Monthly Wrap Up: October

 Happy Wednesday! 

How has your October gone? For the first time all year, I'm not surprised that October is coming to an end. It didn't feel like it went too fast or too slow. It was just what I needed and I'm thankful to God for giving me that. Maybe not what I had planned or wanted a month or two ago, but definitely what I needed. God is so good in that. Always giving us what we need even when we don't know what we need. Anyway, I'm just very thankful for this month and all the good things God has given me. 

October Writing: 

I finally buckled down and finished writing the sequel to The Immortal Circus! My goal at the beginning of the month was to finish it before November and I did that with a few days to spare! As most first drafts do, it needs a lot of work, but I'm really happy with how it turned out and am excited that I finally finished it. That draft took longer than any other draft I've written in a looong time. 

I also finalized edits and formatting for Scarlet Phoenix. And! I did the cover reveal for Scarlet Phoenix! 

Here it is along with the blurb: 

Scarlet Phoenix is the fiery and explosive book 3 in The Archive Series.

Amaya is now the emerald phantom instead of the emerald’s keeper. Stung by betrayal and caught off guard by new discoveries, Amaya is forced to face secrets that are revealed and mysteries that are unraveled within her new prison. Visions of the past haunt her, and no matter how had she tries, she can’t seem to figure out what they mean.

Darren and the others have escaped the Aztec temple… but at a price. They’re forced to leave the crumbled ruins with more questions than answers and more than a few battered hearts. With Amaya now trapped inside of the emerald, their new goal is to get her out before she and Tyler have to get back to their parents. Darren can’t stop thinking about the kiss they shared and will do anything to free Amaya and get her back before it’s too late.

As the team is separated, lies are brought to the surface and a new villain surfaces, they all are left reeling. They must befriend old enemies to survive and work together to find out more about the emerald, about the Archive and a dangerous new organization intent on burning their world down to take the emerald for themselves.

Scarlet Phoenix will be out November 22, 2022!! 

October Reading: 

I actually did a decent amount of reading this month. I read five books! :o 

The first one is Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young. It's funny that I'm introduced to her writing through her first adult novel instead of reading any of her YA books (all of which I've heard such good things about). Spells for Forgetting was so good though! Perfect for fall and October vibes! I loved the lyrical poignancy of her writing, the magical realism of the story and the mystery that kept me turning the pages wanting to know what happens next. It was a very atmospheric read that's very centered in the the cold fall setting of Saorse Island. 

The next one is the complete opposite to Spells for Forgetting. I got Wishtress by Nadine Brandes, and though it took me a minute to finish it, I am still blown away by that book!

It literally brought me to tears and touched my heart in so many ways. One of the best Christian allegorical books I've ever read!! I'm not surprised since Fawkes had an interpretation of the Holy Spirit that is just as beautifully written as the allegories in Wishtress. Just wow... This book is perfect for non-Christians who just love a good fantasy read and is perfect for Christians looking for a book that - in my opinion - is just as good as Narnia. Please, please go read it and then go read Fawkes!! 

I then went on to read The Wonderland Trials by Sara Ella (mostly because my friend wouldn't stop gushing about Chess Shire and I just knew I would need to meet him).

It was a really fun read and I loved how clever of a retelling of Alice in Wonderland it was. It's like... fantasy dystopian sci-fi Alice in Wonderland retelling. Super unique and unlike anything I've ever read. Honestly, I wouldn't say it was the top read of my month or year, but it was definitely fun and Chess Shire is definitely swoonworthy. 

And then because Stellarlune is coming out next month (2 WEEKSSSS), I had to reread Legacy and Unlocked because I miss my Keeper fam so much!!

I just finished Unlock today and I literally can not wait for Stellarlune! My heart isn't ready either. There are going to be lots of tears, lots of yelling at Keefe (because he's so dumb sometimes) and lots of huge revelations. I already know it. I have two weeks to prepare myself for what is about to happen. 

I think while I wait for Stellarlune, I'm going to reread another book. Possibly Dearest Josephine for the fall vibes or Vicious because I need another Victor Vale fix. 

Life Stuff: 

Like I said above, October was a really good month. I went into this month wanting to be present and do all the fall things. Honestly, after the way September ended, I just wanted this month to be really good. I wanted to remind myself that I have so much in my life that has made my life so full. And God really delivered on that. I started out the month at a retreat in Kentucky with my college group. That was one of the best experiences and best weekends I've ever had. It fills my heart thinking about it. I went into that weekend feeling anxious and sad and kind of frustrated and angry and I ended it feeling so full and so grateful for the community and friends I have. It felt like God was telling me to lean into this new community and spend time with these new friendships. There's nothing wrong with desiring a romantic relationship, being sad that I've gotten out of one and wishing to have a special person in my life, but I've never gotten to have this kind of community before. This is the first church I've been to where the people are so friendly and I feel so grounded in the community. I don't want to waste that. I wanted to spend October pouring into those new friendships and letting myself enjoy the time with new girl friends. 

On the retreat I got to hike up two mountains! Crawled through a cave and used a rope to scale up a giant rock. I got to have some really great conversations with some amazing people. I went to a game night with some friends, went and saw the new rom-com Ticket to Paradise with friends, and had a Hocus Pocus 2 movie night. I went to Headless Horseman, which is like a Halloween thing that our local museum does. Went through a haunted corn maze and my family and I drove to a giant Ren Faire in Ohio for the day. My mom and I got to go see the off Broadway production of Anastasia last week! It was absolutely amazing! So beautiful and I'm so glad we got to go. We had a bonfire at our house for all my friends where I got to have some great conversations and hang out and catch up with everyone. My mom and I also went to go see The Invitation. It's a PG-13 horror movie and we thought we would be fine cus it has a really great romance and some actors we really like. Buuut we ended up leaving halfway through it. It was honestly hilarious because we went into it so excited and so confident and then like halfway through, one of the main characters ended up doing some very sketchy and creepy and gross and we were like yaaa we're done here haha 

And then I get to close out this month with dinner with some friends on Saturday and spending Halloween with friends on Monday! 

On a different note, I also drove to and from my brother's house for the first time all by myself!! I'm trying to keep focused on the accomplishments because there are still times when driving feels super hard to me and I get so discouraged. But then I have to remind myself of how far I've come. 

Looking Forward to November: 

November is going to be a busy month! I've never had such a crazy social life, almost all of my weekends are booked haha I'm going to a friend's housewarming and Friendsgiving party. Another friend is having a super cool Harry Potter themed party another Saturday and then I'm going to a Girl's Brunch later that month. I'm sure there will be other things too (and hopefully another friendsgiving with my church group). And there's actual Thanksgiving, which I'm very much looking forward to! 

Also, I've decided not to do Nanowrimo this year for a number of reasons, one of which being how outspoken they've been about their political views. I don't want to support the organization anymore, so a friend and I are making our own writing challenge because I always look forward to writing 50K in November. We're calling WIPNO or WIP November. I'm so excited for it and excited to take a step back from the Immortal Circus world to work on something new! 

And of course, STELLARLUNE!! The highlight of my entire month! 😍😍 I told my mom, no one bother me for at least three days after I get that book in my hands. I'm not leaving the house. I'm going full antisocial reader mode because I am so hyped for this book!! 

Anyway, enough shouting about Stellarlune haha How did your October go? What are you looking forward to the most in November?