JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS // 2018

Here is the first wrap-up post of the new year! January isn't quite over, but it will be in a few more days. (which means that we're 1/12 of the way through the year! yikes.) It felt so weird typing in 2018 for the post title. 'Tis insane.

I started off 2018 by celebrating Christmas. Yes, that sounds confusing, but we had to postpone our celebrations because of sickness. It's that time of year where everyone and their cousin's cat has come down with some cold/flu/sore throat/etc type of thing. I basically need to enter a quarantine center to stay away from it all. o.o 

One of my favorite presents for Christmas (Though I don't think I can actually narrow it down to one favorite, because each is special in it's own way. :P) was a daisy tote bag that I can use for lugging all of my writing stuff to and from the coffeeshop! Daisies are my favorite flower -- they're happy-looking, and I like happy things. :)

It's been a cold January. And to make things worse, during one of the coldest weeks (when we were experiencing temperatures in the -20s, brrr), our family's car lost heat. That was not a fun week of travel to and from work. xD BUT THANKFULLY IT'S FIXED! But it was strange seeing my breath in the car and losing feeling in my fingers. xD

Speaking of winter, I WATCHED THE WINTER SOLDIER THIS MONTH. Goodness, I adore that movie. So many feelings. and scenes that brought tears to my eyes. <3 <3 Also, the countdown for Infinity Wars continues. 96 DAYS! (I apologize, but I probably won't stop screaming about it until it comes out. :P)

I saw Darkest Hour in the theater which was pretty good! My favorite part about the whole experience was this nice, old dude who sat next to me. He started talking about how he lived through the history of the movie and fought in the Korean War. I think it's so cool to hear about a stranger's story. (and kind of sad, because you'll probably never see them again)

A random joke that I came across while procrastinating: Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. (it took me a moment to get it, but when I did I couldn't stop laughing)

Fawkes [5/5] - YOU GUYS. YOU NEED TO READ THIS WHEN IT COMES OUT. It's a beautiful historical/fantasy retelling of Thomas Fawkes and the gunpowder plot. Nadine's words are magical. :D

The Picture of Dorian Gray [3/5] - I actually enjoyed this one! Usually classics aren't my cup of tea, but THAT ENDING. Oh my gosh it was great. o.o

Scythe [5/5] - This was a reread in anticipation for the sequel coming out! It's been awhile since I've read this one so I forgot some of the twists that happened. xD 

Thunderhead [4/5] - This was the sequel to Scythe! And... it wasn't as good as the first one. *sobs* It was still interesting... but... kind of long. And I didn't care for some of the characters. Sigh. I'm still excited for the third one, though!

After taking a couple months off, I'm back into the swing of edits! Right now I'm working on the third draft of Where Shadows Lie, and having a really fun time with it (me, having fun editing? whaaaaaat?). In February I plan to do a post explaining my process with third-drafting. I'm editing on paper for the first time (which means fun pens and notebooks!) and it's been so incredibly helpful.

As I finish up chapters of this third draft, I'm meeting with my friend Emma to exchange chapters with each other. I'm not going to lie: it was terrifying. This is the first time anyone's read past the first three pages, but she's already proven to be so helpful with her comments. And it's so good to meet in person so I can ask her questions and get an immediate, honest answer. 

I already have a page filled with things to change -- and that's just from her reading the first three chapters. The edits just never stop. xD

Here are the posts I published this month! If you missed any of them, clicking on the picture will lead you to the post. :)

That's all I've got for today (I feel like this was a shorter monthly highlights post?) -- I hope the last couple days of January are absolutely fabulous for all of you! These next few days are filled with work and school and writing for me (and a dentist appointment, ugh), but they should be good anyway. It's what you make of it, right?

I'd love to hear about your January! Did the first month of the year live up to your expectations? If this month was a bit chaotic and crazy, don't fear, because you're not alone in that. And February's coming up for a fresh, new start. *puts on cool sunglasses* Let's go and conquer.

<3,
katie grace

did you see any good movies this month?