The End.
In this Edition:
Quote
Update: “The End.”
Motivate: Silence speaks volumes.
Book review: The Maid by Nita Prose
New Onyx Podcast: Poetry Collection
Final thoughts.
Update:
Happy New Year!
After Christmas this year, we decided to take a mini beach trip to Panama City, to explore the beach in winter. A lot of the time it was cold, but it was also absolutely lovely.
It was there with the roar of the ocean and the crash of the waves that I finished my novel, the one I started on November 1 for NaNoWriMo, currently titled Unblind Love. The ending scenes of this novel took place on the beach, so it was special to me to be on the beach in the same place where my characters were and where their story came together. I hope it makes the scene all that more authentic.
It’s just the first draft, but it feels like an accomplishment to have completed it before the beginning of the year.
I’m excited to continue working on this book, to start edits, but I do plan, as mentioned, to take some time away from writing, so I can look at it again with fresh eyes soon. (February). Just a few weeks!
Motivate:
I hope this year holds lots of promise for us all.
I love new beginnings. The beginning of a month feels like a time to start fresh, so much more the beginning of the year.
We live in a society that’s always on the go. I know I have a hard time setting down.
My days are filled with noise, noise of movement, actual noise, noise inside my head, all the things I want to accomplish and all the things I want to do. The noise of TV, music, the computer, the cell phone, and many other things.
Our minds are always going, thinking, consuming.
But at the beginning of this year, I’ve decided to take a pause and evaluate what’s truly important to me. I will be still in order to know what direction to go, what plans to pursue, and how to most effectively handle my responsibilities.
I’m not looking for grand revelations.
I’m not burnt out.
But I recognize my need to slow down and make sure I’m not missing anything.
You might find exactly what you didn’t even know you needed because you let yourself be still and listen. COVID forced some of this on us, but it’s easy to fall back into that rushed routine.
Sometimes we’re so anxious to get things done that we forget the greatest productivity (and greatest treasures) can be found in the silence, in the rest.
I’m going to slow down, take a deep breath, evaluate, and live a little more simply. This will be a month for reflection, so that when I start moving again, it’s with a strong purpose.
I mention it because, like I said, most of us are in a constant state of motion, and we don’t remember how important silence can be.
At the very least, maybe it’s something for you to consider in your own life.
Book Review: The Maid
This book deviates from my recent picks, romantic comedies, as this is a mystery/suspense/thriller.
The maid follows Molly, a neurodivergent woman, meaning that she doesn’t think the same way everybody else does. She is a maid in a fancy hotel, loves cleanliness, her job, and her gran, who has recently passed. She’s socially awkward and doesn’t pick up on social cues.
When she discovers a dead body in a room she cleans, this unreliable narrator takes the reader on a journey of how it all happened. Who done it and why.
This book was recommended to me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love books that keep you on your toes. This one had intrigue, keeps you guessing, and is nicely layered. I definitely recommend it, but I took off 1 star for 2 reasons:
(Skip to the goodreads summary below if you won’t want spoilers.)
Molly leaves out information. Okay, she’s an unreliable narrator, so this is expected. Not knowing creates part of the story. but Molly lies. It’s done pretty well, so I’m not totally hating on the way this was executed, but if you read it, you need to know that you can’t trust Molly’s word.
Gran acted out of character. Gran asked Molly to do something that I don’t think any loving grandmother would do. It didn’t work for me. I love the moral dilemma, but the author’s asking me to swallow too big of a pill here. No pun intended.
Goodreads summary:
Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.
But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?
A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.
New Onyx Podcast: A Selection of Poems
Written by Delaney Gray
Narrated by Delaney Gray
Birds, the evaporation of time, and constellations are all featured in these poems of reflection by one of our three Fall Contest Honorable Mention winners, Delaney Gray. During the interview Delaney reveals her passion for food, cooking, and capturing everyday moments in words. She’s a Nashville resident with a treasure trove of cookbooks, as well as insights, into the recipe of productive writing and journaling.
Final thoughts:
I hope your week is amazing and that you take time to turn everything off for a while and see what transpires in the silence.
If you do this, tell me your experience!
Until next week, much glitter,
Melissa
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