This is it.
Weāre down to the wire.
Itās hard to believe that another NaNo is just about wrapping up. Todayās post isnāt going to be very long ā and Iām going to be spending most of the day writing. I wasnāt able to get in as many words yesterday, with it being Thanksgiving and all, so I have a little bit of catching up to do. \. Nothing too major, just about 800 words ā no biggie. Hopefully Iāll be able to finish this trash draft tomorrow.
Thatās my goal. To get words on the page and just finish this draft.
Iām sitting around 47000 words, so Iām really not hurting. I tried creating an outline for this story ā really, I was procrastinating actually writing, and wanted to fill up some words. So, I created this rough outline, leaving a lot blank. I knew I wanted a cutesy hot tub scene between Cassie and Chase. A scene where they almost kiss, but not quite. I legit wrote that in my outline and then promptly went to write the scene.
And guess what I did.
Well, I should say, guess what the characters did, because I stopped controlling them a long time ago. Theyāre writing themselves at this point. Iāve been sidelined and Iām just watching.
Cassie and Chase kissed.
Sorry, spoiler. But they freaking kissed.
And not only did they kiss ā they kissed twice. They werenāt supposed to kiss at all!
I give up lol.
Iāve been writing this book all sorts of out of order, making the draft an absolute mess, but Iāve been hitting writing strides and just going with them. I have to write it all wrong before I can write it right.
My characters are continuing to surprise me. Cassie is super bold now that sheās moving past her sadness and anger. Chase is still goofy, but completely in love with Cassie and itās adorable. Ryan is actually an absolute ass (completely different than how I intended him to be) and heās super hard to write. Layne ā who I never wanted to like ā is being nice to Cassie after making her life a living hell. Not pretend nice, but genuinely nice and friendly and I donāt know whatās happening.
Also, for these four characters being in a house full of people, you never see any of the other occupants ā something I need to address and fix in draft 2.
Iām glad that this draft is a mess. I might complain about it and my characters, but I really do have a better sense of what the story is supposed to be, what needs to happen, what I want to happen and who the characters are. I had this pretty idyllic idea in my head of what this book was supposed to be ā a cute fluffy romcom ā and it still is, but it has some heavier undertones to it. While I like the heavier undertones, I kind of want to try and write it without them ā though I have a feeling that doing that is going to be really hardā¦seeing as how Cassie nearly drowns.
Anyways, Iām going to end this here. Iām exhausted, full of amazing food and maybe a bit too much wine and Iām going to just relax and enjoy the evening. Maybe do a bit of shopping out and about with a friend, and then when I come home, eat some home made apple pie! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of good food and plenty of leftovers. And those of you who are still cracking away at NaNo, you go this, we got this. Today and Tomorrow. And then we can take a break! So good luck!
Title: The Chameleon with a Sword
Thanksgiving is 3 days away, so it seems like an appropriate time to do this Fall Bucket List Book Tag ā seeing as after this week, itās Christmas time. Sorry, I donāt make the rules. I love Fall, I love the leaves on the ground (as you can tell from my 
Iām going to go with the first book that pops into my head, which also happens to be one Iāve read fairly recently ā Flawed by Becky Bird. This is a Pride and Prejudice retelling and it was such a fun, cute and quick read that kept me up until 4 AM. It just allows you to turn your brain off and just enjoy!
This is easy ā since pretty much every book that has come out this fall is super hyped. I could say The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, but since I havenāt read it yet, letās go with Crierās War by Nina Varela. This was a solid fantasy read, but for me, it didnāt live up to the hype unfortunately. Iām glad I read it and gave it a chance, and I might be inclined to pick up book 2 when it comes out next year.
Ooo this one stumped me, but I know! Sister of Shadows and Light by Sara B. Larson! I kind of love Loukasā and Zuhraās budding friendship. Heās the kind of guy that can bring out the right emotions in people, but he does that by pushing all the right buttons. Heās kind of goofy and harmless but clearly loyal. Even though theyāve only just met, I think theyāre going to be fast and fantastic friends.
Easy. Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer. I absolutely love this book and its characters. Itās one of my favorite books to reread and I fall in love with it over and over each time I read it. Itās so wonderful and so amazing and it just makes me happy to revisit the characters and the world.
Honestly, I have no idea. Like none. I canāt think of a single book that Iāve read where a character cooks/bakes. Have I read any? I have no idea. Is this that phenomenon that plagues readers where all the books theyāve ever read disappears from their minds? Possibly. Legit the only book that comes to mind when I read āA Character Whoās a Talented Chefā is when Feyre offers to make Rhys soup, or whatever in A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas.
A book that made me jump for joy? Iām going to interpret that as a book that I received that made me super happy, versus the contents of a book. Let me tell you, when I was able to trade for a UK ARC of More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer, I freaked out. Freaked. Out. I couldnāt believe it was in my hands.
After a three-hour car ride, where we all had venti coffees ā the only downside was the line for the bathroom!
As Iām sure youāre all aware, this past week, The Queen of Nothing hit shelves ā I still havenāt had a chance to read it, but Iām hoping to get to it this week. I fear that if I donāt get to it soon ā Iām going to be inadvertently spoiled, and Iād really prefer not to beā¦as would most people. Holly was in conversation with Brigid Kemmerer, so they both talked about their books and how they created such kick ass female leads ā Jude and Harper. They also talked about how they created their worlds. Holly mentioned that when she first started writing The Cruel Prince (you can read my reviews for 
The thing I resonated most with at the signing, was when Holly mentioned that she has to write it (the story) wrong, before she writes it right. Similarly, to me, she doesnāt really outline, and therefore the first draft becomes the outline. This is pretty much how I write. I have vague ideas, and work through them as I draft. Is this probably the harder way of doing things ā Holly kind of thinks so, and she said she wants to get better at outlining.
I kind of feared that QoN might be spoiled or aspect might be spoiled at the signing, but Iām of the mindset that if I go to singings and I havenāt read the book yet, I canāt be too mad, since Iām aware thatās a possibility.
The one thing that kind of annoyed me was that, nowhere that I saw said that there was going to be a limit on the items that Holly would sign. Iād brought my OwlCrate The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing to be personalized and resigned on the inner title page (to be honest, I donāt really like tip-in pages, I appreciate them, but I like my books signed on the inner title page). I donāt have any other versions of these books, and yes, Iām aware theyāre already signed, so itās not a huge deal.
When it was time for the actual signing, we were informed that Holly was only singing & personalizing ONE book, and one of the books that you had to get signed was QoN. Like with every signing at this Barnes and Nobles you were required to buy a copy of the book there to get a wristband to get in the singing line. No biggie. I figured that Iād buy a copy and honestly, return it to my local Barnes and Nobles the next day. But I couldnāt get into the singing line without it. Anyways, it just would have been nice to know beforehand. Someone at my Barnes and Noble is going to get a nice little surprise when they buy the book. I ultimately didnāt get my copies resigned and took them with me for nothing, but itās okay.
It was a fun evening; the drive back was long, and we didnāt get in until 12:20 AM. I was wired from the second venti coffee ā thatās what happens when you drive 6 hours in the dark with only a little rest in between ā it requires a lot of coffee. I kind of like the road trip these signings require, and they are definitely more fun with friends in the car!
Title: Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements #3)
I try to do these posts about a month a part and itās been almost a month and I like doing these posts and sharing them with you all.
Title: Stone Cold Touch (The Dark Elements #2)
Title: Flawed 
Writing The Universe 