Monthly Highlights - October

Saturday, October 31, 2015
HAI GUYS, I'M BACK.

The two week hiatus went WAYYYY faster than I expected it to. But, I'm slowly catching all of the falling leaves and life is finally piecing itself back together again. Except the fact that NaNoWriMo is tomorrow, hahahaha.

But, here's the October "monthly highlight" installment as promised.



                    T h e    H i g h l i g h t s 

- I got a haircut! It was needed, too. Long hair looks nice and all that, but it drives me crazy so there's no more having that urge to tear all my hair out because it's all in my face. So this is how you'll be seeing me over the internet from now on:



- I FINALLY saw Age of Ultron and, um, excuse me. Ouch. Help. Nonono they weren't supposed to kill THAT character. *pouts forever*

- I also saw The Martian in the theaters (thank youuu, Mom and Dad for the surprise. xD) which I think was better than I expected it to be. I laughed a lot. :P

- I babysat these two adorable children and one of them said (prayed) the funniest things:


- Also, I have been exchanging chapters of Song of the Desert with my critique partner to start getting it ready for beta readers, and she gave me just about the best compliment ever. *looks pointedly at her who's probably reading this*



- Our youth group set up a harvest festival at our church as an alternative for Halloween. Each grade sets up a themed room with decorations, candy, and games. Our theme this year was "Under the Sea." The earliest I can post pictures is the 1st, so I'll edit them into the post if you want to check back then. ;)

- And of course excessive listening to Twenty One Pilots was a thing. Cause why not. 
- *whisper* I um have NINETY-ONE OF YOU GUYS reading my posts and honestly that just makes me so happy. Like, there are no words. So thank youuu. <3
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B o o k   T h i n g s

So, this month was literally the worst month of reading so far this year. Guess how many books I read.
Go.
In your minds.
Take a guess.

(No, I'm not being sarcastic in that this was the worst month.)

I READ NOTHING. 
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. 

Okay, that's only a tiny bit of a lie. I did read some things: 65k of my novel, beta read chapters for two writing buddies, blog posts, the first couple chapters of Gregor the Overlander, and all that.

BUT I DIDN'T READ ANY REAL BOOKS. 

So excuse me while I go cry because this is a tragedy. And since NaNo is stinking TOMORROW I doubt I will get any reading done during that month. Which only means that I'm going to read a bazillion books in December. :3

GIVEAWAYS: 

- win six Enclave Publishing books! (only open for a few more hours, so enter quickly!)

- you can win a copy of Radical by David Platt AND A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes here!

- Cait @ Paper Fury is giving away two ebooks... one you get to choose, and the other she picks FOR you. (Neat idea, right?)

-
  R a m b l i n g s   o f   t h e   M o n t h    

I actually had a pretty good month of posting despite my two week hiatus and crazy insane schedule.



I posted about the stresses of life in general and trying to catch a bazillion falling leaves at once.
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Aaaand here I wrote about all of the end of the year goals I have. (One of the goals may or may not include pizza. Surprise, right?)
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Aaand lastly I shared the first post in my new series: Easy Blog Tutorials for the Blogspot Blogger. Want to learn how to off the annoying Navbar at the top of your blog? *points to post* I share it there.

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O t h e r   A w e s o m e   P o s t s

This post by Zachery of "alternate titles for sci-fi and fantasy" post is quite hilarious.

MY VERY GOOD WRITERLY FRIEND SIERRA STARTED A WRITING BLOG AND GO FOLLOW IT BECAUSE I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS.

So I read fast. Very fast. Like I can read five-books-in-two-days fast. Cait @ Paper Fury posted a lovely post about the dire agonies of being a speed reader. (There are lots of problems. o.o)

Aimee made me laugh (as always, let's be real, here) with her very truthful post about NaNoWriMo. In her words: "NaNoWriMo is awesome. There are no survivors." *nervous laughter*

I found this book review blog that reviews books from a Christian perspective. (and lists the content) Yass, I needed this.

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T h e   W o r l d   o f   W r i t i n g

*whistles innocently* ...



I'm about three-fourths of the way down with my third draft for Song of the Desert! As I mentioned above, as I'm line editing/adding new scenes, I'm sending them to my critique partner who's *very* helpful. I succeeded in my 65k editing goal (yesss) and so I'm just relived that editing is over. xD (until December, but I'll just ignore that.)

So NANO starts tomorrow. I'll be staying up until midnight (because why wouldn't you start off a month with little sleep with sleep deprivation?) to celebrate the start. I'm writing the sequel to Song of the Desert and it's titled The Sand Dragon's Song. 
(I'm so happy that all these titles are working out for me -- does someone else understand this wonderful feeling? :P)

But even though ALL I'm going to be doing is writing these next weeks, it feels weird to not be writing, so I'm okay with it. ;)

-
T h i n g s   t o   C o m e!

What you can expect in November: 

  • weekly posts on NaNo! I'll be linking to other NaNo posts, sharing progress, rambling on about NaNo in general, *maybe* snippets and all that sort. i promise it will be more interesting than it sounds.
  • november monthly highlights. 
  • a TAG or the second post in BLOGSPOT BLOGGER design. (I'll do whichever one has the most votes down in the comments. ;)

- Katie Grace 

So which post do you want to see in November? Did you read more books than me? (I wouldn't be surprised if EVERYONE did. xD) 
Are you staying up until midnight for NaNo? ARE YOU EXCITED? IF YOU AREN'T, GET EXCITED! 

47 comments :

  1. Sorry you didn't get to read much! That stinks. :P
    Glad writing's going well. Also, I love your new haircut- you look so adorable!
    Danke for pointing me to that Enclave books giveaway.
    BTW, your link to the "alternate titles" post doesn't seem to be working?

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    1. *sniff* I know. :P I'm DEFINITELY going to make up for it in December. I'm so excited to binge read all these new books I've been heearing about.
      Thank youuu. <3

      Huh. *sniffs at the post* Ruuu-uude. I'll fix it. :P

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  2. Looks like you had an interesting month! Thats awful that you didn't get to read much! I read twelve books. I'm not staying up until midnight, but I am excited about NaNo! Also I'm freaking out a bit, I'm not sure I'm ready. My goodness your last tweet made me laugh. Thank you so much for sharing!
    -Mikayla-

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    1. Whoah. Twelve?! That's super impressive. What was your favorite book out of those twelve?

      Hehe, you're welcome! xD
      (btw, I love your new profile pic. ;)

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    2. Thanks! I got sick and spent most of my time reading! My favorite book among them was Grandmother's Letters by Rebekah Jones. It was REALLY good. Have you read any of her books?

      Thanks! =D
      -Mikayla-

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    3. Aww, being sick isn't fun! But reading is, so I suppose they balance each other out? Are you feeling better now?
      *shakes head* I haven't heard of it or read any of her books... I suppose I'll have to check them out. ;)

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    4. Yeah, it was almost worth it just to read that much! ;D Yes, I am feeling much better, thanks!
      -Mikayla-

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  3. Nice haircut :)
    That little boy is so precious, I want one.
    Twenty One Pilots is the best.
    Good luck with Nano!

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    1. Thanks! <3
      Haha, right? I find it funny how much he loves Batman despite that he really knows nothing about him. xD

      *gasp* You like Twenty One Pilots, too? Yesss. I get so excited when I meet another fan, so, yay! *high fives*

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  4. Well, I think I finished only one book this month. I was kind of on one of those reading hiatuses in which I feel absolutely no motivation to read books. But in this past week I've continued reading a book, started reading two more, and finished aforementioned one. So I feel good about it.
    Oh, and I love your haircut! And hah, you don't know real pain about having long hair; mine is something like two feet long in a ponytail.
    I wish you all the best in NaNo this year, and I'll be praying for you. *huggles and cheers you on*

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    1. Yeah... This fall I've been in a bit of a reading slump where I don't want to read any books, but yet I do, so I just keep trying and failing. :P
      Thanks! o.o That's... That is long. I don't think I'd ever have the patience for that. xD Do you think you'll ever cut it?

      Aww, thanks! *hugs*

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  5. loveeee the new haircut, girl! <3 So so cute! Sadly *sobs* I won't be doing NaNo this year..I've been experiencing technical difficulties with writing.. A.K.A. Writers block..or even writers block where you have no motivation. ouch. Atleast I did both the camps and won each time. whoo! November is always a super busy month for me though. Oh well, maybe next year. Perhaps I'll set a small goal of 100 words a day..who knows.

    Good luck to NaNo to you! Stock up on chocolate, cider and all things crunchy! ;)

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    1. AHHH THANK YOU! <3

      I saw this pin on Pinterest once that described writer's block like this: "WRITER'S BLOCK: When your imaginary friends stop talking to you." :P

      It's amazing how much 100 words can add up. Do that for 100 days and you have 10,000. Do it for the month of November and you have 3,100. :)

      Haha. I read it has "stock up on chocolate cider!" That would taste... interesting. ;)

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    2. lol. I've seen that one. I wish it wasn't true. :P

      Very true, very true! It's also the habit that counts. I would rather they have NaNoWriMo in the Spring, or January when everyone is stuck indoors. Then again, they do have Camp in April..but I think they should do it earlier. ;)

      lol. Quite...interesting. :P

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    3. Ah, yeah, very true. Oh well. :P Maybe someday they'll offer a earlier program. Like winter camp. xD

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  6. I've been reading more books that I have time for with school and everything. Oh well. :)

    Good luck with NaNo!

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  7. I would love to see the blogger design post! I wish I was doing NaNoWriMo :/ I took the scary step of letting someone outside of my family read my WIP! Of course, this friend I gave it to is practically family :D I am getting kinda nervous because I haven't heard back from her yet and it's been over a week and it's a fairly short book and she's a really fast reader... but oh well, I won't fret.I read a few books this month. I always enjoy reading your highlights :D

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    1. *takes a note* So far there's only been one vote (you) so that's probably what will happen. xD

      Oh my goodness. o.o Yikes. I'm sure she'll love it, but I understand the feeling of handing over your precious novel to other's eyes. *hugs* Tell me what she says!

      Good! :P These posts take soooo long to write up, so I'm glad they're worth it. ;)

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    2. My friend told me yesterday that she's loving my book :D *sighs with relief*
      I know what you mean. On my private blog sometimes I do an Awkward and Awesome post (I got the idea from Sarah at Sarah plain and average). Those are by far all of my readers favorite posts! Sometimes it takes me a whole day to put them together so I've been putting them off lately :/

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    3. OH GOOD. That's such a relief. :P I hope she continues to keep loving it--though I don't doubt that she will. ;)

      Ooh, those are so fun to read! And I bet they would take up a lot of time... and planning ahead. I would love to read one of them sometime. :)

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  8. That little boy. Oh my goodness, I love it. Reminds me of a little girl from church who, when praying for our food, thanked God that she got to sit across from me. My sisters and her sisters and I had the hardest time not laughing. The things little kids are thankful for!

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    1. Awww. That had to make you feel special. xD Little kids are just the best. :P

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    2. It did. :) So does her excited expression as she runs to give me a hug every week when they get to church. I love kids. They can be so funny sometimes.

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    3. Awww, that's so adorable. <3 Hugs from little kids are SERIOUSLY the best ever.

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  9. I keep meaning to tell you how gorgeous your haircut is. Sooo cute!! I just love it! <3
    It sounds like it's been quite the full month! And oh man, I understand the lack of reading thing. I think I read one book this month, and it was a reread so it hardly counts. So much to do, so little time! *flails around like a drunk octopus*
    Oh my goodness, a book review blog from a Christian perspective? I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS ALL MY LIFE. Thank you!!!
    A HUGE congrats to all your editing success. That's fantastic! :D

    NANOWRIMO STARTS AT MIDNIGHT. AAAAAHHHH!!!! I'm totally planning on staying up. Or...trying. I've done it every year so far, so I don't want to break tradition. But I'm already a little out of it today, so I'm worried I won't make it. XD But I'll try. I AM MOST DEFINITELY EXCITED. EEEEEE!!! Good luck to you! I hope it's the bestest NaNo ever! :D :D :D

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    1. AWW WELL THANKS! <3
      *flails around like a drunk octopus with you* I understand and let us weep together because of ittt. *weeps*
      RIGHT!? They just reviewed a book I've been wanting to read lately so it's so helpful. :P
      Thank you! <3

      Soooo... did you stay up? ;) It's 1:04 where I am write now and I have around 600 words. It's surprising how slow it is to write after being so used to editing. :P
      I HOPE IT'S THE BESTEST NANO FOR YOU, TOO! <3

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  10. Oh, reading - this month hasn't been good for me either. I did read one short book, and finish another couple I'd already been reading for ages, but that's hardly anything compared to what I used to find time to do. And un-read books are stacking up around me, and I just can't seem to get to them. :( I shall just have to take a week off to read, or sacrifice some sleep, or something...

    I'm looking forward to the posts you mentioned for November, and another blogger design post would be great! And all the very best with NaNo! I'm sure you'll do well.

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    1. It seems like everyone is struggling with reading this month... And I don't think NaNoWriMo will be any help with that. :P

      Awesome! Looks like a blogger design post is what I'll end up going with. ;)
      I dearly hope so! o.o

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  11. Age of Ultron was basically a movie that punched me in the feels so hard so many times. Especially when that one character died. It will never be okay. On another hand, The Martian was a great movie. It was interesting and funny and just great.

    I loved your blog design tutorial and it was super helpful and informative and you should definitely do another one.

    Also, NaNoWriMo is a thing now and I wish you the best of luck with it. o.o May you write aaallll the words needed to reach your goal.

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    1. UGH RIGHT? I MEAN, WHY?! (apparently in the comics he didn't die...? But I just can't see how they would be able to bring him back, so I'll just still be sobbing. :P)

      Okay! Looks like that's what I'll do. :D

      AHHH I KNOW IT'S STARTED. o.o I'm very scared/excited. *types furiously*

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    2. He'll walk it off. I mean, Steve did say 'If you get killed, walk it off' so ya know... *still in denial*

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    3. ... Yeah. Yeah. Let's just say he could walk off six bullet wounds to the chest.
      *cries*

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  12. have you ever read the book "One"? it is so good

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    1. That's by Kiera Cass, isn't it? If that's the one, I've heard of it... Wasn't it a prequel or something to the Selection series?

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    2. um, actually the one by kiera Cass is "The One" which i adore that book, its the third one in the series, if you read the first two, this is the deciding factor of your life(okay, it seemed like it was mine), just some input in there, don't get involved in the following trilogy(?), its about her daughter, i love it but the next book isn't out, i think there are only going to be two books though. the book i was talking about is seriously "One" its by Sarah Crossan, it was sooo good, just a precaustion, there was some stuff in it that wasn't the greatest Ex. religious descrimination, excessive drugs. But i still thought that it set the stage and made the book more real

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  13. It certainly looks like you had a good month! I gotta say—I do love that little boy's prayer. XD It is all too true. My favorite of your posts, I think, was "When the Leaves Fall at Last." Because it was all too real. XD Also, I want to look into some of those giveaways! Have a great November, Katie!

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    1. So adorable. xD
      Unfortunately it was all too real. :P I wish fall wasn't quite as a busy time for everyone, but I like the weather and sweaters, so that's a plus. ;)
      You too, Heather!

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  14. Thank you for finding the christian book weview blog! I'm only allowed to read clean fiction so that is awesome.
    Yas, I'm so excited for NaNoWriMo. I don't know why since because of t I'm evoking serious amounts of anxiety and anticipation thorough out the whole month.
    Hope your NaNo is going well. (:

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    1. Definitely! You'll notice that they have a system for reviewing so if you are unsure of what their "mild" language means or anything it's listened under one of the tabs. :)
      Aww, you can do it! *cheers* I'm rooting for you. :D

      Same to you! *hugs*

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  15. Hey, Katie, thanks for the mention. Glad you enjoyed the post. :-)

    As for books...uh, I think the only one I read was "A Time to Speak."

    Good luck on NaNo!

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    1. You're so welcome! :D

      Haha - I just read that yesterday. In one day. :P NaNo was worth giving up for the lovely book. ;)

      Thank you! Are you participating? If so -- good luck to you, too!

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    2. One day?! I'm impressed. It was an amazing book.

      I'm not doing NaNo, but I am working on some shorter stories.

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    3. Yesss. I stayed up until nearly midnight, but it was worth it. I think. That cliffhanger... -.-

      Ooh, awesome! You'll be able to do that. *nods*

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  16. I stayed up past midnight for NaNo haha. XD I'm currently reading Throne of Glass and Me, Just Different. I haven't finished them yet though. Soon! Happy NaNo! And may the muse be ever in your favor.

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

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    1. YES! High five for staying up late. ;)
      Ooh, Throne of Glass... I KEEP HEARING ABOUT THOSE BOOKS AND I REALLY NEED TO READ THEM. *ahem* Do you like it so far?

      Mwaha, same to you. ;)

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