NaNo + writing news + Veteran's Day

Hello folks! How are you doing today? I'm doing well!
To everyone's who's doing NaNo . . . we're on day eleven!! Can you believe it?!
Anyway. It's been going great! I was able to attend a WWI reenactment last Saturday (pictures to come) and I got a lot of question answered! It was like being able to do historical research by stepping back into the era and talking to the men who were fighting. 'Twas awesome, people. ;)

So far I've written a grand total of 22,151 words this month! I've actually been updating my word count daily on the NaNo site (unlike last year) and it's been fun to see the word count go up. I think the only day I didn't update it was Tuesday, because, well . . . it was election day!  And we were up until around 3:30-4:00am waiting for the results and watching speeches. It was totally worth it, but it did result in my getting  a bit behind in where I wanted to be.

For today I thought I'd first share a couple snippets from my NaNo project, A Question of Loyalty, and then... well, I have some exciting news, but I'm going to make you wait for that. ;)

///Micah was awoken with a sudden crash, and he bolted upright. To his surprise, sunlight filled the room, shining through the single window in the side wall. Dr. Simmons locked the door, and grabbed a chair from the nearby table. He turned it around, and sat in front of Micah, who was still groggily rubbing his eyes.
“Get with it, Dr. Wilson. We need to talk.” 
An American. I should have guessed. Only they would use such terms and expect everyone else to understand. It was  good thing he did understand. The look on this guy’s face showed he meant business./// 


///God, why? Why do you allow all this to happen? The killing, the wars, the tearing up of families? It was a question he had wrestled with since the war started, and he was sure it was one that he would be asking till the day he died.
Maybe then, on that day, he would finally get the answer.///


///One thing Arnold hadn’t figured in was the fact of how good it had been to see his brother again. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed his family until now. In fact, he hadn’t thought about them much at all. He had made his decision and chosen to turn his back on them. He had told himself that he didn’t care anymore.
But, if that was true, then why did a sudden twinge of regret twist his insides? Talking to his brother . . . it was as if he hadn’t changed. Micah still seemed the same, even though Arnold knew he had changed. The war changed everyone. He could see the lines around Micah’s eyes, and the tiredness in his eyes when he looked at him. 
But even with those physical changes, Micah was still . . . 
He searched for the word. Normal. Micah was still Micah. He still stood for what he had always stood for. His voice was the same, the uncanny connection between them was the same. He gritted his teeth as he remembered it. That was one thing he wished would have changed. 
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He didn’t have much time before he arrived at headquarters and he still had to think of something to tell Erich.///


///To Micah's relief, the man on the bridge was not dressed in the uniform of France’s enemy. The man was dressed as a commoner, something like how Micah himself was dressed. He strode purposefully over to him, and stopped inches from Micah’s face. 
“The water always runs under a bridge.”
Micah nodded. “Unless the bridge has fallen.”
Seeming a bit more at ease than he was when he first arrived, the man continued. “I hear the bridge in London has fallen.”
Though this was a mission of grave importance, Micah couldn’t keep the smile from his voice. It seemed that the common nursery rhyme about London Bridge had given everyone the idea that Londoners never rebuilt any of their architecture. “The reports of the fallen London bridge are greatly exaggerated.”///


///Micah shook his head to clear the image. Yet, like a bit of fog slowly creeping over the skyline, a feeling of dread seemed to grow closer every minute. He started toward and Erich, and Erich started toward him. They met halfway across the station, and Erich took the strap of Micah’s bag off his shoulder. “Here. I picked this up for you.” 
Micah reached out to take the bag, and in doing so looked down at Erich’s wrist. Though the rest of his posture exhibited perfect control, his fingers shook ever so slightly, and  the veins in his wrist where pulsating.
Micah inwardly groaned. That was caused by adrenaline rush. Erich hadn’t been running anywhere, and it wasn’t likely he had gotten any upsetting new from Berlin. 
No, Erich was upset because he knew. It was the only thing that made sense.///


///Erich stood and walked over to the single window, resting a hand on the pistol in his belt. Somehow, knowing he could protect himself no matter when came, made him feel better, even if he was alone in the office. 
It was strange what war could do to a person.///

Yes, I have three guy's POV's. Which is . . . interesting. And fun. I'm enjoying it. :)

Alrighty folks. Now some writing news. You know that Christmas Cinderella WWII story I mentioned a couple weeks back? Well, I finished it! I actually did get it finished before NaNo. ;) It's about 19,000 words, and I just finished the first read through and edit this past week. :) Because of the fact that it ended up being a Christmas-y story, I'm hoping to have it published, at least in kindle (but probably in paperback as well) by the 2nd week in December.
So what does this mean? It means I'd really love to have a few beta-readers. ;) I realize that November is a super busy time for most people, (especially my NaNo friends) so I'm not going to have a sign up. So If you'd be interested in beta-reading, shoot me an email either through the contact me page, or my email, if you have it. :) I know a couple of you said you were interested in beta-reading, but I also know NaNo can be crazy . . . so if you'd rather not that's fine!

And . . . Veteran's Day! This post is getting a bit longer than I expected. ;) But when I realized today was veteran's day, I had to mention something about it. A large part of my family has either served in the military in the past, or are still actively serving. And I'm so thankful for their sacrifice and the sacrifice of all our men and women in uniform, both past and present. And future. ;) We owe them all a huge debt of gratitude for what they've done for us; being willing to fight for our liberty.

Young and old, they all came to serve

to fight for our freedom, they left nothing reserved.

They left their families and homes behind,

they didn't look back, they went where assigned. 

They fought battles we'll never understand,

they lost friends halfway around the world in some barren wasteland.

The scars of the battle will never truly fade,

these men have done something that cannot be paid. 

For freedom is priceless, it's a gift from above.

But it's our responsibility to protect it in love. 

Our veterans have done that, they answered the call,

They loved freedom more than life itself; they fought for it above all. 

So let's take a moment to thank those who serve,

whether at home of abroad, they deserve the honor they've earned. 

Each one has a story, something to tell, 

So take care and listen, and value them all. 

Today is also the day WWI officially ended, and it's got some pretty interesting history, I would encourage you to look it up and read about it if you haven't already. :) 

Make a point to thank at least one veteran today for their service. Just a simple thank you really says so much more. 

Well, I think that's all for today! I hope your week has been wonderful and have an amazing weekend! God bless!