January Wrap Up!

 Happy Friday! 

I'm a few days late on my wrap up. Honestly, I've been sick for the past two weeks and I didn't know what to write/didn't have the energy to write anything out on here, but I am here! I am back and I am ready to wrap up January. I still really want to get better at being on this blog more, but I just can never seem to find the energy or right words to write for a post on here other than a wrap up... One of my goals is to try and write on here a little more, so we'll see how it goes. 

January Writing: 

January was an editing month. I wrote like one short story and that was it. Everything else was just lots of editing. Editing Immortal Circus with beta reader feedback, doing some polishing edits on Heart of Xion for the rerelease, re-editing the whole St. Croix Falls trilogy. Just lots and lots of editing, which has been kind of nice since I've felt a little burnt out when it comes to drafting. Plus, when I got sick I could still edit because it takes less mental energy for me. 

Speaking of editing, I have some exciting news!! 

Indigo Star (Archive Series #5): The cover reveal will be next week and the book will be out February 28! If you want to help me share the cover you can sign up HERE. All of the Archive book covers will also be finished being updated with the series title and the number they are in the series this month too. 

Heart of Xion Re-release: Heart of Xion will not be getting a new cover, but it will be freshly edited and polished. The story has been tweaked a bit and I hope that it's made it better than it was before! This will be out in March! 

St. Croix Falls Series Re-Release: All three of the St. Croix Falls books will be getting new covers and new edits!! This is something I've wanted to do for a while now and I can't wait to share the covers!! They're so pretty and I think fit the standard for books in the genre now. The paperbacks will also have chapter headers now too. (I didn't know how to make chapter headers when I first released them, and ever since learning how to do that I've wanted to release the books again with headers, so I'm very excited for that!) They will be re-released in March. 

January Reading: 

I've done a lot of reading this month (more than I thought I would). Honestly, at the start of January I could feel myself starting to struggle with burn out and writer's block, so I decided to take a step back from drafting and to focus on editing and just letting myself read and relax. A few books/movies/shows that have inspired me in January: 

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

Oh my gosh!! It was so good!! I love everything from Holly Black, but especially her Elfhame books. I can't get enough of them and I loved getting to see Oak all grown up. Her characters are so complex and always keeps you guessing. I can't wait for book 2! 

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

Honestly, I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It was really good and the romance got my heart fluttering the whole time. There were so many twists and turns and the mystery kept me guessing the whole time. 

Cruel Illusions by Margie Fuston

 This book has a lot of similarities to Immortal Circus. I think a lot of writers may be turned off by a book that has similar plot points/themes as their books, especially when said plot points/themes are handled in the same sort of way as their books, but I actually enjoy reading books that are similar to mine. They inspire me and help me conceptualize how to write certain points or themes or characters I was struggle with before. I obviously don't take it word for word or copy them, but I do take inspiration from them and Cruel Illusions helped a lot with Immortal Circus and Immortal Circus #2. 

Mere Mortals by Erin Jade Lange

I didn't finish this book in January (I'm still working on it), but I'm still counting it as at least half of a book. It's such a fun twist on vampires and a coming of age story. If you love funny, cute and vampire books, you should check this one out! 

These aren't books, but honorable mentions of TV shows/movies that have brought me joy in January month: Lockwood and Co., Ginny and Georgia, The Recruit, The Bad Batch, The Teen Wolf Movie and Wolf Pack. 

January Life Stuff: 

January was a pretty quiet month. I didn't end up doing too much. Just a lot of working and editing and getting back into a routine after the holiday season. I got to go to the Cake Bake Shop to celebrate my graduation with some friends, got to have some coffee friend dates and go to a few little parties here and there. It was fun and a chill way to start 2023. There were a few rough patches in January, mostly because I'm not good with change and the whole graduating college and not having classes has been an adjustment. I feel like it took all of January to get used to not having classes and not feeling like I'm waiting for the next semester to start. That might be because the semester usually starts in January and now that it's February, my mind has finally accepted the fact that classes aren't starting. 

It's crazy to think that this is my life now. I even got my diploma yesterday, which made graduating feel so much more official. I'm really done. My life is really starting now and that's kind of a scary thought. I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and like I'm unprepared and not doing all the adult things I should be doing. Despite that, I'm trying to focus on all the provision God has given me to set me up for this season. My job, my car and the whole summer off that I had in 2022 that helped me get an idea of what life will look like without having classes. 

Looking Forward to February: 

Really, all I want for February is for me to feel completely better. I hate being sick and this cold knocked me out for almost two weeks. I'm ready to feel better and get back to normal. This month, I'm looking forward to my car's heat getting fixed (it's been working on and off for about a month and then finally just stopped working all together at the end of January haha), I'm looking forward to having a fun Galentine's party with some girlfriends, of hanging out with friends and going to coffee shops and writing with writer friends. I'm looking forward to finally being done editing the St. Croix Falls trilogy and publishing Indigo Star!! The Archive Series will officially be finished this month!! 😱 

I'm also very excited for the new Ant-Man movie. My brother works at the movie theater, so I may be able to get in and go see it with him for free (and then possibly go see it again with friends haha). 

On a less fun note, I have two dentist appointments this month. Kind of a bummer, but then I'll be done for a while. I'm also going with my brother to a dance for special needs adults (he has autism), so that'l be fun. Other than that, I don't have any other plans. Just ready to leave February up to God and see He decides to do with it. Honestly, I kind of love that I can go into a month with a few plans here and there and just see what happens the rest of the time. 

Do you have any plans for February? How did your January go?