#AMCURRENTLY // august 2019

It's been a while since I wrapped up a month! My last #AmCurrently was in January and now fall 2019 is almost upon us... Yeah, I'd say it's definitely time for an update. XD

August 2019. It's crazy to think about. THE MONTH IS ALMOST OVER. SCHOOL HAS STARTED. THIS TIME NEXT YEAR I'LL BE IN COLLEGE. I'M MORE THAN 60K WORDS INTO BLUE LIKE SAPPHIRES.

*cough* I'm getting ahead of myself. Clearly, I have a lot to talk about.

First things first:

- I started senior year of high school. Which is crazy to think about. It feels like just a second ago I was starting junior year, and now I'm a senior?? Like... WHAT?

via Giphy

Naturally, though, I'm incredibly excited to be so close to finishing high school! And I'm loving the way my homeschool schedule is set up. Credit to my mom for that; brain is happy. :D

- The soccer season started. I've been running trails and greenways in my area to keep my exercise up all spring and summer long (which, in the summer, has meant getting up ridiculously early to catch the semi-coolness before humidity chokes every living thing to death). I'm excited to finally be back into soccer! I get to hang out with friends again whom I hadn't seen or talked to in probably around a year. Mostly that means running around with them on the field, but that's just how it is with soccer friends. And I love it. XD

- Spent a lot of time with friends before school dared to swallow us whole. Pterodactyl-screaming with two besties in the river because the water = COLD. Meeting with another bestie at the library to write together and trying to peek around the table at the other's WIP. Floating in the lake with a noodle (I'm tellin' ya, those floaties are lifesavers for people like me who can't do deep water) at yet another bestie's birthday party. Eating ice cream together. Being silly + giggly together. Having deep conversations about the Christian life together. FRIENDSHIP IS AMAZING, OKAY. <3

Lately reading has taken a backseat to writing, which I'll get to in a moment. XD I have been reading, though, and my current book is Veiled Rose by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, book 2 in the Tales of Goldstone Wood.

Yes, I've FINALLY gotten around to this series! Heartless was an absolute gem, and I'm already loving Veiled Rose. It's weird but great, and the CHARACTERS. <3

My favorite thing about Stengl's stories so far is her way of incorporating Christian allegorical elements. So beautifully unconventional! In fact, they're so different and subtle that "allegory" hardly feels like the right word for it.

I'm especially looking forward to Moonblood because everyone seems to like that one the best. O_O

Right, so I'm over 60k words into Blue Like Sapphires. :D

via Disney - Blog Berth

Hence all the excitement and doubt and screaming and anxiety and feels that comes with the word-vomiting stage. XD

MORE THAN HALFWAY THROUGH EEK.

As for Dusted Red, I finally finished draft 4 and sent it to a handful of people! *SCREAMS FOREVER* My general and VERY TENTATIVE plan for this novel in the future goes like this: Start draft 5 content edits in December; finish draft 5 content edits by Christmas; start a line-edit partway through January or February; finish line-edit twoish months later (not sure XD); put out a call for beta-readers (*more screaming*); ... yeah.

Keep in mind, this is a tentative plan; however, I do want to recruit beta readers and get feedback that way before college starts. I just DO, okay?? And I'm tired of keeping people waiting. (If I waited until after college started, I don't know if it would ever happen. *sobs*) So. Telling you this will keep me motivated, I'm sure!

I've also been planning for the sequel to Blue Like Sapphires - book 3 in my Dusted Red trilogy-thing - and brainstorming for some other standalone novels + my reboot of The Seven Huntresses. You can view aesthetics for my aforementioned standalones HERE and HERE. They won't get written for probably a thousand years, but I can at least brainstorm for them and make aesthetics and listen to my playlists for them on repeat. *shrug*

~ tiny snippet ~

Traumatized was exactly the word I would use to describe my trip to Neverland. ~ Blue Like Sapphires

Behold, my current favorite songs! LISTEN. TO. THEM.

Thank you, Faith, for introducing me to this one. ^^^ It's more beautiful than words can say. <3

This one ^^^ is kind of only a favorite because it's the theme song for a certain character from Blue Like Sapphires - and book 3 - whom I love very, very much. It fits him so well it's kind of scary. O_o Everything from the lyrics (THIS BOY *cries*) to the sheer sound of the song.

Watching: I started watching BBC's Merlin this month! Three episodes in and I already love it. A lot.

I mean... LOOK AT THESE CHILDREN.

via Giphy

Journal snippets:

"When I think about it, surrender should be relaxing. It should be refreshing. And it should be peaceful. If it's stressful, it's probably not real surrender. 
Surrender is sitting back and letting God work through every area of my life. It's not pressurizing; it's releasing all the pressure I put upon myself. Every situation, every moment. It's important to be awake and aware, but it's also important to cast every care upon Him. The two are not contradictory."

"Walking with Jesus is, every moment, a fight. A fight to surrender and let Jesus fight for me, because He always wins. A fight against the very real darkness trying to tear me down and burn me up (in the subtlest ways). A fight against me, a fight for me. I just need to remember that and press on.

Lord, help me to remember."

~~~

Onto September, my friends. <3

The Lord's Truly,

Have you any tips for a high school senior like me? XD Have you read Tales of Goldstone Wood? Have you seen the Merlin show? What has God been showing you lately? Let's hang out in the comment section! It's cozy down there, I promise. :D

CIRCUS FANTASY AT ITS FINEST // the night circus by erin morgenstern

It's time! Book reviews have officially come back. Today I'll be reviewing a book using my special review format (which I introduced HERE) for the first time, and I'm excited to see how it goes.

The book - as many of you must have guessed when I hinted at it XD - is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

IT WAS PRETTY GOOD.

cover via goodreads

~GOODREADS BLURB, FOR THE CURIOUS~

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. 

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

pics via Pinterest - all credit to original creators

"The stillness of the tent becomes a quiet melancholy. Memories begin to creep forward from hidden corners of your mind. Passing disappointments. Lost chances and lost causes. Heartbreaks and pain and desolate, horrible loneliness. Sorrows you thought long forgotten mingle with still-fresh wounds. The stone feels heavier in your hand. When you drop it in the pool to join the rest of the stones, you feel lighter. As though you have released something more than a smooth polished piece of rock." ~ The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern

FANTASTIC

1. THE MOST UNIQUE, MOST EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUS EVER. Le Cirque des Rêves blew alllll my expectations out of the water. The creativity of this circus is OFF THE CHARTS, and I don't even know how I would begin to describe it. Nor would I even if I could - it's better to discover it for yourself.

2. The writing style is so exquisite it's almost otherworldly. I honestly can't decide which I loved more - the circus setting or the beautiful writing style. Refer back to the quote above to get a taste of what I'm talking about! The writing plunged DEEP into details, but at the same time it didn't bog the pages down with unnecessarily flowery description. The author painted every scene and character so vividly that getting lost in the moment was effortless. <3

3. The plot is slow-burn but never dull. I like a good slow-burn plot that keeps things interesting, whether that be with complex characters or answered questions that actually sprout more questions. The interlocking relationships among the big charrie cast in The Night Circus had me glued to the page.

To give you an idea of how perfectly the author handled the slow-burn plot... 1) I'm usually a slower reader, 2) this book is almost 400 pages WITH SMALL PRINT, and 3) I read it in EIGHT DAYS. I often take two weeks or more to read books shorter than that, so that should speak to how captivated I was by this story from beginning to end.

4. Poppet, Widget, and Bailey are the definition of precious and must be protected at all costs. My favorite characters in this book!! I'll also talk about them more below. :D In short: quirky redhead twins + a beautifully "normal" cinnamon-roll boy. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

5. Why 4 stars instead of 5? Mostly the main romance. I was excited to be reading this adult fantasy because I had read some reviews which implied very little questionable content. Like, waaaay less than the average contemporary YA. :P I went in knowing about the single f-bomb (it was literally on page 2, I think - and it was annoying, obviously, but also the only noteable language present). You'll have to highlight the next bit because I was afraid it could be a teensy spoiler? However, it's nothing important to the actual plot. In my opinion. Common Sense Media's main content review promised no romantic intimacy past some flirting and kissing, but... *sigh* Common Sense Media was dead wrong. ALWAYS TAKE THAT SITE WITH A GRAIN OF SALT, KIDS. Basically, there was a short, undetailed Scene. I was able to mostly skip it, but I would have liked to skip it entirely. Just one, but I'm annoyed with myself because I trusted Common Sense Media and didn't search for content reviews further.

I didn't particularly love the main romance in general. In fact, I found it hard to relate to Marco and Celia as individual characters. Since I'm not EXACTLY the target audience for this book, I won't begrudge them that. They were fine, I just didn't click with either of them like I did with Poppet and Widget, and Bailey. :D

In short, did I love this book? For the most part? YES, I DID. IT WAS AMAZING. Will I be avoiding secular, contemporarily-written, adult fantasy from now on, seeing as there's always something bad in it? Probably.

Onto the story aspects contest!

~STORY ASPECTS CONTEST~

3RD PLACE:

// plot //

My one complaint is very small. Sometimes the events of a chapters happened yeeeears (or sometimes just months or weeks, I believe?) before the chapter immediately before or after it. Whenever the chronology switched, so did the POV, but it was still difficult to keep straight sometimes. :P

But mostly, as aforementioned, I LOVED the slow-burn plot.

2ND PLACE:

// characters //

Bailey! Poppet! Widget! Although I couldn't relate to Marco and Celia a whole lot, I fell head over heels in love with these three children. <3 Poppet and Widget are red-haired twins born and raised as circus performers. They're weird, they have some fascinating abilities, and they are #SiblingGoals. And then Bailey is an ordinary kid with ordinary struggles, thrown into an extraordinary situation. They're beautiful, and the way their quirky, fun storyline merged with Marco and Celia's was brilliant. All the circus-founders were distinct and got heaps of captivating page time, and the way each of them contributed to the story was, again, BRILLIANT.

1ST PLACE:

// setting //

I CAN'T DO WORDS. THE CIRCUS IS ASTOUNDING AND THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY.

~~~

And that's a wrap! My first official book review, in the bag. XD I'm planning to do one every month, but don't be surprised if I'm inconsistent with that.

I will also try to vary the kinds of books I review. That includes aspects like the book's genre, my star rating, and age group (MG, YA, etc.). We'll also see how that goes. XD

I'll see you next week with a recap of August!

The Lord's Truly,

Have you read The Night Circus? Do you want to? What do you think of this review and its format? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!!

REACTING TO MY OLD BLOG POSTS PART 1 // commentary and gifs abound

Reacting to old/first videos is popular content on YouTube. It's always entertaining to watch, so I thought... why not do the same for my blog?? I decided to roll with the idea (last minute because I am a very last-minute blogger) and see where it took me. You're about to read the result!

First off, the ancient post I'll be reacting to today is not from this blog, The Red-Hooded Writer. It's from my old blog, The Cheapskate Bibliomaniac. The former is too young for the purposes of this demonstration, but the latter was started in October 2016, and the post I'll be reacting to today is the second one I EVER wrote. My mom and myself - and maybe one or two of my best friends, to whom I apologize XD - were the only audience at that time.

The post was first published October 8, 2016, and its name is "Bookstore Bittersweetness." (<< Do you have questions? Good.)

LET'S DO THIS THING.

Note 1: The original post will be in normal text. My commentary is in bold.

Note 2: All gifs are part of my commentary. When I first started blogging I don't think I even knew gifs were a thing, so... I didn't use them. Nor did I use any pictures or other visuals whatsoever. XD

~~~

For an enthusiastic reader such as myself, walking into a library or bookstore is like stepping into a whole new world full of beauty and promise.

Wow, WHAT an intro. 

via Giphy

It's 100% true, but... it sounds so naive. Since I was such a baby blogger, however, I'll forgive myself.

All those shelves and shelves of books, pleading with me to explore more worlds and befriend more characters. And the anticipation of walking back out with at least one new glorious find!

These days all I do is stare at books, sometimes stroke them, and then leave the library with nothing. Why? Because these days I request all my books ahead of time so the librarians have to get them for me. 😆

Honestly the only reason I go to the library anymore is to sit at a quiet table and write OR to pick up my pre-fetched books. Or both. XD It's still my favorite place ever, though!

Unless it's a bookstore, that is. If it's a bookstore, you can knock the anticipation part off the list and chuck it out the window.

via Tenor

Because when you're a cheapskate like me, you rarely carry money with you in public.

Adulting has ruined this. Nowadays I carry all my money with me in the form of a debit card. XD

It's just not something you find necessary. And even if you do happen to have some, it's not like you're going to buy anything with it.

The second-person tense here is quite effective, if I do say so myself.

Thankfully, because of libraries, thrifty bibliophiles like me have nothing to worry about.

via Gfycat

As long as I have my library card, I can pile up as many books as I want and take them home without spending a dime. It's something we should enjoy to its fullest extent. I mean, what if there were no libraries, and pretty much the only way to get a book was to buy it?

My writing voice in this post is super amusing for some reason. What can I say - I was a baby blogger. I only discovered my blogging community - my people :D - AFTER I stepped into the blogging world.

If that was the case, I would either be broke right now or wouldn't be in half as many book fandoms. Both sound appalling.

via Tenor

The thing is, holding a library book and holding one of my own are two very different things. Just ask any mother about the distinction between holding her own baby and holding another's.

OKAYYYYYY. I hate my younger self for using this analogy. WHAT WAS I THINKING? *hides*

While library books are wonderful (unless they've been plagued by water damage or have dried snot between the pages), you don't get to keep them. Actual possession is what bookstores are for.

Thank you, m'dear, for explaining the difference between a library and a bookstore. Such uncommon knowledge is valuable.

Also I've encountered snot between the pages of library books one too many times. Someone send help.  -_-

Ah, bookstores. In a way, they are better than libraries.

Oooooh, that is BOLD.

For one thing, while the vast majority of library books are hardcovers, the vast majority of bookstore books are paperbacks - in my opinion, paperbacks are better.

Why did I have this opinion? Probably because everyone else said they liked paperbacks better. Nowadays I don't really know?? There are pros and cons to both of them.

Also, the covers of bookstore books tend to have a special smoothness to them, their pages aren't even the slightest bit yellow, and I have yet to come across water damage or dried snot. Overall, they're nicer than library books.

via Tenor

If you have ever seen me in a bookstore, I'm the one who isn't ashamed to sit cross-legged on the floor in front of the shelf.

Now I'm ashamed because I haven't done that in FOREVER. O_o

It's always hard seeing a book that I have read before and loved, or have heard great things about and know I'll love. Those are the books I desperately want to buy. But then again...

*cue awkward storytelling section...*

I'm sitting in the bookstore holding the first book in the Michael Vey series by Richard Paul Evans.

To help with the visual:

I stare at the amazing cover. I read the amazing first chapter. I listen to my friend beside me gushing about the amazing characters. The problem is, thirty dollars are burning a hole in my pocket.

Let's just take a moment to appreciate my writing voice in this post.

Should I really spend my money on this? Is it worth it?

via Giphy

I argue with myself for five minutes, and after doing a quick cost-benefit analysis, finally snap the book closed and put it back on the shelf. The library has Michael Vey.

I think I was learning about cost-benefit analysis in school at the time I was writing this post. XD

I was also deep in the Michael Vey fandom, if that wasn't clear enough.

This is a constant struggle for me. A "cheapskate" is someone who hates spending money. A "bibliomaniac" is someone who loves owning books.

BEHOLD, THE REASONING BEHIND THE NAME OF MY OLD BLOG. That was the whole purpose of this post, and I think I nailed it.

via Giphy

They seem to contradict one another, but you can call me either one. If only there was a way to satisfy both of them all the time.

WHAT AN OUTRO. And I remain, to this day, the cheapest of cheapskate bibliomaniacs. *sigh* The struggle is real.

~~~

Final consensus: Cringey, obviously, but not toooooo bad? It could have been way worse, I'd say. My writing style is genuinely funny in some areas, and I choose to believe it was a fairly creative way of explaining my... interesting blog name. XD

I thought it would be fun to make this a mini blog series. Reacting to my most ancient posts from The Cheapskate Bibliomaniac. Let me know in the comments below what you thought of this and whether or not you'd be interested in a sequel or two!

The Lord's Truly,

Do you ever go back and read your ancient posts? XD If you're a blogger too, I'm interested to know what your oldest - or one of your oldest - posts was about! Let's discuss our old cringey posts in the comments below. ;P

100 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT BLOG TOUR // ft. an interview with author abbie emmons!

Welcome, friends, to the blog tour for 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons! If you didn't already know about it (though I bet you do), 100 Days of Sunlight is a contemporary YA story about a blind girl who meets a boy with no legs. It sounds FANTASTIC and BEAUTIFUL and I can hardly wait to read it. <3

Today I'll be interviewing the author, Abbie Emmons, about all things regarding 100 Days of Sunlight and her general writing! I'm so excited to feature her on my blog in celebration of her book's release, and I dearly hope you enjoy our talk. :D

~INTERVIEW WITH ABBIE EMMONS~

First off, CONGRATULATIONS on publishing your book!! We're all soooo pumped to read it. When and how did it become clear to you that 100 Days of Sunlight was going to be the first book you would publish?

Thank you so much, Lila!! I’m so excited to be publishing my debut novel, and beyond thrilled and honored that you are looking forward to it as well! You rock. ;)

When I first wrote the book, I knew it was going to be my debut novel – there’s just something super special about it to me. I consider it to be my best work, and before I even finished writing the first draft I knew it would be my first published work. 

You are obviously a BIG inspiration to so many writers (myself included) through your epic blog and YouTube channel, but who are some bloggers, YouTubers, or other creators who have inspired you as a writer? :D

Oh my goodness, thank you!! That means so much to me. Some creators who inspire me a lot are: my sister K.A. Emmons, Jasmine, Grace Anne, Keira, Mary Shelley, Olivia, Lavendaire, Amy Landino, and Sunny Lenarduzzi (and so many more!) 

We know from the blurb that 100 Days of Sunlight includes disability rep. How did you go about researching that? Do you enjoy researching for your stories?

My research process involved lots and lots and lots of reading; it was a super fascinating and educational journey that I really enjoyed. I read tons of blog posts, first-hand accounts, articles, more blog posts, watched vlogs and videos, asked questions, and read some more. The most interesting thing I learned is that every person’s experience is very different. This allowed me to give my characters a unique experience with the disabilities they faced, while still staying true to what I had learned of real-life experiences. Also, my editor had worked as a sighted guide at a center for the blind, so she was able to give some great input on Tessa’s condition and experiences.

Have you had any worries or anxieties connected to the release of your debut novel, and how have you fought those negative feelings?

I think every creator has to face these feelings of anxiety and self-doubt when putting out a piece of art that you’ve poured tons of time and energy and love into. But publishing a book feels so much more monumental than anything I’ve ever done, so the anxiety is amped up x10! My family has been a huge support to me during every step of the process, and they always help me stop overthinking and assure me that I just have to trust everything will work out fine. :)

What would you give as a comp title for 100 Days of Sunlight?

Hmm, probably Wonder, The Fault in Our Stars, and Five Feet Apart.

What is your favorite font to write with?

It really depends on my mood and the character – I like to change up the font between different characters’ points of view, as it helps me to bring a unique vibe to their voices. But my go-to writing font is usually Cochin or Athelas. 

How many drafts of 100 Days of Sunlight did you go through, and about how long did each draft take to complete?

Because I do so much outlining before I write the first draft, I don’t ever have to write an entirely new “second draft”. With 100 Days of Sunlight, I didn’t change much during the editing process. It was mostly a matter of line/copy editing and polishing everything...again and again. When I edit a first draft, I usually don’t change anything about the story itself – since I already worked that out in my outline. But my writing definitely needs lots of editing and rewording. I actually did a video showing side-by-side comparisons of my first draft and final draft of 100 Days, which explains my process pretty well. 

Would you mind sharing something from an early draft that you ended up cutting out - scene, character, or some other "killed darling"?

Hmm… I feel like I did more of this before writing the first draft. There were so many fun Weston/Rudy scenes that I thought of, but never actually wrote into the book! And some one-liners that I have scattered throughout my notes but sadly never made it into the first draft. Sometimes there just isn’t enough room, or the characters have a mind of their own and take the scene in a different direction. 

Are you a morning writer or a night writer?

I tend to write more at night. I think that’s because at the beginning of the day all I can think about is the work tasks I have to do, and my mind doesn’t feel relaxed enough to be creative. But at night, when all my work is done, I tend to feel more creative. Also sometimes I get up at 4 AM and write, and that’s such a wonderful time to be awake and writing while the rest of the world is asleep. 

Would you rather write in the depths of a sparkly crystal cave or in the middle of a vast flower meadow?

Oooh, they both seem like magical places to write. Probably the crystal cave because less bugs, haha! Now I really wish I had a crystal cave to write in… *sigh* my dining room will have to do for now. :)

Thank you so much for having me on your lovely blog today, Lila!! It was a pleasure to chat with you about all things writing. :)


Thank YOU, Abbie, for giving me the honor of featuring you on my blog! It was a pleasure to chat with you too. :))

~ALL THE EPIC LINKS~

Buy 100 Days of Sunlight

Add 100 Days of Sunlight on Goodreads

YouTube

Author website

Blog

Instagram

Facebook

~~~

The Lord's Truly,

Have you heard of 100 Days of Sunlight? Are you excited for it?? What are your favorite books ft. disability rep? And would you rather write in a sparkly crystal cave or a vast flower meadow? :D Comment below!