FEBRUARY 2021

Happy Saturday, everyone! And happy penultimate day of February. wut. o.o

I don't know about y'all, but this month just FLEW by for me. My main focus has been on just getting through the semester (let's be real here, that's every college student's goal), and I guess it's kept me distracted enough to barely notice the month whizzing by around me. And here we are, suddenly 1/6 of the way through the year. (okay ummmm I kind of just freaked myself out by saying that. let's not talk about that again.)

BUT it was still a great month! Read on for all the (not-so-juicy) details!

You guys. 

I READ THIS MONTH. 

It has been SO long since I read more than... heck, half a book in a month? I don't know for sure, but over the past six months or so (basically ever since I started college... though it was kind of rough before then, too) I've just been reading so little. And there are going to be seasons of life in which that happens and that's okay, but I've just been aching to consume more stories. (And my TBR was aching under all the weight.)

It didn't start off as a super speedy reading month. The first book I finished, I started back in January. BUT that book (Brand of Light) kickstarted me back into reading, and I am having a BLAST. 

Here are the books I read this month:

Brand of Light by Ronie Kendig: 4 stars // slightly disappointed me but I still very much enjoyed it // that ending was RUTHLESS though

The Girl Who Could See by Kara Swanson: 4 stars // BRILLIANT concept // Kara Swanson really knows how to pull a reader in

The Journey by Verity A. Buchanan: 3.5-4 stars // SIBLINGGSSS // Fred is my new love

Coral by Sara Ella: currently a little over halfway through this one (probably gonna finish it tonight and come back here to update this post when I do) and it's SO GOOD // MERMAIDS

Over, this was a GREAT reading month and I'm just so happy to be taking in stories again. I'm just hungry for all the books and literally can't read fast enough to satisfy me. 

If you read this post from earlier in the month, you'll remember I'm currently taking a break from writing, to take some strain off myself during college and also to read more books and charge my creative battery back up. (And I've already mentioned how fantastic reading has been lately, so it's definitely been a successful break so far!) However, I have been working on edits/rewrites for draft 2 of Roots to Claim, and enjoying it so VERY much. I say it every time I bring this story up and I'll continue to say it: I love my Archlan and my Quinard. I've been moving slowly through this draft this time around, not putting too much pressure on myself, but it's been so lovely and I'm glad I switched my focus back to it. 

Also: I changed my mind about my April Camp NaNo project. When I first decided to take a break from writing, I said I would make an exception (take a break from the break, I guess XD) for Camp NaNo, in which I would be working on and hopefully finishing the first draft of my second Trentley and Jynnia book. Now that I'm back into Roots to Claim again, I decided it would be better to stick with it and make that my project for this April. Whether I'll still be finishing up draft two or moving on to draft three (!!!), I don't know, but I'm definitely not going anywhere. I'm excited about it right now and just don't really want to change gears. Plus, it'll extend my breather from writing new things a little longer, which I think will be good. I plan to jump back into Trentley and Jynnia's story when the semester is over and I have summer break; so that'll be my project for July! I think it just works out so much better this way.

We got TONS of snow this month! It was kind of insane. Almost two whole weeks of classes were canceled (you're not gonna hear me complaining). And this snow was just wild. We really haven't gotten much snow in the past several years, and whatever we did get always melted pretty much right away. But this month the temperatures were pretty consistently single-digit for a while, so we got to actually keep the snow and enjoy it for about a week. 

It started snowing on the evening of Valentine's Day, and just DID. NOT. STOP for more than twenty-four hours. I'm talking heavy snowfall and crazy accumulation. My huge dog was knee deep in the stuff. xD I said recently I was ready for spring (an unusual thing for me to say), but I absolutely LOVED this winter wonderland we got to experience. It's been so long since we got any amount of snow for longer than a couple days, and definitely YEARS since we got this much. So, I was just soaking. it. up. (And really wishing I would find a wardrobe to stumble through into a magical land, because the snow was making me wish like crazy that I'd run into Mr. Tumnus.)

Speaking of Valentine's Day, I spent the first part of the day playing Monopoly with my family... and CRUSHING them. Muahaha. (I also made brownies with strawberry frosting and red and pink sprinkles. Because if you're gonna make brownies for the occasion, you gotta go all out.) Then that evening, I watched Mirror, Mirror with my sisters and had pizza and ice cream. A lovely day indeed!

I got a super cool bookish sweatshirt from My Bookish Den and I'm obsessed with it because GUYS. IT HAS A TIME TO DIE ON IT. 

I knew as soon as I saw it that I neeeeeeded it, precious, because OF COURSE I need a shirt with A Time to Die on it. (It has some other epic books, too, like The Hobbit, Narnia, and Cinder, but y'all KNOW Out of Time is like my favorite series ever soooo yeah.)

This is kind of random, but the 22nd was the one-year anniversary of when I watched Endgame aaaand yeah. I was feeling all the feels again. *weeps* Very much want to journey back through the MCU (even though I know I'll just get my soul destroyed again at the end). 

One more thing... this didn't actually happen in February, but close enough... I registered for Realm Makers!! *endless screaming* Aaaand I'm pretty sure I was the first person to register because I didn't know how fast they would sell out and I was paranoid. XD But I'm all signed up and I'm soooo excited!!

How is it almost March?? I know I say that every month, but... yeesh. 2021's just flying by already. In nineteen days it'll be my birthday, which doesn't seem right at all. (I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but all the COVID craziness first started right around my birthday last year, and that was the last day my whole family was together for a while. I remember my brother staying several feet away from the rest of us because he was feeling under the weather and didn't know what it was and I was thinking "oooh spooky, what if it's the coronavirus". here I am a year later and me and every member of my family has now had it. xD) 

It's also almost spring, which, like I mentioned, I'm ready for, for once! I'm always a little sad to see winter go, but this year I'm excited to be able to go outside and enjoy the sunshine, and roll the windows down in my car, and all that good stuff. 

ANYWAY. I hope all you lovely people are having a beautiful Saturday and that your February was a good one as well! See you in the comments! ♥

So, how was your February? Have you been reading a lot or maybe moving a little more slowly? And do you know what you're doing for Camp NaNo yet, if you're participating? (I realized how close it was the other day and kind of freaked out. xD) 

THE #FANTASYMONTH FANDOM TAG!

Happy Fantasy Month, everyone! Oh, you didn't know?... February is Fantasy Month. ;)

Okay, well, in case you didn't know... Jenelle Schmidt started February is Fantasy Month a few years back, and it's basically just a month-long celebration of all things fantasy. (I shamefully always forget about it until it rolls around... but I always try to do something to participate because of COURSE I'll take any chance to celebrate fantasy!)

This year there's a super fun tag called the Fantasy Fandom Tag, which you can do on Instagram, or your blog, or whatever! So, to join in the fun, I decided to answer these questions here. (Prepare yourself for ramblings because they're definitely on the way.) 

(Here's the original post, if you want to check it out for yourself!)

What was the first fandom you fell into?

Okay, this was kind of a tough question. I'm the youngest of four, so with three geeky older siblings I kind of feel like I was just always a part of all these fantasy worlds. Which makes it kind of hard to pinpoint what my first one was. 

BUT after thinking about it, I think I would have to say Power Rangers. My brother has been a big Power Rangers fan for as long as I can remember (as in, he literally was obsessed with it before I even existed), so I (and my sisters) just kind of naturally was, too. I remember waking up in the morning when I was really, really little and my brother would be watching one of two things on TV: Saved by the Bell or Power Rangers. And I ALWAYS hoped it was Power Rangers. 

So, while I loved Star Wars and superheroes and Disney and everything from the time I was practically a baby, I think Power Rangers would have to be the first thing I was really into full-force. (I mean... I've been told some of my first words were the names of two characters from the show. So.)

What is the most recent fandom you've become a part of?

Oooh. Probably Avatar: The Last Airbender? Honestly, I've only watched a few episodes as of right now. But I already love it and am very invested in where it will go from here. (MY CABBAGES)

Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Wars!! I've actually never seen Star Trek. At all. Like, the TV show or the movies or anything. I'm not really sure why?? 

But Star Wars I've always loved. Luke Skywalker was the first love of my life. One of my earliest memories is of Attack of the Clones coming out. I used to love playing with my brother's action figures (on the rare occasions he actually let me. hah.) and would just spend hours looking at them. (but rarely touching. xD)

Marvel or DC?

*sigh*

Okay. 

This is a tricky question. 

My first superhero experiences were DC. I watched the animated series from the late 90s/early 2000s (Batman, Superman, Justice League Unlimited, etc.) and had my own Batman and Robin and Superman toys. I watched ten seasons of Smallville. Superman is still one of my favorite superheroes.

But Marvel is just... doing so much better than DC. Okay, I haven't actually seen any DC movies (other than the old Christopher Reeve Superman movies and Superman Returns... but that's it). But I think it goes without saying that Marvel's movies set the bar PRETTY. STINKING. HIGH and DC just... seems to have trouble getting there??? I know, I know, I shouldn't judge without having seen the DC movies. But... there's a reason Marvel's movies get huge and DC's flop, right??

So, for the sake of answering the question (she said, as if she hadn't already rambled for five minutes to avoid answering the question): Marvel. I mean, without it I never would have come to know my precious Avengers (and Captain America). But DC is what started it all. 

What is a fandom you love enough to want to live in that world?

Is this even a question? NARNIA, OF COURSE. Although: I would rather live there in the winter than in the spring. I know, I know, it was winter when Lucy first went through the wardrobe because the White Witch had cursed the whole land. And Mr. Tumnus said how wonderful Narnia was in the summer and I would assume Narnias probably preferred summer. But oh my GOODNESS, winter Narnia is just so MAGICAL! There is absolutely no other movie or book, no other fictional world that holds as much wonder and magic and longing as frozen, snow-covered, evergreen Narnia. 

This past week we got a TON of snow, and I just... found myself really aching to find a magic wardrobe and discover an enchanted land. *wistful sigh* I just can't express how much I wish I could live those moments Lucy did when she stepped through the wardrobe. When she met Mr. Tumnus and went to have tea with him... and then when her siblings followed... it's just so... I don't even know what. I could go on and on and never quite say what I'm feeling. (The movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is just so amazing and captures that magic SO PERFECTLY and just makes me feel all these things and want more than anything to find Narnia in all it snowy goodness and I just AHHH I can't handle it or think about it too long or I get sad xD)

If you could hang out with a character from one of your fandoms, who would it be and why?

Okay... what kind of question is this. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY CHARACTERS I WANT TO HANG OUT WITH???

Um... do I have to pick just ONE character? Or can I pick one character from EACH of my fandoms? *evil grin ;)* Okay, okay, I'll pick just one. And I think I'm going to go with Aslan. No, he's not exactly the kind of character you might expect as an answer to this question- someone you'd be pals with and have tons of fun together. But we all want an Aslan in our life, don't we??? A big, furry, majestic, talking lion who you can just hug and love and GAHHH. I want one. xD

Unknown fandom (something you love but nobody else seems to have heard of)

Actually, I think this answer is Power Rangers again! I think most people have heard of it, but I feel like most (non-superfan) people who have seen it didn't really watch past the old classic Mighty Morphin. But it's a great show overall, and at its best it's AMAZING. 

This is from my favorite season. SO GOOD.

Yes, it's cheesy and wild and sometimes goofy, but overall it's a great show and I would definitely recommend giving it a try if you get the chance. It's certainly not for everybody, but if you like fun, lighthearted superhero-ish stuff, you might just enjoy it more than you think. (And there are literally more than twenty seasons to choose from, so there's a good chance you'll find SOMETHING you like. xD I mean... there's even a magic-themed season!)

(I feel like anybody who hasn't heart of Power Rangers is reading this like "what the heck is she even talking about")

(Told you I was going to ramble. xD)

Okay, that was SUPER fun and a total trip down memory lane. I actually feel pretty nostalgic after this, thinking about early fandoms and characters I love and everything. If you want to participate in Fantasy Month, this tag is definitely a fun way to start!

I hope everyone's having a lovely weekend- and recovering from this past week of crazy weather! Like I said, we got tons of snow and. I. LOVED it. I've said recently that I'm ready for spring, but big snows like this have been so few and far between these past few years that it was so welcome. I honestly can't remember the last time we got a snow more than a few inches that didn't melt right away, but it's been so cold that it stuck around. And this time was just MAGICAL. It started snowing the evening of Valentine's Day and didn't stop until late Monday night. It was deeper than I remember seeing for years, too- at least eight inches, I think, and my Very Large dog was knee-high in it. It was great. xD (It's starting to melt now, which of course has to happen, but it's always so sad when it goes away and this time will be especially sad. *sigh*)

ANYWAY. Happy Saturday, friends! I'll see you in the comments! ♥

All right, let's talk fandoms!! Do you have a favorite fandom? Do you remember what your first one was? Are there any other Power Rangers fans in here?? Who else has gotten the equivalent of about three winters dumped on them in the past week? (And can anybody else understand my inexpressible feelings about Narnia??)

HOW TO WIN YOUR BELOVED (a Very Serious List)

Happy Valentine's Day, guys!! Of course, it's not until tomorrow, but it's never too early to start celebrating, right? Spread the love and all that. 

Of course, it seems every year there's always some sort of talk about being single on Valentine's Day. (I personally say the less chocolate I have to share, the better.) But HAVE NO FEAR, because if you don't want to be single this February the 14th, I'm about to give you ALL THE TIPS YOU'LL EVER NEED for winning your beloved! (Of course, if you're wanting to win him by Valentine's Day... you're going to have to work pretty quickly. But you can do it. I believe in you.)

Well, we have no time to waste. On to the tips! (You can thank me later.)

HOW TO WIN YOUR BELOVED (a Very Serious List)

Make him stew.

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right? And I'm sure you're a very good cook, so absolutely nothing could go wrong. Make that stew, girl. Make it extra chunky. 

Make him your servant and require strict obedience.

Ask him to hand you stuff that's literally right in front of your face. Trust me, it's super charming and will make him absolutely SWOON. (Bonus: Push him down a hill at some point.)

Pursue a younger man.

Like... much younger. He'll think you're an angel and marry you when he's old enough. just for heaven's sakes don't let anybody tell him about darth plagueis

Steal his precious jewels. 

Like, believe me. You'll have him LITERALLY chasing after you. All the time. he might get kinda clingy though so beware of that 

Offer to overlook his criminal record in exchange for a road trip.

It'll make him fall madly in love with you and possibly sing to you. Heck, he might even give you a free haircut!

Lend him your horn.

He might need to call you again. 

If he dies putting a WWII plane in the water, WAIT. 

Don't marry someone else. Chances are he'll eventually travel back in time to be with you, and you don't want to be involved with some other guy when he does. (Trust me. DON'T. MISS. THE DANCE.)

And there you have it. I would suggest using at least three of these at a time to increase your chances... but for best results, absolutely put all of these into practice if you can. (Hey, you might even have a whole bunch of contenders lining up at your doorstep to be your Valentine's date! Then you can have your pick. If one of them is Steve Rogers, though... send him my way, please.)

If any of these tips work for you, let me know so I can congratulate you! All I ask in return for helping you win your true love is an invitation to your wedding. (You'll have me as the guest of honor, right?)

All right, guys. I hope you enjoyed this Very Serious List of ways to win your true love. xD Hey, maybe they all don't have a perfect track record, but... they mostly worked, right?? Besides, we don't do normal flirting around here. Nope, if we're shooting our shot, we're going all in. (if you get arrested for stealing someone's jewels, though... hey, don't blame me. it was just a suggestion.)

In all seriousness, I hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day! No matter who you're spending it with, let it be a day to show your loved ones how much you care about them (and maybe eat some extra chocolate ;)). I'll be spending my Valentine's Day with my family, and topping it off with a sister movie night (complete with PIZZA!! and ICE CREAM!!). 

Have a great rest of your weekend, friends! ♥

Do you have any plans for Valentine's Day? Any tips to add to the list? ;D

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS ON GROWTH AND REST + A WRITING UPDATE

Hellooo everyone! It's been a few weeks since I was here and here I am still posting late oops, but I'm BACK, hopefully to stay. 

Sooo, today I really just wanted to ramble a bit about what's been on my mind regarding goals and new years and rest. This post is really just a (super long) mashup of some random thoughts, and maybe they'll benefit someone. Who knows. 

If you're like me, January sees you going full-force at a bunch of new goals you've just made. You're ready to get things done, change some habits, and maybe change your life while you're at it. And there's nothing wrong with that! But here's something you need to remember: 

New years should be about growth, not perfection. 

It's unrealistic to go into a new year thinking you can do a complete 180 and change everything about yourself. It's okay to have goals and want to change things- we see new years as a clean slate, after all, with no mistakes in it yet (to paraphrase Anne Shirley). The desire to make the year perfect while we have the chance is strong and tempting. 

But it's also maddening. 

You want to read your Bible every day without missing, or not hit snooze, or exercise, or eat healthier. And then you miss one day, and it DRIVES. YOU. CRAZY because you wanted to last the whole year and make it a year to remember and now with just ONE MISTAKE it's all ruined. (I keep saying you but I really mean ME)

But you know what? We're human. Perfection is not a part of our makeup. So, this year I'm choosing to remind myself: Focus on this being a year of growth. Make all the ambitious goals, get super motivated, do what you can to improve on whatever you hope to improve on. But allow yourself room to be imperfect, too. Don't let a broken routine within the first month of the year ruin the next twelve months. If our goal is perfection, we're only going to be disappointed. But if we choose to focus on growth instead, and make the decision to work on that, we'll see improvement and be happier with it. 

We want to make so. much. progress every new year. But maybe we're just not meant to grow that fast. Some people move more slowly. If December sees you only slightly more improved than you were in January, that's okay. Because growth is growth, and perfection is impossible. 

NOW. While we're on the topic of change and progress and all that good stuff... I had to make a decision I really didn't want to make. (that sounds way more ominous than it actually is.) Like I said, we want to see progress in the new year, and as a writer, of course I'd love to see myself writing thousands of words starting from January 1 and finishing a novel or twelve and submitting dozens of short stories. And maybe, someday, I'll be able to do that. 

I'm in college right now. I'm super grateful to have a pretty chill schedule at the moment, and I've been keeping up with homework like a dream. (this did nooooot happen last semester.) So, naturally, I hoped to get tons of writing time in. I wrote a piece of flash fiction in January and started another. I kept meaning to finish it but just couldn't seem to remember to sit down and do it... even though I was close to being done. (Note that by this time school had started again.) Then, of course, my mindset goes to keep-up-keep-up-work-ahead-on-everything-keep-up-and-maybe-you-can-write-a-bunch-of-stories. And I was getting a bit discouraged thinking I wouldn't be able to write as much as I'd hoped. 

So here's the deal: I'm quitting writing for this semester.

I can't expect myself to do everything. Even though this semester is less demanding than the last one and I feel pretty good about where I am... writing is a commitment, and it doesn't really work for me to find a few hours a week to write sporadically. I'd rather be in a place where I can create a routine and devote a good amount of time to writing at a time. I just can't do that right now. 

And here's another thing: I miss reading. Since September, the only fiction books I've finished are The Fellowship of the Ring and a Melody Carlson Christmas book. I'm about halfway through The Two Towers, and while I'm very much enjoying my trip back through Middle Earth, I decided it was better to put it aside for now and read something new. I have SO many books I haven't read yet, and trying to get through my LOTR reread before tackling any of those was kind of just dragging me down. 

Part of the reason for that was just that I was not making time to read. If I wasn't working and going to school, I would have finished LOTR months ago. But for basically the past six months, I've just not been reading much at all. Last semester I could just feel my creative soul dying little by little. Most of my reading was school-related, I didn't have much time to watch any movies or TV shows, and I barely read any blogs. Then came NaNoWriMo, which was quite successful but probably also drained me more than I realized at the time. 

My month off from school helped a little. I focused more on resting and making plans for the year, so I didn't do a whole lot of reading then, either, which I didn't really mind. But my creativity needs a boost, because it hasn't really been properly fed for months. And trying to add writing to the mix just isn't feasible right now. I was trying to force ideas into my head, and that's never really a great idea. 

This doesn't mean that I'm banning myself from writing at all. Obviously, I'll still be blogging. If I have a brilliant idea for a short story, I'm not going to waste it. And I still 100% plan to do Camp NaNoWriMo in April- which is part of the reason I want to take a writing break now, so I won't wear myself down and burn out by April. But overall, I think it's time for me take an intentional step back and just let myself breathe for a while. Take creativity as it comes instead of trying to force it. Recharge that creativity by reading more books again, and taking the time to watch some more TV. (which might sound kind of bad, but I hardly watch TV and there are some movies and things I'd really like to watch.) 

Truthfully, I hate the idea of taking a break. Of being a creator who's not creating, while I watch other creators pump things out like crazy. It makes me feel behind. 

Here's where I remind you (and myself) of something we always need to hear: JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT CREATING AT THE SAME RATE AS EVERYBODY ELSE DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE BEHIND. It doesn't mean you're less creative or less capable of writing great stories. It doesn't mean your time is wasting away and you're throwing away your chances of being a success. It just means it's not your time right now. 

Nadine Brandes has said that when she was in college, she hardly wrote at all. And that might seem bad for a writer, but just because you're not writing doesn't mean you're not growing as a writer. When she graduated and started writing again, her writing was stronger because she herself had grown and gained life experience. Just because you're not writing doesn't mean you can't be growing as a writer.

I didn't really want to hear that at the time, because I hadn't started college yet and was dreading the idea of having to step away from writing. But that's where I am right now, and I'm allowing myself to be okay with it.

That being said... I'm still planning on working on one of my WIPs. Roots to Claim still needs its second draft finished, which I put aside to do NaNoWriMo last year. And I'm excited to get back to it, because I love my boys and I was really enjoying going back through the story last year. I think editing and rewriting will take a lot less out of me than trying to create new stories; plus, it's easier for me to do a little editing a time and have to set it aside when I need to, than to do that with first drafts. 

Aaaand that's my very rambly, very long and probably incoherent post of thoughts and plans. Goodness, I'm sorry I went on so long. xD But I want to encourage you all to let yourself rest when you need to. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect and reach all your goals- just work on growing. And writers, if you find yourself in a season of life where writing has to take a backseat... you're not failing. The time to write will come back, and you might just find yourself even more ready to write when it does. 

I do hope you're all having a lovely February! I'll see you next week!

Have you ever had to take a break from writing? Did it benefit you in any way? And what are you reading right now? (I'm reading Brand of Light by Ronie Kendig, which is outside of my normal genre, but I'm enjoying it so far!)