Wins of the Week #1
July 28th, 2024 - August 4th, 2024
What’s up, folks?! This will be the first of a series of weekly wrap-ups where I’ll share some of the awesome stuff I encountered and accomplished in the past 7 days. With it, you’ll see some updates, some recommendations, and some general silliness. Enjoy!
The Herald of Som Progress:
+ 3,295 words (total: 67,487 words) to the First Draft
This is my main work-in-progress. My magnum opus. My baby. My pain in the tuchus.
This is the fantasy novel I’ve been chipping away at for the better part of two years. I’m finally getting to a point where I’m allowing myself to just barrel through the first draft and trust that I can come back to fix everything later.
A little bit about the book:
Tyruc is dumped onto a battlefield in a war he has no stake in and with compatriots he has no loyalty to. His sole desire is to survive. Unfortunately, he does not.
At least, he would not have were it not for the intervention of Asena, a mythical messenger from a mysterious being called “Som.” Tyruc is offered a second chance to live, this time unselfishly and in service to this higher power.
Tyruc accepts, but his deal comes at a cost. When he awakens two years later with no memories of his past or of the workings of the world, he is thrust into utilizing the power of summoning to fight back against the monsters that threaten the lives of the people who have cared for him during his slumber.
Like Asena when she came to his rescue, Tyruc must now protect the people around him as a Herald of Som.
Best Meal of the Week:
Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala
Two frozen chicken breasts and a jar of Burman’s tikka masala sauce in the crockpot on high for 6 hours.
Paired with a cup of jasmine rice (rinsed, of course), a cup of water, a little salt, a little oil, all thrown in a pressure cooker. Timer set to 3 minutes, then allowed to slow release for 10 minutes.
Because I’m a fiend for sodium, I added soy sauce along the way.
Y’all, when I tell you delicious, I mean it. Unfortunately, it was so delicious I ate every bit of it in one day.
Portion control continues to be my nemesis.
Song Highlight:
Ghost of a King by The Gray Havens
I love, love, love this song. Ethereal melody, poetic lyrics, and absolutely worth your time.
Verse of the Week:
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and inscrutable his ways!” - Romans 11:33
Memorizing this verse was part of our weekly challenge at church this past week, and I’m please to admit that I’ve had it memorized since Monday. This has lead to me thinking about it repeatedly throughout the week. To me, it says that whether or not I know what the heck is going on in my life, God is still in control and is utterly trustworthy.
Substack Shoutout:
David McIlroy - https://substack.com/@thedavidmcilroy
So, I’ve only been on the platform for a few days, but Mr. McIlroy’s presence on Substack has struck me as a pivotal one. I am excited to check out his original fiction (especially his upcoming horror novel “The Substitute”), but I have been blessed already by the encouragement and advice he brings to my feed. If you somehow see this, David, thanks for all that you do here!
And that’s it for this week! If you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions for me, I’d love to hear back from you. If you think anything in here was of value, perhaps share it with a friend. If you are reading this at the time of publication, then you should absolutely go to bed.
Blessings!
S.M. Osborne
Surprise Dog Picture!
