January Wrap Up

It's February and 2018 is already passing me by faster than the blink of an eye. I did a lot of reading in January and a little writing, not to mention my latest novel, CurseBreaker came out just after the beginning of the year. Here's what I got up to last month...

READING

Books I Reviewed In January:

- The Great Pursuit by Wendy Higgins

- There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

- Bonfire by Krysten Ritter

- Ryan's Bed by Tijan

- Say You'll Remember Me by Katie McGarry

- xo, Zach by Kendall Ryan

- Secrets of Bennett Hall by Jordan Elizabeth

Books I Read In January: 

- By A Charm and A Curse by Jaime Questell

- There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

- Say You'll Remember Me by Katie McGarry

- Ryan's Bed by Tijan

- xo, Zach by Kendall Ryan

- Broken Beautiful Hearts by Kami Garcia

- Bonfire by Krysten Ritter

- Secrets of Bennett Hall by Jordan Elizabeth

- The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco

- Darkest Night by Tara Thomas

- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Books to-be-read in February:

- Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

- Boy Heaven by Laura Kasischke

- Uprooted by Naomi Novik

- Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

- Alpha Goddess by Amalie Howard

- Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh

- The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

WRITING

January was an odd writing month. I started writing a New Adult Sports Romance, tentatively titled The Endgame (not really happy with the title) and I'm just over 7,000 words in. I've also rethought a few ideas in Monsters and Mist, my YA Fantasy novel, and began working on a top secret project that I'm really in love with but haven't had much time to work on. I hope to get about 10,000 words added to The Endgame and work more on the top secret project while I let Monsters and Mist stew a little in February.

BLOGGING

 In January participated in my usual cover reveals and more than a few blog tours and I'm starting to feel burnout so you'll have noticed my post on blogging changes coming this month here.

PUBLISHING

In January my latest YA Fantasy Fairytale Retelling CurseBreaker arrived in paperback and ebook and it has done really well so far and been really well received. In February I'm going to pursue trying to get the rights for The Haunting Love back from its publisher, editing and writing onto Headless (I picked a cover in January thanks to amazing input from my bookstagram friends!), and looking into getting an audiobook edition of CurseBreaker.

February Blogging Changes

If you've been following this blog for a while you know that over the past five or so months I've been posting nearly daily. While this has worked well with the type of posts I've been doing I'm going to be making some changes in February to better fit with my schedule. Here's what you can expect from me every month...

Weekly Posts:

- Top Ten Tuesdays

- "What I'm Reading" Wednesdays

- #BookTag Saturdays

🌟New🌟 Monthly Posts:

- Book Boyfriend of the Month (Posts the last Monday of the month)

- Book Mail of the Month (Posts the last Thursday of the month)

- Previous Month Wrap-Up (Posts the first Sunday of the month)

Irregular Posts:

- Book Reviews (As they come, or if they are ARC reviews, on the release date)

I'll be taking on less of the following: usually only the ones I'm really interested in:

- Blog Tours 

- Cover Reveals

- Excerpt Reveals

- Release Day Blitzes

November Wrap Up

It's December! How did that get here? Where did 2017 go? It's what some people (not me) call the 'most wonderful time of the year. December is the time of year when people are hurriedly searching for deals and maxing their credit cards out on gifts that their "loved ones" are most likely going to cash in for store credit anyway, but I digress. Let's just call me the Grinch reincarnate. November was a month that seemed to pass in the blink of an eye and I don't feel like I got much done at all. Here's what I got up to last month...

READING

Books I Reviewed In November:

- Haven by Mary Lindsey

- Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

- Glitter by Aprilynne Pike (Reread)

- Begin Again by Mona Kasten

- Six Little Secrets by Katlyn Duncan

Books I Read In November: 

- Glitter by Aprilynne Pike (Reread)

- Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

- CurseBreaker (by me!) - PROOFREAD

- Undone by Wendy Higgins

- Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill

Books to-be-read in December:

December is going to my ARC catch up month:

- Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones

- Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

- The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

- By A Curse and A Charm by Jaime Questell 

- Furyborn by Claire Legrand

- Renegades by Marissa Meyer

eBooks I Want To Squeeze In:

- Unearthed After Sunset by Lauryn April

- Legacy by Jesikah Sundin

WRITING

November was a really bad writing month. I did some short story writing, but my main writing project for NaNoWriMo, Monsters & Mist finished the month almost where I started... at about 6700 words. 

BLOGGING

 In November participated in my usual cover reveals and release day blitzes (although there were more cover reveals than anything else), participated in a blog tour for Six Little Secrets, and read Undone by Wendy Higgins for an upcoming December blog tour.

PUBLISHING

In November, I got the Kindle Preorder up for CurseBreaker, did one last round of proofreading from my paperback ARC, and put up a sign-up for the CurseBreaker Blog Tour (Jan. 1-5, 2018) besides promoting my books and stories on social media.

October Wrap-Up

Goodbye October, Welcome November - one of my least favorite and most stressful months of the year. It's time for a month of pushing myself to write more words in a month than I usually write in 2-3 months and cooking more for one day than I do for three or four days. Meanwhile, October was a surreal yet busy month. Here's what I got up to last month...

READING

Books I Reviewed In October:

- The Evolution of Us by D. Kelly

- The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

- Maybe This Time by Jennifer Cruise (Reread)

- Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

- Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Reread)

- Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

- Haven by Mary Lindsey

Books I Read In October: 

- The Evolution of Us by D. Kelly

- The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

- Begin Again by Mona Kasten

- Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

- Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

- Six Little Secrets by Katlyn Duncan

- Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

- Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

- Haven by Mary Lindsey

Books to-be-read in November:

November is going to be a strange reading month for me with NaNoWriMo going on, but I have the following library books due that I have to get through:

- Glitter by Aprilynne Pike (Reread)

- Legacy by Cayla Kluver

- Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

- The Last Harvest by Kim Liggett

- Recreated by Colleen Houck

- The Ravenous by Amy Lukavics

eBooks I Want To Squeeze In:

- Unearthed After Sunset by Lauryn April

- Legacy by Jesikah Sundin

WRITING

In October, I finished writing Night of Terror and began posting it one chapter at a time weekly on Wattpad. I also compiled it with five other stories into a paperback novel which can be found here. 

I also did major plotting for Monsters and Mist which is my NaNoWriMo 2017 project. I did leave a few things up in the air so we'll see where this story goes! 

BLOGGING

In October, I participated in the Fall 2017 YASH which was amazing! I loved interacting with new readers and being able to share some exclusive material for CurseBreaker with a huge new audience! I also participated in my usual cover reveals and release day blitzes and read one book for a blog tour for November.

PUBLISHING

In October, I was able to send out two paperback ARCs to lucky winners from the YASH. I also published my collection of stories, NIGHT OF TERROR on October 31st! Find it in paperback on Amazon and other book retailers!

MISC.NEWS:

October was a difficult month personally but I'm happy to report that things appear to be getting back to normal and I'll be able to seamlessly transition into my next novel and continue with my blogging without missing a beat. So far this month I'm just over 5100 into my new WIP... only 44900 to successfully finish NaNoWriMo!

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? If not, do you have anything special planned for November?

September Wrap-Up

Welcome October, my favorite month of the year; a month that promises spooky movies, cozy nights, and way too much candy. Fall is fully upon us and I'm so excited for this month. Last month was a challenging month personally while I got many things done creatively. Let's take a long at what I've been up to...

READING

Books I Reviewed In September:

- Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout

- Can't Hardly Breathe by Gena Showalter

- Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Ameriie

- Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

- The Clue In the Trees by Margi Preus

- The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich (Reread)

- Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

- Play by Kylie Scott (Reread)

Books I Read In September: 

- The Clue In the Trees by Margi Preus

- Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Ameriie

- Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

- The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

- Play by Kylie Scott

- Whispers by Lisa Jackson

- The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Books to-be-read in October:

October is going to be a mostly re-reading month because I love rereading certain books that remind me of Halloween this time of year. Here are a few I hope to get through:

- The Hollow by Jessica Verday

- Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

- Lucky Break by Carly Phillips

- The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

New Reads:

- War Cross by Marie Lu

- Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

- The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

- The Great Pursuit by Wendy Higgins

WRITING

In September, I completed two-thirds of my short story for Halloween, entitled Night of Terror. I'm editing the first chapter this weekend and Night of Terror will go live one chapter at a time on Wattpad starting Tuesday, October 3rd and continuing every Tuesday until finished. (Right now their are 8-9 chapters anticipated which will bring us into the week of Thanksgiving.)

I also outlined the first few chapters of Monsters & Mist and will continue outlining in October.

BLOGGING

In September, I participated in 2 blog tours, 4 Release Day Blitzes, 3 Excerpt and Cover Reveals - including the one for CurseBreaker, and 1 Book-To-Movie Adaptation Review.

So far in October, I know I will be participating in the Fall 2017 YASH from October 3-8 (save the date! You could win a signed ARC of CurseBreaker!), as well as 2 release day blitzes that I know of so far. 

PUBLISHING

In September, I revealed the cover artwork of CurseBreaker on this blog with the help of other bloggers on their social media and blogs. I also got the preorders up for CurseBreaker on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and Kobo and ordered my print ARC copies which just came in the mail this past Friday!

In October I will be putting together a sign-up form for bloggers interested in reading an ARC of CurseBreaker. These ARCs will be in eBook format only unless you win one of the two copies I will be giving away during YASH. I'm going to aim to get the preorders up for CurseBreaker for Kindle on October 2nd, though it may not appear on site until the 3rd. 

 I'm also going to be working on some behind-the scenes marketing projects and possibly putting together a preorder incentive if my budget allows. 

August Wrap-Up

It's September! Summer vacation is fully behind us and I honestly don't know where the time went but I can tell you that I feel like I spent the entire summer working! August was both a busier and lighter month for me and you'll see why...

READING

Books I Reviewed In August:

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (Audiobook Review)

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Unforgiven by Lauren Kate

After the Game by Abbi Glines

Unrest by Wendy Higgins

Fallen Heir by Erin Watt

The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Books I Read In August: 

Can't Hardly Breathe by Gena Showalter

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (Audiobook)

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Fallen Heir by Erin Watt

Unforgiven by Lauren Kate

Unrest by Wendy Higgins

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Books to-be-read in September:

Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Amerie

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich (reread)

The Graces by Laura Eve

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Theresa Anne Fowler

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

WRITING

In August I worked on some ideas for my NaNoWriMo project, but mainly I began working on a short story I plan to post online for Halloween. It's a horror story and I'm hoping readers will be pleasantly frightened by it. 

BLOGGING

In August I participated in 2 Cover Reveals, 1 Release Day Blitz, Spotlighted 2 Bookish Retailers I love and did my usual "What I'm Reading" Wednesday, #BookMail Thursday, and #Booktag Saturday posts. I also reviewed 1 ARC.

PUBLISHING

In August I set up the cover reveal sign-up form for CurseBreaker and got it ready to submit for pre-orders (which should be up soon). To help reveal the cover of CurseBreaker on September 15, fill out this form! 

July Wrap-Up

July was a good and bad month for reading and blogging. As you probably heard I had a slight set back from typing and blogging due to a sprained thumb but I'm much better now! In case you missed anything on my blog or social media last month, this is what I got up to: 

READING

Books I Reviewed In July:

Sublime by Christina Lauren - I still can't stop thinking about this book and I'm not exactly sure whether I loved this book or was afraid of it.

Ruined by Amy Tintera - It was okay, but it wasn't really a stand out in a sea of YA Fantasy novels. 

Because of Lila by Abbi Glines - A new favorite by one of my favorite authors!

Trust by Kylie Scott - Absolutely loved the YA debut of another of my favorite authors!

Caraval by Stephanie Garber - finally finished listening to the audiobook but it was definitely worth it in the end! 

Riot by Jamie Shaw - back to a series I fell in love with last year. A great second book!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry - OMG why didn't I read this book sooner???

Chaos by Jamie Shaw - second favorite book in this quartet! 

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry - review coming later this week!

Books I Read In July: 

Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill - Started but haven't finished yet.

Sublime by Christina Lauren

Ruined by Amy Tintera

Because of Lila by Abbi Glines

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Riot by Jamie Shaw

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

Chaos by Jamie Shaw

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - wasn't loving this so I stopped listening

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - haven't had the chance to finish listening to this amazing audiobook yet!

Books to-be-read in August:

A Map For Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor

Can't Hardly Breathe by Gena Showalter

Long Way Home by Katie McGarry

Unforgiven by Lauren Kate

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

WRITING

In July I started developing the characters and plot of my next writing project, Monsters & Mist, a YA Fantasy novel I plan to write during NaNoWriMo in November. See some of my inspiration here.

BLOGGING

In July I participated in multiple cover reveals and release day blitzes as well as doing obviously a lot of book reviews and other posts for my blog. I've kept a heavy schedule, posting nearly once a day all month!

PUBLISHING

This month, I purchased the ISBN number for the print version of CurseBreaker, obtained the barcode, added CurseBreaker to Goodreads, and brainstormed some marketing ideas for pre-order incentives and more. Read my publishing timeline outline here.