THE FANTASY MONTH BLOG TAG!

Hellooo and good Saturday!

So, as you may know every year Jenelle Schmidt hosts February is Fantasy Month. I'm pretty new to this concept, but I LOVE it. A whole month dedicated to fantasy? Um. Yes, please.

Anyway, Christine tagged me for the Fantasy Month Blog Tag, and I'm very excited to be doing this tag today! Thank you so much, Christine!

Aaand because there always have to be a few rules to keep us unruly writers in line:

Thank the blogger who tagged you.
Include the graphic somewhere in your post.
Link back to this blog somewhere in your post.
Answer the questions.
Tag a few blogger friends – and let them know they’ve been tagged.
Have fun!

On to the questions!!

1. In a strange twist of fate, you are transported into a fantasy realm of your choice. The catch? You have also been transformed into your least favorite fantasy creature. Where are you, and what are you?

Okay, "fantasy realm of your choice" = ALWAYS gonna be Narnia. I looove Middle Earth and  others, but Narnia is just the most magical place. (well besides Tahiti *winkwink*)(if anyone understands that reference... *fistbump*)

Okay but my least favorite fantasy creature?? THIS IS A LOADED AND ALSO VERY EMPTY QUESTION. Loaded because there are tooons of undesirable fantasy creatures out there. Like perhaps the ankle-slicers and the hags in Narnia, or the orcs in Middle Earth?? And very empty because WHY WOULD I SIT AROUND THINKING ABOUT MY LEAST FAVORITE FANTASY CREATURE. XD

Buuut, well, I guess I'll have to pick something. And I can't NOT choose one of those ugly, despicable villain creatures that just make you want to gag. And I do remember absolutely hating those stupid harpies on Narnia. So, there you have it. Slap some wings on me and call me a harpy. *cringes*

2. What fantasy creature do you wish featured in more stories? What is your favorite story that has that creature in it?

well not harpies that's for sure

This might be kind of a cheesy answer, but I really love mermaids! They're just so pretty and graceful. My slight obsession with mermaids began with H2O: Just Add Water. And I NEED MORE FANTASTIC MERMAID STORIES.

3. As you are reading this, a voice rings in your ear proclaiming:

A hero true, a leader strong,
A quest is where you do belong,
So arm thyself, and take your stand
With an item to your left your fate is at hand.

Besides the fact that this prophetic voice is clearly incapable of sticking to a meter, what ordinary item do you now find yourself armed with? (And, for bonus points, what helpful magical properties does it now possess that will help you on your quest?)

The item to my left? *glances left*

Well, I'm in my bed as I write this, therefore not many items are around me, so the nearest object to me is a chair??? It's pretty big and I'm really not sure how I'm supposed to be armed with this thing. But, well, anything can happen in fantasy, I suppose.

Helpful magical properties? In a chair?? Uhh... Ooh, I know, it can carry me wherever I want to go across the map! So, if I'm at the Beavers' house and I need to get to Aslan's How right away, just sit in the chair and it'll teleport me right on over there. ;)

4. You happen across an ad in a catalogue promising a magical fantasy cruise that will allow you to stop in any three realms of your choice and explore each for several days before returning you home (and the ad promises your safe return or your money back, guaranteed!) Assuming this is not a hoax and that the tour guides will actually be able to cater to your requests, what three realms will you tour and what do you hope to see/who would you like to meet along the way?

Okay, first of all, what does it matter if I get my money back if I don't return safely?? To pay for my funeral? XD

And now for my three choices... I feel like I shouldn't count Narnia since I've been hanging out here since the first question, so I'll leave that out. (I live here now.) Middle Earth is a definite destination. While there, I want to see the Shire (of course!!), Rivendell, and maybe see the Misty Mountains from a distance. (I won't get too close, though, just in case there's a dragon hiding in there.)

I stole this answer from Christine, because I wouldn't have thought of it otherwise, but I'd want to go to Neverland too! First of all, I'd get to FLY, which would be AMAAAZING. And there are also mermaids there, so that's another win. After hanging out with Peter Pan for a little while, though, if possible I'd like to shrink down to fairy-size and go hang out in Pixie Hollow with Tinker Bell and her friends. (I adore the Tinker Bell movies and Pixie Hollow is a cozy little dream.)

And finally, I can't leave without going to Auradon (from the Descendants movies). Hanging out with Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay would be a blast and hopefully I'll get to join in a dance number along the way.

5. Congratulations! You are a fantasy hero/heroine about to start your adventure. You get to choose a small fantasy creature to accompany and assist you on your quest. Who/what do you choose?

A SMALL fantasy creature? So, not a dragon? *sad*

What's your definition of small, though? Because I might choose a pegasus as they're smaller than dragons buuut... I'm probably supposed to go smaller than that. xD Ooh, how about a fairy? Because I'm pretty sure Tinker Bell would make a fantastic adventure buddy.

6. Elves or dwarves?

Elves! Sorry, Gimli, I love you, but given the choice I'd hang out with elves before dwarves. (I mean, look at how the unexpected party ate all of Bilbo's food! Elves would never do that. Although the dwarves did clean up afterwards...)

7. Do you prefer your dragons (we had to have at least one question devoted solely to dragons!) good or evil or a mix of both?

I mean, yeah, evil dragons are awesome, but who wouldn't prefer having a dragon as a friend rather than an enemy? Look at Toothless. Or Eustace. Or, hey, Mal. Hehe.

8. World building is a complicated undertaking full of many details. As a reader, what is a small detail you really appreciate seeing when it comes to diving into a new realm? What is something that helps you lose yourself in a fantasy world?

I think one of the things I most appreciate are the creatures. I mean, they really make a fantasy world, don't they? What would Narnia be without gryphons, dryads, centaurs? I love when the creatures in a fantasy story are so iconic to that story that they sort of recreate everyone's mental image of that creature.

And original creatures never hurt, either! Creating your own can make them stand out in your story even more.

9. You have been transformed into your favorite fantasy creature. Problem is… you’re still in your own bedroom and your family is downstairs, completely unprepared for this shock. What creature are you, and how (if at all) do you break the news to your loved ones? (Or how do you get out of your 
room?)

I hate to use the generic answer of dragon, but, well, if I were to pick a very favorite fantasy creature, I'd feel wrong not to say dragon. So, dragon it is.

I'm not going to be getting of my bedroom door, that's for sure. And I'm probably going to have some repairs to take care of, because you can bet before I tell anyone I'm a dragon I'm going to be busting out the window (and taking a good chunk of the wall with me) and going for a good fly. You know, just in case my parents insist that I get help and get turned back into a human. Gotta get that flying in first.

And it seems like this isn't something to ease someone into slowly, so I guess when I get back from my flight I'll just land outside the living room window and stare inside at my parents until they notice me. And then tell them I'm their daughter. That ought to get the message across.

What a fun tag! Aaand now for the tagging of other people! Weeelll, I hate to be one of those people who breaks the rules, but here we are. Therefore, if you're reading this and want to do the tag, CONSIDER YOURSELF TAGGED BY ME. You're welcome. Here are the questions:

1. In a strange twist of fate, you are transported into a fantasy realm of your choice. The catch? You have also been transformed into your least favorite fantasy creature. Where are you, and what are you
2. What fantasy creature do you wish featured in more stories? What is your favorite story that has that creature in it?
3. As you are reading this, a voice rings in your ear proclaiming:
A hero true, a leader strong,
A quest is where you do belong,
So arm thyself, and take your stand
With an item to your left your fate is at hand.
Besides the fact that this prophetic voice is clearly incapable of sticking to a meter, what ordinary item do you now find yourself armed with? (And, for bonus points, what helpful magical properties does it now possess that will help you on your quest?)
4. You happen across an ad in a catalogue promising a magical fantasy cruise that will allow you to stop in any three realms of your choice and explore each for several days before returning you home (and the ad promises your safe return or your money back, guaranteed!) Assuming this is not a hoax and that the tour guides will actually be able to cater to your requests, what three realms will you tour and what do you hope to see/who would you like to meet along the way?
5. Congratulations! You are a fantasy hero/heroine about to start your adventure. You get to choose a small fantasy creature to accompany and assist you on your quest. Who/what do you choose?
6. Elves or dwarves?
7. Do you prefer your dragons (we had to have at least one question devoted solely to dragons!) good or evil or a mix of both?
8. World building is a complicated undertaking full of many details. As a reader, what is a small detail you really appreciate seeing when it comes to diving into a new realm? What is something that helps you lose yourself in a fantasy world?
9. You have been transformed into your favorite fantasy creature. Problem is… you’re still in your own bedroom and your family is downstairs, completely unprepared for this shock. What creature are you, and how (if at all) do you break the news to your loved ones? (Or how do you get out of your room?)

While we're spreading the fantasy love this month, may I recommend another fantastical tag for you to take part in? The Hobbiton Tag is a tag created by yours truly, and though I started it up a few months ago I'd still love to see you take part and get it out there into Fantasy Month! Never the wrong time to talk about Lord of the Rings. ;)

Also, on an unrelated note... on the day I post this... I'M WATCHING ENDGAME. *screams forever*

You should know that Infinity War broke me. (Like, literally, I'm broken. *tries to talk* *twitches*) And then that endiiiing of Ant-Man and the Wasp???? SOMEONE ASSIST MY PRECIOUS SCOTT. RIGHT NOW.

But, well, that's a tangent for another time. For now let's just wrap this post up and go on with our lives. xD

What's your favorite fantasy creature? Did anyone else watch H2O: Just Add Water and if so, did it make you want to be a mermaid, too?? Let's just have a good ol' fantasy talk!

A REVIEW OF THE BOOK OF SECRETS by M. L. Little

Hellooo and happy weekend! I hope you've all had a lovely week and your weekend is just as lovely. My weekend will include watching Ant-Man and the Wasp and agonizing because I NEED TO WATCH ENDGAME IMMEDIATELY AND I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK. HAHAHAHA. prayforme

But I'll spare you my torture and move on. For this week's post I'm bringing you something I don't do a lot of: a book review!

Wayyyy back last summer, I received a free ebook of The Book of Secrets by M. L. Little to review. (Thanks so much to the author for the opportunity to read her book!) And it took me wayyyy too long to get around to reading it-- January, to be exact. And here is the long-planned-and-overdue review.

(WARNING: Emily's book reviews are quite unorganized and really just a word dump of all her thoughts on the book she is reviewing. Please excuse her.)

THE BOOK OF SECRETS

Okay, first of all, how gorgeous is that cover?

To avoid as much of my rambling as possible, here's the official synopsis:

After Gabriel Draven smuggles home the Stone of the Seven Realms, his fear of facing consequences launches him and his oddball family on a rollicking run for their lives across the world they only thought they knew. As his journey takes him out of his realm and into another, Gabriel discovers that the deepest mystery lies at the heart of his own family, and he must do whatever it takes to find his way back home.

Strong and unapologetic, full of vivid, well-timed simile and lilting rhythm, bright with humor, at times bursting into a depth of pure simplistic beauty, The Book of Secrets looks far beyond the typical medieval swords-and-sorcery and, instead, introduces mystical creatures, absurd new worlds, and, at its heart, a hymn of praise to the complicated bond of siblinghood.

This book had me drawn in from the very first sentence. It opens mysteriously-- just the kind of beginning I love!-- and already has you asking all kinds of questions. (And let me just tell you, it keeps you wondering for a while. So strap in for the ride.)

The setting is just delightful. It's obviously a fantasy world, but it's also pretty similar to our world in some ways. For one, there are things like refrigerators and cars. Nooot what you'd expect in this type of setting, but it makes it so charming and interesting. It was somewhat similar to the world in my current WIP, but other than that I can't think of anything else like it.

There was a perfect amount of eeriness in the setting and the plot. If you know me you know I loveeee eerie elements in stories. Here it comes from the mystery of what happened to the Dravens' mother, the legend of Rex Bellum, and the stone that Gabriel carries. I adore it all.

There were also some amazing creatures. Wolfdragons, shrugcats, nullians, castle dragons?? I'LL TAKE ONE OF EACH PLEASE. (Maple the dog was adorable as well. Even though she wasn't a fantastical creature. xD)

Now, onto the best part: the CHARACTERS, of course!! Our cast is the Draven siblings: Ren, Gabriel, Hollis, and Patch. I absolutely LOVED every one of these guys. First there's Ren, our precious quirky girl with the secrets that drive her brother. Then there's Gabriel, of course, said brother and our protagonist who cares so much about his family and has so many doubts with all this crazy stuff that's consuming his life. Hollis is the most adorable ready-to-roll little dude who seems to think he's older than he is, and Patch is the precious baby with lines like "We should break his face."

These siblings' relationships were SO believable. They argued just like siblings, but at the same time you could just tell how deeply they all cared about each other. And like I already mentioned, their dialogue was GREAT. They played off each other so well. One of my favorite parts:

"Stop trying to be a hero!" he yelled into the chaos. 
"Why?" Hollis yelled back.
They dodged a second arrow, which lodged itself, vibrating, into the leather sofa.
"Because I very much want you to live, you idiot!"

This is an example of just one of these sibling interactions that made me laugh out loud. I can't express how much I loved them. They're now for sure some of my very favorite fictional siblings ever.

That being said, this book did make me chuckle quite a few times. And it's really rare that a book makes me laugh. The dialogue was definitely a highlight.

I do have to say I was a BIT confused in parts. Like, there were some questions that really weren't clearly answered for me. BUT I'm not going to lie, that actually happens to me pretty frequently when I read because I get distracted and stop paying attention. xD It's absolutely not because a book doesn't hold my attention, it's just a problem I have with staying focused and missing some key words or sentences or hey, even paragraphs. And I also read this book over the course of a little over a month (again, nooot because I was bored! because it was an ebook, I read it on my phone and that's just not my preferred way to read. so even though I was 100% enjoying the book, I didn't get as excited about picking up my phone to read as I would have a physical book.), so that didn't help. I'm sure if I would have read it more quickly I wouldn't have missed as much. (And I DO plan to reread it at some point, so hopefully I'll pick up more then!)

Another good thing about it was that it pretty much had the same feel throughout the whole book. I've read books before that started out feeling a certain way, and I would think that I was going to love that book, and then the atmosphere would kind of shift and change my opinion by the end. I don't think this happened with this book. It felt pretty much the same all the way through but at the same time I thoroughly enjoyed every word of it. I was never ever bored or burnt out. The story never felt slow to me. And even if there were a few parts that some people might consider slow, the characters made up for that with the dialogue I've already praised.

Overall, I absolutely loved The Book of Secrets. I mean, it's got pretty much everything I love in a book-- fantasy, fantastic characters and relationships (including sibling relationships which is always a plus), emotional plotlines, and a tad of eeriness. It really reminded me of a cross between The Chronicles of Narnia (with the four siblings, and the allegorical aspects that started to emerge toward the end), Lord of the Rings (with the stakes and the emotion and the object that Gabriel carries that has such a toll on him), and I'm pretty sure something else I had thought of but I forgot what it was. xD Basically you just need to read this book as soon as possible because you won't regret it. I'm going to have to buy myself a physical copy and, well, that should tell you how much I loved it. Four out of five stars! I miiight even give it 4.5/5.

Also, on Goodreads it's listed as The Book of Secrets: Seventh Realm #1 so apparently that means it's the first book in a series??? UM YES PLEASE! I'LL TAKE THE NEXT BOOK NOW PLEASE! I can't wait to dive back into Gabriel's world again!

GUYS. I have a very special announcement.

Remember last week when I told you that I was on the list of stories being considered for Havok's Season 2 anthology?

Well...

ONE OF MY STORIES WAS CHOSEN.

*cue forever screaming*

My story, Careful What You Hunt For, will be featured in the anthology! And I couldn't be more excited!! What makes it even better is that I'll be in there with some lovely friends of mine. A biiig congratulations to you guys, as well! LET'S FREAK OUT TOGETHER!!

Go on over to the Havok website and give all the anthology authors some love! And once again, thank you all so much for reading and commenting and supporting my stories! This wouldn't have happened without you. And it's so surreal that my story is going to be PHYSICALLY IN YOUR HANDS very soon.

Alll right. So have you read The Book of Secrets? (You need to.) Do you like reading ebooks? And who else gets really easily confused when they're reading? Tell me I'm not the only one. xD 

THE HERO OF PARKER CITY (aka I'M WREAKING HAVOK AGAIN)

Hey everyone! I wanted to share with you something super exciting: today I have a story published on Havok!

You can read The Hero of Parker City free on the Havok website today only (unless you're a subscriber, in which case you can read it whenever you want. And if you're not a subscriber, what are you doing??). I'm excited for you guys to read this one and meet the Blue Bullet, my superhero protagonist!

And speaking of Havok, they revealed some exciting news recently: the Stories that Sing anthology long list, aka all the stories from Season 2 that are being considered for the upcoming anthology! Aaand I was STOKED and totally shocked to see that two of my stories were on the list! I also saw a few friends' names alongside mine-- go you! You're all awesome!!

Thank you so much for supporting my stories, and I hope you enjoy The Hero of Parker City! :D

IT'S SO CLASSIC TAG!

HELLO AND HAPPY SATURDAY! (which is what I wrote when I thought I would post this on Saturday) Today I give you guys a break from my forcing all my 2020 plans in your face and talk about something I probably haven't talked about before: THE CLASSICS.

Nicole tagged me for the It's So Classic Tag. A long time ago. Like, way back in August, apparently. lol whoops I'd seen this tag going around and was kind of hoping to be tagged for it, but at the same time I don't really know why I was hoping for that because I really haven't read that many classics. xD Anyway, thanks for the tag, Nicole, and I hope you enjoy watching me struggle to come up with answers. *gulps*

The Rules:

1. Link your post to Rebellious Writing
2. Answer the questions
3. Tag at least 5 bloggers

Onto the questions!!

1. What is one classic that hasn't been made into a movie yet, but really needs to?

I don't know how many people have heard of Island of the Blue Dolphins or consider it a classic, but I'd probably say that one. Apparently there was a movie made of it in 1964, but without having seen it I'm gonna say it's probably a safe assumption that they could make it even better now. (Although now I'm kind of interested in watching the '64 version.)

2. What draws you to classics?

The desire to feel more well-read and cultured. XD

3. What is an underrated classic?

Lol remember when I said I hadn't read very many classics? Yeah, I'm already starting to feel that. xD I'm gonna plead the fifth on this one, because I HAVE read so few and I don't feel like any of them are underrated. Sorry. Rule-breaker here.

4. What is one classic that you didn't expect to love, but ended up loving anyway?

Oh jeez, I have no idea. I haven't straight-up loved a lot of the classics I've read. Unsatisfactory answers up in here, I know. xD In terms of just a classic that I enjoyed more than I thought I might, I remember liking Julius Caesar. (Is that a classic? I'm gonna say it is.)

5. What are your most favorite and least favorite classics?

My very, very favorite? Well, I'm going to bar Lord of the Rings and Narnia from this question, since they'd obviously be my answer AND they're series instead of standalones. So for this one, I'll say The Wizard of Oz. It does have more books that follow it, but I can for sure say the first one is my favorite.

Least favorite? Paradise Lost. Stay tuned for the elaboration on that one.

6. What is your favorite character from a classic? Or if that is too hard, what is your favorite classic character trope (e.g. strong and silent, quiet sidekick, etc.)

I'm trying to think outside the box here and use the ones that would be really obvious for me, like LOTR. So for this one I'm going to say Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird, which I'm reading right now. He's really the only character from a classic that I've actually really appreciated and enjoyed reading about.

7. What's a popular classic that you felt wasn't actually that great?

PARADISE LOST. Maybe I can't fairly use this as an answer because I didn't actually finish it, but uGhHhH my head still hurts when I think about this book. I was reading it for a book review in school, and I literally couldn't even force myself to finish it. I had to read a book with a minimum of 200 pages, so I convinced my teacher (*cough*my mom*cough*) to let me just read up to 200 pages to get the minimum in and then QUIT THAT THING. It was a painful experience. No judgment for those who enjoyed it-- I actually have a lot of respect for you because I don't know howww someone could get anything out of it. (Maybe these classics aren't culturing me as much as I thought. xD)

8. Who is your favorite classic author?

I'm going to go with E.B. White for this one. Of course I love Charlotte's Web, and The Trumpet of the Swan was one of the first books I remember really falling in love with. (Fun fact: I haven't read it since that first time! So I should really read it again and see if the magic's still there. I did buy it recently, so I'll have to get on that.)

9. In your opinion, what makes a classic a classic?

My initial answer to this was that if it becomes and remains a household name, it can be considered a classic. But that's not really fair since I know there are plenty of classics that I only heard of in recent years (therefore, didn't necessarily grow up hearing about), so just because they're not as well-known as, say, Alice in Wonderland doesn't mean they're not still classics.

So I'll tweak that answer a bit to say that if it's a story that is still widely loved years after it's published, it can be a considered a classic. That's still somewhat of a shallow answer, but those are my thoughts.

10. Relating to newer books, what attributes does a book need to have in order to be worthy of the title "classic"?

A powerful message and characters you care about. Part of what makes the classics so well-loved is the message behind the story, and if you can relate to and root for the characters, that makes it that much better.

All this to say that I really, really need to read more classics. xD (See question #2.) I have a few on my bookshelf that I haven't read yet, so this year I'm hoping to really knock some of those out. As well as maybe reread some, like Heidi and Little Women. I'm off to a good start; I've read The Tale of Despereaux (is that considered a classic? see, this is the problem with classics, with many of them there's the age-old question of IS THIS EVEN A CLASSIC) and like I mentioned, I'm currently reading To Kill A Mockingbird. I forget sometimes, in the middle of all my speculative fiction reads, that I do enjoy a good simple real-world story.

Thanks again to Nicole for tagging me! Aand now it's my turn! (This part is always so hard. Far harder than it should be. xD) I taaag:

Alexa @ Summer Snowflakes
Faith @ The Writer's Song
Melissa @ Quill Pen Writer
Lila @ The Red-Hooded Writer
Sarah @ Sarah, Plain & Average

As usual, if I tagged you, don't feel any pressure to do the tag! I totally get if it's just not your thing. (Or if you, ahem, haven't read a lot of classics. Just look at how I struggled through up there. XD) But if you choose to do the tag, I can't wait to read your answers! Oh, and here are the questions for your convenience:

1. What is one classic that hasn't been made into a movie yet, but really needs to?
2. What draws you to classics?
3. What is an underrated classic?
4. What is one classic that you didn't expect to love, but ended up loving anyway?
5. What are your most favorite and least favorite classics?
6. What is your favorite character from a classic? Or if that is too hard, what is your favorite classic character trope (e.g. strong and silent, quiet sidekick, etc.)
7. What's a popular classic that you felt wasn't actually that great?
8. Who is your favorite classic author?
9. In your opinion, what makes a classic a classic?
10. Relating to newer books, what attributes does a book need to have in order to be worthy of the title "classic"?

Side note: I'm still trying to get into a better posting routine. I'm trying to make Saturday my regular posting day, but with my usual weekend schedule that means preparing the post almost in its entirety so I can just get it up Saturday morning with the click of a button. Because if you haven't noticed, I can be a major procrastinator. xD Bear with me (and I know you guys will because you're awesome) as I try to lock this thing down! (And yeah, I know it's not a huge deal if I post on Sundays instead of Saturdays sometimes. But irregularity drives me crazy. xD)

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you have a lovely week!

Are you a fan of classics? What are some of your favorites? And am I the only one who reads them because it makes me feel cultured? XD

JANUARY 2020

THE FIRST MONTH OF THE YEAR IS OVER. WHAT. 2020 is 1/12 of the way done. :o (Yes, as a matter of fact, I DID use that same joke last year. And let's be honest, I'll probably use it every year now.)

I've actually had a fantastic month! I really couldn't be much happier with how this first chapter of 2020 unfolded for me. But I'll spare you the rambling and just get right into the details.

I would have liked to start off the month with reading, like, eight books? But hey, sometimes that just can't happen. And I still did have a pretty good reading month, looking back on it. I read The Warrior Maiden and The Piper's Pursuit by Melanie Dickerson; and a devotional called Unbridled Faith by Heather Ruble (she and her husband preached a revival at our church a few years ago). I'm also reading but not quite done with The Tale of Despereaux, The Book of Secrets by M.L. Little, and Power Rangers: The Ultimate Visual History. Enjoying all three very much!

Okay, this I COULD have been happier with. Of course when the month started I had big dreams about diving back into writing headfirst and finishing a draft and doing all sorts of other things. Because, like I am at the beginning of every year, I was motivated. But apparently I wasn't motivated enough. xD My main focus was Fall Into Time, and I wrote a couple thousand words or so, but then I realized that I've written myself into a corner that I can't really find a way out of without a) some awful writing that will for sure get trashed later, or b) doing some actual planning. So I chose B, and that's what I've been doing since. Just worldbuilding and digging deeper into the characters and everything. And hopefully I'll be able to come up with a better idea of where this story is going.

I bought a new notebook for the occasion. (Who doesn't love a new notebook?) Not just a plain old spiral notebook (not that there's anything wrong with those), but a bit of a nicer, journal-like one. Simple, black (it's really similar to the one I use for my bullet journal, but the pages are lined instead of dotted), and pretty. I also got new pens and guys, Sharpie pens are the bomb. Who'da thunk. :o

One of my best friends left for college. She's only been gone for a couple weeks and I already miss her so much. *cries* But she's not far away and she'll be back sometimes, so it could be worse. This is just the first time I've had to deal with anything like this. *sigh*

More Marvel movies! You might remember me mentioning that my family was watching all the Marvel movies in order. This month we watched Black Panther, Spider-man: Homecoming, Doctor Strange, and Thor: Ragnarok. My favorite out of these would probably be Ragnarok, with Homecoming coming in second.

I talked soo many 2020 things.

A brief update on how this year's goals and ambitions are going so far: Somehow this far into the year (LOL YES WE'RE SOO FAR INTO THE YEAR), I'm still motivated and excited about those goals. Even the simple ones like keeping my room clean. I've been putting forth a totally uncharacteristic effort to keep my room clean, and one of the first days of the year when I walked into my super clean room after being used to messiness, it literally made me so happy I started smiling. xD It's the little things, guys.

Working out is also something that's making me happy?? To the point where I'm almost obsessed with it and want to do it all the time. Of course, that's impossible. But it's a good thing, I guess, because that means that I'm willing to fight through the pain and tears. xD And I've been focusing not as much on how it makes me look, but more on how it makes me feel. Because I want to feel awesome and like I can be a superhero. xD (Also, sidenote, I started listening to Thunder by Imagine Dragons when I workout and it PUMPS ME UP SO MUCH DUDES. And I also realized, with
Ragnarok still on my mind, that that song would make an amazing Thor music video.)

Weirdly, it seems like all my non-book related goals are turning out really well, and then the book-related ones are suffering a little. I'm sliding back into the reading vibe more slowly than I thought I would, and I already mentioned how little writing I've done. I don't know what it is, but I do hope I can turn that around soon.

I wouldn't feel right ending this without mentioning one of my most important goals, which was to make prayer more of a priority in my life. I'm planning a post that will talk about that a little more later, but just in short: I'm learning to put prayer above the other things on my list. No, I don't do it all the time, though I wish I did. And no, I haven't made special time for prayer every single this year. But I'm getting better. And better is good.

lol Emily you said this was going to be a brief update

So, overall, January was a great month! In February, now that I've fallen into a pretty good routine of everyday things like cleaning and exercising, I hope to create more of a routine for writing. (If you follow me on Instagram- and if you don't and want to it's @emilygrantauthor-, feel free to shoot me a DM every now and then to poke and prod me and tell me I should be writing! Nothing like accountability xD)

I want to mention before I end this post that IT'S OKAY if you didn't have a wildly productive month. Having a successful January does not dictate whether you have a successful YEAR. (And getting a bunch of stuff done doesn't dictate whether you had a successful January!) Maybe you didn't do much of anything this month, but just focused on rest, or on building new routines. THAT'S OKAY. Starting off the year with outrageous ambitions isn't for everybody. You do you. <3 p="">With that being said, I hope you all had a great start to your year, however you spent it! And that February will be even better!

How was your January? Did you go full-force into the resolutions/goals or take more of a relaxed approach? What are your hopes for February?