Monthly Review: June 2019

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Another month almost gone!

Since last WEEK, I have: 1) stopped reading the first book on my list of Summer goals. My doubts were justified, and I could not finish a fantasy with poorly represented people of color, and also just bad writing. The book was published around the time We Need Diverse Books made its first waves, and I know a lot of well-meaning non-POC authors took up the mantle instead of making space for POC authors to make the diverse stories (and publishers let them), so that's clearly where this stemmed from. I want to say the times have changed, but not by much according to the recent results from children's books. But I digress;

2) started reading a book NOT on my list of Summer goals, because why follow my own rules? Pfft. I started reading Cinder by Marissa Meyer, and oh my God, is it good. I'm already finished Book One. I can't wait to see what happens next. I will be reading while manning the front desk at work;

3) gotten a good report from a biopsy I had done. The lymph nodes in my neck are reacting to something, so I guess I need to head back to my primary doctor. The ENT said it's a bad allergy season, and I HAVE been struggling, even on my allergy meds, so I wouldn't be surprised;

4) received the schedule for the Ace/Aro Conference in New York I'm attending this Saturday! I'm excited. This is my first event I'm attending as a semi-out demisexual, and I can't wait to connect and meet others. They're holding two writing lectures, too, so I want to try to get to both;

5) won two Apex Legends matches! This one isn't that important, but I'm a video game nerd, and I haven't even won a squad or solo match in Fortnite yet, so I thought I'd share;

and last but not least: 6) seen the almost done cover of Fractured Princess. I'm so excited. This has been a long journey for me, and I know I needed the time because the story wasn't perfect in 2010 when I finally wrote The End on it. I don't plan to stop working on subsequent books like I did this one, but I think now I have enough experience to know what to and what not to do, so the process won't be a full decade. Here's hoping.

I hope your June has treated you well. Please let me know in the comments!

June Writing Update

First off, Happy Juneteenth! If you don't know what that is, please research it. TLDR: June 19, 1865 was the day the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. reached Texas. It really should be a national holiday, but . . . this is America.

Anyway, onto my writing update! Here's Snoopy, making writing cool since the 50s.

I was about to say I haven't done any writing, but actually, that's not true. I've written a very pivotal scene in Divided Princess, sequel to Fractured Princess. Stepping into the waters with this story, there are some dynamics I still have to figure out, but I imagine that just like Cyan and Jonnie created their own dynamic during, like, draft SIX, I think things will work themselves out eventually.

I skimmed The Queen's Daughters yesterday so I can work on more scenes for it. I'm a little stuck, even though I know what the next scene is. It's not even a hard scene, as far as I know, so I should just type away at it, even if it's fragments of the scene, so I can move on. This story is really going to be emotionally tough and will have at least two trigger warnings, but the inciting incident also stems from an emotional purge for me, so I knew it wouldn't be sunshine and rainbows. I've never been able to write sunshine and rainbows. I'll try one day, I promise.

Book news: I've pushed publication to July, but I should have the cover in the next two weeks. I can't wait to share it with everyone! I wanted to update the look of my blog; technically, it's been the same since the old blog, so once I have the cover, I will be able to change the theme up and get rid of the watercolor background. I love it, but I want this blog to look a little more professional once I'm published. I can't wait to test that out, too!

Wednesday Words update: Two more books I forgot I had on hold came in for pickup at the library, so I've added them to my post from last week. I'm being REALLY ambitious this Summer!

Next week is my monthly update, so I hope you all have been enjoying June so far, and I will see you later!

Wednesday Words: Summer Reading Goals

Happy Wednesday!

We're halfway through June already, but there's still time for me to try to read! I have 2 or 3 stories left in How Long 'Til Black Future Month?, so I have nothing to share with you all, except that this book is AMAZING!

What I will do is share what I plan to read this summer (and unfortunately, the tags are too long, so I suppose I will just put the titles and not the authors in there). Links are below the covers, by which I'm judging these books today.

Jala's Mask, Michael and Rachel Grinti

I'm a little iffy about this one. I was really excited to see black characters on the cover, but at the same time, this is not an own voices narrative. I do wonder what made Mike and Rachel Grinti decide to write what looks to be a tribal pirate narrative (already problematic), but I'll see how authentic it feels, or if it's just white characters in blackface.

Reign of the Fallen, Sarah Glenn Marsh

I've wanted to read this one ever since I saw the cover. I have to remember Sarah Glenn Marsh is not Sarah J. Maas, who I am also interested in reading (and Sarah G. looks like the main character on Sarah J.'s Throne of Glass books except the first one, which might actually BE Sarah J., but either way that adds to my confusion quite a bit). Anyway, THIS COVER. I love skulls, and a skull with a crown on it just piques my interest to the utmost.

An Ember in the Ashes, Sabaa Tahir

Someone said my writing style is like Sabaa's, so I've wanted to read this one for a while now, too. This one has a lot of different covers. I'd never seen this one until I searched my library catalog. There are little details I only notice by looking for a long time. It's a very interesting choice. I haven't read a book whose setting is inspired by ancient Rome, I don't think, so I can't wait to see what happens here.

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

This piqued my interest because I have an infatuation with baobabs. On the flip side, this book is based on the kidnappings in Boko Haram, a much scarier narrative than the cover gives away. Maybe it's the alliteration that made me think, "ooh fun," but obviously, this will not be a "fun" read. I can't imagine what some of those families are going through, as many of the girls are still missing.

A Natural History of Dragons, Marie Brennan

DRAGONS! This is marked as historical fiction, so I believe Lady Trent is a real person I will have to look up. This cover is so cool, though. I'm sure people thought this woman was a little crazy. The closest thing we have to dragons are komodo dragons, and I don't know if they really count. I can't wait to see what's in this "memoir."

June 19th update: Two more books came in from the library that I forgot I put on hold! -_- I want to read more books with asexual representation, and the following two were on the list. The cover I'm used to seeing for Radio Silence is really pretty (girl in tv static colors), but this one is okay, too. The 27 Hours cover, though: MAGICAL!

27 Hours, Tristina Wright

Radio Silence, Alice Oseman

What are you reading this Summer?

Insecure Writer's Support Group

It is JUNE! That means Cancer Season is COMING!

It also means it's time for the monthly Insecure Writer's Support Group, where we writers throw our fears to the wind and visit other writers to offer encouragement. I definitely don't have as much time to do that as I used to, but I try.

Thank you to Alex J. Cavanaugh for creating this space! Join him and the co-hosts this month by visiting the IWSG Website.

I don't have much to say that I haven't already the past few weeks, so I thought I'd just answer the question of the month and let y'all go view other blogs.

Of all the genres you read and write, which is your favorite to write in and why?

Honestly, I miss writing romance. I can't remember where I said this, but I was the Nicholas Sparks of Backstreet Boys fanfiction. I loved the tear-jerker romances I used to write. I don't know if I'll get back to them, but it is definitely my favorite that I've written in.

What about you?

Quarterly Goals (Follow-Up)

It's still Wednesday, at least!

12 hours after I usually remember I'm supposed to post, here I am. Funny enough, I thought to myself that I needed to write this this morning, because I had time before work. I at least caught up on other stuff I needed to do. Still. Good evening!

We're in the middle of the 2nd quarter, and it's the 5th Wednesday, so I'm talking about my goals for the quarter. Of course the big one: publication. My cover artist e-mailed me Saturday to say she'd gone into labor, so I hope she and the baby are doing well. She was working on finishing touches for me, so I'm not too worried about my timeline. I still haven't picked a date.

I decided to not create a whole new website, especially since I do so well maintaining this one. Blogger can't get rid of me yet.

I'm still reading How Long 'Til Black Future Month, just because I have so much going on. It's so good! Some of the stories are so innovative. I love N.K. Jemisin's work.

My next goal is to read It before the second movie comes out. I haven't read Stephen King's fiction since Full Dark No Stars, so I may need to pray before this one, especially as my mom and older sister agree the Bev in her old house scene is the scariest in the book, and it looks terrifying in the trailer.

Also, I can't wait for the Summer shows that I watch to return, and the new ones to come on! I have yet to start Chernobyl, but I'm really anxious to. I just started watching the last season of Broad City. I'll miss it.

All right, that's really all I have. Next quarter, I hope to be a novelist and also, I'll be 35!!

What are your goals this quarter?

Monthly Review: May 2019

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We're almost a week away from unofficial Summer, aka June, and this month has whisked by. I guess that happens the older you get.

My mom is home with my sister and I, and she's doing much better. She'll be getting physical therapy soon, and hopefully that will get her up and walking long distances again. She's bored out of her mind (and I love NCIS, but I'm tired of hearing NCIS) but already up to her normal shenanigans.

Game of Thrones ended Sunday, and I can't wait for Winds of Winter at this point, because this final season was rushed and therefore garbage. I know the overall thing about ASOIF has been expect the unexpected, but usually the unexpected makes sense. I hear D&D are writing the next Star Wars, so...good luck SWU fans.

Now that we have HBO for the season, there are a few new shows I look forward to watching: Chernobyl, Euphoria; I'm catching up on Barry. There was something else, but I can't remember what.

I am hoping to have my final book cover by the end of the month! I created a Spotify playlist for Fractured Princess, which was really fun. I'll add a button here for your enjoyment, when I figure out how.

That's all I have for now, but I hope you're having a great May! I will see you next week with my quarterly goals.

May Writing Update

Comic by Guy Kopsombut at 4amShower

Is that not the truest comic we'll ever see? Is "writer" Yiddish for "procrastinator?" I know it's not, but haha!

In the April Writing Update, I saw the black and white draft of my cover. This month, I have seen a COLOR draft. I believe the next one is the final, and I am so excited! I've created the bookmarks for my backers, and there are going to be a few extra, so I might have some giveaways with those. Once I get the final cover, I can make my backers' Thank You Notes, and I want to have a few more prizes for them. I started a newsletter for them, and I'm glad they're all people who already know where I live, because by law, my address needs to be posted on there! Whether or not I open up the newsletter to others depends on if I acquire anymore readers and draw enough revenue to buy a PO Box (those things are expensive).

I'm trying to decide, for my NA/A Fantasy, whether or not I want to keep it 1st Person limited or open it up to a few other perspectives. I have scenes in my head that pertain to three other characters, but I'm currently liking the angle of the "unreliable" (she's not completely unreliable; maybe biased is a better word) narrator. Maybe I'll make the other perspective short stories, like N.K. Jemisin did for The Inheritance Trilogy. I really like that idea (and God, I need to reread that series. Nahadoth!).

That's it on the writing side. I will see you all next Wednesday for my Monthly Review, and it looks like I have a Quarterly Goals post this month as well! I guess I thought April had five Wednesdays, but it did not.

Enjoy the rest of your week, and tell me how your writing is going in the comments!

Wednesday Words: Manga Review - Adorned by Chi

1. I need coffee.
2. I knew I should've scheduled this post yesterday, but here we are.

The 2nd Wednesday of the month is typically set aside for what I am reading. I am still in NK Jemisin's short story collection, but I did pause long enough to read the manga I will be talking about today! Jacque Aye's brain child: Adorned by Chi.

Available for Pre-order right now!

When an ancient apocalyptic beast is awakened and threatens humanity, five Nigerian students must embrace their magic, put their differences aside, and band together to defeat him!

Adorned by Chi is an experience! There is a website with clothes, jewelry, accessories, and then you have this manga. First presented to us chapter by chapter, you are introduced to 5 Nigerian students at Peace University who are sought out by little familiars that help them tap into their magical powers! So far, this doesn't happen unless they are attacked by evil mmanwu, spirits that usually aren't evil as far as I'm aware, but because of some dark force rising in the background, these are (sort of).

What appealed to me about Adorned by Chi first was the clothing. You can take a quiz to find out which "character collection" appeals to you best. I haven't had much money to get anything besides the comics yet (UPDATE: I have 1 shirt, wore it for my birthday last year), but soon!

Back to the manga: our main character is Adaeze, a girl who after her father dies mysteriously, has crying spells throughout her life and isolates herself because of this. Whether it's because she has these magical empathic powers, or she is clinically depressed, it's yet to be said, but it's very important that we are presented with a young black woman with mental illness, which is often not discussed in the black community. Because she always feels like a failure, it takes her the longest of the 5 characters to properly tap into her magic. It makes for a partially funny moment.

Having read the original chapters and then the full manga, I was able to connect dots that I missed across chapters, so the twist we're presented with in this first volume is fairly dynamic, and it makes me wonder how the rest of the story will play out.

Overall, this is a fresh take on the magical girl, who even in Japanese anime is often portrayed as white girls. We have 4 black magical girls and 1 black magical boy! Each character is well thought out and unique; typical anime characters, but not stereotypical black characters, which is refreshing:

Adaeze is dealing with her issues as already stated;
Her roommate Gogo is bubbly, energetic, and striving to join the cheerleading team;
Her twin sister, Kelechi is the complete opposite, goth, hates parties, and loves black;
Kaira is earthy and meditative, one with nature and doesn't like to hurt living creatures;
and Emeka is the star soccer player, epic party host, and big man on campus.

We have a new setting for a manga by way of a university in Nigeria. As the goddaughter of Nigerians, I was excited to see this, and because of the setting, we're also provided beautiful, bright colors, patterns, and people! The individualism of each character, whether main or just a passing extra in the background, was well thought out, and the art is beautiful! Even the mmanwu we see, the way they are drawn makes them almost come to life right off the screen!

The whole volume is a really fast read, only 155 pages (I finished it in less than half a day). I don't know if Jacque will slow the story down, now that all of the characters are aware of their powers, and give us some more character backstory/development. I wouldn't mind it. We have glimpses of who each character is, but it would be nice to see them fleshed out just a little more, like Agents of the Realm or Sleepless Domain, online comics that also feature black magical girls and give us very detailed looks at who each character is while still giving us some action to enjoy.

Either way, I'm excited for this brand, and I hope it goes on strong. It gets 4 out of 5 stars from me!

Insecure Writer's Support Group

I can't believe it's May already! That means the Insecure Writer's Support Group is back! Take a moment to thank our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh and visit the IWSG Site to join in and read others' posts for the day.

I actually don't have a lot to say this month. I'm writing in my New Adult fantasy project and waiting for the final version of my young adult fantasy cover! By June, I will know when I am publishing Fractured Princess!

If you haven't signed up for the IWSG e-mails, you should. This month's e-mail focused on marketing as a self-published author, and I intend to soak up that information over the next few weeks. I'm still very excited.

The question of the month is: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

I'm not sure how to answer that, really. I think it's because I've always been someone who loved to read and write, there hasn't been that type of epiphany? I guess stepping into Narnia that first time, or falling in love with A Christmas Carol; those stories remain some of my favorite childhood tales, and they couldn't have been had the words and imagery not been so powerful.

Have a great May!

Monthly Review: April 2019

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We are now at the end of April, and what?

Life-wise, not much has changed since my last monthly review. My mom has been at a friend's house recuperating, and she'll be moving back home with my sister and me by the end of next week. That will at least alleviate the travel. People up north say Dover is small, but try driving from one end to the other every day. Not being home as much as I like has really taken a toll, so at least she'll be closer.

That said, reading has been slow. I've been playing more games on my phone, because they've been cathartic. I need to get back into a reading groove, though. I also found my Introvert Activity Book by Marzi Wilson, so I'm going to do that, too, to see if that is a good stress reliever. I also need to reincorporate exercise into my day, if I want to lose the weight I want for once. I've been terrible at that.

Now that I've seen the cover, I know exactly what's going on the bookmarks and the background for the thank you notes for my Kickstarter backers. I'm really excited about that. I have to build up the courage to ask some of my blog friends to do a cover reveal with me. I just really don't like asking people for things.

I believe that's all for now. I hope everyone has had a great April. I forgot the April daily challenges are going on, too, so if you've participated in A-to-Z, Poetry-A-Day, etc., I hope you've accomplished your goals!

When I see you next time...

...so see you then. haha

April Writing Update

It wasn't until Friday that I remembered I was supposed to post Wednesday. *facepalm* This will be a short one.

So, also on Friday, I got to see a draft of my BOOK COVER! I'm so excited. That means it's really happening. I can't wait to show everyone. I plan on a cover reveal in May and publication in June, so hopefully that stays on track.

I'm working on a newsletter and trying to build something a little closer to a website via Wordpress. I'm not the biggest fan of Wordpress, though, so if I have to make a home page-type page for here, as I've already bought this domain and know Blogger fairly well now, then that is what I'll do, and just change the domain in 2020.

I've been writing in my next fantasy project, and I'm finally pulling pieces from my document of scenes for later. I can't wait to get to the end of this one and then develop the sequel. I feel that's gonna be a journey. This story is already pretty adult and darker than I've done in a while (kind of what happens when your first words came from an angry place, but c'est la vie). I can't wait to see where this one is taking me.

If you celebrate, I hope you enjoy the Easter weekend. I will see you all (on time) next week!

Wednesday Words: How Long 'Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin

It is the 2nd Wednesday of what feels like a really long month already. But at least I'm starting a new book today!!

Bless Jesus!! Mail!! @nkjemisin pic.twitter.com/mhvTsm2025

— Deb R.H.: Fantasy Writer (@DebTheAuthor) December 5, 2018

As you all might know by now, I'm a huge fan of N.K. Jemisin, so I can't wait to crack this book open some time today. How Long 'Til Black Future Month? is a collection of short stories based on modern times. I love the title, a very poignant question for today, and the cover is amazing!

How do I randomly choose a page from a short story collection? The same as I always do. There are 397 pages in this collection, and random.org chose page 245, a page in the story "Cuisine des Mémoires." That page is a little racy, so I'm gonna go ahead and hit the generate button again. 229, "Walking Awake."

And there was something about this chaos, something so subtly counter to everything she knew about the Masters, that she understood at once these were people without Masters. They had built the vehicles and they had built the roads. They had built the whole city.

They were free.

A new word came into her head, in whispers. (Revolution.)

Yeeees. And that makes me understand the title of that story as well. I can't wait!


What are you reading this week?

Insecure Writer's Support Group

It's Springtime! Happy April. It is the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for another meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, where we throw our cares to the blogosphere and share with other writers. Please visit Alex J. Cavanaugh, our great founder, and the website to join in.

I don't have a lot to say, but I am currently working with the cover artist for my novel, Fractured Princess, which I plan to publish this June. I'm so excited. I had a lot of help from people I didn't even expect to fund the Kickstarter. I officially received 10% above my goal, so I was able to cover the Kickstarter fees without cutting into what I requested. God is good.

The IWSG question this month is: If you could use a wish to help you write just one scene/chapter of your book, which one would it be?

This is a weird question. haha There are scenes I do struggle with writing; sometimes because it's not the next scene that needs to be written, and sometimes because it's emotionally/mentally hard to put down. I've always written on the darker side, even when I was a kid, so I don't have a problem with those, but "raw" scenes hold me up, the ones where my characters are most vulnerable, probably because I don't like being vulnerable myself. So, I would wish for those scenes to be written out of the air when I need them to be.

Have a great April! See you around.