January In Review

January is coming to a close. This month has been an excursion in staying consistent and being a cheerleader for myself. Two things I suck at. But I am determined to fake it until I make it. It’s been a quiet, successful month during which I’ve reconnected with my love of book blogging, worked on making my work a priority, and stayed the course even when my brain screamed at me to quit. Here are a few things that kept me sane along the way.

Good Shows

We started watching Brooklyn 99.
Love. Love. Love. All the characters.
Especially Captain Holt.

Good Music
Like Weezer's Teal Album.
Which I'm in love with and have listened to a billion times.

Good Food

I heart soup.
And winter is the perfect season for it.
Here's a quick, easy Ramen recipe our family adores:

And here's a pic from when we made it last week.

As you can see, we skip the cherry tomatoes.
But mushroom broth is a MUST.
We've tried it without and it's not the same.

Good Books

goodreads

As I mentioned in my top five comfort reads post,
Ms. Allen is an author I reread often.
This month I finished Lost Lake for the millionth time.
When I finished the book, I thought about rereading it. True story.
You can check out the other books I read this month on GoodReads.

Good Words
This month I stopped focusing on word count goals and publishing deadlines. I focused instead on a brand new All The What Ifs bonus chapter. A heads up for those of you who’ve read the All The What Ifs bonus chapter in Of Lies and Zombies, the new scene I am working on takes place the day before and is from Ashley’s perspective! And if that wasn't awesome enough, the new scene will be in next month’s newsletter! You. Are. Welcome.

Writing about Ashley and her friends again felt like coming home. It reminded how much I loved writing All The What Ifs and how excited I am to finish the Richmond High Series.

It’s a solid start to a good year. And I’m thankful for it plus looking forward to next month and the awesome to come.

How was your month, my friends?

A Mustache Survey ... Of Sorts

Tagged by Daphne from Gone Pecan

Four Names People Call Me Other Than My Real Name:

1. Pinhead
2. Bonehead
3. cutie
4. Hey You

Four Jobs I've Had:

1. Popcorn Pusher
2. Beanie Baby Dealer
3. Story Teller
4. Kid Wrangler

Four Movies I Would/Have Watched More Than Once:

1. Empire Records
2. Blades of Glory
3. Clueless
4. Annie of Green Gables

Four Books I'd Recommend:

1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2. The Martian by Andy Weir
3. The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
4. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Four Places I Have Lived:

1. Near a tree.
2. By a mountain.
3. On an island.
4. In the desert.

Four Place I've Been: 

1. Inside a pyramid.
2. On a gondola.
3. By a volcano.
4. In the middle of a pirate ship battle.

Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:

1. Green Gables
2. Narnia
3. Hogwarts
4. Eating Cheesecake

Four Things I Don't Eat:

1. Ketchup.
2. And ketchup.
3. Also, ketchup.
4. Did I mention Ketchup?

Four Of My Favorite Foods:

1. Avocados
2. Chocolate
3. Carrots
4. Food

Four TV Shows That I Watch:

1. The League
2. Tosh.0
3. Louie
4. Buffy

Four Things I Am Looking Forward To This Year (2015):

1. Meeting Best Baby
2. Warm Caramel Apple Cider
3. A Rainy Day
4. Impromptu Dance Parties

Four Things I'm Always Say:

1. Cool Beans.
2. Good gravy.
3. It's all good.
4. Never doubt my skills, son!

Four People I'll tag: (No. Pressure.)

1.  Ruth: For the love of the stache.
2. Miranda: For the love of Magnum P. I.
3. Lilly: For the love of stranger danger.
4. Katie: For the love of gifs.

Bonus Tag:
Carrie: For the love of awesome.