So the last time I really mentioned my writing was near the end of July, where I hadn’t had the best round of Camp NaNoWrimo but I was optimistic about perhaps getting out of the funk I’ve been in.
I can happily say that in the last couple weeks I got inspired to work on a certain story, one that was already in progress. In the last week I’ve managed to add 5700 words and finally feel like I’m getting back in the groove. It’s all very rough because I’m just letting if flow, but it feels very good to be writing again.
I haven’t decided yet if NaNoWriMo this year will be a completely new project, or if I will simply work on something that is existing. We’ll see what ideas the muse has in store for me when November comes.
Anyone else planning on doing NaNoWriMo this year? What are your writing plans?
So where I am it’s already around 3 p.m. in the afternoon on Saturday, but I still thought I would discuss my reading plans for the weekend. I’ve got a lot of ARCs to read and it is ARC August so I’m hoping to make good progress. Since this weekend is projected to be some of the hottest days of the year in my neck of the woods, camping on the couch with a stack of books near the AC is not a bad thing to do.
I’m in the middle of a few different books, so those are definitely top priority on my list. I would really like to tackle my review books because there are so many books I have wanted to request, but haven’t allowed myself to because I want to get more caught up, so the weekends of August will hopefully be devoted to those books (as well as others in my half finished pile).
With that said, wish me luck and it things do well I’ll do an update post to catch up tomorrow evening (fingers crossed)!
I was debating what I wanted to post today, and going back and forth a bit – but then WordPress notified me that today is actually my Two year blogiversary!
When I first created this blog two years ago, I was trying to get the courage to actually do this thing. I had a lot of self doubt regarding if anyone would read or value my content and that almost made me stop before I even began. What kept me going was wanting to be a part of this community, wanting to share my thoughts and make new friends who I knew I had something in common with.
The first year didn’t see much in the way of posting, I was still very unsure if I could do it and if anything I said would be valuable. Last October I decided I would participate in Book Blogtober and post every single day of the month – and I haven’t stopped posting since. I’ve made it my goal to post at least once every single day and I’m so glad I did.
So here’s where you come in – what would you like to see on the blog going forward? Do you want more reviews, more tags, more writing content? Let me know!
Thank you all for coming on this ride with me. Here’s to two years and hopefully many more!
So anyone who follows my content may have noticed that for the last couple months I have been more loose about my planning because mentally I acknowledge I’ve been struggling. I’ve admittedly been in a bit of a reading slump and if you’ve read my NaNoWriMo posts, a writing slump as well. I’m determined to break this cycle and get back in my groove with some planning.
So what is the plan I’ve come up with? I’m not going to be super strict with myself and I am going to simply work on getting back on track. My day job responsibilities have ramped up even though I’m working remotely, so that is a priority and I have to recognize my own limits.
So in short, the goals I am setting for myself are as follows:
-Read more of my backlist books, and get back to listening to more audiobooks like I was doing previously. -Try to carve actual writing time out, and decide on a project instead of floating between a few different ones. -Really do some preparation for November’s round of NaNoWriMo so that I’m ready to hit the ground running. -Get better about my daily tracking. I have a reading bullet journal set up, but in the last couple months I’ve gone from updating every day, to updating maybe once a week.
That being said, this might not happen. I have to concentrate on self care and taking care of my mental health – so if I can’t accomplish all of these things, then that’s ok.
It’s that time again, this time for the July round of Camp NaNoWriMo. I’m not setting any grand goal for myself this time. I set a goal of 15k words just to have a goal of some sort in place, but I’m not going to be upset if I don’t hit it.
Life is hectic these days, even if I’m working at home – so some nights I just don’t have the energy to write. I’m going to take it easy on myself and just enjoy the process as it happens.
That being said, I’ve managed to add 1,309 words to a new project, so that’s not too bad in my opinion.
Hey lovely people! I haven’t been buying a ton of physical books lately. I wouldn’t say I’m on a buying ban or anything, I’ve just been way too busy, not going out much and trying to read some of the books I already have. So for today’s post I thought I would share some of the ebooks I’ve picked up recently.
First I found a number of the Tor.com original short stories available so I picked up a bunch of them!
I also picked up The Empress of Salt and Fortune since I’ve been hearing amazing things about it. The others I have picked up have been a little random as I’ve been looking for things that would make me smile or laugh, so that’s what the rest hopefully represent. I’d never heard of the other three, but I read the blurbs and was interested in all of them.
So what have you gotten in ebook form lately? Have you found any amazing new-to-you reads?
Here we are almost to the end of June and my writing this year is not going the way I expected and I’ve found myself in a writing slump.
I think all of us are feeling certain effects from the events going on in the world, and have been. I’ve been dealing with my own issues and trying to maintain, but my writing and reading have definitely suffered as a result.
Still, while I haven’t written much in the last two months, I am going to do the Camp NaNoWriMo round in July, but I’m not going to set any huge goal. I’m going to simply aim to write, not do a large amount. As long as I make progress I’m going to be happy. I’ll probably do a good amount of editing and mat not even concentrate on new writing. I’m just going to gauge what feels right when the time comes.
How is everyone else’s writing going? Have you also had creativity blocks?
It’s time for some Kindle deals again! I’m all for adding to my ebook TBR and there are currently some great books available. As always, make sure to check prices in your area as they may vary depending on date and location!
Fie abides by one rule: look after your own. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime.
A fugitive prince
When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses—and perhaps his throat. But he offers a wager that she can’t refuse: protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns.
A too-cunning bodyguard
Hawk warrior Tavin has always put Jas’s life before his, magically assuming the prince’s appearance and shadowing his every step. But what happens when Tavin begins to want something to call his own?
Haunted (Harrison Investigation 1) by Heather Graham ($1.99) – Matt Stone doesn’t believe in ghosts. But there are those who are convinced his home, a historic Virginia estate that dates back to the Revolutionary War, is haunted. Pressured to get at the truth about some strange happenings at Melody House, he agrees to let Harrison Investigations explore the house.
But he isn’t ready for beautiful, intriguing Darcy Tremayne. As a paranormal investigator, Darcy has learned to believe in the unbelievable. And she’s given Matt fair warning: sometimes people don’t like the skeletons she finds. She never dreamed that warning would apply to herself. For she’s about to discover that Melody House holds much more than a simple mystery from the distant past. What it holds is a very real and lethal danger, one that will cast her into a struggle against the worlds of both the living and the dead.
Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson ($3.99) – Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Death Trap, A. A. Milne’s Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox’s Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity, John D. Macdonald’s The Drowner, and Donna Tartt’s A Secret History.
But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move—a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.
To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects . . . and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead—and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape.
Esther is a stowaway. She’s hidden herself away in the Librarian’s book wagon in an attempt to escape the marriage her father has arranged for her—a marriage to the man who was previously engaged to her best friend. Her best friend who she was in love with. Her best friend who was just executed for possession of resistance propaganda.
The future American Southwest is full of bandits, fascists, and queer librarian spies on horseback trying to do the right thing.
Uncover the lives and loves of the FBI elite as they take on the toughest assignments. This is a new four-book miniseries featuring an ensemble cast of characters spread across 4 books, featuring 4 urgent cases, with one stellar team of crime solving experts.
The Tactical Crime Division—TCD—is a specialized unit of the FBI. Because of the growing concerns and need for ever increasing response time to criminal events, the FBI created a specialized tech and tactical team combing specialists from several active divisions that include: weapons, crime scene investigation, protection, negotiation and IT.
Midnight Abduction by Nichole Severn – For the Tactical Crime Division, no case is left cold. When Benning Reeves’s twins are kidnapped, the frantic father knows who can help: the Tactical Crime Division and Ana Ramirez. Even though Ana once shattered Benning’s heart, the special agent is the only one he can trust. But Ana is still tormented by the unresolved case that brought them together years before—a case somehow entangled with Benning’s children. It’s up to the TCD and Ana to discover why…before it’s too late.
The Tactical Crime Division is a specialized unit of the FBI. Did you do any research before writing about this type of fast-paced, high-adrenaline lifestyle?
A: I’ve written a few FBI characters throughout my career (one of my favorite kinds of novels to write!), but for Midnight Abduction, I really had to look into missing persons statistics and break that data down into manageable chunks.
As an agent trained in missing persons, my heroine has to know the probabilities of a parent being involved in the abduction (or someone the child knew), the child’s daily habits, schedule, and so much more than age, weight, height and a recent photo. It’s unbelievable how the smallest detail could contribute to her bringing home a missing child, and how quickly evidence can change the course of an entire investigation.
I also found the more attention I put into reviewing actual missing persons from the FBI’s website, the more conflict and mystery I was able to add to this book.
The Tactical Crime Division series includes four books written by four different authors; what was it like to collaborate with other authors and how did you decide who got to write each storyline?
A: Thankfully deciding who wrote which book was completely up to our editors, but collaborating with three other authors really was a huge change of pace for me. Up to this point, I’ve been in control of every minute detail throughout my books and have never had to rely on another author for the story I’m writing.
But the TCD series features multiple points of view in each book, including main characters from the other three. I’d say the most difficult part of working together was just trying to get each other’s characters right. We didn’t want to overstep, make these side characters do something out of character or get the details of their past wrong, but every author involved in the series was great about answering questions and updating our shared series bible.
Can you share a recent book you have read that you would like to recommend?
A: I’ve just finished Loreth Anne White’s IN THE DARK and could not put it down! The use of setting to add to the psychological mystery she’s created was so well done, I’m still thinking about it weeks later.
Nichole Severn writes romantic suspense with strong heroines, heroes who dare challenge them, and a hell of a lot of guns. When she’s not writing, she’s injuring herself running and practicing yoga.
Can’t Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings based on the meme Waiting on Wednesday by Breaking the Spine. In this weekly post people share a book that they’re excited about being released.
I really enjoyed Stephen Graham Jones’ book Mapping the Interior so I’m excited for his September release Night of the Mannequins.
Night of the Mannquins is expected to come out in September from Tor and I cannot wait to pick it up!
Stephen Graham Jones returns with Night of the Mannequins, a contemporary horror story where a teen prank goes very wrong and all hell breaks loose: is there a supernatural cause, a psychopath on the loose, or both?
The Wandering Wordsmith 