February Wrap Up!

 Happy Tuesday! 

Indigo Star releases today!! The Archive Series is officially finished and I have so many feelings about it. I'm sad that it's really over. That Amaya and Darren's stories have come to an end. But I'm also kind of relieved. After spending years working on, editing and publishing these books, it's a relief to have them all out and behind me. And I'm so excited because not only is the whole story out in the world now, but I also get to move forward and start talking about and sharing about a new series that I have been eagerly waiting to share more about for months now. 

Anyway, if you're interested, you can find the whole series here: The Archive Series. 

If you want to read more about my thoughts on finishing the series and love notes I wrote to each character, you can find it here: A Goodbye to The Archive Series. 

February Writing: 

I started writing Immortal Circus #3 this month and then realized I couldn't start writing book 3 until I had books 1 and 2 completely figured out, so suffice to say, book 3 has not gotten written yet. I spent all of February either sick and editing the St. Croix Falls series, or better and editing Immortal Circus and Immortal Circus #2. Both of those are finally at a place where I feel more confident and happy with them, so I may start hesitantly working on book 3. I mean, I still feel like book 2 needs some work, but I don't feel like moving on to book 3 would be neglecting book 2. Plus, book 2 and 3 will not be out till 2024, so I have more than enough time to edit and work on them. 

February has been an Immortal Circus month for sure. All the big edits are done for book one (finally), so I'm just doing micro edits now. I feel like I have just put so many expectations and pressures on this book. I want it to be the best it can be and to be better than any other books/series I've put out and I think that pressure started to get to me this month a little bit. Immortal Circus started to not live up to my standards and I started to feel like it wasn't very good and that no one was going to like it, but everyone who's read it has loved it and said it was good (and that was when they read the mostly unedited beginner draft), so I just think I was trying to hype this book up way too much in my head. So, here's hoping others like it when it's finally ready to share. 

February Reading: 

It was a slow reading month - up until I started reading Heir of Fire haha 

I finished Mere Mortals this month (though I counted it as a January read because I was almost done with it at the end of January). 

And then I picked up Heir of Fire and got my heart broken multiple times. SJM knows how to torture her characters and write the most explosive, heart wrenching, amazing climaxes ever. To be honest, I read book one last year and didn't like it very much. I actually didn't even finish it and I had no desire to go back and read the rest of the series until my mom picked up the second book (she was the one who had gotten me to read the first book) and by the time she'd gotten to the fourth book she was raving about it. She told me everything that happened in book 2, so I actually skipped that one and went straight to book 3. And now I am hooked. SJM is just an absolutely amazing writer and storyteller. I don't know how she does it, but if I can be even half of the writer she is, I'll be happy haha 

I just started Queen of Shadows, so I'll let you know at the end of March what I thought of it and how many books in that series I ended up finishing in the span of one month haha 

Life Stuff: 

This was a really good month. The beginning started out a little rocky, but I am so thankful for my quick recovery the weekend before Valentine's Day week. I had to cancel a lot of plans up until that point. That week and the weeks since have more than made up for the cancelled plans though. This month has been so good and God has been so good in giving me so many amazing people in my life. I've been living in the thankfulness of the friends I have this month. Of all the fun and serious text conversations with the long distance bestie, the Chick Fil A and Doctor Who marathoning with my friend Paige, the coffee/writing dates with one of my writer friends, the late night conversations at Mcdonalds with church friends and getting to hang out one on one with so many other friends. It's just all such a blessing and I'm so thankful for every single person God has brought into my life. 

For a while I got pretty caught up on the whole I don't have a boyfriend thing and how much I would like to have that sort of relationship in my life. How much I would love to meet that special person and have my person. It made me feel pretty discontent and lonely. I prayed a lot for God to help me through those feelings and to get back to a place of peace and contentment with where I'm at in life and I feel like I'm finally starting to get back to that mindset. Some times are harder than others and I definitely still have to do a lot of praying and fighting at times to stay in that mindset, but it's worth it. The desire for a romantic relationship hasn't gone away and I don't think it should or will. That's not a sinful or bad desire to have just as long as you aren't putting it on a pedestal or making you feel lonely or unhappy with your life. I realized over the weekend that I can both have that desire and feel really happy and good about my life. There's nothing wrong with feeling both. 

Anyway, so that's where I'm kind of at in life. Just enjoying working, getting to drive more places, having more time to write and spending more time with friends.

Some highlights of February: 

- Warm, sunny days in between the cold/rainy days. 

- Getting to go for walks on those warmer days and enjoy the sun 

- Galentine's Day. One of my friends decked out her apartment for Galentine's Day and we got all dressed up and just had such a good time with girl friends. That night really made so thankful for the girls God has brought into my life over the past year. 

- Valentine's Day falling on a church group night and getting to spend the evening with friends instead of wallowing in loneliness haha 

- Seeing Ant-Man Quantumania with friends. It was a fun night, but not my favorite Marvel movie haha 

- Going to Bibibop with a sweet friend and getting to share in life and troubles together. That was such a good night and I'm so thankful that God brought both of us into each other's lives. I really feel like God used my testimony and some of the hardest things I've walked through that night to encourage my friend. It's always so sweet to see God use our hardest moments for His good. I sometimes wonder why I had to go through the things I went through, and then there are moments where I get to share a prat of my testimony and my story to encourage someone who's walking through something similiar and I always stop and thank God that I went through those moments. I may have felt alone and been alone during those times, but because I went through those things, someone else doesn't have to feel alone or go through it alone. 

- Closing a cafe with a writer friend then going to a bakery and closing that place out too and ending up sitting in front of the bakery talking for another hour haha That was a really good night just talking writing, stories and fun life stuff. 

- Starting Heir of Fire. Seriously, I told my mom right before I hit around the 70% mark in the book that it was really good but I didn't think any book could make me cry and shock me the way the first like five chapters of Crescent City #1 did. She laughed and said just you wait. And that night I sat and cried unlike I've ever cried before over a book. That last half of the book just crushed me. And now here I am eagerly reading book 4 waiting for that to crush me too haha Someone told me to wait until Kingdom of Ash and I am so not ready for that. 

- Indigo Star coming out!! 

Looking Forward to March: 

I turn 25!! For the past year I've been pretty nervous, kind of dreading 25, but now I'm just excited. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever not be excited for my birthday no matter how old I get haha Anyway, so I am very excited to be turning 25 and having my birthday. Birthdays are my favorites. And not even just my birthday. I love all birthdays that I get to celebrate with whoever. They're just so fun. 

I'm looking forward to lots of more hanging out with friends, probably going bowling, having a game night maybe. I also want to go see that new Dungeons and Dragons movie. Oh and so many good shows coming out this month. The Mandalorian season 3, Shadow and Bone season 2, Superman and Lois season 3, Gotham Knights season 1. I mean how much better could the month get?? Plus, I already know I'm gonna be devouring the Throne of Glass series the whole month, so that'll be fun! 

Also excited to start sharing and promoting The Immortal Circus and possibly start writing book 3! Anyway, so yeah, that's a little of what I'm looking forward to in March. Lots of movies, shows and books haha