Liwen Y. Ho's Blog
November 18, 2021
My Struggle with Iron Deficiency
February 25, 2021
Acknowledging the Hard
February 24, 2021
We’re Moving!
I know I’ve been absent from this blog for a looong time, but I have some exciting news! I have a whole new and beautiful website set up where I’ll be starting to blog again. Please hop on over to liwenho.com and follow me there! If you’re already subscribed to receive blog post updates, you’ll continue to receive them via the new website.
Thank you for your patience and support!
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Cover Reveal for Hubby's 1st Book: The Time Rift Bursting My Chinese Bubble When There Is No Finish Line One Word for 2013 & 2014 Modern Day Princes & PrincessesCopyright © Author Liwen Y. Ho [We're Moving!], All Right Reserved. 2021.December 4, 2020
2020 Christmas Scavenger Hunt Round-Robin: Love Pact with the Hero
2020 Christmas Scavenger Hunt Round-Robin: Love Pact with the Hero Read More »
2020 Christmas Scavenger Hunt Round-Robin: Love Pact with the Hero
Merry Christmas! Welcome to the 2020 Christmas Round-Robin! At each author’s blog post, you will find a question that can be answered by checking out the free Amazon preview of their book. Provide the answer at this Google Form. You must answer the questions for every author in the round-robin correctly to be considered to win the $350 first place, $250 second place or $150 third place Amazon gift cards. (Note: these prizes are USD values. If you are not a U.S. resident, you will get a gift card from the Amazon store for your country; however, it will be valued at these USD amounts.) At the end of my post is a link to the next blog, who will provide a link to the next blog, etc., to the very end.
I’m excited to share a little with you about my book Love Pact with the Hero. This book is book 2 in the brand new Heroes of Freedom Ridge series. While this book can be read as a standalone, I hope you will check out the rest of the series because all the books are amazing!
Haven Alexander and Jeremiah Gilbert were best childhood friends, but life took them separate ways after high school graduation. A dozen years and many ups and downs later, they meet again for a wedding. Their friendship easily picks up where they left off, but Jeremiah longs for more. There’s a love pact on the line—an agreement they made as teenagers to marry each other by the time they turn 30. With only weeks to go until their birthdays, can Jeremiah show Haven that love is possible for a struggling single mom?
I wrote this book for people like Haven who have lost their faith in God. I hope this story serves as a reminder that God is near to the brokenhearted and will never leave nor forsake them. I hope you enjoy Love Pact with the Hero as much as I enjoyed writing it for you.
Let’s begin this scavenger hunt! Go to the book on Amazon at this link. You will be taken to Love Pact with the Hero, so you will have no problem finding it in the Look Inside.
Find the answer to this question:
What is the nickname Jeremiah gave Haven when they were kids?
When you have the answer, fill out this form and head on to the next blog!
Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Jennifer Chastain, who is telling us all about her Christmas book The Mistletoe Contract. You can find it HERE. Remember that you must answer every question from all 37 authors in this collection correctly and that the round-robin starts December 6th, 2020 and will end on December 12th, 2020 at 11:59 PM EST!
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It's the End of the World as We Know It (AKA. Life with a High Need Baby) Monday Mentionables: Family Time, Fall Foliage & Gratitude in Action Cinco de Mayo I am a Rock... I am an Island Apologies to My "Type Z" ChildCopyright © Author Liwen Y. Ho [2020 Christmas Scavenger Hunt Round-Robin: Love Pact with the Hero], All Right Reserved. 2020.March 19, 2020
9 Tips for Staying Sane during these Crazy Days
I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m living in a movie. An end-of-times one where zombies pop up from behind the bushes and the only way to protect yourself is to wave toilet paper in front of their faces because they hate the idea of clean bottoms. (And that, my friends, is why all the TP in American is sold out.)
But seriously, we’re living in some crazy, unexpected times with the coronavirus pandemic. While it’s definitely important to take care of our physical health, I hope we’ll all remember to take care of our minds and hearts, too. To help with that, I want to share 9 tips for staying sane during these crazy days.
Laugh. Laughter really is the best medicine. Look for toilet paper memes—there’s no shortage of them online. Watch funny shows. Google “Dad jokes”. Find things that tickle your funny bone.Recognize. Recognize that this is not a normal time. But the feelings you feel—scared, overwhelmed, unsure—are normal. Give yourself time to process those feelings.Create. Now’s the time to tap into your creative side. There are so many tutorials online where you can learn now to cook, draw, sing, dance, etc. Did you know there are karaoke apps, too?! Muchkin #2 and I use Karaoke by Yokee.Move. Take walks. Have a dance party. Use the bathroom that’s the farthest one away from you in the house. Break out the sidewalk chalk with the kiddos and play hopscotch.Connect. Stay in touch with friends and family. With the beauty of modern tech, we can text, call, or video chat with the touch of a button. Call up (or better yet, text) those extrovert friends of yours—you’ll make their day!Adjust. Adjust your expectations for what you want to get done vs. what you can get done under the circumstances. Especially if you have “coworkers” (aka. kids) who didn’t get the memo about regular work hours.Recharge. If you’re an introvert and especially if you’re highly sensitive and you’re dying with your whole family home sheltering-in-place (I may or may not be speaking from personal experience, lol), you must find some time alone. Get up early or stay up late. Take short breaks in the bathroom during the day. Do what you need to do to recharge.Accept. This is probably the hardest, but best thing you can do. Accept that your life has been put on hold indefinitely. Your routine has changed and your schedules and to-do list have gone out the window. This is our new normal … for now, but not for forever. Appreciate. I believe every situation, no matter how hard or dire, has its good points. One thing I appreciate about this time is the sense of solidarity people all over the world are experiencing. Regardless of where we live, we’re all going through similar struggles of keeping the kids entertained, finding ways to cook with whatever random foods we have in our freezers, and not going stir crazy at home. We’re learning to be bored again, to enjoy downtime, and to be still. We’re finding out how creative we can be and how resilient we actually are. Most of all, we’re all doing life together—in our own homes and across the internet.
And on that note, I’ll leave you with the perfect song for these interesting times: High School Musical’s “We’re All in This Together”.
What tips do you have for staying sane during these crazy days?
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Make That Change 7 Life Lessons Learned from Shopping at Costco Apologies to My "Type Z" Child When You Can't Take Things Too Personally as a Parent Game ChangersCopyright © Author Liwen Y. Ho [9 Tips for Staying Sane during these Crazy Days], All Right Reserved. 2020.January 23, 2020
The Secret to Relationships: “Turning Toward”
As a romance author, I write a lot about “turning”. A lot. I just searched my work-in-progress and found 43 instances of the word.
For example:
He turned his head slightly to the left, showing off his dimple.Why did I care that she had turned me down?She turned around in her seat. Her expression turned sour.It was my turn to laugh.
Hmm, while this makes me think I need to find a new word to use (lol), I also had a realization about real life: there’s a lot of turning involved.
More specifically, our relationships require us to turn. When we talk to someone, we turn to look at them. Eye contact is even more crucial when it comes to listening. Without this kind of interaction, there really is no connection.
But what is connection exactly?
I think connecting with someone starts even before you can see them. It starts with the heart.
If there’s anything I’ve learned from almost 19 years of marriage and 13+ years of parenting, it’s that I have a choice in how I approach my husband and kids. Do I choose to turn toward them or away from them? How do I respond to them, not only in a physical sense, but in my heart?
As anyone who’s human can attest, people are messy. Having a relationship with someone, any kind of relationship, means going through your fair share of ups and downs. People do things that can frustrate and annoy you and even hurt you. Sometimes it’s on purpose; other times it’s unintentional. All of this is fact and a part of life.
Before I became a wife and mom, I was oblivious to how hard relationships can be. I thought I was a loving, kind and patient person—humble, too, of course! 
January 9, 2020
A New Year… A New Series! (+ Five Cover Reveals!)
If there’s anything I learned last year, it’s that hard work pays off. And patience is a virtue. These aren’t new lessons for me, but it feels like I’m finally living them out in my daily life.
It’s like I’ve been training for a marathon and having to practice running every day, whether I feel like it or not. (This is totally a metaphor because I haven’t run in years, cough cough, lol.) But I definitely need to have the mindset of an athlete in order to get up, show up, and do the work, day in and day out.
Writing has become like exercise to me. Over the past year, I’ve trained myself to write even when I don’t feel like it. I’ve learned to write in long spurts when everyone’s out and the house is quiet and also in short spurts when I’m waiting for pasta to cook. I push myself mentally to dump words (both pretty and not-so pretty ones) out on the page and not worry about them until it comes time to edit. I push through the hard times in the middle of a book when the story starts unraveling and I wonder if it’s any good at all. But then I get to celebrate when I make it through the “saggy middle” and come out with even better storyline ideas on the other side.
It’s all about moving forward. Challenging yourself to do new things, to do more than you thought you could do. To believe you can make it through the not-so fun times. To sweat, whine, and sometimes cry. It’s about learning what works and what doesn’t work for you. To fail, but to get up again.
It’s about stretching your faith, your imagination, and your creativity. Using what God’s given you to make something meaningful and cool. And being able to touch others in the process.
I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty worthwhile.
This is exactly what I’ve been doing for the past couple of months as I gear up to publish a brand new series. I’m taking a chance on writing in a new genre (Young Adult, one of my favorites!) and working hard to get all FIVE(!) books ready to be released in the first half of 2020.
I’m super excited to introduce you to the Edenvale Arts High School series! Here’s a sneak peek at the amazing covers my critique partner, Kristen, put together!
The first two books are up for pre-order now!
Book One: How to Kiss a Guy in Ten Days
Book Two: To the Only Boy I’ve Loved Before
What do you think of these covers? Any guesses as to what my inspiration was for the titles?
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Stuck in the Muck Opposites Attract Lovin' Your In-Laws The Other Shoe Monday Mentionables: Give It 100, Car Games & The Drop BoxCopyright © 2 Square 2 Be Hip [A New Year... A New Series! (+ Five Cover Reveals!)], All Right Reserved. 2020.October 31, 2019
14 Facts of Life from My 40’s
As I approach my birthday next week and my mid-forties, I finally feel like I have a little bit of wisdom to share. So, here are 14 facts of life that I’ve learned in my 40’s.
Having a loving, happy marriage is hard. Not having a loving, happy marriage is harder.Getting a good night’s sleep can make all the difference.An eyebrow tweezer doubles as the perfect tool for plucking out short, gray hair, especially the ones that stick out on the top of your head.You’ll never be as young as you are today, so don’t feel old.Your emotional health is as important as your physical health, so pay attention to what your emotions are telling you.It’s perfectly okay to take a mental health day once in a while.Show grace to people, especially those who aren’t gracious. They need it the most.It’s better to not buy 5 things on sale that you don’t really want and use that money to buy 1 thing at full price that you do want.Make an effort to get together with your friends regularly (even if you only have energy to put on sweatpants). You’ll be glad you did.The best gift you can offer someone is a listening ear. Treat your kids the way you wish your parents had treated you.Foster creativity in your life. Paint, draw, write, cook, dance, sing, knit … etc.! Your heart will thank you for it.Sometimes it’s hard to have faith. But not having faith is even harder.There has never been, nor will there ever be, anyone just like you. You are important to someone and you are needed in this world.
What insights have you learned about life? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Conversations with My Nine Year Old About Puberty Justice, Kindness & Humility Monday Mentionables: MLK, Jr. Quotes, Elephant and Piggie, Baked Salmon & Frozen Medley Thoughts About the New Nicolas Cage Movie and Other Matters of Faith What Contact Lenses & Q-Tips Reminded Me About MarriageCopyright © 2 Square 2 Be Hip [14 Facts of Life from My 40's], All Right Reserved. 2020.14 Facts of Life for Your 40’s
As I approach my birthday next week and my mid-forties, I finally feel like I have a little bit of wisdom to share. So, here are 14 facts of life that I’ve learned in my 40’s.
Having a loving, happy marriage is hard. Not having a loving, happy marriage is harder.Getting a good night’s sleep can make all the difference.An eyebrow tweezer doubles as the perfect tool for plucking out short, gray hair, especially the ones that stick out on the top of your head.You’ll never be as young as you are today, so don’t feel old.Your emotional health is as important as your physical health, so pay attention to what your emotions are telling you.It’s perfectly okay to take a mental health day once in a while.Show grace to people, especially those who aren’t gracious. They need it the most.It’s better to not buy 5 things on sale that you don’t really want and use that money to buy 1 thing at full price that you do want.Make an effort to get together with your friends regularly (even if you only have energy to put on sweatpants). You’ll be glad you did.The best gift you can offer someone is a listening ear. Treat your kids the way you wish your parents had treated you.Foster creativity in your life. Paint, draw, write, cook, dance, sing, knit … etc.! Your heart will thank you for it.Sometimes it’s hard to have faith. But not having faith is even harder.There has never been, nor will there ever be, anyone just like you. You are important to someone and you are needed in this world.
What insights have you gained about life? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Tackling Challenges One "File" at a Time Marriage According to Ben The Waiting Game Pressing the PLAY Button on My Life Again 7 Fun Facts about Chasing RomanceCopyright © 2 Square 2 Be Hip [14 Facts of Life for Your 40's], All Right Reserved. 2019.
