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NaNoWriMo 2016: Day 7 Complete!

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Create Your Own Visited States Map

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Day 7 of NaNoWriMo is complete! Final word count: 15,334.

Emi and I are still pretty far ahead of our goals, even though we barely wrote today — the Day 7 goal is 11,667 words. I finally hit the point where I’ve started struggling, although I think it might be due to outside stressors (Election Day) rather than anything inherent.

Still, I’m pretty pleased with some of the stuff we’ve written so far, despite getting stuck mid-scene and needing to walk away or hand off to Emi for a while. Ironically, the most difficult character to write is Dani, who’s the main protagonist of this book. We’ve made good progress, though, and I think it’ll only get better.

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Today’s photo: A generated picture from MapLoco to show what states I’ve been to. You can clearly see approximately where I live based on this map! (Technically, I’ve also been to Georgia, but it was a layover at the Atlanta airport, and I don’t feel like that should count, because I didn’t breathe any of Georgia’s outside air.)

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March 2015 Books Completed

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March was a catch-up month for the 100 Books Challenge.  I did decently in February, but January’s tiny list left me scrambling a bit for the year.

But I managed to get a good chunk read in March!  Part of it related to the books I read for one of my current classes at Rosemont.  More of it related to my internship — both books represented by the agency I’m at and books that might influence me there.

You may notice that the ratings of these books are extremely high, especially for my tastes.  I’ve gotten pretty picky of late — if something starts to bore me, I just put it down.  And out of these ten (!) books, there was really only one I found on the less-engaging end, but as a nonfiction book, it still delivered the necessary information.

Continue reading →

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February 2015 Books Completed

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I pulled pretty far ahead in February!  While I’m still behind by a little bit, I really pushed ahead this month, which is good since March will be exceptionally busy as I complete my capstone!  With the 7 books I finished this month, I’m up to 10 books and am 5 behind for the challenge.

Here are the books I completed in February:

Cover of Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. ButlerThe Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler.  I loved Butler’s novel Kindred, and The Parable of the Sower didn’t disappoint. An adult speculative fiction about faith set in the middle of an apocalypse. 4 out of 5 stars

A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall.  One of the most engaging and entertaining adult fantasy novels I’ve ever read, which is about a retired villain who’s drawn back into action. 4.5 out of 5 stars

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 1-4, by Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki.  A re-read of volumes 1-3 and a first read of volume 4, this cooking manga is hugely entertaining and doesn’t fail to delight. 4 out of 5 stars

Stupid Cupid by Rhonda Stapleton.  A fluffy and fun YA novel suitable for younger, possibly more reluctant readers.  Only a little touch of the supernatural.  3 out of 5 stars

What books did you read in February? What would you recommend most highly?

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Update: Job Change

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Hello friends, just sending you an update on what I’ve been up to lately.  I have something pretty cool in the works.

Starting today, I am officially a student in Rosemont College’s MA in Publishing program, where I’m studying on the marketing & sales track.  Rosemont’s program has something of a focus in young adult and children’s publishing, something I’m very interested in.

I am also this year’s Production Manager graduate assistant at Rosemont’s literary magazine, The Rathalla Review.  As Production Manager, I manage and update the Review’s website, assist the Associate Managing Editor with social media and internet marketing, and design the print and online publication.

This week, I’m working on designing the Review’s website, which will launch within the next few weeks.  Look forward to posts about the Review, which will start popping up soon!

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Hiatus Notification

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As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I haven’t posted very frequently lately.  I’ll graduate at the end of this week and am currently in the midst of finals week, which is why I stopped participating in this year’s Script Frenzy and have had a more or less completely dead blog.

Please excuse me for the next two weeks as I wrap up my internship, my time at the university, and begin training at my new job!  I promise I’ll be back by the end of May – possibly with a little revamp of my Indie Toledo series!