Highlights Of October 2017

   October was a month of very little reading, very little posting - but gigantic heaps of writing and editing, and time with extended family. So it was a good month. Want to hear more about it?

   School. School has been insane. I can't even. I'm going to die. Someone send reinforcements.

   But besides a Mt. Everest-sized pile of school, extended family spent a lot of time with us during the first half of November, and we had so much fun hanging out with them. Way more ice cream and pizza and Korean food was eaten than is good for anyone xD.

   Yeah ... even if I didn't keep track of too much that happened, life was good this month <3.

   I don't even know how many words I wrote this month, but I'm guessing only 3,000. Why? Because I spent most of the month editing! Alpha readers (shout out to the epic Jane Maree, Hannah White, Hann Remraf, Hanna, Ellen, Ariel, and Skylar - you were all epic. <3) ran through it towards the end of this month, and I'm working on the really tough edits. I had hoped it wouldn't be this hard ... but really, is it ever easy? xD

   I switched what I'm writing for NaNoWriMo. Yeah, less than a week before it begins, I switch my project. Typical me. Ha. I planned on editing Asher Grey while also writing Killing Snow, but my brain decided that that would not compute. So turns out I'm going big-time #rebel for NaNo 2017, and I'm gonna write whatever I want. IF IT'S WRITING, IT COUNTS. There ya go. I'll keep you updated. (and here's my NaNo profile, if you want to stalk me)

   The SADDEST little book-pile of ever, good gracious. Can you tell that school has been eating me alive? No? Carry on.

   - The Bone House by Stephen R. Lawhead. I was excited to read the second book in this series - I remember enjoying The Skin Map, even though it had been awhile since I'd read it - but ... The Bone House actually disappointing me a little? There were some parts of it that were pretty good, but the writing style just wasn't my thing. For someone who likes this style, it would probably be an amazing book, but it just wasn't my thing. So I'm giving it three stars.

   - The Fever Code by James Dashner. You guys know my thoughts on the Maze Runner trilogy - it wasn't the best by the end, and it was a little disappointing. But The Fever Code (that trilogy's prequel) got me hooked with its back cover blurb, so I decided to give it a shot. And guess what? I really liked it. It actually managed to make The Maze Runner a little better, so I'm giving it four stars.

   - The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I've been wanting to try out some more classics, so - when I needed to pick a new book to read for school - I decided to give Huckleberry Finn a shot. And it actually wasn't bad! Huck was a great character, and I loved Tom (which means I'll have to go find a copy of Tom Sawyer, because I need more of his story xD), and the book was really fun. I don't know that I'd reread it, but as a just-once read, it was great. So it gets four stars.  

   Three posts.

   *crickets*

   Okay, yes, this was disappointing - but I did post a book review on Pursue Magazine's website, AND a NaNoWriMo Prep post on Project Canvas, so technically I posted five times, which is perfectly normal for me. So I'm giving myself a pass this month :D. 

   - Hannah White did an epic post on creating worlds that breath. (which was awesome, because I'm not the best at creating worlds. But I'm learning xD)

   - CAIT OF PAPERFURY IS GETTING PUBLISHED.  What is this magic??

   - Audrey Caylin celebrated her one-year blogoversary! (and did a vlog!)

   - Katie Grace shared about the superhero novel that she's writing for NaNo, and does it not sound like the best thing ever? (she also posted about some of her new 2017 findings, which are epic, so check that out, too)  

   - Abigayle Claire's Martin Hospitality won some epic awards! I was so excited for Abi when I read about it <3.

   Guess what November means?

   NaNoWriMo.

   So I'll only be posting next month about as much as I did this month, BUT I'm just about finished reading The Scorpio Races, so the review for that is coming. And ... a very exciting post that has something to do with Asher Grey may or may not be coming in the next week. You didn't hear it from me ;).

~ Savannah Grace

are you doing NaNoWriMo? 

how was your October? let's chat!

 

Epic Recommendations For Writers

   NaNoWriMo is hovering ever closer to our doorsteps. And we writers are going to need quite a lot to defeat the writing beast - so why don't I give you some of my recommendations of writer-ly things? Who knows, maybe you'll find one that helps you charge right through that 50k for NaNo ;).

   Books

- Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine -

    Writing Magic was one of the first books on the writing craft that I read (actually, I think I still remember the VERY first book that I read on the writing craft, when I was about ten or eleven. I just can't remember the title for the life of me, sadly), and it's quite a fun book! Gail Carson has an awesome way of writing, whether it's a fiction or nonfiction book, so I remember enjoying this one. <3

- Writer to Writer by Gail Carson Levine - 

   I'd almost consider this one a 'sequel' of sorts to Writing Magic, as it's written by the same lovely author and (from what I can remember), it's similar to Writing Magic. So if you read and enjoy Writing Magic, go give this one a shot! 

- Storyworld First by Jill Williamson -

   Storyworld First is an AH-MAZING book for us writers who need some help with worldbuilding (#me). Jill Williamson is incredible when it comes to creating worlds, so I expected some good stuff from this book - and it didn't disappoint! I'd definitely recommend this to all of you who are looking to make your fantasy world a little deeper.  

- Go Teen Writers by Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson - 

   Go Teen Writers was given to me as a gift by my epic aunt and uncle, and it's been an invaluable asset to my writing-life. Stephanie and Jill have the best advice and tips in this book that they co-authored. And it isn't only about the writing craft, it's also about the publishing industry! Go Teen Writers is absolutely one of my favorite books on the writing craft, so I'd definitely recommend that you go check it out - especially if you're a young adult/teen writer who's looking to go further with writing ;). 

  

   Websites

       - Kingdom Pen -

   I only recently discovered Kingdom Pen, but let me tell you that it is a treasure trove of writer-ly information, and awesome short stories. And not only is it a great website for its info, but it also seems like a great community of writers.  

       - Helping Writers Become Authors -  

   K.M. Weiland is the author of Helping Writers Become Authors, and she always has amazing advice on the writing craft. Her posts are always super informative and to-the-point, and there's such a wide range of writer-ly topis on Weiland's website.

       - Namehunter -

   Every writers has struggles with naming characters at some point. And if y'all haven't found Namehunter (by Nameberry), you need to check it out. I use it all the time, and it's invaluable when you can't quite find that exact name you're looking for.   

- Teen Author Journal -

   So I can't vouch for this one personally (yet - I really do need to find the time to check it out), but I've heard good things about it. Y'all will have to tell me if this is one of the sites you enjoy!  

   - Gail Carson Levine - 

   The same author who wrote Writing Magic and Writer to Writer has a blog where she answers questions for writers, and shares epic information on the writing craft. I haven't read many of the posts on there, but the ones that I have read have some awesome information, and Gail Carson Levine's writing style is just so easy to read, even in a blog post.

   Blogs

       - Go Teen Writers -

   I can honestly say that I wouldn't be where I am in my writing and blogging without Go Teen Writers. This blog is co-authored by Stephanie Morrill, Jill Williamson, and Shannon Dittemore, and they are the sweetest ladies. The information they share on the writing and publishing industry is amazing, and the community over on that blog is so supportive. Definitely go check it out. 

 

       - Project Canvas - 

   The P.C. blog is still pretty new, but I have a feeling it's going to turn into something pretty big! The Project Canvas book doesn't release until 2018, but if you're excited to read it, definitely skip on over to the blog. It's turning into a great place with lots of cool information.

   Freelance Editors

   - Abigayle Claire - 

   I haven't worked with Abi on a large-scale project yet, but she's helped me with multiple short stories and flash fiction, and her editing skills are amazing. Abi's great at finding those tiny details that other people might miss, and she's so fun and easy to work with. Plus, her current editing prices are to die for xD. So skip on over to her site and check her out if you're going to be needing another set of eyes to go over your story!     

   - Jane Maree -   

   So I didn't know what I had coming when Jane Maree started alpha reading Asher Grey for me, but OH GRACIOUS is she an incredible editor. I'd talked to her about some of the problems I was having with the story beforehand (like the fact that I have to cut 17k words from it *cringe*), and she helped so, so much with all of that. Jane's super professional, and amazing at what she does. I'd definitely recommend that you check her out if you need an editor. 

   Well, there are some writer-ly recommendations from myself - what are some things that you think should be added to this list? Leave your recommendations for any of these categories down in the comments, and I'll add some of them into the post!

~ Savannah Grace 

what are some of your recommendations for writers? 

The Bibliophile Sweater Tag

   Guess who created a tag? (not me - even though I keep saying I should xD) The lovely Mary from Sunshine and Scribblings (thanks for tagging me <3)! And it's the perfect tag for us bookdragons who love the colder weather. <3

Fuzzy Sweater // a book that is the epitome of comfort

   I'm assuming you mean a go-to reread. I don't have any of those, honestly. I have favorite books, and I have books that I will forever adore, and books that I'll probably love every single time I read them. BUT I have to be in a certain mood to want to reread a book, so this question is really hard to answer. I guess I'd say the Harry Potter series. It's not really a "comfort book", but I know I'll always be able to go back to that series and still love it. 

Striped Sweater // a book that you devoured every line of

   I was going to start this one with "EVERY BOOK EVER" ... but then I realized that there are some books that I do have to struggle to stop myself from skimming them, ha.  That only happens once-in-a-blue-moon though, so this question is HARD to answer. I'll just go with the most recent five-star book that I read, which was Wrath Of The Storm by Jennifer A. Nielson. And you all know that I adore every Nielson book that I've read so far, so that's no big surprise xD.

Ugly Christmas Sweater // a book with a weird cover

   Yeah ... I'd say it was a pretty good idea for DWJ's publishers to update these original covers. xD

Cashmere Sweater // the most expensive book you've bought

   Um. Do I do expensive books? Come on - why get ONE when you could get THREE. So honestly, my 'most expensive books' aren't all that interesting. But I think they are ... A Time To Rise and Martin Hospitality. And they were absolutely worth the money <3.  

Hoodie // a favorite classic book

   I don't really read classics *hides face*.

   HOWEVER ... I have read a few xD. My favorite would have to be the entire Narnia series (Anne Of Green Gables comes incredibly close, but as a fantasy-lover at heart, I have to go with Narnia) 

Cardigan // a book that you bought on impulse

   Guys. I sometimes go to thrift stores to buy books - which is hard because I almost only buy books in PERFECT or next-to-perfect condition, but thrift stores have CHEAP BOOKS, and the pros outweigh the cons - so I buy a lot of books on impulse just because I can xD. The most recent book(s) that I bought on impulse were Eyes Wide Open by Ted Dekker and Iscariot by Tosca Lee. We'll see what I think of both of those books, because I honestly know next to nothing about them.

Turtleneck Sweater // a book from your childhood

   Oh my, there are so many books I could pick from that were from my childhood. Gracious, this question is hard. So I'm going to go with TWO books (#cheating) that were the first I thought of when I thought 'childhood books'. The Deltora Quest series and Strange Birds are two books that I distinctly remember reading when I was smol,  and I loved them.   

Homemade Knitted Sweater // a book that is indie-published

   Confession: I don't read THAT many indie-published books. I still do read a fair deal of them, and I absolutely support indie publishing ... but I just can't get my hands on indie-published books as easily as I can traditionally published books. However, one of the many indie books that I ADORE is The Girl Who Could See by Kara Swanson. First of THAT COVER, and secondly, it's an incredible story.

V-Necked Sweater // a book that did not meet your expectations

   Hmm ... *scrolls through my recent reads list* The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer. I've adored all the Colfer books that I've read so far, so I figured I'd give The Reluctant Assassin a shot. But it didn't quite meet my expectations, and I'm not super interested in finishing the trilogy right now. But I might go ahead and finish it anyways because it's an Eoin Colfer book and I have to give him a second chance xD.  

Argyle Sweater // a book with a unique format

   ... a unique cover format, or interior format? Huh. I'm going to go with interior format, and thus I shall have to pick The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. It's one of the only series I've seen that has footnotes in the books. It was a fun additional to the story itself :D.   

Polka Dot Sweater // a book with well-rounded characters

   But there's SO many books with well-rounded characters! How am I supposed to pick just one? *sighs* Alright, we're going with the latest book that I read that had well-rounded characters, and that would be ... Jackaby by William Ritter. All of the characters were so fun and so different, and I loved reading their story. So much epicness <3. 

  - I Tag -

... anyone who's feeling happy about the chilly weather <3

   So there's a quick peek into some of my recent bookish-thoughts - I hope you guys are having a very book-filled fall so far! They can only add to Autumn's epicness. <3

~ Savannah Grace 

what was the last book you read? 

what book are you currently reading?