Hello everyone! Hope you've had a great week. Personally for me, my week has been a bit stressful. Not so much busy going places or seeing people, but there's just been a lot of life changes and stuff. But hopefully next week things will settle down.
And hey! Endgame anyone?? Anyone who saw it last night? Anyone like me who's waiting till next week??
Anyways, here's my monthly wrap up for April:
April Writing: April was a good writing month! I finished draft 3 and am starting on draft 4 of my NA paranormal fiction book. This week and next week I plan to start slowly printing it out and going through it chapter by chapter. I also started working on a contemporary fantasy serial called Dragon Hearted. More on that HERE. Currently I'm halfway through writing episode 3 and am working my way through edits on episodes 1 and 2. And I think I've finally come up with a posting schedule for it. This will be a bit of a rush, but I want to get two out a month. So every other Monday sounds like a good posting schedule for me. The way I plan to get it out to people is through my newsletter. So if you're interested in Dragon Hearted you can click the link in my header menu or go to the embed form on my side bar. Or go to the link to the blog post where I talk more about Dragon Hearted above and there's also an embed form in there too. So there are lots of ways to sign up. I also will be posting a chapter on Wattpad a week after its sent out in my newsletter. Right now, my mom is working on the cover and I can't wait to show you guys! It's going to be awesome! Anyways, so its been a pretty great writing month and I am so excited about all the projects I'm working on.
April Reading: April has also been a pretty great reading month too. Like by the end of this month I'll have read an entire five book series! Whaaat?? I haven't read that many books in forever!
The first book I read for this month was Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd.
Uph I loved this book so much! I love all of her books. They are so quirky and whimsical and beautiful. Her stories always make me feel so light and happy and just hopeful. Especially this one. I also really loved that the main character is the big sister to a little brother. There were so many parts in the book that made me tear up because Mallie loves her little brother so much and would do anything to protect him and take care of him. I could relate to that being the big sister to four younger brothers. It was just a really beautiful, sweet story. If you're into fantastical hopeful MG stories this is just the book for you! I also highly recommend A Snicker of Magic and The Key to Extraordinary.
The four (almost five) other books I've read this month is a series.
The Shadow Falls series by C.C. Hunter. I saw a two books in one set at Barnes and Nobles at the beginning of this month and it reminded me of Legacies kind of and decided to get it. I devoured the first two books, ordered the next two books and have bought the fifth book on my Kindle. The story is so good and I love the mystery and the characters. However, the language is a bit much and the conversations in it can be a bit explicit. There's no overly described makeout sessions but the characters sure love to talk about sex and all that quite a bit. So that's really annoying. But I can skip over those parts to enjoy the rest of the story. So I don't know if I would recommend this book but I don't regret reading them...
Life Stuff: Man a lot of life stuff happened this month haha My second oldest youngest brother (my two youngest are 8 and 12, my two oldest are in their teens, or I suppose now legal adults) has moved in with my grandma. I guess he just felt the need for a change in scenery and wants to branch out on his own. He's a bit independent and is leaving today so that's kind of sad. :( My first brother to "move out" (though I'm secretly hoping he'll come back sooner than later haha). My oldest youngest brother who is nineteen and has high functioning autism, we had planned to have him move into a duplex bought and run by this great organization that helps adults with special needs be able to live on their own while giving them the services and help they need. He was excited about it and has become good friends with the guy who would have been his housemate. Unfortunately, the state doesn't want to give us the waiver we need to pay for him to get in. So that was a real struggle and very disheartening this past week. My mom is fantastic though and is working overtime finding ways to get more services and help for him and us.
Actually, over the past few months I've felt this pressing on my heart, this kind of calling to do something about the fact that people with siblings with special needs aren't talked about much. No one really knows or understands our struggles. It can be really isolating. So I'm in the process of making a blog for that side of my life. I want to inspire others, help them better understand what its like to live with a brother with high functioning autism and hopefully connect with others in similar situations as me. It would be a huge step for me and kind of scary because I'm not the most vulnerable open person but I really feel like God could use me, my gift of writing and my experiences to reach others. When (and if I get up the courage to publish it) the blog comes to be you guys will be the first to know. I'll link it on here as soon as its up. :)
April was also a month of small travels. The weekend before Easter we went down to my grandma's in Illinois to help my brother get ready for his prom with his girlfriend there. My mom (who's an amazing photographer) took the pictures. Me, my mom and littlest brothers stayed at a hotel and went swimming so that was fun. We also went to this awesome huge used bookstore called the Book Barn.
Then the weekend of Easter my whole family went down to my other grandparent's on my mom's side on Friday. We had Easter lunch and got to visit with family and my little brothers and little cousin did an Easter egg hunt and painted eggs. The next day my grandpa took me out to this cool gem store. The guy who owns it as a gemologist (I didn't know that was a thing but apparently it is haha) and him and the people he works with actually got to like Africa and all these different places and gather the gems and jewels themselves. They do all the cutting and everything in the store too. So that was really fun. We went to some antique stores and looked around too. It was just a good time and I'm glad I got to spend the time with my grandpa. :)
And last but not least! I started a newsletter! I had a goal starting in April that I was going to get to 5 subscribers by the end of the month. For a while there I thought I wouldn't be able to make it, but now I've exceeded that goal by two! I have 7 subscribers now! I know that doesn't seem like a lot but I've decided to approach my newsletter with baby steps. One step at a time. Five subscribers at a time. Next month I want to get to at least ten, if not another five subscribers. Like I said above in my writing section there are lots of ways to sign up. You'll get two episodes of Dragon Hearted every month along with a newsletter with exclusive content like my WIP snippets, short stories, book recommendations and all that good stuff. So if you're interested I'd love to have you there. :)
So there you have it: my April in a nutshell. It's been a bit hectic and all over the place, but good nonetheless. And next week I'll get to either end April or start May with watching Endgame. Best way to end or start a month am I right??
I hope you all have a great rest of the month and a great May!
And hey! Endgame anyone?? Anyone who saw it last night? Anyone like me who's waiting till next week??
Anyways, here's my monthly wrap up for April:
April Writing: April was a good writing month! I finished draft 3 and am starting on draft 4 of my NA paranormal fiction book. This week and next week I plan to start slowly printing it out and going through it chapter by chapter. I also started working on a contemporary fantasy serial called Dragon Hearted. More on that HERE. Currently I'm halfway through writing episode 3 and am working my way through edits on episodes 1 and 2. And I think I've finally come up with a posting schedule for it. This will be a bit of a rush, but I want to get two out a month. So every other Monday sounds like a good posting schedule for me. The way I plan to get it out to people is through my newsletter. So if you're interested in Dragon Hearted you can click the link in my header menu or go to the embed form on my side bar. Or go to the link to the blog post where I talk more about Dragon Hearted above and there's also an embed form in there too. So there are lots of ways to sign up. I also will be posting a chapter on Wattpad a week after its sent out in my newsletter. Right now, my mom is working on the cover and I can't wait to show you guys! It's going to be awesome! Anyways, so its been a pretty great writing month and I am so excited about all the projects I'm working on.
April Reading: April has also been a pretty great reading month too. Like by the end of this month I'll have read an entire five book series! Whaaat?? I haven't read that many books in forever!
The first book I read for this month was Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd.
The four (almost five) other books I've read this month is a series.
Life Stuff: Man a lot of life stuff happened this month haha My second oldest youngest brother (my two youngest are 8 and 12, my two oldest are in their teens, or I suppose now legal adults) has moved in with my grandma. I guess he just felt the need for a change in scenery and wants to branch out on his own. He's a bit independent and is leaving today so that's kind of sad. :( My first brother to "move out" (though I'm secretly hoping he'll come back sooner than later haha). My oldest youngest brother who is nineteen and has high functioning autism, we had planned to have him move into a duplex bought and run by this great organization that helps adults with special needs be able to live on their own while giving them the services and help they need. He was excited about it and has become good friends with the guy who would have been his housemate. Unfortunately, the state doesn't want to give us the waiver we need to pay for him to get in. So that was a real struggle and very disheartening this past week. My mom is fantastic though and is working overtime finding ways to get more services and help for him and us.
Actually, over the past few months I've felt this pressing on my heart, this kind of calling to do something about the fact that people with siblings with special needs aren't talked about much. No one really knows or understands our struggles. It can be really isolating. So I'm in the process of making a blog for that side of my life. I want to inspire others, help them better understand what its like to live with a brother with high functioning autism and hopefully connect with others in similar situations as me. It would be a huge step for me and kind of scary because I'm not the most vulnerable open person but I really feel like God could use me, my gift of writing and my experiences to reach others. When (and if I get up the courage to publish it) the blog comes to be you guys will be the first to know. I'll link it on here as soon as its up. :)
April was also a month of small travels. The weekend before Easter we went down to my grandma's in Illinois to help my brother get ready for his prom with his girlfriend there. My mom (who's an amazing photographer) took the pictures. Me, my mom and littlest brothers stayed at a hotel and went swimming so that was fun. We also went to this awesome huge used bookstore called the Book Barn.
Then the weekend of Easter my whole family went down to my other grandparent's on my mom's side on Friday. We had Easter lunch and got to visit with family and my little brothers and little cousin did an Easter egg hunt and painted eggs. The next day my grandpa took me out to this cool gem store. The guy who owns it as a gemologist (I didn't know that was a thing but apparently it is haha) and him and the people he works with actually got to like Africa and all these different places and gather the gems and jewels themselves. They do all the cutting and everything in the store too. So that was really fun. We went to some antique stores and looked around too. It was just a good time and I'm glad I got to spend the time with my grandpa. :)
And last but not least! I started a newsletter! I had a goal starting in April that I was going to get to 5 subscribers by the end of the month. For a while there I thought I wouldn't be able to make it, but now I've exceeded that goal by two! I have 7 subscribers now! I know that doesn't seem like a lot but I've decided to approach my newsletter with baby steps. One step at a time. Five subscribers at a time. Next month I want to get to at least ten, if not another five subscribers. Like I said above in my writing section there are lots of ways to sign up. You'll get two episodes of Dragon Hearted every month along with a newsletter with exclusive content like my WIP snippets, short stories, book recommendations and all that good stuff. So if you're interested I'd love to have you there. :)
So there you have it: my April in a nutshell. It's been a bit hectic and all over the place, but good nonetheless. And next week I'll get to either end April or start May with watching Endgame. Best way to end or start a month am I right??
I hope you all have a great rest of the month and a great May!
How was your April? Did you accomplish any goals? Anything fun happen this month?
That's sad having family move off like that, but I'm sure you'll all still be able to see each other plenty! Looks like you had a fun month :)
ReplyDeleteketurahskorner.blogspot.com
Yeah :( Oh yeah and I mean we'll be texting and stuff so its not like I'll never hear from him again haha
DeleteWoo!! Sounds like you had a crazy month, Melody!!!
ReplyDeleteYeesh...brothers moving out!! I can't quite relate to that yet, but my older brother is graduating this year, so we'll soon be able to sob about their being gone together! ;)
Love the wrap up!!! <3
~ Lily Cat (Boots) | lilycatscountrygirlconfessions.blogspot.com
Haha it sure was! Awww its sad watching them grow up :( ;) Thanks! :)
DeleteIt sounds like you've had a lot going on! How do I subscribe to your newsletter? ^ ^
ReplyDeleteYou can go to the side bar on the right and there's a subscribe button there or to the Dragon Hearted tab on the top of the page where you can also subscribe. :)
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