The Get to Know Me Writer’s Edition Tag

     I’ve been tagged, which means I have the privilege of sharing with you some of my favorites and other facts about my writing. Thank you so much to my sweet friend Vanessa who tagged me! Vanessa is also a writer, and our friendship and the way we can share about our writing is a blessing to me.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:8

1. Vital Stats and Appearance

(pen) Name: Bethany Griggs. That’s my real name and the name I plan to publish my books under.

Nickname: I don’t typically get called by nicknames anymore, but when I was younger, my nickname was Vefonia. That is something like my name in Russian. I also attend a writing camp where I have picked up some nicknames such as Betsy and Bethie.

Birthday: My birthday is in July.

Hair color and length: My hair is light brown and sometimes has a red tint to it. It seems to go through phases! It is close to waist length, and I usually wear it in a ponytail.

Eye color: My eyes definitely have phases, but they are predictable. I have hazel eyes, which means that depending on what I’m wearing, they look either blue or green. Blue is one of my favorite colors to wear, so they are probably more often blue than green.

Braces/piercings/tattoos: None.

Righty or lefty: I’m a leftie and have pretty much always liked being one! Except maybe when I’m bumping elbows with someone at a meal, but even that’s worth putting up with in exchange for the connection you automatically have with other lefties.

Ethnicity: American – primarily a blend of Scottish, English, Irish, and some German. Also some Welsh, Swiss, Swedish, and Norwegian. I love family history, and my family and I have traced back a lot of lines.

2. Firsts

First novel written: Operation “T”

First novel completed: I haven’t completed any novels yet, but I have written a complete first draft of Operation “T”, and it’s in the editing stages. It’s already been Beta read by several people, and I’ve been working on making corrections based on their feedback.

Award for writing: None.

First publication: I don’t have anything published, but Lord willing, my first publication will be a novella entitled Willow. I’m currently working on getting that story ready for my Beta readers.

Conference: None.

Query/pitch: None. At this point, I’m not interested in pitching a story.

3. Favorites

Genre: Historical and Contemporary Fiction

Author: For historical fiction, two of my favorite authors are Charlotte Maria Tucker (Pen name: A.L.O.E. – A Lady of England) and Isabella Alden (Pen name: Pansy). My favorite historical/contemporary fiction author is Rebekah Morris. I love her writing style, beautiful descriptions, and the cozy stories she writes.

Writing music: I almost never listen to music while I’m doing my book writing. If I’m working on a blog post, I might occasionally listen to Tim Janis or some other peaceful music.

Time to write: My favorite time to write fiction is in the evening. For some reason, my creativity and inspiration often seem to get going better then. It’s usually better for non-fiction if I work on it earlier in the day when my mind is more clear.

Writing Snack/Drink: I don’t usually snack while I am writing, but I often have water handy. If I’m going to eat a snack, it might be peanut butter with honey or maple syrup.

Movie: The Printing by Unusual Films. My siblings and I watched this movie so many times that one time we started quoting it and quoted almost the entire movie. We don’t watch very many movies, so some of them that we do watch have been seen many times. I will say that I don’t like watching intense things in videos, so there is one scene at the beginning of the movie that I have chosen not to watch.

Writing memory: Some of my favorite writing memories are brainstorming with my sister on walks and the times when my writing flows so well I can hardly get the words out fast enough. I also love the times when I see God using my writing to help me grow in my relationship with Him and when a story stirs my emotions. There are so many favorites when it comes to writing!

Childhood book: Some of my (many) favorite childhood books were the Little House books that Mom read aloud to my sister and me and the original Boxcar Children books that my sister and I checked out from the library over and over.

4. Currently

Reading: Hymns in the Hills by Rebekah Morris. This story is so sweet and makes me want to smile! I love how each chapter of Belle’s story is woven around a hymn.

Writing: Willow: A Hoofbeats of Hope Novella, a daily devotional book for ladies with chronic illness (I haven’t settled on a name for it yet), and I’m editing Operation “T,” my first novel.

Listening to: I have recently enjoyed having waterfall videos playing in the background sometimes while I was writing or editing. I’m hoping to try out other peaceful soundtracks. Usually I just write in quiet though.

Watching: I enjoy watching some vlogs and productivity and writing-related videos on YouTube.

Learning: To rely more on the Lord and confide my thoughts in Him. This is something I continually need to grow in. I’m thankful God is such a patient Teacher!

5. Future

Want to be published: Yes! I’m working toward publishing and hope to reach this goal sooner rather than later. If you are interested in knowing when Willow comes out, please sign up for my newsletter so I can let you know and share other writing updates. 

Indie or Traditional: At this point, I want to be Indie published. I like the control that it gives you over your books, and it seems like the best route for me right now.

Wildest goal: I hope to point other people to Jesus through my writing, and I would love to make enough money as an author/blogger to do it full-time!

I’m supposed to tag 11 other people and link back to the creator of this tag (Thanks Savannah!). I don’t have 11 people to tag, so how about this? If you read this post, consider yourself tagged! Hopefully, more than 11 people will read this post, so that should cover the tags. If you do this tag, please let me know so I can read your post! 

Let’s Chat!

     Did you see any favorites we share in common? Are you a writer? What are you currently working on?

     Until next time, may the Lord bless you with strength and peace!

In Christ,

Bethany