Bittersweet Books

| Emma-Kate Writing

“I pay no attention whatever to anybody’s praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings”- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

During the confusion of my week, I didn’t realise I hadn’t written a post! So, I’m going to recommend some books! I’m currently reading Shadowsong, book two in a duology by S. Jae-Jones, and I gotta tell you, it’s ripping my heart out all over the place.

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I read Wintersong last year. Sadly, my Goodreads review was lacking, as I was just learning to use the site. However, this is it in it’s entirety:

“I picked this book on a whim, and…I am so grateful to have. It is such a beautiful and unique twist on Labyrinth, so whole and so good in of its own. It was almost rough in its prose, like Liesl’s music, abandoned and wild. I cannot wait to get the second book, and my little heart yearns for resolution or absolution for the Goblin King.”

Needless to say, I’m in love with them. They’re a beautiful metaphor for mental illness, the blurring between reality and the surreal. Also, I’m a sucker for classical music, and the depth that she’s woven music into these stories makes my heart flutter. I’m hoping to finish Shadowsong this weekend; writing my draft and helping with multiple friend’s synopsis’s has been tiring, to say the least. I’m confident a lighthearted and productive weekend lays ahead for me!

 

I hope everyone is enjoying the quiet of winter to get work done- I know I am!

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

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A reminder

| Emma-Kate Writing

I’m meant to be working on Camp Nanowrimo right now, but I can’t. I gave myself a deadline for this WIP, and I just can’t do it right now. You know what though? That’s OK. This is just a reminder that you don’t need to push yourself, or rush yourself, or make yourself feel bad. Even as I watch my friends crush their goals and feel bad that I’m not doing more /better, I have to remember- I’m doing the best I can right now. I hope you all are too.

 

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

Camp Nano July 2018

| Emma-Kate Writing

Hey guys! Sunday marks the beginning of Camp Nano July 2018, and hopefully the last 40% of this draft. I should have had it done ages ago but sadly, mental health has a way of, well, getting in the way. During this time though I’ll be also practicing pitching my novel, heavily editing and critiquing a friend’s MS for the upcoming Salsibury Writers’ Festival, so my blogs over the next two months should revolve around those.

 

As always,

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

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Off break- now what?

| Emma-Kate Writing

So my mini hiatus ended up being almost two months long, which was…well, a lot more than I intended. Sadly, a lot has happened during this time and it’s knocked me off my feet quite badly.

I lost my best friend, big fat Rini, in early May. She’d been my companion for nearly five years and honestly was the light of my life. If I had nothing else, I at least had her to wake up to.

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So we’ve had a lot to deal with in the wake of her passing. We actually ended up rescuing a bun because our remaining girl was getting severely depressed and wasn’t eating or drinking. It hurt to make such a choice, but having a new friend has made her happy again.

I’ve been working on my current MS a lot, and I feel like I’m failing at it, and a lot of things. I finished group therapy this week, and there’s been a sinking feeling in my stomach. What now? What do I do with myself? I’ve honestly been scared of finishing anything or getting anywhere because I’m so terrified of failing. I think that’s why I took a break even though I was so close to a year of consistent blogging- because I was finally getting somewhere with the things I’ve been doing, and that worries me. It’s a byproduct of being mentally unwell, I know, but it’s the truth.

In the mean time, I’m setting myself smaller goals. Smaller blogs, and not feeling like I need to necessarily contribute to the writing community. So many bloggers/vloggers are already doing that, and I don’t even have a following. This is all for me. So I’ll still try to maintain a weekly blog, but I won’t be forcing anything 🙂

I have Camp Nano coming up (and my 26th birthday!) so feel free to leave your nano tag, I’ll be hosting a cabin again and I really love the community.

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

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Mini hiatus

| Emma-Kate Writing

Hi guys. I’ve been sick this week and don’t feel any better, so no blog from me. Next week’s blog will be an in-depth review of Jenna Moreci’s The Savior’s Champion.

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

The Savior’s Champion Release

| Emma-Kate Writing

Do you love cyborgs? How about Keto recipes? What about women who can curse like a sailor and write like the know danger intimately? This week’s blog may be for you.

So for this week’s blog, I’m going to post some info on Jenna Moreci’s upcoming release (due April 24th!) The Savior’s Champion. Jenna is one of my favourite youtubers and I was planning to do a review next month of TSC also. I can’t wait for my copy and to devour it, and I hope some of you will be enticed to buy it, too. Now, time for the info drop!

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Title: The Savior’s Champion

Author: Jenna Moreci

Release date: 4-24-2018

Genre: Romantic Fantasy Action/Adventure

Category: Adult

Synopsis:

Tobias Kaya doesn’t care about The Savior. He doesn’t care that She’s the Ruler of the realm or that She purified the land, and he certainly doesn’t care that She’s of age to be married. But when competing for Her hand proves to be his last chance to save his family, he’s forced to make The Savior his priority.

Now Tobias is thrown into the Sovereign’s Tournament with nineteen other men, and each of them is fighting—and killing—for the chance to rule at The Savior’s side. Instantly his world is plagued with violence, treachery, and manipulation, revealing the hidden ugliness of his proud realm. And when his circumstances seem especially dire, he stumbles into an unexpected romance, one that opens him up to unimaginable dangers and darkness.

Trigger warnings: this book contains graphic violence, adult language, and sexual situations.

Sounds pretty darn good, right? Then go ahead and pre-order it, already?

Buy links: 

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

B&N

Kobo

IBooks

Indigo

Books-A-Million

Presale Giveaway:

Everyone who pre-orders a copy of The Savior’s Champion is welcome to enter the presale giveaway. Each participant will receive the first five chapters of TSC. Grand prize winners will be selected on the release date, and weekly prizes will be handed out to random winners up to and during the release week. ENTER HERE!

Go here for the Goodreads link, and here to read the first three chapters for free! FREE!

Now, for a little about the author. I mean, just look at this babe:

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Jenna Moreci is a Silicon Valley native and Youtube sensation, dominating the authortube community with her straightforward and hilarious writing channel. A lifelong storyteller, Jenna specializes in crafting thrilling adventures with heaping doses of bloodshed and romance.

When she’s not writing or ‘tubing, Jenna enjoys angry music, potent wine, and laughing until her face hurts with her goofball fiancé.

Webpage

Youtube

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

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Goodreads

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

Nano goal: Down. Other goals: Terrifying

| Emma-Kate Writing

So it’s actually Monday right now and dun dun dun…! I finished my Nano goal for the month already. I know it wasn’t the highest goal, but THIS means I have plenty of time to do a lot more and still feel good about myself and not stressed by it.

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No, wait, I lied. I do have another deadline right now. It’s this one.

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I’ve given myself until June 16th to have my WIP first draft done and I am already pretty exhausted, I’m not going to lie. I have my critique partner lined up and raring to rip it apart for me, and some extremely obsessive lists ready. I plan to pitch this story at a Writer’s Festival later this year. This may be a first draft, but this is the FOURTH completely rewrite of this story. I know it pretty intimately. This year is it’s year; I can feel it.

So, in light of that, I’ll be going over rewriting, editing, critiquing, some beta reading, synopsis and preparing for pitches over the next few months. I’ll also be hosting a giveaway hopefully VERY soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that. For now, I’m going to trudge back to this draft, so I can be at 20k well before the week, so that I actually get to rest for five minutes.

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

I can’t write, therefore I’ll ramble

| Emma-Kate Writing

So, normally when I start a blog, I have a title/outline/at least some sort of idea of what I want to accomplish. I just feel so flat this week though, so I thought a little journal blogging might help me out a bit. I’m sorry this isn’t writing related, but maybe it’s something someone might seek comfort in? I’m not sure. I’m tired.

I’m currently in what feels like a thick, disgusting swamp. I’m waist high in goop and I’m fighting to trudge through this muck, but in honesty- it’s weighing me down. My self esteem, my confidence, my motivation- they’re down, slowly being eaten away from the inside. I don’t have the energy to do basic stuff, let alone write, or work on my dreams. Therapy drains me- I don’t enjoy the whole group experience. I feel over empathetic, and I take home with me the stuff that isn’t kept private. A lot of it should be, too. So along with my own running inner monologue of loathing and self doubt, I take on the burden of others.

That’s super selfish to say. A lot of people won’t be so blunt like that. Sometimes I get tempted to call x,y,z out. “Hey, you’re breaking the rules! We’re here to learn to be normal people!” Then I wonder if that’s fair of me. I’m basing my perception of normal on- what? This forced narrative that people need to be a certain way, that my brain being wired the way it is- that’s sickness, an illness. That’s not normal. In the majority sense- fair enough. It still gets me down when I’m berated for needing a little extra time, a little extra rest. It’s like when you could use those extra two hours of sleep in, and you’d just slam your day. Instead you get three broken hours of sleep and are expected to be a fully functioning human. That’s my brain like, most of the time.

Even right now, I can’t really focus on what I’m writing. I worry my entire life is going to be that- an unfocused, garbled mess. That even taking things one step at a time, one day at a time, is hard. I guess that’s why we write though- to get thoughts on the page and give our minds a break.

Back to my WIPs.

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo

Camp Nano April 2018

| Emma-Kate Writing

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April is upon us. Easter, family, fun- and April Camp Nanowrimo. This feels really odd to say. Normally I’m excited for Nanowrimo. I like the challenge it presents- how it forces me to get words out, to tackle a project. To genuinely throw myself into my writing without a care.

This April feels different. I’m not as prepared. I have a name. An idea. A vague musing of an outline. That’s it. I haven’t ever been so ill prepared and for once in my life, I’m not anxious about it. I’m not even anxious if I meet my goal or not.

I’ve realised something about writing lately. It’s not the end all if I don’t achieve every one of my goals, or if I take my time getting there. It only matters that I have them. I’ve put so much pressure to be perfect, or have unrealistic expectations to the point that I freeze and ignore my goals- it’s easier to just not do something rather than fail. I couldn’t bear to have my ego hurt like that.

It’s OK now. It’s OK, because I care about writing. That means I can take my time, and have fun, and make mistakes. I’m allowed to make mistakes, because they are what make things better. You learn from them.

I’m going to pants my first Nano. No outlines, no heavily scrawled notes. Just an idea, because writing is a lot like goals. You alter your course as you follow the path, because nothing is going to follow the rigid path you set.

Happy writing,

Emma-Kate xoxo