We hope you enjoyed the November 2022 issue of This Awful Awesome Life. Many thanks to Lilly Kauffman, Orlando Bartro, and Linda Cahill for their contributions to each issue.

The holidays are upon us and whether you will be celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Festivus, Kwanzaa, all of the above, or none of the above, we wish you peace and joy. Make this season one of peace and goodwill.

My beta reader has been incredibly helpful and I’m finishing some rewrites and editing for my latest manuscript. I still don’t know when it will be ready for publication, and I still haven’t decided if I’m going to self-publish or follow a more traditional publishing path. Wish me luck. I’ll keep you posted.

My home reno projects are finished for the rest of the year, so I will be able to work without the sounds of jackhammers and power tools. Hurray! But seriously, I am so lucky to have found a new contractor who shows up when he’s supposed to, works hard each day, and cares about the quality of his work. Thanks Cam! Happy Holidays! See you in February to get started on the next project.

Lilly Kauffman has another poem for us this month and Orlando Bartro has an interesting article about Miss Jane Austen.

This month I reviewed The Twelve Swipes of Christmas, the debut novel of Pittsburgh native, Elizabeth Meitzler. It’s a fun romantic comedy about the joys of dating apps, but don’t be fooled, Meitzler has created multi-dimensional characters who’ll make you laugh and cry. Elizabeth Meitzler is also our featured author for our Q&A this month.

December is always a musical month for me, and we have music-related streaming recommendations for you.

“Dare to Believe,” is proud to feature Charles Dickens and Jane Addams for their

philanthropic works and dedication to promoting social justice.

We have a collection of holiday words for you this month and some practical

Information to help you keep your pets safe during the holidays. 

Our vegetable of the month is asparagus. I have the link to a family favorite recipe for you and a link to a delicious recipe from The Pampered Chef.

Linda Cahill shares some delicious recipes for football Sundays and the holidays courtesy of The Pampered Chef. Don’t miss our winter reading recommendations for kids and adults and our December Quiz featuring contemporary Christmas songs. Also check out our Author page, December in Pictures, and our preview of the January issue.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who voted in The November 8th mid-term elections. Please keep showing up and voting. If you are in Georgia, please vote in the runoff election to decide your U.S. Senator. We will never tell you who to vote for, but we will keep telling you to vote and do your homework! Vote for the candidates who are the most qualified and who will safeguard our democracy.

Samantha Sayers has been missing since she disappeared on August 1, 2018, after a day of solo hiking at Vesper Peak near Seattle, Washington. Sam grew up in the Erie, Pennsylvania area where her parents Ron and Lisa still live.

Her family is exploring all avenues of inquiry to find and bring her home.

In the face of such an enormous challenge, they have chosen hope. Please keep sending positive thoughts to Sam and her family.

As promised, we will be displaying a yellow ribbon for Sam on the opening page of each issue of This Awful Awesome Life until she is home.

If you are a person of faith, please pray for her safe return to her family. Because we are an online publication, we can update this article with any news. We will also post information on our Facebook page. Thank you!

Please share our link, www.thisawfulawesomelife.com with your friends and family.

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Happy Reading,

Fran