I PRINTED MY BOOK!!! // A Sprig of Green gorgeousness

[warning: this blog post contains much screaming in caps. I apologise in advance for any hearing problems you might sustain]

*screaming*

YES YES YOU READ RIGHT. I printed out a real life actual book copy of A Sprig of Green. *flails and more screaming*

How did this happen??
Well, the story is that Alice (one of my older sisters) is normally my brainstorming buddy and she reads all my books as I'm writing them and everything. And she's great at it. But for this one I wanted to give her a surprise. A birthday surprise.

So I didn't let her read it. Instead I had the epic Krystal reading it for me instead (many hugs and thanks to her because she was so amaaazing <33). And then I enlisted my other older sister, Clare, and she made an epic cover for me and I scraped through the novella roughly to try get rid of as many typos as I could. Then I uploaded it all onto lulu and clicked order.

AND THEN IT CAME IN THE MAIL JUST IN TIME. Two days before Alice's birthday, I got the book.

I was excited. Very excited. MUCH FLAILING HAPPENED, GUYS. I'm sure you can imagine it. xD

Flailing is still happening actually. :P MY BOOK SMELLS WITH THAT 'NEW BOOK' SMELL. I CAN HOLD IT. I CAN HUG IT.

So naturally YOU GUYS GET ALLLL THE PHOTOS NOW. YEEET.
(Once again, thank you SO MUCH Clare for taking such amaaazing photos. <3 <3 <3)

Then we break through the clouds and the light explodes down on us, illuminating a world of white, misty clouds and endless horizons...

I know now. I made my choice a long time ago, and there’s no going back. 

I’m going to help Michayla change the world.

Also, yeah this post has, like, two hundred words and two gazillion photos (closer to 300 words and 10 photos but shhh that's beside the point), but PICTURES TELL A THOUSAND WORDS EACH. So win-win. xD


SO WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO PRINT YOUR BOOK??? (because you tooootally should, guys. Really. )

Are Your Words Working? // lagging behind on goals and schedules

We're onto the twenty-first day of the month. Only ten more days left before August. Are you on target? Are those words working just how you planned them to be?

For me, I have to admit that the answer is actually no.

Now, I know it sounds bizarre. "But Jane, you finished your camp nano goal aaages ago and you finished your novella and what's wrong with all that??" And all that is completely true but I had (and still have) a few other things planned for this month, and it was all nicely scheduled out on my dry erase whiteboard calendar. (seriously though, if you don't use one of these, you need to try it. It's amazing.) 

I aimed to finish writing on the 15th - tick that box.
I aimed to have at least 25k - tick, again.
I also aimed to have a teensy bit of an easier time - and I think I can check that off too.

But then we get to the second half of the month.

I hoped to finish one of my critiquing novels on the 17th.
I hoped to finish the book I'd been given for free from the author to read and review.
I hoped to dig right in and get down to editing A Sprig of Green right away.
I hoped to finish my rough edits + synopsis.
I hoped to start on a beta reading novel so I had plenty of time to finish it before the end of the month.
Not even mentioning that I really really hoped to have plenty of free time to read the Road Rules book and prepare for my driving test.

None of that went according to plan. And looking at that list, I can honestly see why. I had unrealistic expectations. There was no way I was going to be able to do all that and school and life. I'm an overachiever sometimes and I like pushing myself and giving myself challenges. A lot of the time, I also overestimate myself. I simply cannot fit that much in. And adding to that, all the random things that just pop up unexpectedly and snatch away some of that precious time that I'm desperately trying to balance.

BUT. That's not where the story ends. We're only just getting to the best part.

I'm actually okay with this. I can see that I'm not up to the level I was hoping for, but that's okay. Maybe I don't need to be. I'm right where God needs me at the moment. Because when I'm here and I'm falling behind, I can look up and know that He's got a plan and, my goodness, it's better than ANYTHING I could ever come up with.

And sometimes it's in times like right now, when I stop and look at my goals and what I had hoped and planned to get done, that I realise that it really is better this way. I didn't finish a lot of those things because I was busy.

I was busy living.

So today, I want to encourage all of you, whatever you're doing - whether you're falling behind on goals, whether your striving insanely to reach them before you run out of time, or whether you're sitting right at the top and relaxing already. Whatever place you're at, stop and take a breath.

Take time to look up to God and just smile. Smile because what He's done. What He's doing. And what He will do.

Take a moment of every day and live.


How are your goals and plans working out?
Do you have any methods for keeping on track or scheduling out your plans?

The Beauty of Poems // I bought my friend's poetry book!!!

You probably noticed in my vlog on Friday, that I read out a poem written by Julia Ryan. And not only that, but it was read out from an actual physical paperback book.

That, my friends, is because Julia Ryan has her AMAZING poetry available to buy.

Hence today you get a post with lots of beautiful photos (credit to my sister - obviously) and not very many words (I blame camp nano).

When I heard the news, I was so super insanely excited. I bought it that day. And YES, it was, like, a bit over twenty dollars (what with converting US dollars to AUD + postage) but that's the price I have to pay for about 80% of new books. And this was absolutely and definitely worth every cent.

"I laugh a lot

for no good reason

sometimes

I just catch myself doing it

and then I grin

and keep on laughing"

"her laugh

it's changed

it seems a bit more open

almost a bit more

f r e e "

 

"I thought that books were

harmless enough

but I was wrong

they aren't just a bunch of words

printed out on paper

they play with your mind

giving you a sensation

of a world

you are yet to be a part of"

Poetry is such a beautiful gift. Reading through this was so amazing and I could honestly feel the realness that was behind each poem. Every poem has a story that shows just a little bit of the author's heart. The part of them that isn't often on display for anyone to see. 

That's one of the things that I love most about poetry and about songs and about writing. It's all like a little glimpse into a deeper person.

"you have to be brave

to let people in

to trust them

with your story

and heart

and love

you can't just run away

bc you are scared"

. . .

"be brave

trust in God

and then

my dear friend

you will find beauty"

I know that with some of my artistic creations (using words, of course, because drawing/paint = nooope) I pour my time and my energy into it and there is so much of me in the stories and the characters and the words and phrases. 

To be entrusted with reading someone else's story and heart should be just as scary as telling people yours. Because we're handling something that is so close to them that it should be frightening. And for me, it is. But in a way that makes me excited and so alive.

Because we've got to be brave, even if it doesn't feel like we can be. 


Check out the lovely Julia Ryan at her blogging corner of the internet to find out more about this wonderful person - and hop over to her poetry blog for some of her amazing works!!
Blog - The Barefoot Gal
Poetry blog(!!!) - Twilight to Dawn
and don't forget to check out her 'my poetry book' page and BUY IT NOW.

Do you like reading or writing poetry?
(if the answer is yes - shoo, off you go and buy Julia's book. If the answer is no. . . off with you and do it anyways)

July Camp NaNo // I interview some cabin members

One of the things I find fun about family, is that sometimes they jokingly agree to something when thinking that I'm not serious at all. And then when they discover that I was entirely legit, they can't lower themselves to back out. (looking right at you, Jess. :P)

So today I've got a vlog for you all featuring two members of my family (and my cabin). In which they have to answer the quiz questions or I will whack them over the heads with my notebook.

I would also just like to applaud their skills of talking on camera because it was me - the one who has done four vlogs so far - who started talking backward and inside out first. The others were actually decent. *applauds them*

Also notice: I'm not wearing a t-shirt. Finally. XD (I told you I owned other shirts. :P)

Tell me a bit about what you're working on for camp??
(pretty please?)
What's three quirky things about your characters?

Wisteria Writer's Tag // apparently it's tagging time

And after ages of silence in the tagging realm SUDDENLY TWO TAGS WITHIN A WEEK OF EACH OTHER.

Boom.

This time it's the Wisteria Writer's Tag which is perfect because it's Camp NaNo and this should fit right in.

and yes I know they're Rain Lillies or something like that, not Wisteria, but shhhh. Still flowers. :P

Thank you to Brianna for tagging me! (everyone go check out her snazzy new blog)

Rules:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. Answer the ten questions asked.
3. Add ten (writing or book related) questions of your own.
4. Nominate people.

1. Why did you start writing?

Because my older sister started. And older sisters always do the cool things.
So naturally I copied her.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into.


2. What is your favorite book on writing?

Creating Character Arcs - K. M. Weiland
BECAUSE YES. GO BUY AND READ IT RIGHT NOW.
Also I won this in a giveaway and that was so cool because the giveaway hosts actually bothered to make the effort to send an actual paperback copy all the way to Australia. How cool is that??


3. Who's your favorite character to date?

How can I choose between all my precious babies??? YOU CAN'T ASK ME TO DO THIS.
I think maybe- BUT NO. I cannot do this. *curls up under a blanket and hides from the question*


4. What's your favorite way to write? (pen and paper, computer, typewriter, dictation, etc.)

Usually just computer/laptop, because that's the easiest and quickest. ALTHOUGH I do want to try a just pen-paper novel sometime because that would be super cool.

But can I just bring up that dictation is an option?? I WANT TO MEET SOMEONE WHO USES THIS METHOD. I could not possibly do that. Whenever I try tell a story out loud my brain goes on strike.


5. Plot first or Character first?

I have this thing called an obsession with theme and character arcs. Theme first. Always.
In plotting my Camp NaNo novel at last minute, I did it in the order of 
1) characters 
2) theme 
3) character arcs 
4) world building 
5) oh wait yes I also need an actual plot. 
(step five was completed 12 hours before Camp NaNo began)


6. Writing essentials? (coffee, a blanket, chocolate, etc.)

Basically the same list that I gave in my post last Monday. XD But just to change it up a little, another thing I like to have when writing (I've discovered this in the last week) is physical things. I printed out my face-claims for my main cast of characters, and it's been SO COOL. Also I did all my theme, character arcs, character profiles, world building, and plot stuff in one notebook. And that's been really good and I'm definitely doing it again.


7. Favorite quote about writing?

That has got to be one of my favourites. I think it's such an important thing to remember, and it's what I keep reminding myself as I'm writing my first drafts.

And right now I'm SURE there's some really really cool quote about writing that I have written down somewhere but I can't remember. So this'll have to do. :P


8. What's your current work-in-progress about?

OKAY YES. *grabs out handily written synopsis*
Actually no. I have no synopsis. Or pitch line. Or any of that stuff.

Basically it's a sci fi novella with hints of fairy tales, not very much green, a smol determined girl called Michayla and a stiff, logical and secretly insecure guy called Braden (who also happens to wear a suit and sunglasses constantly)
Oh yes and it's titled A Sprig of Green if I hadn't already mentioned that.


9. Music or silence?

It honestly depends on my mood. Usually I'm a very music-y person, and I've got playlists for all my characters. But then sometimes I just don't want to have music. And particularly editing, I'm not keen on having music. But again, it depends. Sometimes I like it with editing too.


10. What is the one thing you wish you'd known when you started writing?

Sometimes I think about going back in time, calmly placing my hand on my younger self's shoulder and saying: YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BE PERFECT, JANE. DEAL WITH IT AND KEEP DOING THE THING. YOU'LL BE FINE.
Also maybe: JEEZ DO A BIT MORE RESEARCH.

*bows* And then my younger self would be terrified and quit writing right away. So I'm not sure there'd actually be any point at all.

Time travel makes everything complicated.


Now I get to think up questions and tag people and ack isn't it exciting?? I'm actually following the rules. *cue shocked gasps from all the readers*


1) What inspired the idea for your current WIP (work in progress), and how long have you had the idea?
2) What are you most looking forward to about this WIP?
3) Have you ever dreamed about your characters?
4) How do you go about naming your characters?
5) Do you plan out your theme?
6) Do you discover the MBTI thing of your characters? (if so, what are the types of your WIP protagonists?)
7) Have you a favourite genre to write in? (or do you like switching it up randomly)
8) What is a big inspiration for you in writing? (a person, book, quote, scenery, ect.)
9) Are you competitive in your word counts, or more chill and relaxed?
10) Do you like sharing small snippets of your work? (*hint hint* :P)


AND THE PEOPLES I AM TAGGING:
(note to said tagged peoples: if you don't want to do this that's fine by me I only spent half the day thinking up these wasted ten questions ahem)

Sarah // Novus Papilio

Clare // Clare's Spot

Quinley // Adventure Awaits

And everyone else who I didn't mention because really I just don't want to make you feel obliged to do this because you mightn't want to. If you haven't done this before, please consider yourself tagged. Like, honestly. Do. Please. I want to see your answers. DO ALL THE ANSWERING, OKAY? :P

Or else you could just answer them in the comments, because I'm a curious person.


Do you make character or story playlists?
(drop me a link if you do!!! Mine are on my youtube channel: here)
What's your's or your character's MBTI??
(as I said, I'm curious. :P)

The #VoicesofYA Tag // an excuse for me to shriek over books + writing

Well it's been a while since one of these, hasn't it.

BUT WE'RE BACK. Tagging has come upon me again, this time by a certain Jonathan Trout (check out his blog: Fishing 4 Ideas) so many thanks to you. *gives pizza*

This time it's all about books so brace yourselves, my readers. I am about to begin. (and who knows when I will stop, once I've got going) (actually, I'll probably stop when it gets too late and I'm too tired so there you go, deadline for me)

What draws you to YA?

Well possibly because I am a young adult?? I'm sure there's some deep philosophical reason for this but I can't think of one for the life of me.
Also because adult books are a bunch of 'eh' and terrible content. And there's only so many middle grade books out there that are well written enough to hold my attention. (but if you were looking for recommendations, I definitely have several up my sleeve) So that leaves me with YA. So YA it is most of the time.


Describe your writing process. Do you like outlines and structure, or seeing where the story takes you?

Normally I'm fairly plotted out. I do a bullet-point list of chapter-by-chapter short summary (like 'Gets kidnapped by russian mafia, bargain with them, gets released') for the entire thing. And plotting out character arcs and theme and alll the fun stuff.

Unfortuantely I haven't gotten time to do that for my Camp NaNo one yet -what with trying to finish my Rogue Escarlate edits- so eep. I'm trying not to freak out over here.


How long have you been writing? Where are you in your journey?

LONG WINDED ANSWER:

Okay so when I was 10-11, I wrote these short stories about a little girl (apparently she was 5) and her dad and the plot line of every single one was: girl has a random thought - asks father a deep question - father grabs bible and reads a passage that answers it - girl goes off happily with this newfound knowledge.
I was very proud of those stories. (actually, reading back through them, there is one that is legitimately really interesting because it was written in the middle of when I was clearly struggling. It was basically a true story with names changed, and I'd almost forgotten the event itself, so it was almost like reading a diary entry five years later.)

Then a little bit after that, I wrote the most horrible, weird...thing. That was pretty much a retelling of The Man from Snowy River.

AND THEN (somehow this turned into me telling you about all the awful things I've written) I coauthored the unspeakable fanfic/cliche/plotless/horror that-must-not-be-named. BUT THAT'S OKAY because I burnt it dramatically in April this year and it shall never rise from the ashes again.

Then along came OYAN and The Bridge of Anskar and yeaaah. Also cliche. But hey, it wasn't too bad considering that Man from Snowy River parody thing. *nervous laugh*

And now I have a first-draft-trilogy and several other various stories and I'm pretty sure I can confidently say that I've improved.

SHORT ANSWER:

About five years.

And where am I on my journey? I'm only right at the very beginning. I have barely begun to discover the twists and turns of this business. There's so much more that I haven't even started to learn.
I can't wait to continue on this endless journey.


What do you need to write? Coffee? Music?

a) Laptop
b) Fingers
c) Brain

Plus optional bonus chai tea and music (although chai tea does make it hard to type?? because it requires me holding the cup and one day I'm going to tip tea on my lap and shriek very loud - just a warning for all my family). Fingers and laptop are partially optional also, but they're preferable. Brains are not optional. JUST SO YOU KNOW.

If you could offer one piece of advice to another writer, (OTHER THAN "don't give up"), what would it be?

Never forget who you're writing for.
Are you writing for yourself, because you like doing it?
Are you writing for the readers who will love it one day?
Are you writing it for the money you'll get when you top the bestseller's list?

OR

Are you writing for the Creator of the universe, you gave you the gift? Are you writing to use that gift for His glory?

It shouldn't be a hard question to answer.


What book still has you reeling from its plot twist?

Two books:

           

Read them.
That is all I have to say.


What books are you most anticipating for this year?

Renegades - Marissa Meyer // I have a huge liking for the Lunar Chronicles and I love the idea of this book, so I'm definitely looking forward to it's release.

The Ship of the Dead - Rick Riordan // I have the first two books on my shelf so obviously they need number three. AND ALSO the Magnus Chase books are so funny. Almost funnier than Percy Jackson. *fangirl gasps* (and on that note, Percy is going to be in this one so yeet another good reason that I'm excited for this)

Exiles - Jaye L. Knight // I HAVEN'T ACTUALLY READ THE REST OF THE SERIES. I've read Resistance and the preview of Half-Blood and I loved them both and all the feels and so much epicness so yes. I am excited for this even though I probably won't be reading it for a while yet. :P

In your opinion, which YA book/series has the most unique premise? 

NOTE: I'm really bad at 'premise's so just pardon any misconceptions I might have over the word, but if you have a good definition - tell me in the comments because I'd love to know. XD

Okay this one is hard. I've read so many books with quirky an unique concepts and choosing is super tricky. But just to pick two random ones:

Storming: biplane flier in a small-town meets steampunk flying worlds. It caught my attention easy.
The New Recruit: (I just wanted any excuse at all to mention this book really :P) A stubborn nonchristian becomes a member of a Christian...spy organsation? Cool. Very muchly so. 


What is your all-time favourite quote from YA?

Excuse me. How could I decide something like that?? *distant screams* I'm just going to go for a super memorable, feels-y one.

“KISS ME, HARDY! Kiss me, QUICK!” - Code Name Verity (Elizabeh Wein)

It doesn't really make a super lot of sense by itself, but in the book it's heartbreaking. Trust me on this one. Or actually no, read the book and you'll see. It's not a romance. It's about planes and war and friendship.

What book do you most hope will have a movie adaptation? 

I'm assuming that this is an utterly perfect movie adaption. Of course. Humm, that's a tough question though.

Out of Time - Nadine Brandes
Ilyon Chronicles - Jaye L Knight
Storming - K. M. Weiland

I CAN'T DECIDE. *bookworm's brain explodes because that question is too stressful*


And with that, I complete my question-answering at last.

AND NOW FOR TAGGING PEOPLES
- now I shall just note that if you don't want to do this that's fine. I won't be offended. 70% guarantee that I will have forgotten anyway after about three weeks and won't even notice, but if you do do it, it'd be a pleasant surprise -

Jem Jones

Gray Marie

Jess Penrose

+ anyone else who wants to do this thing

Everyone else: GO CHECK OUT THEIR BLOGS. I'm eternally in love with Jem's owl, it's so cute. And Gray's posts are amazing (also she has the most cool curly hair, honestly). And Jess is my cousin, so I can personally confirm that she's a pretty cool person.

And look at this. I have a handy dandy list of the questions here for you to copy-paste as you will.

What draws you to YA?
Describe your writing process. Do you like outlines and structure, or seeing where the story takes you?
How long have you been writing? Where are you in your journey?
What do you need to write? Coffee? Music?
If you could offer one piece of advice to another writer, (OTHER THAN "don't give up"), what would it be?
What book still has you reeling from its plot twist?
What books are you most anticipating for this year?
In your opinion, which YA book/series has the most unique premise? 
What is your all-time favourite quote from YA?
What book do you most hope will have a movie adaptation? 

And there we have it. I hopefully didn't bore anyone and you're all adding books to your TBR already like the good little minions you are.


Are there any books that left you reeling from the unexpected plot twists?
What's one of your favourite book covers?
(this is one of the questions that were sadly left out, obviously)
JUST TALK TO ME ABOUT ALLLL THE BOOKS.

The Reluctant Godfather - Allison Tebo // Blog Tour

You know those times that you pick up a book, read the first page and just know you're going to enjoy it?

Quite recently, I had one of those wonderful experiences. And I wasn't let down at all. The book -as you have probably guessed by now- was The Reluctant Godfather, by Allison Tebo. I was very privileged to be given a free copy of the book to review, and can I just say that I'm very glad I accepted. Because a) free books can never go wrong xD and b) keep reading to find out why :P

So today, I'm participating in the blog tour in honour of this quirky, funny, Cinderella retelling.

What were my thoughts on this book? Glad you asked.

It was VERY GOOD INDEED. Five. shiny. stars.

First off, the characters. Oh goodness yes the characters. *hugs them all very tightly* (*except for the nasty ones*) They all had arcs and growth through the story that was done so. well. And for a Cinderella retelling, you might think there's only so many options available. BUT NO. These characters are not typical or cliche. Not at all. Let me explain.

-Burndee is sarcastic and grumpy and NEAT. <3 I loved him right from the very first moment because yess it was so cool and unique.

-Ella is sweet and seems naive until she shifts and you get to see a thoughtful deeper side of her that is just beautiful and real.

-Prince Colin admittedly wasn't my favourite, but I still really enjoyed him anyway. I would've liked it better if I'd gotten to see more of him, because as it was I was slightly unsure of the twists and turns of his character and personality.

-And Cynthia and Portia and de Ghent and all of the rest. They were all really well done and written in such a realistic and believable way.

This is a Cinderella retelling so of course there's romance. I'm mostly 'eh' about romance in books, but I know it can be done well. But in The Reluctant Godfather I really enjoyed it. It was done perfectly and I have absolutely nothing to protest about. Except [SPOILER] (highlight text to read) - maybe the very last scene after "they" married? I don't know but it just seemed a little bit forced and didn't quite fit as perfectly as it could have. But hey, I can deal with that. -

I really loved the entire writing style. I absolutely adored the snarky humour and I actually laughed aloud at least once. Basically all the cliches that had a chance in this story were tipped right upside down. For starts, it's a fairy godfather. A smart prince who is actual real and human and won't just toss his life away to any random beautiful lady who has a small foot. A Cinderella who is sweet and hard working and yet is different than every other retelling I've read.

And I have to mention the plot twists. Admittedly, I guessed the main twist waaay before it happened, but that's not too unexpected. And it was still really cool and basically the whole climax had me on edge and giggling and frustrated all at the same time.

Overall, this was a wonderful, easy read. And the main character bakes pastries and cakes. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG THERE. Trust me. Read this and you won't regret it.

Recommended for everyone. It doesn't matter whether you like whimsical fairy tales or not. Think about the grouchy baker, okay? And the cakes and pastries. It'll be great, I promise.

- - -

- the book -

A humorous and magical re-telling of Cinderella from a unique perspective.

Burndee is a young and cantankerous fairy godfather, who would rather bake cakes than help humans. A disgrace to the fairy order, Burndee has only two wards entrusted to his care…a cinder girl and a charming prince.

A royal ball presents Burndee with the brilliant solution of how to make his wards happy with the least amount of effort. He’ll arrange a meeting and hope the two fall in love.

- the author -

ALLISON TEBO is a Christian homeschool graduate in her mid-twenties, who works part time as a sales associate for a major transportation company.  A graduate of London Art College, Allison pursues avenues in cartooning and illustrating as well as singing and voice acting.
In her spare time she writes and blogs at www.allisonswell.com.

It is her goal to write fiction that appeals to many different kinds of people, by writing clean, classic fun.

Her faith in Christ directly influences all she writes about — or does not write about.  Whether the story possesses a strong message or is simply fun and imaginative fiction — her desire is to bring honour to God and to provide quality stories for everyone to enjoy.

- - -

- the giveaway - 

Allison is also hosting an amazing giveaway on her website - prizes including a signed paperback copy of The Reluctant Godfather.

Unfortunately this is ONLY OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS. 
(So all fellow Aussies (and other 'international' places) don't get your hopes up. Come visit me and I'll lend you my copy instead. Maybe we could even forge Allison's signature and pretend it was signed? The options are unlimited.)

But for you lucky American peoples, hop over -this link here- to look at the amazing assortment of things Allison has all for free.

- - -

“You humans certainly have your hearts set on being happy, don’t you?”

- Burndee, The Reluctant Godfather

- - -

Are you all ready to give this book a closer look now?
(if not PLEASE SPEAK TO ME AND I WILL CHANGE YOUR MIND. You're welcome, in advance)
Are there any of 'those books' that you've read and fallen in love with at first sight?
(such romance. Love at first sight. xP)

Attack of the Reading Slump // 10 books my brain doesn't want me to read

Let me give you two terribly important, and terribly random facts.

a) My last bookish post was August last year. SHAME ON ME. (This is not counting the Songkeeper blog tour because technically that wasn't me writing the post, it was Gillian.)

b) This year I have read a total of *drumroll please* ten books. *cries forever* IT'S SO SAD AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME ANYMORE.

*cough cough* Anyways. Screaming in caps over (actually they keep going in a bit, but shhh that's in another three paragraphs) this post is actually going to be all about me and the books I want to read but my reading-slumped brain doesn't seem to want to take the time to pick up.


Basically, this year I've been busy with writing projects, music, critiquing, school work and general life stuff. Which equals out to not very much reading time at all. (I've actually almost read more critiquing novels than published/just-for-fun novels...but that's sort of cool, because I love critiquing and helping writers improve their works.)

Anyways. I have a bunch of books just sitting around that I desperately want to read. But at the same time I don't? I'm not even sure how that works, so don't question the inner workings of my strange mind. I'm pretty certain that the ten books I have read probably have something to do with my problem, though. I read four books that I rated four stars out of five. AND six five-out-of-five stars.
(YES WOW BE IMPRESSED. AND THEN GO READ THE BOOKS) (And you can check out which books these were right along this handy dandy link)

So with all that epicness it's a little hard for most other books to live up to the standard. And every book I try just seems to slog down and drag me into the abyss of Khazad dûm. And now I'm just worried that it'll keep happening and all these books that I desperately want to read, just won't be as good as I expect.

So without any further ado and in no particular order:

-the titles and authors link to the goodreads page-

Dragonwitch (Tales of Goldstone Wood #5)
Anne Elisabeth Stengl

This one is sitting on my sister's bookshelf and I know it'll be great. Buuut something doesn't want me to read it. AND I DON'T KNOW WHYYYY. I love all the Tales of Goldstone Wood that I've read so far (Veiled Rose was one of the ten I read this year, and I cried so many times. It was amazing.) so I'm fairly well convinced that this one will be no different.





Heartless
Marissa Meyer

a) Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles are great. AND WHAT IF THIS ISN'T AS GOOD???
b) apparently this is heartbreaking so I'm tossing up between choosing to murder my feels or avoid this book. 







Reckless (Mirrorworld #1)
Cornelia Funke

Alright I'm going to be honest with you. A lot of what is keeping me from this book is the cover. Weird looking eyeball with random marks (tree branches?) around it?? Uhm...excuuuse me, but is that supposed to make me want to pick up the book? Because it doesn't. It makes it look weird.
(But my copy for book two actually has a really super cool cover, so I've got to read this one just so I can read the one with the cool cover as well.)



The Brethren Rise (The Dream of Hope)

C. D. Hulen

This one is actually high on my priorities list. Because I know the author from the OYAN forum and hey would you look at that, a free copy of the book. Such a wonderful opportunity. But I desperately don't want it to have a self-published feel to it, and typos and mistakes and all that dreaded horror. BUT I KNOW IT WON'T.


But I must say that I do rather like that cover. It's pretty darn cool.




The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive #1)
Brandon Sanderson

Okay I admit, part of what's stopping me from reading this is because it's so. insanely. long. I know it's good and that I'll like it. But it's so long and what if it's not as epic and fast paced and can't-put-it-down as I want it to be??

And even worse, what if that happens and I get stuck right in the middle of the thousand-page novel and have to somehow drag myself through the rest? *cries*



Treachery Against The House Of Fairwin
Daeus Lamb
(Very sadly this book isn't actually on goodreads. But his other one is, so you can go check that out instead.)

GUESS WHAT. This was also a free book. And I sort of know Daeus from Kingdom Pen forum/video panels. So when there was an offer of his book for free I couldn't resist and jumped right in instantly. (Hint: If you offer me a free book I will take it. I will take it right away.)

But half I just haven't gotten to it yet, and half high expectations that might let me down and I don't want that to happen. I want it to be a good book.

(But on that note you can all get this ebook for FREE if you hop over to Daeus' website)


Fallen Star (Tales of Goldstone Wood #8)
Anne Elisabeth Stengl


Aaand another of these wonderful books. It's got to be great. So...why don't I want to read it? I DON'T EVEN KNOW ANYMORE.

It sounds like such an intreiging story, and I've read Veiled Rose which has this character in it and I honestly want to know her story so bad. So what - I ask - is wrong with my brain?



Dreamlander
K. M. Weiland

Here's another one that I know is pretty long. And also, I read Storming last year and goodness was it amazing. (5 gajillion stars for that one.) But this one. Will it be as good? Should I be expecting better or slightly less good? I can't decide. Hence it's been taunting me just out of reach.






A Question of Honor (Questions of War #1)
Jesseca Wheaton


I actually got given a free (yes, another free ebook for Jane xD) e-copy of this in exchange for my review AND I HAVEN'T MANAGED TO GET TO IT YET. And I feel awful about it. Such shame. And I really really want to read it too. I'm probably most likely getting to this one next after my current read. (Insignia, if you were curious)





Steelheart (Reckoners #1)
Brandon Sanderson

Aaand I'm finishing up with another Brandon Sanderson book. Because why not. This one I don't have any good reasons for why I'm not reading it yet. Other than that I'm busy, basically. >.<




And all these things are seeming to come down to one problem: "What if it's not as good as I think it will be?" But no matter how much I tell myself that it's ridiculous and I know that they'll be good, I just. can't. read. *sighs*

Such is the attack of the reading slump.

I keep comparing myself to last year when I read 27 books in January. But that said, last year I hadn't written two entire novel drafts in the first four months, finished a trilogy, and started on editing book one of said trilogy...When I think of it that way, I don't actually mind so much.


Are there any books that you have just sitting around that you haven't gotten to read yet?
How do you get yourself out of a reading slump?
(I need the cure please. xD)