What is The Most Courageous Thing You Did In 2024?

I want to start off wishing you all a very Happy New Year, everyone!

What is the Most Courageous Thing You Did in 2024?

I don’t have just one, but four things which have challenged me this past year.

Don’t forget to read to the end as I have some author friends who have also shared their posts for 2024.

I’ll Start With Mine…

Writing a Middle Grade Book Solo

First of all, I’m making my first chapter book for Middle Grade readers.

Some of you have heard me talk about this already. Some of you may know about the making of a chapter book I wrote with author Catherine Michaels back in 2020. (Just Between Sam and Me) I learned a great deal from working with Cat. It’s strange not to have a second opinion in my writing as before so this is a big project for me.

Writing a chapter book is much different than children’s books. It will be all black and white with black and white illustrations. That has been very difficult for me because I crave color illustrations. I had to stop and make some art along the way to get that out of my system. (See some of my projects below.)

There’s another reason I have been doing a lot of art this past year and I will reveal more about that after my book is announced. Keep watching!

My Second Courageous Thing I’ve Done In 2024

We had to say goodbye to our sweet kittens. 🙁

They were actually both eighteen years old and sisters from a litter which were given to us back in 2006. We had their brother up until 2018. He was fifteen years old when he passed.

Lola and Jeter were best friends and you never saw one without the other. After Jeter passed in March, two days after her 18th birthday, Lola became very depressed and stop eating. One thing lead to another and we realized she had become very sick. They passed away within 7 weeks of each other. From March to May, it was a difficult time to say the least.

Even though they lived long lives, it was so very hard to say goodbye to them…it still is. I have to tell myself, eighteen year old cats in human years equals to ninety-four years old. I couldn’t expect them to live longer but having them here so constant everyday, by my side, is something I’m still working on getting over.

If you have ever lost a pet, you know how we are feeling. Many say, “get another cat or two.” We have decided we will not be getting any more pets at this time and we are okay with that. We will love on all the pets we visit though, you can count on that. ❤️️

My Art Challenges

Working with hands on art and exploring different techniques and sharing them online. That’s been a brave one as I can be critical of my art. I have a problem on stopping and leaving it alone….so it seems to take me f-o-r-e-v-e-r! Ha! When you do digital art, you can fix mistakes very easily. With mix media products, you can’t. Well, you can, but, you have to do it where it won’t show. More on that later this year, but I’m happy I’ve been able to step out of my comfort zone a bit. 🙂

Here are some of the art pieces I worked on.

My Goodreads Reading Challenge 2024

I made my goal! Yay!!!

This challenge always seems so easy at the first of the year. It’s around the fall months I realize I’d better hurry it up. 🙂

Here are the books I read and reviewed in December to top off 2024.

All 5 stars from me!

“Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals – A Lifetime of Family, Friends, and Food,”

“Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals – A Lifetime of Family, Friends, and Food,” by Dolly and her sister Rachel Parton will delight readers and cooks with these wonderful classic recipes.
Dolly and Rachel include some heartfelt stories from their childhood. This beautiful, well put together book, is formatted to include everywhere from summer to winter meals and treats. Menus for satisfying dinners and delectable desserts with visually appealing, mouth-watering photographs, make each dish even more enticing.
There’s a perfect balance between tradition and accessibility for everyday ingredients, which is my favorite part of this cookbook.
Whether you’re cooking for a family dinner or a casual gathering with friends, this cookbook will be a
trusted companion in the kitchen.

“Ghost”

This young adult novel, “Ghost,” by author Jason Reynolds, focuses on the character, Castle Cranshaw, who is nicknamed, “Ghost. The intense opening will keep readers going to the end. 
Castle’s home life is far from perfect, but when he laces up his sneakers and steps onto the track, his world is transformed. With a very supportive Coach and group of teammates in his life, he discovers how to conquer his battles and overcome a devastating situation. 
Reynolds’s writing and voice used for “Ghost” is genuine and resonates with the conflicts he faces. This book would be a great read aloud for classrooms and home. The back of the book holds excellent discussion questions which are a must for further exploration of situations, perspectives and problem solving dilemmas.

“Wait Till Next Year”

This book isn’t just about growing up with the love of baseball and the Brooklyn Dodgers. It’s so much more. 
“Wait Till Next Year,” by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a powerful memoir about growing up in the 1950s” with a rich tapestry of culture, sports, faith, and social consciousness. It offers valuable insights which capture baseball history and changing times. Yes, at the heart of this memoir, the love of baseball, idolizing major league stars and a visual illustration on how the sport brought communities together. Kearns goes on to share her innocence of childhood experiences, adding personal accounts on growing up with friends and navigating the expectations of faith and morality. The research in this historian’s writing was entertaining to learn. Readers will resonate in how different today’s world is than it was from the 50s. This book is a must-read for those interested in history, and yes, baseball and the progress made in this heartfelt story. 

Will I do the “Goodreads Challenge” again in 2025?

You bet! I love it, and like I’ve said before, it keeps me accountable to my reading and I learn so much! Since I figured out how to listen to audiobooks on my headphones now, I’m going back to making my goal “50” books for 2025.

Now it’s your turn.

What Challenges Have You Had In 2024?

Let’s hear from YOU! 🙂

What challenges did you face in 2024? What have you learned from them?

What plans do you have for 2025?

Please join me and click on my author friends posts who have also participated in this “Blog Hop” to close out 2024.

Before I leave, I want to say, “Thank you” for following my author journey. You all are the best and I appreciate YOU! I’m looking forward to see what you create this coming year!

Happy 2025, and always…

Happy Reading!

Rosie

► Author Julie Gorges – The New Year: A Time for Reflection and Hope

Author Sandra Bennett