a much needed break…

Hey, guys.

I hate taking breaks. I like to stay busy and with things going on in my life. I feel like I’ve taken too many breaks this year and I feel terrible about them because it makes me feel like a failure or like I don’t take what I do seriously. I know health must come first, but it’s always hard for me to make that a priority.

I’m not in a good place right now. It’s been up and down lately. Some days, I’ll feel great. But most days right now, I feel uninspired. I feel sad. I feel angry. I feel lost, more than anything. I want to read my books, but I can’t without feeling stressed or without thinking that I’m not reading fast enough. I can’t take pictures for Instagram because I think they look like shit. It’s hard for me to update on here every single day because it’s hard for me to have the time to do that  without feeling like I’m being squeezed too hard.

I’m still going to YALLFest next week. There’s no way I’d miss that. I get to see my friend, I get to see my favorite authors and I get to be in an environment that makes me happy. That makes me feel like I belong. 

The thing that I need a break from is the business side, I guess I would say. Being on a schedule. It’s happened before. I’m not enjoying it all right now like I used to. It feels too much like work and I want to get back that joy I had for bookstagram and blogging and stuff. 

Maybe this is a good thing to do with the year coming to an end soon. I would prefer not to take a break for that long, but I really don’t know right now. I can’t give you an end date. It doesn’t exist right now. It’s just indefinitely.

I just hope you all understand.

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Simon Teen Friday | October 26, 2018

Happy (late) Friday, guys!

In case you didn’t know, Shea Ernshaw’s The Wicked Deep got picked up by Netflix! It definitely seems like Netflix knows what it’s doing with picking up popular books for adaptations. Considering how well and beautifully they adapted To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, I have high hopes for this one. This is a book that has been high on my TBR, so I haven’t gotten to it just yet. However, I’ve heard nothing but great things.

I feel like book adaptations have been off lately. There have been some flops. Take for instance Shadowhunters. Well, some people absolutely loved it. However, I could not get behind it. The acting was awful and too cheesy. I’m one of the few that loved the film. It’s really rare for me to love adaptations. It has to be done really well. Obviously. I think Netflix has been a good home for some books lately, though. I know Hulu is planning the Throne of Glass series. I don’t know if they have cast anybody yet. The last thing I heard is they had the script for episode one. I also remember that A Court of Thorns and Roses got picked up to be adapted to film. For these series, though, I hold those close to my heart. You all know that. So, those make me really nervous. It has to be nearly 100% perfect. I know nothing is 100% perfect in this world, especially with book-to-movie/tv adaptations. Maybe it’s a good thing that they are taking their time and not rushing it. 

Which books do you want to see adapted for the big/small screen? 

KoD Journal #1 | October 25, 2018

What the heck does that title mean? You might not be thinking that. That’s besides the point. 

I’m officially getting back into my WIP after finally finding the time to bring it back into my spare time. This semester is winding down and I’m making more time for these things, especially my WIP. It also helps that I just turned in a short story assignment that was a scene from my WIP. Well, a very rough scene. A very, very, very rough scene. 

It was a sense of inspiration, though. This is a book that I really want to get out there. I want it to be my baby, as some authors like to call their debuts. I want to create characters for readers to look up to and a story for people to remember and cause them to scream at and throw something at the wall. God, that would be the best compliment.

Have any of you heard of Scrivener? If you’re a writer, you probably have. I’ve heard about it from so many authors on Twitter and how organized it is. It’s actually not a bad price and the free trial is only 30 days. However, the good thing about that trial is, if you don’t use it everyday, that 30 days doesn’t go into the days you don’t use it. It can go on for months. For me not having the time every day to use it, that works out in my favor. 

So, I’m trying to read the tutorial but I am itching to get started and get my notes together. What do I do? I stop the tutorial and get started. Only, I have no idea what to do. I never thought that a single program could be so intimidating. There is a lot that goes into this program and it kind of gave me that same feeling you get with stage fright. I was just like…

Yeah. So, clearly I need to get more familiar with Scrivener before diving into the deep end. I know that I want to get the dialogue together and then write down the scenes in my head. I like the technique Sandhya Menon uses for scenes. She uses notecards and just writes down what she sees and then puts them together in the right order later. I can see it all in my head and I’m just in love with it all and these characters. But, I need to shape them into something physical. I need to make it more real.

Well, as real as you can get with a story that has deadly spirits, magic and beautiful men that would never exist in the human race.

 

 

Fierce Reads Wednesday | October 24, 2018

Hey guys! Let’s talk mental health for a bit. I’ve opened up before about my mental health and how bad it can really get. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on my life. There has been so much pain and hurt that it’s practically destroyed me. I’m still so surprised that I am on this Earth after everything I have been through. 

I do have wonderful people in my life that make everything worth it, but there’s something more that I have been ignoring recently. My books.

Reading has always been that light for me, that light that pulls me from the hurt and the darkness. I’ve been feeling clouded by darkness lately…a lot. Instead of finding my light, I’ve been ignoring it. I feel like I’ve been resenting it and I can’t really explain why. Books are what keep me grounded here. I’m able to explore all these worlds while sitting in my room, never having to get in a car and travel. It’s the easiest and most beautiful thing in the world to me.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that, if you have a light that brings you from your darkness, you definitely shouldn’t ignore it. You have that for a reason and, much like your darkness, it’ll never go away. At least, that’s how it is for me. 

 

New Release Tuesday | October 23, 2018

IT’S FINALLY HERE!

KINGDOM OF ASH IS HERE!

Well…my copy hasn’t arrived yet. I guess it’s what I get for ordering from the UK. My copy has shipped, but I just have to be patient…somehow.

I’ve seen all my friends online with their copy and it looks gorgeous! I watched the video Bloomsbury posted today and it gave me chills. You guys, I’m so nervous about this book and I am not read for the series to end. I never knew characters like this could mean so much to me, but they do and it’s just so sad that this is it. 

Have you gotten your copy yet? 

silently wishing for mine

 

Simon Teen Friday | October 19, 2018

You guys, I am so sorry that this post is coming late! It’s been a busy Friday for me. I have, like, three papers that I need to have finished this weekend before MONDAY! Then again, at the time of this post, one paper has been written. I had to do some review for one paper and I also had work this evening and now I am finally back home! I didn’t want to break my promise to be more up to date on my website. 

So, this week, we had a very special cover reveal for one of my favorite authors and I am so excited for this book to come out! A few days ago, Sandhya Menon revealed the cover to her companion novel to When Dimple Met Rishi and it is so amazingly happy!

I can’t believe we met Dimple a little over a year ago. It feels like it’s been a long time! Now, we get to meet Sweetie and Rishi’s brother Ashish. I adore this cover! I just can’t wait to read this book. Preorder links are below, as well as the Goodreads link!

Amazon Goodreads Simon Teen Barnes & Noble Book Depository

Penguin Teen Thursday | October 18, 2018

 

Hello!

Today is Penguin Teen Thursday! 

I’m not playing favorites here because I definitely don’t like to do that with publishers. I love all the publishers I work with and that I get books from in the store and in the mail. Today, though, I wanted to share my love for Penguin Teen.

I remember when I got my first ARC from Penguin Teen and it was a total surprise. I had no idea what I was doing with blogging, reviewing and promoting. I didn’t even really had a niche going. But one day, I got a package in the mail from Penguin Random House and it was a book and author that I had never heard about.

I received an advanced copy of Kiersten White’s new series And I Darken. It was a gorgeous cover and really thick, which is what I absolutely love about books. The thicker, the better. I absolutely loved the story and since then, I’d like to thank that’s when my professional relationship with Penguin Teen started. It was a slow start, but over the years, it has grown tremendously. Now, I get asked all the time to participate in blog tours, receive early copies and even post on Instagram. I absolutely love hearing from Friya in my emails, amongst many others at the publishing house. 

Bottom line is that this whole life for me is just one big dream and I’m forever thankful for it, not just because of my relationship with Penguin Teen but for all the publishers I get to work with. I’ve never felt so lucky in my life.