No More - Day 44

As a person who writes fairy tale retellings and listens to musical cast records all of the time, what’s one of the most “on-brand” things I can do? Go see a musical that’s a bunch of fairy tale retellings.

Into the Woods has been on of my all time favorite musicals ever since I was a kid and far too young to understand or appreciate it outside of seeing fairy tale characters running around on stage. (Particularly to be seeing the Wolf’s costume. I mean… how did my mom allow me to watch this?)

But, I came away from the musical not noticing that particular costume and it’s anatomy until I was older (praise Jesus), and usually skipping over most of Act 2 because it was “too depressing.”

Which is fair. It gets pretty dark and if you want to only imagine your favorite fairy tale characters having happy endings then you might want to skip this particular show.

I hope you don’t though. Because the older I got and the more I watched this musical, the more I understood and appreciated the darkness of act 2. I love the exploration of how these characters have to navigate a dangerous world and having your wishes come true may not have the consequences you think they will. There’s one particular song I remember always skipping as a kid because it was “so boring.”

Which is another fair point. In his darkest moment The Baker signs a song called “No More” and out of all of the songs to come from Broadway… this isn’t the most exciting one. It’s quiet and long. Most people would likely say that for the more serious and emotional songs of this musical, there are others which are superior. But yet, as I sat in the Nederlander Theatre in Chicago watching Into the Woods, it was this song that stuck out to me and touched me.

“No more giants / waging war! / Can't we just pursue our lives, with our children and our wives, /' Til that happy day arrives, how do you ignore / All the witches, all the curses, / All the wolves, all the lies, the false hopes, the good-bye's, / The reverses, / All the wondering what even worse is still in store! / All the children. / All the giants.. /No more.”

This musical came out in 1987, and here in 2023 the words still ring true. I think for a lot of us, especially since 2020, can relate. I can’t count the number of times when I’ve wondered “Can’t I just write?” or “I just want to live my life!” There was a time when I thought I could change the world. But now, more often than not I’m just tired. The news can be on for five minutes and I’m ready to shut it off because I’m exhausted of hearing about wars and injustice and violence and tragedy.

When I first started blogging again back at the end of March, I was already dragging myself out of a writing slump. I’d lost my dog who was 15 years old in February, and even before then I’d been in a slump. Then, with the release of The Forest’s Keeper, I was getting excited for my author career again.

Then, April 1, my dad passed.

It was both expected and entirely sudden, making April the longest and shortest month of my life.

When I watched Into the Woods for the millionth time this past Sunday and seeing the characters experience loss and death and hardship, I felt a kinship to the Baker I hadn’t before. I understood his desire to just say “no more.” Oddly, it was comforting to remember that people have always experienced these things and these emotions where it’s all too much.

It’s one of the reasons I love fairy tales so much. Reading the old and original versions of some of these tales, the problematic elements and plot holes are so big they almost slap you in the face. But yet, there’s something about them that still speak to our world now. Overcoming impossible odds and facing lifes challenges in the hope that we’ll all get a “happily ever after” in the end, whatever that might look like for each person.

““Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.””

— GK Chesterton

I’ve always loved that quote. Fairy tales don’t only teach children that dragon can be killed, but they teach us adults too. Sometimes we need to remember that while yes there are terrible things in life, those terrible things can also be overcome.

So, here I go again. Trying to slay those dragons and keep writing. It’s slow and not as often as I’d hope. But, the words will come.

Reset

March 2020 is a strange time. There isn’t a person reading this who wouldn’t agree. Usually bustling cities have become ghost towns, there’s a run on toilet paper, and seeing people walk around with masks on has become an every day occurrence.

It’s strange to see how quickly we’ve gotten a new normal. A new normal which probably should have happened sooner.

I, along with a lot of people, went into 2020 with wide bright eyes ready to take on the new year. 2019 was uneventful and a little difficult for me at times, but it ended on such high notes. I’d gotten a promotion at work in the fall, new friendships were quickly becoming more important to me each day, I’d signed a contract for my debut novel (a full post about how it happened coming soon)… there were moments in December all of the good in my life would catch me off guard and I’d have to take a step back to absorb it all.

Wanting to keep up the momentum and make positive changes in my life, I got a fancy planner where I could evaluate what I needed to work on and the goals I would set to make my vision happen. I chose a word of the year (which I’ve never done). Things were prepared, lists made, and goals set. 2020 was going to be THE YEAR.

Flash forward four months later.

So many things are different now. I’ve tried time and time again to write this post, but each time I sit down to type it out I lose motivation and something has changed. Just last week when I first created this draft my life hadn’t been much different. I had my job, I was able to see friends (even if it was just virtual happy hours), and I was doing weekly essentials runs. I kept my hand sanitizer at the desk and was washing my hands frequently. I was scared and worried for the world, but also hopeful.

This week it’s a new picture. The stay at home order in Illinois has been extended until the end of April. (To be honest, I have a hunch it’ll go even longer.) More guests at the hotel have come down the the virus. I have a small collection of face masks and latex free gloves. The mask I’m wearing now was made by a friends mom and is purple with turtles on it. I’m at work - but I don’t know for how long. I know I’ll be at work for the next couple of days but beyond that it’s in the air. A million tabs are open as I’m trying to figure out unemployment details and how it actually works. Lists are made on my phone of what companies to call about bills and what my options are. In the background I have my church’s live stream of their Good Friday service quietly playing so I can still get my work done without getting too distracted.

I’m stressed and tired and debate back and forth if I want to stay home or if I should just keep going day by day to see what hours I’m given.

My word of the year for 2020 was “Embrace.” Now more than ever, it’s more difficult to keep a the forefront of my mind. How am I supposed to embrace COVID19? Embrace the uncertainty of my job? Embrace the world being sick? Embrace not seeing the people I care about? Even with it being Holy Week and looking forward to Easter, I’m having trouble finding the hope and celebration Sunday is supposed to bring with it.

I want it gone! Put my life back to normal!

In my planner which had such high goals set at this time has lay outs for a goal refresh. The makers fully understood that life changes through the year, and what was a priority January 1 may not be a priority April 1.

I couldn’t help but be grateful to have the time to sit and reevaluate what I wanted my life to look like. What perfect timing.

It’s time for a reset.

What was odd though, was that most of my important big picture goals didn’t change much. How I went about them may change, but the goals themselves did not. Some of them became even more important.

Celebrating and growing the relationships closest to me.

Starting my author career on the right foot.

Consuming and creating art that I love and is just for me - not for profit or for anyone else.

Preparing and taking care of my body for whatever comes.

Stewarding the gifts I’ve been given well.

Even when we have a stay at home order, these things are still important. I may not be able to make plans to go out with my friends and family once a week as I originally planned - but I have been using Facetime much more often and being sure I send cards and set up virtual happy hours with people.

I should be hearing back from my editor soon on what needs to be done on my novel so I can get it all polished and cleaned up. It couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.

I’m reading even more books and getting through some that have been sitting on my shelves and kindle for years. Favorite TV shows and movies are constantly playing on my TV. Musicians are still releasing new music. I even did a 1000 piece puzzle in my downtime.

Oddly enough, or maybe not, I’ve been taking care of my body much better than I had in the past. There’s all the hand washing and such we’re all doing of course. But I’m also exercising and trying to drink more water.

Then as I have to count my pennies not knowing how many hours I’ll have a work, I have no other choice but to be sure I’m making wise choices.

I’m not going to embrace COVID19, worry, stress, or the temptation to leave the house. But I can work on embracing all of these other things. Video calls, checking in on people, taking care of myself, and preparing for whatever could come next. Or at least accepting that I can’t control what will happen.

There are no promises on my end of how well I’ll do these things. But I can remind myself to embrace this reset of life. Take the time to really see what’s important and push aside the little worries that really didn’t matter. Accept that right now, finding a pair of latex free gloves that actually fit and some hand sanitizers buried in the bottom of a drawer are what’s going to make me smile these days.

I can embrace and accept that this is a stressful and frightening time. There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging these facts.

And I hope this too shall pass.

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee or becoming a Patreon.

When Writing is A Battle

I’m in high school and trying to think of a book idea.

I’d played around with novels in the past and always said I wanted to be an author, but I wanted to sit down and really do it. I mean… I was fourteen years old for crying out loud. SE Hinton had her first book written when she was 15 and published when she was 18. Clearly, I had to get going.

There was the age old advice of “write what you know” and I always rolled my eyes at it. What I knew was so boring. Until my sister points out “you know the story of Snow White better than anyone. Why don’t you just write about that?”

Well… now there’s an idea.

It’s a few years post college and I have an incredibly rough draft complete of this old idea about Snow White I once had.

Having put my writing aspirations aside as a hobby and only participating in NaNoWriMo and toying with edits in exchange for focusing on a different career path, I realize I’m tired of keeping my writing on the side. I have so many other ideas. More characters and worlds to explore. I can’t not write anymore.

But… this book is not good.

For someone who played around with it periodically in high school in college it’s just fine. As an actual publishable novel? Not at all.

And I’m okay with this.

I set the book aside and work on something brand new.

It’s a couple years later.

I’ve completed and revised a book and queried it out to agents. Nothing happened with it. While I’m sad and disappointed, as I look through the manuscript I know there’s so much work to be done on it and to be frank - there wasn’t a market for this genre at the moment. Maybe I can return to it someday.

Yet, I don’t have anything else to work on.

As I sit in my living room watching TV an idea hits me like a lightning bolt. It has to do with Snow White. But… different.

No. NO WAY. I can’t go back to my terrible terrible book from high school. BAD IDEA.

But…

The same skeleton of the Snow White tale is there (obviously) and the same with the love interest. Yet… there’s more. A completely new turn. A new story. Sure, use the same character names if they still work. But this isn’t just revising a terrible old draft. It’s something new.

It’s August of 2018 and there’s two weeks to go until the PitchWars deadline.

My Snow White novel isn’t complete. It’s close, but, there’s so many more words to write than I’m used to in such a short period of time.

Yet… maybe I could do it.

Would it be hard?

For sure.

Is it possible though? Am I crazy enough to go for it?

I set a schedule for myself where I wake up early each morning before my 7am clock in time for work. When I get home, I write even more. Sometimes from the moment I get home to the moment I go to bed only to start it all over again the next morning. I cancel plans with friends and have to back out of meetings. I talk to my supervisor about my goal and they’re kind enough to let me leave early the day before my deadline and have the whole next day off so I can get it done.

With a few hours to spare - the book is done. The last half isn’t perfect. The last quarter is a hot mess. But it’s done. I’m completely and utterly exhausted and I never want to look at a computer screen ever again. I also have never been more proud of myself regardless of the outcome.

Submit.

It’s April 2019 and I’m still revising.

I didn’t get picked for PitchWars - but I later learned I did get attention. Someone helps guide me through how to revise. I read a book about plotting. I outline, write and edit, reoutline then rewrite and reedit. I get started, then there’s times for weeks I can barely look at the page.

Each time I have a break through a roadblock appears. Even if it’s just one I’ve created in my own head. I think I have it all though through then when I go to write my mind completely blanks out.

I’ve cut so many words and added even more words only to have them cut again.

I know this is how the revision process goes, but it doesn’t feel like I’m making any. I know it’s being made, but my heart won’t accept this fact.

Other novel ideas are floating around in my head and it’s so tempting to just say “well… I tried that time for something else.” I want to dig through those stories and characters. I want to take all that I’ve learned and maybe, just maybe, this time around it’ll be better.

It’ll be easier.

But if I stopped one book and started a new one every time it got hard I would never have anything complete. So, I keep going.

Then I doubt myself. “What if this wasn’t such a brilliant idea in the first place? What if there isn’t really anything to salvage out of this? Do I really want to waste my time on a book that’s never going to be great? Maybe you were never meant to publish a book. You’ve been talking about this literally your entire life and you still can’t even get revisions on this one book done.”

There’s a literary agent/writer I follow on Twitter, Eric Smith, and he tweeted several weeks ago “The book of your heart is worth fighting for.”

In case you're a writer who needs to hear this...

The book of your heart is worth fighting for.

— Eric Smith (@ericsmithrocks) March 16, 2019

Is this Snow White novel the book of my heart? It might be. Although, I wonder if there is even a single “book of your heart.” I think you might have a few. They all just each explore a different part of your heart. I think this book is one of the books of my heart.

I keep trying to remind myself that if this is the case, it’s worth the fight and the battle. The days of self-doubt and frustration. All of it will be worth it.

Maybe I should shoot for only 100 words a day. Even if it’s not much progress, it’s at least something on days when my brain can’t work any more. Maybe I should set another hard and fast goal to force myself to get it done and stop making excuses. Maybe if I make one more outline it’ll work itself out.

Maybe this

Maybe that

Try this

Try that

Yet… it’s still not done.

Why isn’t it done?

I know I don’t have a timeline and I can’t compare myself to the routines of other people because every has their own process. In spite of knowing this, I can’t help but keep asking myself “Why can’t I just figure it out and get it done?”

There’s something that’s going to be special and unique about this book. There has to be. Something in me says to keep going and keep digging through the muck and I’ll find something special. For some reason, it’s not coming out yet.

I know writing and revising is hard. Most of us writers know this. But when we’re actually in the middle of it, we (or at least I) start to wonder “Is it supposed to be this hard?”

The book of your heart is worth fighting for.

So, I’m trying. And I’m fighting. Even if I don’t hit my word count goal each day. Even if end up deleting all of the scenes that I’ve already written and I have to start some of them (or all of them) over. Camp NaNoWriMo and spring arriving with it’s sunshine helps. Talking with other writers and my CPs helps. But it’s hard right now. It’s been hard for several months now.

But I can’t stop fighting for this book.

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee.

March Wrap-Up: Reading, Watching, Listening, Favorites

Happy Spring, everyone!

I had so many grand plans for my blog this month. There were ideas for posts, I even made drafts of them and knew when they’d go up. Did any of that happen? Obviously not. I’m not entirely sure what’s wrong with me other than that things at work have been super bizzare and hectic lately, that when I get home, my brain is fried and I don’t want to do anything but sit in front of the TV and zone out.

It happens.

But, I did get reading done and I have a few other things that have been going on in March I can share with you all!

* = affiliated link

Reading

(Click on the image on the far right to scroll through to see all the covers!)

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy* (Reluctant Royals #2.5) by Alyssa Cole: Contemporary F/F Romance

This past year I’ve totally jumped on the Alyssa Cole bandwagon. She's so fantastic! She has two series going right now, her historical romance during the Civil War called The Loyal Leauge which is amazing! Then this one, Reluctant Royals which is a contemporary romance series. This novella follows one of the side characters we met in book one and it was cute and fun!

Mortal Heart *(His Fair Assassin #3) by Robin LaFevers: Historical Fantasy

I finally finished my re-read of the His Fair Asassin trilogy before I jump into the new book! I decided to listen to it via audio this time around and it was super long so it took me longer than usual. Which was fine though because I liked being able to sink into it and let it last as long as it wanted because Annith is my favorite.

My Favorite Half Night Stand* by Christina Lauren: Contemporary Romance

I read my second Christina Lauren book this month! After falling IN LOVE with Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating in January I had high expectations for this one and it did not disappoint! In fact, this one hit me so hard in the feels, which I did not expect! There were so many elements with this amazing friend group, friends to lovers romance, and online dating that I could relate to SO HARD and brought up some memories for me. (Some which were hard to bring back, but it’s okay!) I’m officially a Christina Lauren fangirl now and already have two more of their books lined up to read.

Certain Dark Things* by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Vampire/Horror/Urban Fantasy

I’ve been meaning to read this book literally for years! It was fantastic. This Aztec inspired vampire story was right up my alley. I loved the different take on vampires and while at first it took me a bit to get into the characters, by the end I was far more attached than I realized!

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel * by Jessica Brody: Non-Fiction

Full disclosure: I’ve never taken a writing class or really read any books or anything about writing. The only “training” I’ve had is maybe a panel or two at a con and listening to podcasts. I decided it’s high time that changed! I’d read a blog post about the Save the Cat outlining method and it helped me so much when outlining my revisions. So, I decided to pick up the book. OH MY GOODNESS this was so great! It helped me SO MUCH in figuring out what was going wrong in my book and how to fix it and now I’ve been telling every writer I know to read this book and I’m craving even more resources on story structure.

Water Runs Red * by Jenna Clare: Poetry

I had the privilege to read an early draft of my friend Jenna’s poetry book several months back and I’m so proud of her and how she’s been able to self-publish this book about friend break ups! (Which we really don’t talk about enough.) To be completely honest, I know nothing about poetry and rarely read it. That being said, I fully enjoyed this book and I think it’s going to resonate with a lot of people.

One Day in December * by Josie Silver: Contemporary Romance

I’d seen a bunch of people read this book over Christmas and a friend said I’d probably really enjoy it. At first I thought it was a Christmas book, and while the first chapter takes place at Christmastime and there are a few Christmas scenes, it truly is a year-round book so I decided to place a hold on it at the library. (GOODNESS that line was long though!) I was blown away by how much I loved this love story. It takes place over 10 years and following these characters through the years and I could completely relate to our heroine! It’s super heartwarming and even people who aren’t big romance fans I can picture enjoying this book.

Kill the Queen (Crown of Shards #1)* by Jennifer Estep: Dark Fantasy

This is the book I’m currently reading. It’s been sitting on my shelf for months and I’m so glad I’m finally getting to it. It’s taking longer than I’d like, but it’s only because I’m also really needing to get writing done and I’ve been busy with a writing workshop. So, sadly my free time has been taken by that and not by reading this book. I was able to get a good chunk read the other day and I’m about half through and it is SO SO GOOD. This is exactly my type of epic fantasy where the world building is rich but easily weaved into the narrative, the characters who jump off the page, but the story still moves. It’s one of those where while it’s over 400 pages, it doesn’t feel like it is.

Watching

Queer Eye on Netflix

YES! The Fab 5 is back and I couldn’t be more excited! I’ve already binged all of season 3 and like everyone else, I basically cried in each episode. But seriously, how can you not love these guys? There are seriously days when I start to feel down about myself, or I get frustrated with something in life, or even just can’t figure out what to wear and I think “what would the Fab 5 tell me right now?” and it honestly helps! If we all could live our lives the way they do and learn to embrace other people and genuinely love them, imagine how much better this world would be.

Can we have season 4 now?

American Idol on ABC

I usually don’t get into American Idol. The only season I ever got really into was season 2 with Clay Aiken. (My BFF and I were obsessed with him in high school.) I watched it last year but the people who were my favorites didn’t make it very far. Then, I caught the first few episodes of the auditions and now I’m hooked.

Especially because of this guy. I need his album immediately.

Vampire Diaries on Netflix

Yes, I’m kind of rolling my eyes at myself with this one. I’d watched this series a few years ago and while it was ridiculous, I also loved it. Then, I fell off the wagon and last year I binged the last couple of seasons. Which then made me miss the early seasons which were the best ones. Of course, I then went right back to episode one. I’d watch it on and off until finally this past month I was finished with all of the other shows I was watching and figured I might as well just complete the rewatch. By the time we get to the last couple seasons though, I’m basically just living for the last two episodes where Katherine comes back.

Boy Meets World on Hulu

Boy Meets World - AKA the greatest sit com out of all the 90s sit coms. I WILL FIGHT YOU.

Seriously though, I adore this show. It’s one of my all time favorites. It has the same cheesy plot lines as some of the other 90s sit coms, but there’s something a bit more genuine and heartfelt about it. Also, it’s hilarious. Also, Cory and Topanga is the greatest love story of my generation. I have all the seasons on DVD, but the lazy side of me is very happy it’s all on Hulu. I just finished season one, and can’t wait for season two. (Which is one of the best seasons in my personal opinion.) It’s one of those shows where I’ve seen every episode so many times I can have it on in the background and not fully pay attention but will know exactly what’s happening when I do, and laugh at all of the jokes no matter how many times I’ve heard them.

Listening

David Tennant Does a Podcast With…

I’d heard while back that David Tennant (aka the best Doctor) started a podcast and I meant to subscribe, then for some reason never did. I finally started it a couple weeks ago and it’s so great! It’s basically him sitting down and interviewing people and I don’t even care who he’s talking to because I love him and his voice so much. It’s a relaxing and fun show.

Showmance with Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz

In case you don’t know who Kevin and Jenna are - they’re Artie and Tina from Glee.

Yup! They started a podcast together and while they’ve only had one episode so far, my little Gleek heart could not be more delighted.

Kevin and Jenna are IRL BFFs and (kinda/sorta/it’s complicated) had a small romance during their time on Glee. They said there’s a lot of other performers out there who also are either good friends or in romantic relationships while also working together, and it creates an interesting dynamic and on their show they interview them about it. The first episode they interview one another and it’s wonderful. I love listening to them relive their Glee days.

“Flamingo - Virginia Hill” parts 1 & 2 on Female Criminals

I’ve mentioned the Female Criminals podcast in the past and I’m still morbidly obsessed with it. The most recent story I can’t get enough of is about Virginia Hill who to this day the most influential female in the mob. She’s gone now, but no other woman has matched her status. By the time she was in her early 20s, she had connections to the mobs in Chicago, New York, LA, and Mexico.

Not that we should aspire to be high profile criminals but… when I listening to her story I couldn’t help but be at least a little impressed.

My Favorite Things

NYX Matte Finish Makeup Setting Spray*

Oddly enough, I’ve never tried a setting spray for my makeup before. I thought I’d give this one a go since I’ve been using some of other NYX’s products and have had good results. This is fantastic! I should have been using it before. I tend to use long lasting makeup anyway because I don’t have time for many touch ups at work, and this helps to give it that extra boost to keep it all in place.

Colour Pop No Filter Matte Concealer

I was running low on concealer and I love ColourPop’s lip products and decided to give their concealer a go. It’s great so far! Surprisingly enough, the shade I bought is slightly too pale for me so next time I need to get it a tad darker. But, it still works just fine!

Smashbox Primers*

Yes, another product I’ve never used before is a primer. I got a bunch of samples with an Ulta order recently and it came with some primers from Smashbox. They were so great! How have I not used these before? I have no idea what they’re supposed to do, but my skin was surprisingly soft all day and that was enough to sell me on them. However… the full Smashbox product is a bit out of my price range. If anyone has recs for a more budget friendly primer, let me know!

Things I Did This Month

Dear Evan Hanson

For Broadway fans, I’m way behind on this bandwagon. I’d listened to the cast album for this show a couple of times and watched the performance on the Tony Awards, but didn’t really “get it.” It came to Chicago and some friends and I decided to go. The tickets were out of my usual budget for these things, but since it’s so popular I kind of expected it. Well… I get it now. This show is so wonderful! I will say this though - with your ticket they should also include a box of tissues, a therapy session, and a comfort dog.

C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo)

This event is basically Chicago’s ComiCon. (We have one of those too I’m pretty sure, but this one is more popular.) I’ve gone a couple of times before and some friends from out of state were coming in for it. Besides…. they were having a Clueless reunion.

Yes. Yes, that is four members of the Clueless cast hanging out. I was in the same room as them. I was way closer to the stage than it appears in the photo, but due to my lack of height I still had to just look at the screen. But, I was still there!

Even beyond the Clueless reunion, this was such a fun event. I love seeing all of the cosplayers, I met one of my favorite authors, hung out in artist alley, and got to catch up with one of the artists I met last year. This has quickly become one of my high priority events of the year and I’m going to need to start considering getting a 2 or 3 day pass instead of just one. It’s more expensive of course, but I’d love to have more time to see everything I want to. I mean… the day after I went David Tennant had a pannel!

Anastasia

Yes! I saw not only one, but two musicals this month! Which basically means this was a big win for me. My sister and I went together a few days after her birthday. I was slightly nervous about it because I knew they’d made some pretty major changes from the movie to the musical. The story itself was still the same, and they had the songs, but still some big changes. However, I had nothing to worry about. It was done in a way where I could keep the animated movie as something separate from the stage show and see how while they were the same story, they were still their own thing. For what they wanted to do on stage, the changes made complete sense and worked so well! My sister and I cried a couple of times and it was wonderful.

On The Writing Front

Plotting Your Novel Bootcamp

An author who’s been helping me out the last several months was taking part in the workshop and said she thought I’d enjoy it as well. It was the first time I’d forked over money beyond buying a book to learn about writing, so it was a bit different for me. But it was helpful! I got started in it late and didn’t totally catch up to where everyone else in the workshop was, but I got all of these great resources and am still going through the workbook.

Revisions

Yes, I’m still working on my revisions for White Rose. I don’t know how long revisions usually take people, but I feel like mine have been taking forever. Far longer than I’d like. Then, I had a break through. On March 31st. And now I’m changing almost everything. Yet again.

Revising is weird my friends.

New Ideas

Yes! I have a new book idea! I won’t share much about it yet, but it’s in a new genre I haven’t really played around with before. Which… I’m slightly nervous about but also excited. I don’t have a whole lot done on it yet because I’m still working on White Rose, but I have characters and some plot ideas jotted down. When I (finally) get White Rose revisions done I’m hoping I’ll have enough brainstorming done for this new book idea where I can jump into it while beta readers are working through White Rose.

Speaking of beta readers - if you like fantasy, fairy tales, and romance, let me know! Cause I’m looking for a reader or two to give me feedback. No set date yet since revisions are taking so long, but I will be needing them!

There’s my March! While writing and revising hasn’t been going as I’d hoped, with all of the events I went to March ended up being a pretty great month. What did you do in March? Read anything you fell in love with? Do you have podcasts, movies, or TV shows to rec?

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee.

February Round-Up

We’re going to do something a little different this month for my wrap-up! As much as I love talking about all of the books I’ve read, I also want to share more of what else I’m enjoying lately. On top of it, I want to get away from doing book reviews.

I’ll be dedicating a whole blog post to this in a couple of weeks, but there’s a couple of reasons for it. 1) To be honest, I’m not great at reviewing books. There are some people who are amazing book reviewers and can do some wonderful critical commentary on them. I’m not one of those people. 2) As I’m working on pursuing my writing career, it’s usually recommended that you don’t have public book reviews anywhere. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and I agree. Even if I’m being professional in my review if it happens to be a bit negative, why should I be publicly posting something that’s negative about a potential co-worker? It doesn’t make sense.

I’m of course not going to stop talking about books. There’s going to be a ton of blog posts in the future talking about books so don’t worry about that. I think I’m physically incapable of not talking about books. But, I’m going to be cutting out actual reviews.

So… here’s what I’ve been enjoying in Feburary!

Reading

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

I read the first book in this duology, Strange the Dreamer last year and it was one of my favorites! This book was a lovely follow-up. Her writing is so full of wonder and magic.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

What an ADORABLE debut! This was a book chosen for PitchWars a year or two ago, and her mentor was Brighton Walsh whose books I’ve read. From what I can tell, it was a fantastic pairing because I loved this book. With our delightful and autistic heroine and the charming hero in a gender-swapped Pretty Woman type of story - you won’t be disappointed.

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

If you want a quieter fantasy filled with wonder, sisters, and romance, this is for you! It has so many fairy tale influences and it’s steeped in Jewish culture. Then it has this interesting dual point of view chapter format where one sister’s POV is done in verse. I’m not usually one for poetry, but this was lovely.

A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole

The first book in this series, An Extraordinary Union, was another favorite of mine last year. This one was just as good! If you want historical romance, but it’s not all balls and carriage rides and everything, you’ll love this series set during the Civil War.

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

It took me months, but I finally finished this book! It took me far longer than it usually does, and I listened to the audio book which worked better for me than reading the physical book. The ending makes it worth it.

Currently Reading:

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

I’m re-reading this one because I’d re-read the first two in the trilogy not too long ago, and with the release of the follow-up duology being released, I needed to revisit Annith’s story. I’m listing to the audio book this time and really been enjoying it. This book features one of my OTPs and knowing what I know, I can’t stop giggling as I listen.

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyon

This is a debut epic fantasy novel and one of my most anticipated of the year. It’s taking me longer than I anticipated, but this world and story are so rich.

Listening

Wonder Women Podcast - Carrie Hope Fletcher and Celinde Shoenmaker

I’ve been a fan of Carrie’s YouTube channel for some time and when I saw her announce she was starting a podcast with one of her friends I thought I’d give it a shot! They mostly talk about general women’s issues and history. It’s really fun and it’s like sitting in on two friends having coffee. It’s a little scattered and their episodes could be a bit more organized, but that will come with time as they go. There’s only been a couple episodes so far!

Snark Squad Pod - Emma & Romantic Comedies

I’ve been loving the Snark Squad Pod ever since it was released last year, and this past month I particularly loved their episodes on Emma and Romantic Comedies. As a Jane Austen fan, it was fun to hear them talk about their histories with the story of Emma, thoughts on the books, and comparing all of the adaptations. Then to celebrate Valentines Day they talked about romantic comedies which was also ridiculously fun and I ended up binging all of my favorites once I finished the episodes.

How to Train Your Dragon Soundtrack

I recently went on a writing retreat with some friends and I was looking for some new music to listen to while I got work done. One of them suggested the How To Train Your Dragon soundtrack (to be honest - I’ve only seen the movie once so I never would have thought of it!) and it was wonderful! Especially for fantasy and some more battle/action-y type scenes. I’ve really been into instrumental music while I’ve been writing lately and this was exactly what I needed.

Smash Cast

I recently discovered that I can rewatch old episodes of the short-lived musical TV show a few weeks ago and… it created a monster. I basically have the music from the show playing non-stop now and it makes me far happier than it should.

Watching

The Bachelor

Yes, I fully admit that I watch this show and I get SO INTO IT. Especially this week! Ever since they showed that at one point Colton jumped the fence because he was tired of it all I was completely hooked this season and have been waiting for this moment. I’ll be honest - I was hoping it was a little earlier in the season because how great would it be if the Bachelor left the show but they kept on filming and we just got to see all of the women become BFFs and travel the world together? I’d watch the crap out of that show.

But, the drama this week has been legitimate. I think for once Chris Harrison has been honest about this being “the most dramatic episode ever.” I mean, it’s worse than when Rachel cried her tears off with Peter.

Smash

As I said earlier, it’s taken me forever but I finally realized how I can stream old episodes of Smash on the NBC app and it’s made my musical theatre loving heart incredibly happy. Also - when can this Marylin Monroe musical be a real life thing? I’d totally fly out to NYC to go see it.

Brooklyn 99

I’m late to the party on this one, but I finally have started watching Brooklyn 99. I’m only in season two and it’s ridiculously fun. I think Sergeant Terry Jeffords is my favorite. But all of them are pretty fantastic.

A Million Little Things

We’ve already had the season finale for this new show and why is it over???? I don’t understand! I don’t care about the other new shows coming in for the spring/remainder of the winter season. I wasn’t sure about this show at first because it seemed like ABC just wanted their own version of This Is Us. Which… it kind of is. But, I for sure got into the mystery and loved the different characters. Especially Maggie and Gary. They’re my OTP of the show.

This is Us

Of course I’m still totally into This is Us. But I’ll be completely honest - I’m getting really bad at Randall this season. His wife Beth is the actual best ever and they’re so perfect together but RANDALL IS MESSING EVERYTHING UP and if he continues on this path I’m not sure if I’ll still believe in true love.

Deadly Class

A friend of mine recommended this new SyFy show to me a few weeks ago so when I had a couple of days off I binged the episodes which were already out and have been trying to keep up with the new releases each week. I don’t read graphic novels, so I’m not familiar with the ones this show is based off of. However, I don’t feel like I’m missing anything by not reading them. I typically enjoy stories about assassins for some reason and stories about boarding schools - this is the perfect combination of both! It’s this odd cross between a “typical” high school/coming of age TV show (they have an episode that is a throwback to The Breakfast Club and one about a prank war) but you know… the stakes are a tad big higher. As in, they’re all murdering each other. So you know, good times.

Also, it stars our sweet girl who played Laura Jean in To All the Boys I Loved Before but now she’s this awesome fierce assassin and I couldn’t be more proud.

Miracle Workers

Being the over the top Harry Potter fan I am, as outrageous and odd as some of Daniel Radcliffe’s other acting projects have been, I still have to at least test out each one of them. I have to admit - this one is one of my favorites so far. He works in the “answered prayers” department of heaven and he along with a small team have to help two people on Earth find love in order to save the world. If you take off your theology hat - it’s hilarious and endearing. It’s a great cross between The Good Place and a workplace comedy.

Favorite Things

Flavored Water

I’m ridiculously unhealthy and I’m attempting to drink more water. Usually all I drink through the day is coffee, tea, and pop. Which… isn’t good. I have a nice little water intake tracker in my bullet journal and while I haven’t gotten my whole 8 cups of water a day in yet, I’m well on my way. It was particularly helpful when I found out that flavored sparkling water counts toward your daily intake. My favorite brand is Ice Mountain, and because I don’t particularly enjoy water on it’s own, I’ve been keeping fruit in my freezer and putting it into my water bottle each day. Pineapple, strawberry, and mango is a lovely combination.

Not Your Mother’s Dry Shampoo & Hair Straightening Spray

I swear by dry shampoo and this brand has been fantastic. It’s affordable, doesn’t leave a weird texture in my hair, and actually helps to liven it up. Then, the same line has a hair straightening spray and it is the ACTUAL BEST I’ve ever tried. You just spritz it on your hair before blow drying and it leaves my hair so silky and smooth. It’s the closest I’ve gotten to having it as smooth as it is after I go to the salon and I’m in love.

UGG Boots

Yes… I realize that I’m like 30 years behind the game. (Okay… more like 10ish years but you get the idea.) When I was in high school and college and everyone else in the world was wearing these boots I just never understood it and wore whatever I could afford. Well, this winter has been brutal here in Chicago. It. Is. Cold. On top of the ridiculous cold, we also had a couple of weeks where we were slammed with ice and snow and sleet and basically every combination of winter weather you could think of. My tall fake leather boots I was wearing every day just weren’t going to cut it.

I found a pair of discounted boots online and thought I’d give them a shot. Thankfully, I tried them on in the store and they were too small. So, I perused the shelves and there were a pair of UGGs in my size. I tried them on because I was curious. “Surely they’re not SO GREAT that they’re worth how much more expensive they are than the ones I’d already picked.”

Well… I was wrong. They were amazing. They’re so much warmer than my other boots and the tread has been great on the ice and snow. So, I splurged and now I live in them.

My Bullet Journal

I’ve tried bullet journaling on and off but was never able to to fully keep up with it. I’m terrible at drawing and i wanted my journal to look as cute as everyone else’s that I saw on Pinterest. So, I switched to a planner which already looked pretty and I could add stickers. But, I still wanted a journal to jot down notes, work on brainstorming, and organize other elements of my life. I kind of half-assed my journal and it wasn’t super organized.

When a friend of mine started a bullet journal she kept on sharing all of her cute layouts and designs and it made me wish I’d given it a fair try. I found some simple ways to make mine look cute and put more thought into the layouts I’d actually use. Now, I love it! I still use my planner and my journal might not look as elaborate and cute as some others, but it’s still pretty fantastic. I might do a separate blog post on how I’ve been using it at a later date.

How was everyone else’s February? Read, watch, or listen to anything you truly loved? Any recs for me? Do you bullet journal?

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee.

2018 Year in Review and 2019 Goals

Here we are again. New Years Eve is behind us and it’s time for Helene In Between’s start of the year link-up. As I write this, it is New Years Day and I’m working the 2nd shift. It’s quiet, the holiday decorations have already been taken down, and the building is practically empty after the New Years Eve partiers have left. The post-holiday blues are hitting me a bit hard this year. I was so excited for them to come for what felt like forever, and I prepared and counted down the days. Then, as the season went on there was something off about it.

Maybe it was work. Maybe it was how our weather went all topsy-turvey in Chicago and it was one of the warmest Decembers ever. (I know snow has nothing to do with Christmas, but I need snow and cold weather at Christmas. I just do. I let Bing Crosby infiltrate my brain too much.) My family and I had a great holiday, and I spent New Years Eve with some friends. Yet, I’m caught off guard by the arrival of 2019.

Everyone has been sharing their favorite memories of 2018. A lot of people openly admitted this year wasn’t the best, but they still had special moments to look back on. As I tried to think of how this past year as been for me, it was a struggle.

2018 In Review

2018 wasn’t a bad year. At least not for me personally. We didn’t have any big tragedies with my family or my close friends. Jobs remained the same. My parents and I moved again which was annoying, but the house we’re in now is much better than the condo we were in previously. The animals, Bandit and Peanut, remain well. Yet, I still can’t imagine myself looking back on this past year and thinking “Wow! That was a great year!”

The best part for sure was watching my niece grow. She’s 13 months now, and we loved every moment of watching all of her firsts and are excited for all of the rest of them to come. Then as I thought about it, that’s not really my life. It’s her life and my sisters and my brother-in-law’s. Yes, I get to participate in large parts of it and I’m so fortunate to have a family where we’re all included. But, it’s not necessarily part of my life.

Or maybe it is? I don’t know.

I’m sure somewhere in all of this there’s a lesson about how significant and wonderful it is to be the person to be happy and supportive of the people around them. Which is awesome, and I’m happy to be that person. I love celebrating alongside the people I care about and raising them up when awesome things happen.

But yet…

Yet.

The goals I set for myself never panned out. I didn’t travel. Heck, I don’t think I even took my vacation week - even if I didn’t go anywhere I could have had a staycation.

2018 wasn’t a bad year for me. There were some fun moments. I went to C2E2 and took photos with the cast of Gilmore Girls and This is Us. (Although it all happened so quickly that I didn’t even register it happened until I saw the photos.)

I saw three musicals downtown, including my first pre-Broadway premire (Pretty Woman) where I also met Samantha Barks, Steve Kazee, Tony Bracco, and others at stage door. As big of a Broadway geek I am, I’ve never gone to the pre-Broadway previews or stage door before and it was fun! I also saw Waitress for my birthday, then Miss Saigon in November. I honestly couldn’t tell you which of the tree I liked the most. All of them were so wonderful!

I also saw Josh Groban and Idnina Menzel at United Center. I never go to concerts, but when I heard these two were touring together I knew I had to go. It was completely amazing after being such a fan of theirs for so long. I think I died about 20 million times through the whole thing.

In October a friend and I went to a VE Schwab event at a local book store. We didn’t do the meet and greet line (which, I’d met her at YallFest a couple years ago) but we loved hearing her speak and talk about her writing process. I admire her so much.

I stole this from VE Schwab’s instagram.

On the writing front, I started out working on my Vampire Snow White novel but got stuck. So, I switched over to my fairy tale mash-up, White Rose. I participated in PitchWars for the second year in a row, and all of August was basically dedicated to completing the first draft of White Rose. It was hard, and while I didn’t get chosen for PitchWars it was still an awesome experience and I’ve learned so much since then thanks to the people I’ve met through it. But now as I’ve been attempting to do rewrites and revisions, it’s been difficult to recapture how happy I was that I’d finished the draft. Something in that creative side of my brain that was dedicated to that novel seems to have dried up, and I’m trying to get it back.

This picture has nothing to do with anything. I just really like how it turned out.

I’d had the goal of having something query ready by the end of the year… and it didn’t happen.

Another thing on the writing front was that a small group of writing friends and I went on a retreat together over the summer. It was really fun, and I hope we can do it again. There’s been some chat of trying again this winter.

On the media front…

I read 100 books - which did complete my goal of reading less. I read 113 books n 2017. I will also have a post wrapping up and sharing my favorite books of 2018 in a week or two.

According to Spotify my #1 song was “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman. (Not surprising in the least and that was definitely the song of the year and it was ROBBED at the Oscars. ROBBED I TELL YOU.) I also listened to a lot of Taylor Switft, Demi Lovato, musical soundtracks, Sia, and Josh Groban. All of these are also not surprising. The first song I listened to was “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga and she is a most excellent way to start out the listening year.

With movies, I LOVED Love, Simon and saw it twice. Which is also something not that surprising since I’ve read the book at least seven times. It was a fantastic adaptation. Speaking of adaptations, To All the Boys I Loved Before , The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and Dumplin’ on Netflix were also pretty fantastic. Some other movies I loved were: Lady Bird, The Christmas Chronicles, The Princess Switch, Mama Mia! Here We Go Again, and finished out the year by seeing Mary Poppins Returns which was a fantastic life choice.

For TV… I finally started watching Parks and Rec and I can’t believe it took me this long. I’m on season 6 and almost done! I binged The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and while there are for sure some issues, it was entertaining and a good watch for the Halloween season. I tried The Haunting of Hill House but only made it through one episode because I’m a scaredy-cat. I did a rewatch of Glee, That 70s Show, Gilmore Girls, and now I’m rewatching Friends. I do a lot of rewatching of TV shows cause then I can have it on in the background and if I’m not completely paying attention it’s not a big deal. I was outraged (OUTRAGED I TELL YOU) when Evana Lynch didn’t win Dancing with the Stars, and I’m annoyed that Colton is going to be the new Bachelor because especially on Bachelor in Paradise he just wasn’t that great. But, we all know come Monday night I’m gonna watch and get sucked into all of the drama anyway. I was also really mad that Kennedy didn’t win The Voice, but Chevelle was my 2nd choice so at least she won. I started Riverdale but need to still catch up on season 2. Then, of course, I think we can all agree that one of the best things to come out of 2018 is the Netflix revival of Queer Eye. Or did it release in 2017? I don’t remember. Either way, if season 1 was last year and season 2 was this year it was still one of the best parts of 2018. THE QUEER EYE GUYS HAVE SAVED 2018 FOR US OKAY?

I listened to a lot of podcasts and discovered a lot of new ones! Of course, there’s Johnathan Van Ness’ podcast, Getting Curious where he interviews experts about topics he’s curious about. I continued to listen to some of my favorites: Writer Writer Pants on Fire, Writing Excuses, Broadway Backstory, Myths and Legends , and Print Run Podcast. But, I’ve become OBSESSED with Female Criminals and The History Chicks. I could listen to those all day and not be bored for a single moment. They’re completely fascinating. Then, my friends over at The Snark Squad started THE MOST AMAZING podcast this year too, and I love listening to them laugh and discuss pop culture and media. I’ve secretly been wanting them to start a podcast in addition to their blog for a long time now and I’m so glad they finally did.

My last selfie of 2018. My niece is always entertained by the filters.

And… that’s about it. Nothing has really changed for me and my life. Same job, same friends, same neighborhood (even if we changed addresses… the Southwest suburbs of Chicago are weird like that), and I get to watch my niece grow up. Which isn’t bad. I have so much to be thankful for.

Yet…

Yet, there’s still that nagging feeling of “what else?”

Looking Ahead to 2019

So, now we’re here in 2019. A new year. A new start. I rang it in at a relaxed party with some old friends, a couple whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, then even made it home by midnight to wish my family a happy new year. (I told you it was relaxed. We played Pandemic through the Times Square Ball drop and didn’t even break open the champagne.)

I’m hesitantly looking forward to the new year. Excited is a bit too strong of a word for it, but I am curious about the new year. I know the whole thing is a “social construct.” There is no magic which happens when the clock strikes midnight on New Years Eve. If you want do something to change your life, you can do it any day of the year.

There’s something I like about having that set day as a fresh start. All together we can turn the page into a new chapter and start over.

Once again, I’m setting the goal of having something query ready this year.

I want to take a freaking vacation. Even if it’s a “staycation.”

I’m lowering my reading goal to 80 books because I still feel like my reading-life balance isn’t particularly healthy.

I want to take more photos. I used to take pictures of me, my friends, and my family all of the time. Not because there was something special we were doing, but just because. I take a lot of photos still, but of nothing that special. It’s all for social media where I pose my book in a pretty way and talk about what I’m reading. Which, there’s nothing wrong with that and I’m going to keep doing that. But, I noticed that my phone is severely lacking photos of people over the last 12 months. Heck, I barely even took any selfies this year. That needs to change.

Most of all though, in 2019 I want to be open. Open to new things, changes, family, friends… life in general.

I’ve never been one to do a “word of the year.” But if I were, I think “open” would be a good one.

How are you all feeling going into the new year? And don’t forget to write your own post and link it up and/or check out everyone else’s posts via Helene In Between!

---

You might also enjoy:

My Most Anticipated Books of 2019

Tooting My Own Horn

Thoughts on Turning a Year Older

2017 Year in Review and Looking Ahead to 2018

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I’m spending the day with family, celebrating the season!

Regular posts will be up again next week!

How to Be Productive During the Holidays

So here’s a thing: in the US, Thanksgiving is next week.

Say what?

Yeah, that was my reaction too when I looked at my calendar. I’m already behind for NaNoWriMo but felt pretty relaxed about it. “I totally have time to catch up on my word count!” Then I realized Thanksgiving was next week and all of the sudden reality hit me. My neice’s birthday was this past weekend, this upcoming weekend my family is heading out of town to celebrate my grandpa’s birthday, then BOOM! It’s Thanksgiving. Then we’ll be full swing into Christmas.

I do not have nearly as much time on my hands to catch up on my word count as I thought. On top of it there’s blog posts to write, books to read and review, presents to buy, food to cook… as much as I love the holiday season, it also can be pretty stressful and hectic.

What’s a person to do when they have a to-do list a million miles long, but in reality all they really want to do is curl up with some hot chocolate and watch Hallmark Christmas movies? Here’s some ideas:

Be Realistic

Every year for NaNoWriMo I swear I’ll get writing done on Thanksgiving. “Even for just a few minutes! I can get some words in!”

Do I get writing done on Thanksgiving?

Nope.

It’s just not a realistic goal for me. As you’re preparing for all that you need to do and determine what you can actually do. For me, that means on major holidays I’m not going to get anything extra done, so I need to work extra hard the days before so I can have fun later.

Or maybe you had a goal of reading a certain number of books in one month and you need to cut that number down. Maybe you need to cut back on the number of projects you work on through these next several weeks. Maybe it’s not realistic for EVERYONE on your gift list to receive a handmade item by you.

Work Ahead

Yes, this will require some planning. (Which is why I’m writing this post before Thanksgiving.) But once you get the leg work done, it’ll be so helpful!

For me - this meant planning out and writing all of my blog posts for the remainder of the year. Yup. I have every blog post from now through December (and even the start of January) planned. I’ll have them all written before Thanksgiving hits (if not before) save for the ones which are more time sensitive.

Example: I can’t finish my November Reading Round-Up until November is over. However, I can write each review for the books I complete right after I finish them so I’m not cramming it all in at the last minute.

This way, I don’t have anything to worry about blog-wise while I’m trying to enjoy the holiday festivities.

Be Flexible and Make Compromises

This weekend was my niece’s first birthday, which meant we were busy with presents, decorations, and spending time with friends and family. Good times were had by all! Going in, I had a plan for catching up on my writing. I got a lot done that morning, and once I got home after the party I’d get even more done. Then… friends decided to hang out more afterward and through the evening. I really wanted to go. But, I had words to write.

I ended up compromising.

I didn’t go out with my friends, but I did help watch my niece so my sister and brother-in-law could. I was able to bring my laptop and sit in the living room while my niece slept. (Or rather, played in her playpen because each time we put her down she cried.) I didn’t get quite as many words in as I planned, but I got far more than I would have if I went out.

Then this upcoming weekend, I plan on bringing my laptop with me while my family and I road trip for my grandpa’s birthday. If possible, I’ll be writing while others are driving.

Is it ideal? Nope. But, I’ll still get more done than if I were to skip those days of productivity.

Remember It Doesn’t Need to be Perfect

We get this image in our minds of the perfect holiday seasons. Nothing goes right, the tree looks just so, the presents are all wrapped in a timely fashion, and we can sip eggnog by the fire at the end of each day.

Sometimes, it just doesn’t work out like that. And that’s okay.

You need to learn to forgive yourself for when things aren’t completely perfect. The last sentence you wrote for your novel might not be the most brilliant piece of literature ever written. The tinsel on the Christmas tree might get clumped up a bit. You might not reach your book reading goal for the year.

All of this is okay. As long as you’re taking care of yourself, there’s a roof over your head, the kids are alive, priorities are in order, and you’re spending time with the people you care about, you’re doing a great job.

What goals do you need/want to complete the next several weeks during this busy time? What’s your action plan or any advice for people who need to get through their own to-do list?

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee. 

How I Save Money On Books

In October alone, I have at least one book on pre-order each week. (So many awesome new releases this month!) They’re all going to be hardcovers. This means their retail price will most likely be anywhere between $15-$30.

I don’t need to go much further for you to get the idea that if you are as avid of a reader as I am, it doesn’t take long for the numbers to rack up.

Let’s be real - books can be expensive!

Also, I’m not the best example when it comes to saving money with books. I spend far more than I should and I’m at the bookstore so often that the guy at the counter asks “Weren’t you just here the other day?”

I have a lot of spending habits I need to work on - especially in this area.

However, that doesn’t mean I haven’t learned some tricks for saving my money. I rarely spend full price on the books I purchase. In fact, just the other day a book had a retail price of $30 and I bought it for $16.

Here’s some of my tips.

(Please note, I buy books A LOT. Like… A LOT A LOT. Far more than most people do. Therefore, some of these tricks may or may not work for you. For example, if you don’t buy books very often, the price of a membership may not be the best option for you. Just want to have full disclosure!)

Go to the Library

This is the most important one! In fact, I wouldn’t have hurt feelings if after reading about going to the library you stop reading this blog post. The library is your biggest and best resource!

Guys - it’s like Netflix for books. Thousands of volumes right there at the tips of your fingers waiting to be borrowed. (Also - does anyone else find it sad that I need to compare libraries to Netflix to sell it? But you’d be surprised how many times I see people talking about “I wish there was a Netflix for books” and I’m all “THE LIBRARY.”) They’re free, my friends. FREE.

A habit I’m trying to get myself into is to read a book from the library before I purchase it. Particularly when it’s a new author or series. If I fall in love with the book and/or see myself reading it again in the future, only then will I decide to purchase it for my personal collection. This will save you a ton of grief when it comes to getting a book and then hating it. Who wants to spend $25 or more on something only to have a terrible experience? (Although, it doesn’t hurt to know your local bookstores return policy. Yes! You CAN return books!)

Or, I wait until the whole series is out. That’s what I did with Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill. I started reading the books via the library and read the entire series that way. When I knew it was an all time favorite, I slowly started to collect the books.

Don’t see the title you want? Talk to the librarian about inner-library loans or if the book is somewhere in your network. A majority of the books I’ve checked out from my library did not come from my local library itself. They are from other libraries in our network. Granted, I’m privileged enough where I live in the Chicagoland area and have a ton of libraries in our network I can use as a resource. If you live in a rural area, this could be more challenging. But, it never hurts to talk to your librarian to see what options are out there.

Still can’t find what you want? Request your library to get a copy. Libraries want to give you the books you want! If they see people are wanting a certain book on their shelves, they’re going to get copies.

Many libraries now also have access to ebook loan systems such as Overdrive. I’m OBSESSED with overdrive and how I can find so many books, and audio books there and have them downloaded right to my Kindle. It’s amazing.

Basically - go to your library and make friends with the people who work there. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

Read ebooks

This is one of those weird moments where you might have to spend money to save money.

I know not everyone likes ebooks, or may not have an electronic device at their disposal. So yes, some of my privilege is talking. However, if this is an option for you, hear me out.

Some of your basic Kindles/Nooks/ereaders, etc. aren’t all that expensive, depending on what kind of money you have coming in. Just from a quick look on Amazon, you can find some simple refurbished ones for under $50.

Don’t want to get an ereader or tablet? No problem. Do you have a cell phone? The Kindle, Nook, iBook, and Google Play Books apps are FREE. You can even download them to your computer most of the time if you don’t have a smart phone.

But here’s the thing - a majority of ebooks are cheaper than physical books. Personally, I don’t purchase ebooks unless they are under $5. Even if you don’t set a limit like that for yourself though, they’re still cheaper. When a new release in hardcover comes out it’s usually between $15-30 right? The ebook many times is under $15. That’s before it goes on sale.

That’s a lot of money to save my friends.

Still don’t want to buy them? Then we go back to the whole library thing. Check to see if your library offers ebook services. That’s how I started to use my Kindle app. I downloaded library books and decided I liked to use my tablet for reading.

Join Membership Programs

This is another one where you might have to spend a bit of money to save money. But, in the long run, it’s worth it.

A big popular one of course is Amazon Prime and/or Kindle Unlimited. I tried Kindle Unlimited, but a lot of their selection wasn’t in my taste. I know a lot of people who use it all of the time though! Then, I also tried Amazon Prime. If I purchased more on Amazon beyond books, the price tag would probably have been worth the discounts and free shipping. Yet, it’s pretty rare when I buy something that isn’t a book from there.

I am, however, a Barnes and Noble member, which is only about $40 a year. THE WHOLE YEAR. I get free shipping with all of my purchases, get a discount with all of my purchases, and on top of it I regularly get coupons emailed and mailed to me. This past holiday season, I think I got an email with a coupon at least 2x a month if not more often.

Also, Barnes and Noble online prices are lower than their in store prices, AND you now can purchase books online at the online price AND pick them up for free within the hour in store. (This is how I nabbed that $30 book for $16.) Basically, my savings far outweigh the price I pay for the membership.

I know other book stores have similar programs. (Books-A-Million does… I’d have to research more for other stores.) Barnes and Noble just happens to be the store which is most convenient for me, and that’s where I go 99% of the time. Visit your local stores and/or visit their websites and see what you can find out.

If you buy books as frequently as I do, and you aren’t part of your favorite store’s membership program, what are you waiting for?

Sign Up for Newsletters

This one has it’s pros and cons.

The pros? You find out about sales, get coupons, and see deals right away. I get my Kindle daily deal emails all of the time and when I see a book I’ve had my eye on go on sale, you bet that I click that “one-click-buy” button! Or, because I follow an author’s newsletter, I was informed about a one day only event where romance authors were giving away their ebooks for FREE.

FREE.

Yeah… I got like 12 book that day and didn’t spend a penny.

The cons? Your email inbox can fill up quickly, and it’s super easy to fall down the “This book is only $.99! I’d be a FOOL to not buy it!” Then you look at your ereader and have countless titles sitting there that you haven’t read yet. This is my biggest downfall when it comes to book purchases.

The key is to know what books you want and wait for them to go on sale, and only purchase those. It’s way easier said than done, trust me. But, it’s so exciting when there’s a book I’ve really been wanting and then one day I open my email and it’s magically only $1.99.

So… this bit of advice is a “do this at your own risk” sort of deal.

Go to Discount Book Stores

I love my local discount book store. Maybe two times a year or so when I feel the need to purge my collection, I pack up the books I no longer want and take them over to my discount book store to sell them. Granted, I don’t always make a ton of money doing this. There’s still some perks though.

One, I love that even if I didn’t enjoy a book or won’t read it again, it’s going to go to someone who will enjoy it and may not otherwise had been able to buy their own copy.

Two, you can use that money to buy more books!

Yup. A majority of the time when I go sell my books I end up perusing the shelves and buying more books with the cash they give me for the old ones. This is another instance where I only buy books that I know I’ve been wanting. If you know for sure you’re going to buy a book and you can find a way to get it at a discount, do it!

Besides, I kind of like used books. It’s fun to know that other people have read and enjoyed this particular copy of a book that I’m currently reading. I once got a really pretty copy of Jane Eyre and it was obvious that someone read it for school because they had a bunch of notes in the margins. It was honestly really fun to read their thoughts and observations!

Buy Paperbacks

You’d think this was obvious but so many people only want hardcovers.

I know… I know. The hardcovers are super pretty and look awesome on your shelf. If that’s truly what you prefer, go for it. Just remember the price tag.

However, I genuinely love paperbacks. Yes, I do end up caving and buying the pretty hardcover books for some of my favorites because 1) I don’t want to wait and 2) I do enjoy how they look. But, for actual reading, I love paperbacks. They’re so much easier to hold! I mean come on. Would you rather carry a massive hardcover epic fantasy that’s over 500 pages around everywhere? Do you know how heavy that s*** is? You can break your arm with that! Or would you rather carry it’s cute little mass market copy that you can throw in your bag easily?

And… they’re cheaper. SO MUCH cheaper.

If you’re willing to wait until it comes out in paperback, you’ll save a ton of money. In fact, a lot of fantasy (particularly urban) and romance come out in paperbacks right away and I’m always super excited when they do.

So there you have it. Some of my tricks for saving money on books.

Remember - I don’t have this down to a science. I have a terrible book buying problem and let’s be honest, the best way to save money on books is just to have self control and not buy a million books a year. Haha.

However, if you’re willing to do some research and maybe invest in an ereader or a membership program, and utilize your library as much as possible, you’ll save so much money on your reading hobby!

What tips and tricks have you used for buying books?

---

*= affiliated link

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee.

Also- another way to save is to check out this promotion from Barnes and Noble - good through October 29!

Buy 2, Get the 3rd Free - Tor Sci Fi & Fantasy Novels*