November is national novel writing month (NaNoWriMo for short.) During NaNoWriMo, writers of all ages take on the challenge to draft a novel (at least 50 thousand words) in 30 days! It’s insanity to think people do this for fun. Well, call me insane because this year I’ve decided to participate in NaNoWriMo. A podcast I listen to challenged its listeners to write a romance novel. I gladly accepted the challenge and started planning out the story. I typically write action thriller stories so changing my genre to romance will be challenging but I’m excited to try it. I follow a lot of writers on my social media and I came across an original tag created by Holly Davis. It’s called the NaNoWriMo survival kit. I decided I want to participate in the tag and that is the purpose of this blog post. The tag consists of 8 questions and tagging three writers to do the tag. Well, I don’t intend to tag other writers to do this so I will just answer the questions.
What are you working on for NaNoWriMo this year? As I mentioned earlier, I was challenged to write a romance novel. I call it, Project Just What The Other Needed. What apps do you use to help you write and stay motivated? I write in Google Docs. I used to write in Microsoft Word but my subscription expired and I haven’t had the money to pay for it. Grammarly is also a must. I am not the best when it comes to grammar and punctuation so having Grammarly is a huge help. YouTube is a huge help too. I’ve been participating in writing sprints and they have helped keep me motivated. Where do you like to write and what’s your favorite writing spot? If I am on my laptop I like to write at my kitchen table. If I am writing in my notebook, I don’t have a preference on where I write. I carry a notebook with me all the time so I will write whenever I have any free time. What are your writing space must-haves? My laptop, my laptop charger, my notebook, a few pens, my phone and headphones. What are your favorite drinks and snacks to have when writing? Typically when I write I like to drink either water, coffee, or tea. I’m not really a snacker when I am writing but if I had to choose something I would probably say popcorn. What are your favorite writing distractions? Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch. I know earlier I said that YouTube helped motivate me but when I am not participating in writing sprints it’s a huge distraction. What are your favorite ways to get back on track? Participating in writing sprints on YouTube. Having others to write with and hearing their progress motivates me. Not only that, but sometimes just plugging in my headphones and listening to music can make all the difference in getting me back on track. What are your favorite writing rewards and milestones? One of my goals for NaNo is to complete 10 thousand words in a day. I’ve seen plenty of other writers accomplish that goal and I definitely want to give it a try. If I do achieve that goal I will make sure to reward myself with some bunny tracks ice cream. I’m very excited to participate in NaNoWriMo this year! It’s my first time participating and I am hopeful that I will succeed in writing 50 thousand words. Wish me luck everyone and if you have participated in NaNoWriMo please let me know how it went for you!
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On October 6, Sarah Sutton released her third book titled, If The Broom Fits! I've read and reviewed Sarah's other books so I thought I'd continue to support the young indie author. Unlike her other books, I decided to review this book right away. With her other two, I reviewed them way after their release dates. That being said, let's start the spoiler-free review!
If the Broom Fits is a Halloween contemporary romance. The main character, Blaire hates Halloween, and her best friend Donnie, and her ex-boyfriend Lucas decided to try to change her mind about the holiday. After watching scary movies, going to a corn maze, and pumpkin carving all fail. Along with Blaire's constant negativity, the boys gave up. What the boys didn't realize was that Blaire was hiding something. What she was hiding was the reason behind her hatred of the holiday and her negative attitude toward the people in her life. Blaire realized she couldn't continue to isolate herself and came to terms with her emotions then did right by coming clean about her feelings. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. I fell in love with the characters and the story. I felt connected to Blaire on so many levels. If you're curious about why you'll have to read the book. Donnie was my favorite character. His personality is all I want in a best friend. He was the light-hearted comic relief I never knew I needed. I also fell in love with Lucas. He was kind and loyal. Even though he and Blaire had broken up, he still cared enough about her to partake in changing her mind about Halloween. He even had a little secret that showed he still cared about her. If I had to choose between Lucas and Walsh (from Out of my League) I would still pick Walsh but Lucas is definitely up in the ranks. This is a shorter book than I'm used to but it's still worth 5 out of 5 stars. If you're a Halloween and Romance lover, this is the book for you! If you're interested in scoring a Sutton original check out her website! https://www.sarah-sutton.com/ Out of my League is a novel written by indie author Sarah Sutton. It's a summertime YA contemporary romance. The main character Sophia Wallace is super bummed about her high school cutting the journalism program all because the baseball team needs more funding. Sophia's dreams of getting an internship at the Bayview Blade, the biggest newspaper company in the county, during her senior year are slowly fading away. That is until her former journalism teacher gives her the opportunity to write up an article to submit to the Bayview blade. Sophia has until the end of summer vacation to write her submission and she knows exactly what she wants to write about. Sophia decides to write an expose on the baseball team.
Sophia's day can't get any worse, right? Wrong! To make things worse, Sophia's boyfriend publicly breaks up with her at a party. In an attempt to rescue her, Walsh Hunter (the captain of the baseball team), declares his love for her in front of everyone embarrassing Sophia further. Sophia was officially fed up with her day and just wanted to be alone. Walsh followed her and checked up on her. After a few minutes of banter back and forth they decided to start a fake relationship. This would benefit Sophia in the end because while "dating" the captain of the baseball team she could get the inside scoop for her article. They play a fake relationship game well. They play so well that they begin to develop feelings for each other. Walsh is much more open to his feelings than Sophia is. She is the one who reminds him that their relationship is fake quite often. She gets some juicy information for her article, but struggles with the idea of writing and submitting it because of her newfound feelings for Walsh. The information Sophia found about the baseball team causes issues with her and Walsh because he was completely unaware of what was going on and Sophia wasn't convinced the captain wouldn't be part of the scandal. She decided to write her article and before she submitted she found out Walsh was telling the truth and had nothing to do with the scandal. She then decided to not turn in her article and tell Walsh about her feelings for him. She goes to the championship game and makes a sign that says, "He stole second and stole my heart." After reading the first few pages of this book I fell in love and refused to put the book down. I empathized with Sophia because I've had school programs cut because sports teams needed more funding. All she wanted was justice for her favorite elective being cut. She had the guts to stand up for what she believed in. I think that is what made her such a relatable character. Walsh was a sweetheart who was completely supportive of Sophia's dreams even though their relationship was fake. He's all I ever want in a partner. High key, I wish my partner would read this book so he can see how it's done. I'm only joking but Walsh is a lovable character throughout the entire book. I think Sarah did extremely well bringing these characters to life. I never once thought these characters were cliche or cheesy. Don't get me wrong, I love cheesy characters and stories but there is such a thing as too cheesy and this story and these characters are not. I felt so many emotions while reading this book. There were times I was on the verge of tears, laughing my butt off, and smiling so hard my face hurt. I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. I fell in love with the story, characters, and outcome. If you're a fan of romance novels I would highly recommend this one! For those of you who don't know, Sarah has a new book coming out tomorrow October 6, 2020 called If The Broom Fits. It's a Halloween romance and I will do my best to write a review a lot sooner than her last two books. |
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