts told her to sit up, look around, take in her surroundings. But she knew that was foolish. She could feel bandages around her head and when she tried to tilt it down to see where else, it started throbbing so badly she immediately laid it back and let it subside. She could hardly breathe, and she realized the mask covering her mouth wasn't the cause of it, but rather the only reason she could breathe at all.
What happened to me?
She started crying, warm tears coursing down her face and on to her neck. The feeling brought back a memory, so sharp and sudden she gasped, and felt the painful pull in her chest that indicated her lungs were not working properly.
I was in a car accident! We all were! James rolled the car down a cliff and ... The others? Are they alright?!?
She struggled for breath as panic set in. She tried to breathe but no matter how hard she sucked in, the oxygen just wouldn't come. She looked around for help but nobody was there and she couldn't even catch enough breath to call for help.
Am I going to die in here, all alone? God, please send someone to help me!!!
Just then an alarm went off from the ventilator, indicating that all was not right. Within seconds a nurse rushed in, bustling around the room and calling for help from the doctor. Soon two more people were in the room, fiddling with equipment, calling orders to each other, and telling Halyn to calm down. Slowly the fire in her lungs died down, and she could breathe again, if somewhat shakily. She looked at the nurse who had come to her rescue.
We had better go get her parents, she needs to calm down before she hears the news. Another attack like that could be fatal...
"Excuse me, I can hear! And what news are you talking about? What do you need to tell me?"
The nurse looked at her in shock and disbelief.
Sharon told me there was something strange about this girl...
Halyn furrowed her brows.
"There is nothing strange about me! I have just been in a horrible accident and I don't know whats going on and you are talking about me like I'm not even in the room!"
She started crying again and the doctor gently moved the nurse out of the way, saying under his breath,
"Thank you Mary, now go see to your other patients. You're upsetting her."
He turned to Halyn with a calming smile on his face and said in a soothing tone,
"Now Ms. Pedrozza, please, calm down. I don't want you to stay here any longer than necessary, and I don't think you do either. But this is going to go much better if you stay still and don't make things worse. You were in a very bad car accident, and we are going to need to operate to get all of the glass out of you. You'll be fine, but it will be less painful for you if you don't move, and it will also make it easier on the doctor operating on you. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir. Are my parents here?"
"Yes, and I am going to bring them in. But you can't get upset, even if they are. Agreed?"
The nurses were right. There is something about this girl that is... unsettling.
Halyn burst out,
"Will you please stop talking about me like I'm not even here?!? I don't care if I'm strange or unsettling! If you think so, please just keep it to yourself!"
The doctor looked at her strangely, then fiddled with one of the machines next to her bed. He walked out of the room without saying another word. Suddenly she felt incredibly fatigued, and she gave in to the sleep that clouded her mind and dragged down her eyelids without much of a struggle...

Kurt and Susan Pedrozza walked into their daughters hospital room hesitantly, afraid of what they may, or may not, see. When Halyn finally came into view, Mrs. Pedrozza buried her face in her husbands shoulder, unable to control the emotion. They had already cleaned all the blood off of her, but their were plenty of cuts and bandages, and the tubes and cords all around her made it look even worse than it was. She was still sleeping, so they sat in some chairs near her bed and just watched as the ventilator she was hooked up to pumped breath in and out of their daughters lungs. Her father thought back to what the doctor had told them...
"She suffered dozens of lacerations, presumably when one of the windows in the car shattered. We aren't too worried about those, they aren't life threatening, though they may cause cosmetic problems in the future. The real problem is that she is suffering from a pneumothorax, or collapsed lung. This most likely happened when a severe blow to her chest caused a puncture in her left lung. It's not good, but we have her hooked up to a ventilator, and with proper treatment she should be just fine. We are going to see if the lung will re-expand on its own as we pump oxygen into it, but if that doesn't work we will operate. We should know by tomorrow whether or not that will be necessary. However, in the meantime we will be performing minor surgery to remove all of the glass. You can go in to see her for now though. But don't let her move, whatever you do. There is a lot of glass in her and the more she moves, the deeper it will embed into her skin, which will be more painful for her and result in longer surgery for us. I'm very sorry Mr. and Mrs. Pedrozza."
His wife was crying into his shoulder, and he took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, trying to calm himself. He knew that if he cried it would only make it worse for Susan, and then neither of them would be any good to their daughter.
My poor little baby girl, she must be in so much pain! I'm glad she's sleeping right now.... Why God? Why did you let this happen to her?
He started to clench his fists, then stopped abruptly.
Forgive me Father. You let her stay with us, and here I am complaining. Not all the parents even got to keep their children. Thank you Lord for the precious gift you have given us. Help us to walk worthy of it and of you, and to treasure each day you give us with our special Halyn.
Just then her eyes opened slowly. He sat there watching her for a movement, unable to move or speak.
Oh God, I have to tell her about her friends. Please, give me wisdom, and give my baby strength
He nudged his wife and pointed at Halyn, then stood up and walked over to her so she wouldn't have to turn her head.
"Hi sweetheart."
He choked back sobs, not wanting to show her how upset he was at the sight of the cuts covering her beautiful face.
"Hi daddy. I'm so glad you're here."
She began to sob, tears running down her face across all the scratches. Kurt Pedrozza immediately dropped to his knees next to his daughters hospital bed and took her hand, slowly and gently, needing to touch her, not wanting  to hurt her. She turned her head in the other direction, ever so slightly, to look at her mother. Her dad continued his silent prayers.
Father, could you let me take this instead? Please, let me take her place, her pain!
"Kurt, what color are Halyns eyes?"
He looked at his wife with a puzzled  look on his face.
"Brown of course, but you know that. Why are you asking?"
"Mom, is something wrong? Why are you looking at me so strangely?"
Of course there is something wrong, but I don't know what it has to do with our daughters eye color... What are you doing Susan?
"Halyn sweetie, can you turn your head enough to look at your father? I want him to see you're eyes..."
She slowly turned her head back to face Kurt, and when he looked at her eyes he realized what his wife looked so puzzled about. He furrowed his brow and just looked at her for a moment.
She doesn't wear contacts... right?
"Of course not dad, I have great vision!"
He started, shifting her arm and causing her to wince.
"Oh, sorry honey! I'll be still from now on, I promise. But, how did you know that I was thinking about you wearing contacts?"
"Thinking about it? Are you kidding dad? You said it out loud, I heard you plain as day!"
He looked up at his wife, confusion and concern written all over his face.
What on earth is going on?
Halyn tried to figure out what he was talking about. She heard his voice in that same strange way again, just like she had the nurse and the doctor. It was so clear...
Is my mind playing tricks on me? First her eyes turn bright green from brown and now this?
"Dad, please stop saying stuff like that, you're freaking me out, seriously!"
"Halyn, I didn't say anything..."
"Yes, you did, I heard you dad!!! You asked if you're mind was playing tricks on you and then you said First her eyes turn bright green from brown and now this. Didn't you hear him mom?"
"Sweetheart, he didn't say a think. Kurt, I thi- whats wrong?"
His face disclosed a state of total shock. He looked at his daughter with bewilderment etched into his features, trying to make sense of it all. Careful not to move his lips at all and voice his thoughts:
Halyn, can you hear this?
"Yes sir, of course I can. Did the doctor tell you I was going to be deaf?!?"
Kurt Pedrozza looked up at his wife, who was obviously trying to figure out what she had missed.
"Susan, we need to talk. Do you mind if we step outside for just a minute sweetheart?"
"Well, I guess not... will you come right back though?"
"I promise."

"Kurt what's going on? What is she talking about? I didn't hear you say a word!"
"Thats because I didn't say a word. But Sue..."
He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out how to word his next sentence.
"I didn't say anything, but I was, thinking. And she was responding to my thoughts! She repeated them back to me practically verbatim!"
His wife stared at him blankly.
"Susan, say something."
"What am I supposed to say? How on earth do I respond to that? Are you trying to tell me you think our daughter can read your mind?"
He sighed deeply.
"That's not possible..."
"But?"
"But... something very strange was happening in there Sue, and I can't figure it out for the life of me."

When Mr. and Mrs. Pedrozza returned to their daughters room a few minutes later, they found her sleeping yet again. The doctor walked in as they stood at the side, gazing at their motionless little girl.
"Good, she's sleeping again."
"But doctor, she has been sleeping so much, even just since we got here. Isn't that something to be worried about?"
"No, its a very common symptom of pneumothorax victims. Right now we are just glad she is getting the rest. Her body needs it, and the more still she is, the less the glass will dig into her skin. Actually, its time for her surgery now. It shouldn't take too long, we just need to make sure we get all of it out so that it doesn't cause any problems later on. "
Mrs. Pedrozza looked worried.
"But we promised her we would be right back! When she wakes up and we aren't there she will thi-"
The doctor cut her off, gently but firmly.
"Were hoping she won't wake up before we start the surgery, and of course we will put her under then. You can be in her room when she wakes up afterward, I promise. Now we really need to take her to the OR, we can't afford to delay. Don't worry Mr. and Mrs. Pedrozza, your daughter is going to be fine."
Mrs. Pedrozza sobbed quietly into her husbands shoulder as the nurse came and wheeled Halyn away.

Chapter Two

Well, I know there aren't many people reading it at this point, but in case any of you are, here is chapter 2!!!

(BTW, I still plan on doing reviews as well, so if you have any ideas let me know!)

Chapter 2

Halyn grabbed her shiny purple purse and ran out to the car where Emylie, James, Luke, and Kimberly were waiting for her impatiently. James turned around from the drivers seat as she scooted in next to Emylie.
"Halyn, are you ever ready on time for anything?"
"Well Sooorrryyy! Maybe next time you should invite Kathy instead." She batted her eyes and said in a high falsetto voice,
"Oh James, I'll never be late for you!"
Everyone in the car laughed except for James, who put the car into drive and pulled out, muttering for her to shut up.
"So, are we going to eat dinner first?"
Halyn glanced over at Kimberly. She was tall and blonde and skinny as a stick, even though she was always either eating or looking for something to eat. Halyn tried to hate her, but she was too sweet and fun loving for that to be possible.
"Kim, do you think of anything other than food?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do!"
Luke looked back from the passenger seat and teased,
"You mean like.... Jonathon?"
They laughed as she turned bright red and started sputtering denials.
"No, I, he, we-"
"Oh, cut it out Kim, we all know you like him!"
Halyn laughed as her friend just slumped into her seat, knowing she was beat. But she was surprised to see that James was scowling at her from the rear view mirror.
"Something wrong James? Your not still mad that I teased you about Kathy, are you?"
"No, Halyn, I'm not. Would you just be quiet for a little while please? I have a headache and your blabbering isn't helping!"
Everyone stopped talking and looked at him in surprise. It wasn't like James to be so short, especially with Halyn. The two went back and forth with teasing almost constantly, but everyone knew they were close. Some even wondered how close, but everyone in the car knew it was strictly friendship, and had never been anything more. Even Emylie sometimes wondered why Halyn didn't like James, with his perfect blonde hair and blue eyes, but for some reason they had just never had any desire to go down that road, and it seemed to make them even closer as friends. Which was why they were all so surprised he was so upset at something so little. Too bad none of them saw that his foul mood started when they were teasing Kimberly about Jonathon...

"Yes, another strike!!!"
Kimberly grinned as the others looked at the score with dismay. Emylie shook her head.
"How do you do it Kim? You hardly ever go bowling, and every time you do you absolutely crush the rest of us!"
"I guess she's just awesome like that!"
Halyn scowled at James from the table behind him where she sat. He seemed to be in a better mood now, but she still hadn't forgiven him for what he said earlier. And the fact that her own score was absolutely terrible didn't help her mood any...
Luke went up to take his turn, and bowled a spare, just like he had every single frame. Halyn looked at him in surprise.
"Seriously Luke, another spare? You are so stinking consistent!"
"Yeah, well, I'd rather be getting strikes every time!"
"But still, all spares is nothing to laugh at! I wish I could do half as well, I can't deny the sad truth. I'm the worst bowler on the planet!"
"Thats because you're releasing the ball too late. You're throwing it more than rolling it. Here, it's your turn, let me show you."
He came up beside her and moved her arm back and forth.
"See, you have to release it right... here. Now try on your own."
 She rolled the purple ball she had picked down the lane just like he showed her, and watched in amazement as all the pins went down.
"Strike! Strike! I got a strike!!!"
She jumped up and down and screamed loud enough to be heard through the entire bowling alley.
"I, Halyn Maria Pedrozze, got a strike! S-T-R-I-K-E! Strike! You're amazing Luke!!!"
"Hey, you're the one that did it, I just helped you out a little!"
"Still, your the best! Thank you thank you thank you! Wait till my dad hears that he doesn't have to be embarrassed to go bowling with me anymore!"
The rest of the group laughed at her excitement. James gave her a high five, saying "Only you could get this worked up over a single strike, Halyn!"
She was too happy even to remember that she was trying to stay mad at him.
"Hey, I earned it! Do you know how long I've waited for this moment? Luke is my hero!"
James gave her a funny look and started to say something, then told himself to remember and ask her about it later.

When they had all piled back in the car, James put in some music and they pulled out, singing at the top of their lungs. They were about halfway to Kimberly's house when Luke shouted
"WATCH OUT!"
James swerved sharply to the right to avoid the semi truck that was coming straight at them on the two-lane road. His SUV went too far to the side and they plummeted down the steep hill on the right. The car started rolling and picked up speed with every rotation. The sound was deafening, and between the loud thumps of the car hitting the ground again and again, they could hear glass shattering as each window was broken into thousands of pieces. Halyn felt her head slam against something hard and shrieked with pain when tiny shards of glass cut into her skin. She felt a warm liquid seeping down her neck, and then everything went black...

WAAAAAAAAAAWAAAAAAAWAAAAAAA
The sound was piercing and Halyn tried to put her hands over her ears to drown out the wailing that made her head feel like it was going to explode. But though she tried to move her arms, nothing happened. She was strapped onto some kind of table, and she couldn't move at all. She cried out in horror,
"No! Please, someone help me, I can't move! Help me!"
A woman in a white shirt and pants rushed to her side, saying
"Shhh, its going to be alright sweetie. You were in a terrible car accident, but we are taking you to the hospital and you're going to be just fine. But I need to you be still now, alright? There are a lot of pieces of glass in you and we don't want them to go any deeper, so I need you to be absolutely still until we get there. Do you understand?"
Halyn started to nod, then thought better of it. Her voice trembling with pain and fear, she asked
"Am I g-going to live?"
The nurse gently put her hand on Halyn's forehead and pushed back a piece of hair that was falling into her eyes.
"Of course you are dear. Now be still and try to sleep, we will be there soon."
Poor thing, who knows if that's true or not? We tell them all the same thing, but her accident was awful. I hope this one makes it...
Halyn tried to sit up suddenly and screamed in agony as she felt each splinter of glass dig deeper into her skin.
"Honey, what are you doing?!? Be still!!!!"
"You said I would be fine!"
"Of course you will! Now be still!"
"But just now you said that my accident was terrible and you didn't know! Tell me the truth!"
"The truth is that as long as you are very still and wait until we get to the hospital, the doctors will be able to help you, and you will be ok. But you can't move again!"
She went up to the front and sat next to the driver, glancing back every 30 seconds or so to ensure her patient was being obedient. Halyn tried to make sense of what had just happened. She knew she had heard someone  say that, but now that she thought about it, the voice hadn't sounded exactly like the nurse's. She couldn't explain it, even to herself, but it seemed more clear than any other voice she had every heard. Every emotion and motive was clearly displayed with each syllable, so there could be no mistaking of any meaning. Had it been the driver?
"Calm down Sharon, we are almost there. She probably just saw the look on your face, ok? How else could she have known what you were thinking? You just need to control your expression better."
No, it couldn't have been the driver, he was a man, and the voice had been distinctly female.
What on earth is going on? was her last thought before she blacked out again...

First Chapter!!!

I know you have all been waiting for this, so here it is... the first chapter of my book!!! =) If you have any title ideas as this progresses, PLEASE tell me!!!

Chapter 1

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Halyn rolled over and put her pillow on her head in what she knew was a futile attempt to drown out her alarm clock.

"mmmeeerrrggggg, shtupid thing should jus' shudup" she mumbled into her pillow.
She reached over and tried to hit the snooze button, but couldn't find it without looking. Finally she sat straight up and threw the alarm clock across the room.
"Stupid alarm clock!!!"
Halyn folded her arms and pouted, till she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. It was hard to stay mad at her lack of sleep when she saw herself looking like a six year old. She chuckled in spite of herself, then rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked at her phone to see the time, since her alarm clock had rolled under her dresser.
"8:30? Oh crap, I only have ten minutes to get ready!"
She jumped out of bed and plugged in her curling iron while she tried to find something to wear.
"Its a good thing I showered last night! MOM, WHERE'S MY BLACK SKIRT?!?"
"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?"
"DIDN'T YOU WASH IT?"
"I TOLD YOU TO ON FRIDAY!"
She grunted to herself.
"Arg, I forgot! What am I going to wear?"
She threw on her red cotton dress, which she had worn last Sunday, and tried to make sense out of her crazy hair while she did her makeup with her left hand.
When she finally ran out the door to get in the car where her parents were waiting, she had mismatched shoes on, a flat spot in the back of her hair, and mascara on only one eye. Halyn mumbled to herself,
"Just another Sunday morning..."

"Oh my word Halyn, I LOVE you dress! So cute!"
She smiled at Kathy.
"Thanks! And your shoes? Adorable!"
Like she really likes my dress! She's laughing at me because I wore it last week and my shoes don't match! She should just say it to my face...
The two girls talked and laughed until they got to the donut line, where they gave each other one last fake smile and walked away. Halyn looked around till she found her friend Emylie over by the juice and coffee.
"Oh Em, there you are! I needed you a minute ago, Kathy had me cornered!"
"Again? Doesn't she realize that just because you and James are friends doesn't mean that her talking to you will make him instantly fall in love with her?"
Emylie giggled, but Halyn just rolled her eyes.
"You go ahead and laugh, but I'm the one who has to put up with her! As if James would ever go out with Kathy anyway. She is SO fake!"
Emylie looked serious for a minute.
"You know, if I'm being honest with myself, I have to admit that I'm pretty fake too. I think we all are, really. I mean, here we are talking about how annoying Kathy is, but when she's with us we smile and laugh like she's one of our best friends. What makes us any better than her?"
Halyn frowned at her friend, then laughed.
"Oh come on Em, you know we aren't like Kathy! I mean, she's constantly complimenting me and you know she doesn't mean it!"
"But Halyn, you do the same thing! I hear you being nice to her, do you mean all the things you say?"
"Well what do you want me to do Emylie? Should I tell her I think she's an annoying flirt and I wish she would quit trying to use me? That's what I think, but that doesn't mean I should say so!"
Emylie looked thoughtful for a minute.
"I don't really know Halyn. I don't think you should say those things, but is it ever right to lie? Maybe we should just look for whatever good we can find in her, and then compliment her on those things only. I just want to start being a more honest person, and until I do, I feel like a hypocrite badmouthing Kathy about being fake. Does that make sense?"
"I guess so... I'll have to think about it. When did you turn into the truth police anyway?"
"Well, I've been going through Psalms and Proverbs in my devotions, and there is so much about truth in there! I always just thought as long as I didn't tell outright lies then I was and honest person, but I'm beginning to think thats not enough! So I've been trying all week to be totally honest in everything. Its a lot harder than you'd think, but it seems pretty important to God, so its worth it, you know?"

Before Halyn could answer, their youth pastor announced that Sunday school was starting, but she put their conversation in the back of her mind, knowing it was something she needed to put some thought into.

Halyn helped her mom finish the sunday afternoon dishes and then went upstairs to her room. She pulled out her diary and started writing...
This morning at church Kathy Hendricks gave her "you're my best friend" routine yet again. I'm fairly confident that the fact that James was standing not too far away talking to Fred had a lot to do with it! She is really starting to get on my nerves, but when I told Emylie about it she got all preachy on me, and said I was just as fake as Kathy! Which I'm NOT! I mean, of course I don't say everything I think about her to her face, but still... Its different! Right? I wonder what would happen if we could all read each others minds? Then we would have to be honest, I guess. I wish I could read Kathy's mind, it would be great to tell her I know what she Really thinks about me! Just so long as she didn't know what I was thinking in return... Em said something interesting though. She said I shouldn't lie to Kathy and tell her I like things about her that I don't, but that I should try to find real things to complement her about. I can't think of anything I could sincerely complement Kathy Hendricks about, but maybe Em is right about the whole total honesty thing... I don't know, where is the line? Does God really expect  me to say everything I think? What about controlling my tongue? Its all kind of confusing, I'll have to ask mom about it later...
She put her diary back in its hiding place on her shelf and picked up her bunny rabbit, Mr. Cookie Wookums. "Hello Cookie, you're so sweet, yes you are, yes your are!!!" she cuddled the fluffy dark brown bunny and kissed the top of his head. "I always know what your thinking! And I can be totally honest with you. Thats right, yes I can!" She put him back in his cage and pulled out her sewing box to take downstairs with her. Her mom was in the living room reading a book, and Halyn sat down on the couch beside her.
"Mom, can we talk?"
"Yeah, what do you want to talk about?"
"Well, it seems kind of silly now that I'm about to say it out loud..."
"Halyn, you know you can tell me anything, right?"
"Of course mom, I just, well, alright. This morning Emylie and I were talking about how annoying it is that Kathy Hendricks is so fake all the time,"
"Wait, I thought you and Kathy were friends! You are always talking and laughing, aren't you?"
"Well, thats just it. She likes James, and she seems to think that if she is friends with me it will get her closer to him, so she smiles and flatters me and says all sorts of things she doesn't mean, and it gets really old. And I say nice things back, and I don't always mean them. But what else can I do? I mean, I know it wouldn't be right to tell her what I really think of her, so isn't it better to just fake it than hurt her feelings like that?"
Mrs. Pedrozza looked thoughtful for a moment, then replied,
"Well, I think the first thing you need to do is answer this question to yourself. Is it ever ok to lie?"
"But mom, I cant jus-" she was interrupted by her mother.
"Halyn, don't be defensive, its just a question to help set you on the right path. Sometimes there are two different sides of a situation that seem irreconcilable, but you just have to get down to the basic, fundamental truth of the matter, and then, looking at it from Gods point of view, make a compromise. Does that make sense?"
"Sort of, I guess I have some praying and studying to do,  huh?"
"Yes you do. But I know you will come out with the right answer in the end, just don't be too stubborn and proud to let God lead you, ok?"
"Yes ma'am. And thanks mom, your the best. What do you think of my idea for a new skirt?"
She pulled out her sketch pad and fabric and turned to her latest project...

My Thanksgiving Post.

Today I was on my favoritist clothing website, Modcloth.com, and I saw that they were having a contest, to tell who you are the most thankful for! Well, I started thinking, and I immediately knew the answer. My mom. Thing is though, I don't have some bittersweet story to bring tears to everyone's eyes! Yeah, my mom has done some pretty amazing things for me, but I've never needed a kidney transplant or anything like that! So I tried to think of a way to put it that was contest worthy... And then it hit me. Who cares if I win a contest? Its a great prize, but the best part of this contest is the opportunity to express my gratitude to the best mother in the world, for all the million tiny little things she does every day that make her so amazing.

The person I am most thankful to in the whole wide world is my mom, Sherry, and for SO many reasons. First of all, she chose to give birth to me. So many mothers don't make that choice, and I often take it for granted that my mother did. Even when the doctors told her that it would be a dangerous birth, and that it would be much safer to abort me, she refused, and if it wasn't for her courage I wouldn't be here today. Since then, she has done everything in her power to raise me as a Godly young woman. She quit her job so she could stay home with me, even though it meant my dad had to work two jobs and our family had less to live on. She chose to homeschool me, a choice that VERY few mothers make! I'm sure it would have been much easier to send me off to school every day, but she kept me home because her and my dad thought it would be best for me, both spiritually, emotionally, and educationally. She has sacrificed endless hours of her own time for me, helping me get projects ready, listening to speeches and Bible lessons and dozens of chapters I memorized for quizzing. She drives me all over creation, and gets up at 3:00 in the morning to take me to the airport every time I have a trip. She listens to all my stupid stories, reads my writing even when I know its boring and she has other things to do, and encourages me to do anything I want to, and be excellent at it. She has always given me the best advice, and told me when I was doing wrong, even if I didn't like it. Every day I learn something new from her, she is so wise, and I know I would be a better person and a better christian if I would just listen to her more often. Thanks mom, for being my best friend. I love you!

National Novel Writing Month!

Hello!
November is an awesome month. First of all, I was born in it!!! But also because, (as I was recently told by a dear friend)  its National Novel Writing Month! There is a contest to write a novel in thirty days, and I am participating this year! Its kind of stressful, but lots of fun too! I plan to start posting chapters soon, and if anybody is reading this they can keep me accountable to stay on track and finish in time! Also, I am absolutely HORRIBLE at coming up with titles, so... if you come up with a good title for my story once you have read it, please comment and share!!! I don't have my first chapter quite ready yet, so I'll just post a summary.

Halyn's name means special, but she has never felt like she lives up to it. But when she survives a terrible car accident, she quickly realizes something has changed, and she is very special indeed. But will her new found ability bring her more pain the pleasure? When she uncovers a plot that could kill thousands of innocent people, she must suddenly decide whether or not she will use her gift to save lives, no matter what the cost to herself.

P.S. If you want to join in the chaotic November fun, its still not too late! Just go to
http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/
and sign up!
(And add me as a writing buddy, my username is bay285!)

The Allie Fortune Mysteries... Can it be love?

When I first picked up Miss Fortune by Sarah Mills, I was ready to buy a book and I thought it looked interesting, so I pulled the trigger. What I didn't expect was a book I would absolutely adore! Miss Fortune is Sara Mills first novel, but even before I read the second I considered her one of my favorite authors. She has the wonderful talent of telling a story so vividly you can see it, without overburdening the reader with too much description. Its exciting, well-written, and you will soon fall in love with the characters, just as I did. Its the story of the only female Private Eye in New York City just after WWII, and the adventure she faces when, teamed up with FBI agent Jack O'Connor, she goes against the Soviet Government trying to get priceless relics from a couple of con-artists. Along the way we learn about her past with David Rubeneski, the man she loves, and what happened between them years ago that continues to haunt her. There is an element of romance in the book, but it isn't mushy or overbearing, which lends to its charm

The second book, Miss Match, came out not too long ago, and it just furthered my love of the series! Sara Mills came out with another winner, and I recommend the sequel just as much as the first. It follows Allie and Jack as they go into war ravaged Berlin, where Jacks old flame Maggie is in serious danger. I wont say much more about it, because the secrets start coming near the beginning of the book and I wouldn't want to ruin anything! But Miss Match is an exciting ride that you will have trouble putting down till you reach the cliff-hanger ending. While I was incredibly dissapointed at not knowing what happens next, it definitely made me want to read the next one! I highly recommend both installments of the Allie Fortune Mystery series, and I cant wait until I'm able to review the third!!!

Update

I recently discovered that Moody Publishers (Who published both Miss Fortune and Miss Match) does not plan on publishing Sara Mills third installment, Miss Taken. I was outraged! I immediately emailed the contact given on her website to beg that they reconsider! If you read these books and loved them even half as much as I did, please Please PLEASE do the same! Maybe if they get enough emails they will change their minds on this TERRIBLE decision!!!! Sara Mills Website is...

Saramillsbooks.com 

Go to the site, click on random stuff, find the link to email Moody, and help me get her third book

published!!! 

First Post!!!

Hello! If you are reading this... You're My Hero!!!
(Which, for those of you that know me, is a distinctive honor)
I was trying to decide what to do for my first post, and I decided the best idea was to ask you what you would like to see!!! So...
Step #1 - Comment on this post and tell me what you think should happen on this blog, or if there are any books in particular you would like reviewed.
Step #2 - Go make brownies. Extra chocolate.
Step #2 - Invite all your friends over, have a brownie party, and tell them to follow my blog!
Thank you!