Bookish Summer Bucket List

We're one day into summer, and I love making a bucket list, goals, or reading lists to get me through my least favorite season! The problem is, I forget about goals and am too much of a mood reader to get through TBR lists. So I'm trying a bit of a combo and making a bookish bucket list.

Most of these things are things I've been wanting to do for a while. Might as well write them down and see if I can get them done between now and Sept 23 (the first day of fall).

• Make a book trailer // working on that this week!
• Reread a book // sooo many choices
• Request a book from the library // I just figured out how to do this, and I'm thrilled!
• Work on ML edits out of the house // because edits need to happen anyway
• Do a book photo shoot // summer + MH = ❤
• Write by dictation // out of curiosity
• Plot in a coffee shop // in lieu of Camp NaNo
• Meet up with a writer friend // literally one of my favorite things ever
• Donate a book to a birdhouse // you know, those public swap things? my town finally has one!
• Listen to an audiobook while driving // haven't really tried this and really want to
• Bonus: Read on the beach // September *cough*
• Bonus: Share a cover reveal // Martin Legacy coming up!

And there we are! Ten (plus two!) bookish things for my summer. Can't wait to see what I manage to get done. But first ... I have four manuscripts to finish editing. Have a terrific summer!

~~~~~

What book do you want to read this summer? Any summery recommendations?

I've got some extras for you today!

• Bree Dawn's new website // it's beautiful and I can't wait to see what she does as a writer!
• Adorable summery short story // sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar for the freebie!

The Roots of My Writing

I've been thinking a lot about what things are at the root of my writing. The things that have to be nurtured and tended so that my writing can flourish. Recently, I narrowed it down to two roots.

I think for me, the two roots of my writing (or really any of my passions) are my faith and my health. While that may sound broad, it covers both the spiritual and the physical.

So lately I've been giving more thought to how I can deepen my faith in Jesus and how I can better address my health.

Don't get me wrong. I'm still an active Christian and I don't have bad health per se. But I want to get better at intentionality in both of these areas this year.

As far as my faith goes, I'm reading more nonfiction books that are instructional in the faith. Elisabeth Elliot and C.S. Lewis, anyone? ;)

As I mentioned in my goals post last week, I'm also trying to read through the Bible chronologically and focus in on a morning routine.

While those may sound like little things, they've been casually on my to-do list for years and simply haven't happened. 2019's the year. And today's the day.

For my health, I don't have anything major on a diagnosable scale. But I think we all want to function at full capacity, and there are plenty of little things I'd like to conquer that will help me in that regard.

So in order to work on things like better digestion, less wrist pain, and fewer respiratory problems, I am paying for my own supplements.

While my family uses essential oils, eats fairly well, and is generally health-conscious and naturally-minded, paying for my own supplements instantly makes me 1000x more likely to take them daily.

And just since trying a new brand of natural products focused on gut health, I've seen improvement!

So even though none of these changes are huge, theure important and require consostency. I want to encourage you all to look at what root things fuel what you do every day. I think beliefs and health are big ones for everyone, but you may have another area you want to shore up.

Maybe give it some thought and see what you come up with.

My mom's always reminding me that now is the time to establish routines and good habits. Before I live on my own or have a family. Not tomorrow--today.

In that vein of things, I've started a second Instagram account for the faith and health aspects of my life. So I'd love to chat with you over there if you have any interest in getting more intentional with me!

If I were to pick a third important root, it's community. So thank you all very much for the community we have here together. :)

Do any roots you need to tend to immediately spring to mind? What passions do you want to be able to pursue more fully?

Nine Goals for 2019

Last week we looked at how I did on my 2018 goals. This week I'm sharing the goals I want to accomplish in this new year. And I'm probably going to need your help staying accountable! (Plus, there's a giveaway stuffed in here.)

Read the Bible differently

Is that vague enough for you? I'm bad about reading bits of the Bible and only out of my favorite NKJV copy I got when I was five. This year I want to shake it up. So I'm using a Bible Gateway plan on my phone to read through the ESV Bible chronologically in a year. It's been a while since I read through the Bible in a year, and I'm hoping that by approaching it differently, I'll have new takeaways.

Develop a morning routine

Starting with my Bible reading will be part of my morning routine. But I'm also hoping to get into the habit of reading a little of my current non-fiction read, making a to-do list for the day ... things like that. We'll see what works! (I already know that journaling doesn't work.) But it's been a while since I've had a true morning regimen that helped me get ready for my day. I work enough that this should get me out of bed earlier out of necessity.

Prioritize my editing

I've talked about this before. This year I want my editing business to be more than just a side job. (Let's face it--it will still be a side job.) But I want to prioritize it more instead of always fitting it in after 8 pm. I already have 16 manuscripts booked for the year and I tweaked my pricing some, so I think it will be inevitable that I prioritize this more. I've also joined Reveries Co. which you can find out more about at the end of this post. Maybe by next year I can phase out babysitting and go full time?? :D

Develop a street team

Work has already begun on this front! I'm calling the members of my street team Resonators, thanks to . I've already got a Facebook group going (where the real fun happens) and a Resonators-only newsletter underway that will be going out monthly. Be sure to sign up if you're interested!! It'll mostly be fangirling and you learning about what I'm doing first. In return, you get to be my go-to peeps for release hype.

Find an agent

Obviously, this one is a little optimistic since Behind the Act still needs a little editing before I query it more. BUT. I do intend to query it this year. And pitch it at the OCW conference in August. So wish me luck with all of that! Getting an agent (or better yet a contract!) is up there on my dream list! I'm really at peace whatever happens, though, because I really do think I'll get there eventually.

Publish Martin Crossroads

I will cry if this doesn't happen this year. This will happen! Probably not until fall. But I just finished the first draft on New Year's Eve, so I'm feeling much more optimistic about the progress ... even though it still needs a lot of rewrites. ;) It will be so nice to have this over with.

Get published elsewhere

Other than self-publication, I'd love to get published in a magazine or something ... Havok is somewhere I'll continue to submit to. (I got my first rejection--yay!) It'd just be nice to gather a few more accolades like this, especially as I try to get an agent. :)

Read 24 books for me

I have so many editing projects on the horizon, it's hard to even think about reading books besides those. But I'm determined to! While I'd ultimately like to read 30 books just for myself ... I think I'd better go for 24. Two a month should be doable and keep me reading. I've got a TBR a mile long this year so I honestly have no idea what I'll even end up getting to!

Pinpoint my health

One of the initiatives I've finally taken this year is to figure out what works for me, not just in my writing and morning routine, but also in my health. My wrist has bothered me for a while, but it's getting better thanks to supplements. So I've actually started a second Instagram account to chronicle my trying to figure out what can better help me overall as I try to pursue my writing and editing more this year!

More on that next week. ;)

Remember how I said I'd give you more Reveries Co info? Kellyn is hosting the blog tour right now on her blog. And we’re giving away 30+ books—a combination of ebooks and paperbacks, genres and subgenres—to one lucky winner! You can enter HERE.

What are some of your goals for 2019? Maybe we can help each other keep up. ;) Which one of my goals excites you the most??

2018 Goal Progress

Time to see how I did on my 2018 goals! I love doing this, but I've got to find a better way to keep up with my goals. I mean ... there's a reason my header image has a snail on it.

I made goals for 2017 and goals for 2018 on my blog. This year I even did a progress check in the summer which is the only reason I currently remember what any of my goals were for the year. I find this to be my favorite way to reflect on the year.

Yet if you look back at those posts (please don't), I'm obviously really horrible at sticking to what I plan. I'm trying to get better at being okay with that!

Memorize 10 items // meh

I memorized a lot of music for choir, a Scripture chorus, Luke 2, and a handful of other verses because I was teaching them ... Not quite what I was aiming for in increasing my poetry and Scripture arsenal this year.

Publish something // complete

The closest I came for this was publishing Snip, the flash fiction prequel to my novel Martin Hospitality. It's available for newsletter members only.

Read 40 books // complete

Yes!! My Goodreads shows that I read 41 books this year. While some were short stories, I didn't include any of the children's books I read, nor did I binge-read things in order to finish my challenge. So an honest finish! :)

I think it's interesting that 14 of these books were ones that I edited. There were also 3 I DNF'd ... but I don't know that all of them counted in my total. I also think I did a better job reading books I already owned and hitting some categories which I often lack (like classics and biographies). Overall, a successful reading year!

Review everything // complete

I wanted to review everything I read on Goodreads this year. This has by far been my favorite goal of the year! It's built a "review immediately" habit into me. While I'm currently a few books behind, I intend to be caught up by the end of the year. And I'll also get on top of copying a bunch of reviews to Amazon.

5 book buy limit // lol

HA! I mean, really, who was I kidding? What bookworm only buys 5 books a year?! I probably bought like ... 30. However. I think easily less than 5 of the books I bought this year were full price. (In fact, I can only think of one full price buy right now.) So that's encouraging to me, and still a good sign for my finances!

Travel // complete

I didn't even remember this being a goal, but it's one of my neatest. God has completely blown my mind with some amazing opportunities this year. When I originally made this goal, I was hoping for another writing conference. But no. I fit in one writer's retreat--a fun time getting to meet some Texas authors.

And then I went to NYC with my sister, aunt, and cousin in September as sort of a joint birthday trip. By far one of the best mental breaks and touristy trips I've ever had. We did allll the things and I would do all of it again!

In early December my two siblings closest in age and I made a somewhat last-minute trip to reunite with friends in Iowa. It was the best vacation. We did a gazillion little Christmassy things that got me in the Advent spirit.

So thank you, Jesus, for all the great people, sights, and experiences that came out of these unforeseen trips!

Writing experiments // complete

Mainly thanks to trying flash fiction, I did experiment with some different openings, POVs, and development styles than I normally go for in longer stuff. Flash fiction in itself was a new thing for me! I also wrote at different locations more than usual. My conclusion is that I have go-tos (writing  in third person, past tense in my bedroom) for a reason.

Finish writing lectures // oops

Weeeeell ... no. I finished the one Great Courses series I was in the middle of. But I still have two untouched ones that I need to complete. Unfortunately, I don't see myself making a bunch of extra time for these in the near future, but I'm glad to have them in my arsenal.

All in all ... I think the only goals I didn't complete were the somewhat unreasonable ones to begin with. And things like memorization and furthering my education with lectures ... it's all a matter of time management. Let's be honest--that's a continual balance for everyone!

I have previously combined my goal progress for the year with my goals for next year. But you'll have to wait till next week for my 2019 goals!! I kind of can't believe that this is my last 2018 post for the year. It's been quite the whirlwind. But I'm so grateful to have had you all tag along on the crazy journey.

What goal for 2018 did you complete? Do always have that one goal you never seem to finish?

If you have any ideas for tracking goal progress throughout the year, I'd love to hear them!

What to Look Forward to in 2019

'Tis the season for all the holiday madness and new year's resolutions. Among all of that, I'm been prayerfully considering what all of this--our community--should look like next year. Just like last year, that means there are a few changes headed our way!

Editing

For the rest of 2018, I charge $2/1,000 words for new editing customers and $1.50/1,000 words for returning editing customers. I'm completely reworking what I offer and how much I charge. SO ... Been thinking about using me in 2019? Get on the calendar this month and you won't have to pay the new prices! Yep. Book in 2018, pay 2018's rate.

I'm already surprisingly full for 2019, so no worries if you aren't sure when you'll want me, etc. Shoot me an email if you plan to use me next year and I'll pencil you in. And when I say surprisingly full, I mean for manuscript edits. Especially if you're new to using me, I recommend trying my cheaper, briefer services!

You can find all of my 2019 editing services and pricing HERE.

While I quit beta reading a while ago to make more time for my editing business, I'm afraid that in 2019 I'll no longer be reading ARCs or participating in blog tours either. As fun as both things can be, I simply can't afford the time constraints and responsibilities. It's so nice to help out other bloggers, but I think I'd like to get away from featuring blog tours on my blog, and I would feel awful if I didn't follow through. So better I just say no in advance. Blessings on all of you who these things work! You're awesome.

Still on the editing note, I've joined Reveries Co. This means that you can get a whole host of services for indie authors by going through them, some of which I offer. So no guarantee you'll get me, but I'm excited for all the awesome things offered here by some wonderful ladies.

Writing

In the writing world, my main goal for 2019 is to publish Martin Crossroads. I am still on track to finish the first draft this year! So many of you keep telling me you'll happily beta for me when the time comes. I wish I could keep track of that, but ... I can't :P

So! I think it's time I go all-out and make a street team! I've already begun a street-team-ish Facebook group HERE. I know not everyone has FB, but it's the best I can do for now. And you should know, if you join my street team, you will be known as a Resonator. *wiggles eyebrows* I plan to have a Resonators-only monthly newsletter up ASAP!

This means that I will be scaling back my regular newsletter to quarterly instead of bi-monthly and possibly add another incentive. The last one of these for this year will go out at the end of the month, so remember that you can sign up for it in the sidebar!

Instead of trying to publish anything else or start new projects, as I have no idea how the MC timeline will go, I'll be focusing on two other things:

• flash fiction submissions (getting published elsewhere looks nice and these are fun!!)
• querying Behind the Act (I still love this manuscript and want to find an agent for traditional publication)

And as for blogging itself ... I intend to keep that up once a week. ;)

That seems like a lot, but I think it will all be for the better! Any suggestions or tips? How are you changing things in the new year?

NaNoWriMo + What's Next

It's December! Which means National Novel Writing Month is over. While many of my friends clocked insane word counts (either in total or just yesterday in an effort to reach their goals), I haven't written in several days. Because I hit my goal early! (Stay tuned for snippets.)

For those of you who are new or can't keep your 100 friends' NaNo goals straight, my goal was to write a 30k novella based off my trip to New York. I named it Simply Jane Smith.

The 50,000 words that NaNo wants me to write is a little much for my sanity (and wrists). I've only written 30k in a month once before and that was when I wrote the first draft to my published novella Andora's Folly. I figured it was time to do it again since I needed a break from my main writing project anyway.

I'm happy to announce that I finished the first draft of Simply Jane Smith on November 28th at 28,449 words. A little short of my targeted word count, granted, but it feels so good to have finished something!! I think it's been ages since I did that.

I can already hear you asking the question but was it garbage? The exciting answer is no. While it's definitely a first draft, it's got a bit of a plot and some characters I'd be happy to revisit someday. 

"Someday" is the key word. I have no timeline to return to the story in the near future. So while I'm content with a finished draft, I know it stinks for you guys not getting anything published for another bit.

To tide you over, here are a few little snippets that stood out to me as worth sharing while I was writing:

Next, I'll be returning to Martin Crossroads. Right, the sequel. The sequel you all want. That refuses to be written. I've been reading about Tolkien some lately, and it was an encouragement to me that writing The Lord of the Rings took him literal eons and about did him in. But I will conquer just like he did!!! Or else.

While I'm sure I'll have plenty of life, editing projects, and whatever else distract me from my good intentions, my tentative writing plan going forward looks like this:

• finish the first draft of Martin Crossroads in 2018
• publish MC in 2019 at all costs!!
• squeeze in revising Behind the Act so I can query hopefully over the summer
• submit flash fiction for my "fun writing"
• possible chisel away at the other gazillion ideas I have ...

That sounds like a ton to me, but I'm also super tired at the moment, so who knows? Maybe it'll be totally feasible. My priority will be Martin Crossroads if it kills me. Don't get me wrong, I really do love where I hope the story will end up. It's getting it there that's slowly killing me. But it will come together and I will get it to you guys! 2019 is going to be the year. ;) Which means by this time next year it should be in your hands. Won't that be a wonderful day for all of us. 

Now tell me all about what you did this November! NaNo or not, what has your latest project been? What do you hope to accomplish in 2019? By all means, give me details as I certainly can't keep everyone's doings straight. ;)

How I Remain Productive Amidst Chaos

Me, productive in July?? At first blush, not really. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I accomplished. It was a productive blur of craziness. I don't know about you, but I really want to know how I managed that.

OK, so first off I was not as productive as I wanted to be in certain things. However, some of the other things that ate my time were equally productive. (Hello, work?) So I think it's important to remember that every kind of productivity is productive.

If you're like me this means you get really good at productive procrastination. I think that basically sums up my July.

The aerial view of my life in July was being out of town the first two weeks and at work the last two weeks. Sounds like a recipe for productivity, right? Well ... yes, actually.

While out of town, I expected to:

• finish reading Thief of Corinth
• have ample quiet time to write toward my goal of 30k
• start reading The Blue Castle
• work for my aunt
• see fireworks once
• do some work on the train ride home

What I actually did:

• finished reading Thief of Corinth
• wrote half a chapter and then got a pedicure
• wrote the other half a chapter and ate ice cream
• enjoyed multiple Starbucks
• binge-read The Blue Castle
• attended my first major league baseball game and saw fireworks three times
• binge-read Where the Woods Grow Wild
• binge-watched Lord of the Rings with my cousins
• worked for my aunt AKA created flowers for two beautiful metroplex weddings
• had a movie night/sleepover with my other cousins
• googled things to do in NYC and visit with the girl next to me on the train ride home

Are you seeing a pattern here? Some things didn't happen so my inclination is to call it all unproductive. But actually a ton happened. No, it wasn't all productive, but it was all worth it. I'm not going to apologize for my goals; goals are a good thing. But I'm not going to kick myself (too much) for not hitting them all either. Sometimes I think we need to adjust our expectations and look at what we accomplished instead.

While back home and working, I expected to:

• babysit
• do secretary work
• go to church
• house sit
• celebrate my brother's birthday
• hit my Camp NaNo goal (now reduced to 10k)
• plan something for the Andora's Folly birthday
• edit for Kellyn

What I actually did:

• babysit, getting reading time, writing time, and treated to lunch
• joined a youth club to support local candidates
• did secretary work and handed out our info at a back-to-school event
• heard some of the best sermons ever and visited with friends
• binge-watched a TV show with my sister
• got down time at someone else's empty house and watched a movie
• decorated for an Incredibles 2 birthday party
• taught Sunday School
• had family in town
• attended a friend's violin recital
• did two sales, a giveaway, a painting, and more for Andora's Folly's birthday
• got over 200 downloads of Andora's Folly for its birthday (!!!!)
• hit my Camp NaNo goal of 10k
• almost finished editing for Kellyn
• wrote at a coffee shop
• researched NYC again at a coffee shop

Again, didn't technically do that all quite how I planned ... Being a goal-setter and general list-maker, that can initially be a little traumatizing. But I'm learning that things outside of plans aren't always bad. Being flexible is often a good thing.

Of course, deadlines must still be met and we can't shirk our responsibilities. That's not what I'm suggesting. But I think the only reason I was able to be as productive as I was in what was a very out-of-the-norm month was because I let myself branch out. Yes, that's right. Deviating from the plan can help be productive.

Everyone needs breaks, so make them worthwhile. All the non-negotiables and random things that popped up were nice breaks from all my to-do list items. Conversely, all my to-do list items were sometimes relaxing and different from how I earn money. In other words, I have "work-work" and "passion-work." One's always a nice break from the other.

Being productive isn't always fun, but fun can be productive. Breaks are productive simply because they energize me to keep going. TV shows and movies are blatant relaxations, but that doesn't mean I won't learn something or get a new story idea. ;) I guess it helps that I never fully switch my mind off. That means I can do things that keep me from burning out without it being a complete waste of time.

That's how I define productivity: it's less checking everything off the to-do list and more using my time well.

There's not a set formula to being productive of course, but those are some of the things that ended up helping me this month! I can't guarantee I'll be able to read that much or even write that much this month, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try. Everything's always worth a try!

I mean, let's be honest. As healthy as planning/goal-setting is, it's part of life to have plans change. Embracing all the crazy, fun things amidst my endless to-do list and letting a few things go paid off in the end. I have more memories as a result and didn't sacrifice much in the process.

It all comes down to balance. A thousand sayings sum it up. "All work and no play," imbalance. "Be in the world but not of the world" an easier-said-than-done goal for balance. The good news is we don't have to figure it all out alone, at least not if we think to ask God. In the end, I'm motivated to get things done so I have time to have fun. Meet the deadlines, but live a little.

I have to close with this Max Lucado quote because I feel like it was providential that I stumbled upon it while writing this post.

Guess what? This blog post was productive procrastination. It needed to happen, but I was only motivated to do it because I should have been billing for my dad, editing for a friend, or getting ready for bed instead. It's amazing what happens.

I mentioned all that stuff I did for Andora's Folly? The giveaway ends today, so you can still enter here! Or you can read the full post I did about the book's birthday here.

Have a good week, and prepare for an epic guest post next Saturday!

Summer Reading + Writing Bucket List

I have a whole list of blog posts to write on my phone at the moment. I looked at the list several times this week and none of the posts spoke to me. So due to procrastinating and seeing Audrey Caylin's blog post in my inbox this morning, I'm going to do something different on the fly here. Prepare to see my summer TBR, writing plans, and how I'm doing on my year's goals!

As I've mentioned before, my newsletter is the main place where I keep you guys updated with life and all the little things going into my reading, writing, editing, etc. Mainly because it's hard to fit all of that in here and feel like I'm doing a good job including you all.

But every now and then I can't help but post on some of what's up. I'm sure you don't mind. ;)

Summer TBR

Since I'm quite the list-maker, I was working on a Summer TBR the other day. Of course, it's ridiculously long. I've decided as a working high school graduate that getting more time to read in the summer is a myth. I'm going to have to make more time. Thankfully my reading accountability partner Lisa has been good at keeping up with me.

Here's what I've got on my list so far (in no particular order):

• War of Loyalties by Schuyler McConkey // I own it and it's beautiful and she needs more reviews but it's so long I haven't delved in yet. I can't wait!!!
• Where the Woods Grow Wild by Nate Philbrick // Nate's hilarious and his book is awesome. Life happened and I never finished it. I'm thinking it's a good read-aloud-to-the-brothers option.
• Out of Time Series by Nadine Brandes // Yes, I've already read this, but it is time to soak it all up again and to expose the siblings!
• Something by Flannery O' Connor // I talked about this with my pastor's wife because we're both trying to read more classics right now.
• Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore // In progress and loving it.
• Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge // On loan from Kelsey Bryant.)=
• Tarzan by Edward Rice Burroughs // Because I've owned a pretty volume of it from Barnes & Noble for a year now and it will give me an excuse to watch the new movie again.
• The Irresistible Novel by Jeff Gerke // Jeff has an excellent sense of humor and I've heard such good things about this book!
• book club // This will be two more books that haven't been chosen quite yet.

12 isn't excessive, right? I cherrypicked these hoping to not bog myself down but fly through some really great reads! What are you trying to read over the summer?

Writing Plans

These change all the time. And even though I'm back to making good headway on Martin Crossroads, I have two other story ideas that will. not. leave me alone. No matter how nicely I ask!! So I'm obstinately refusing to give them any writing time like a good, focused writer. :P

Here's what I'm hoping for:

• a freebie for my end-of-June newsletter peeps. You hear that? You're gonna want to be subscribed to receive this! I'd been struggling on what to include, but I had a breakthrough the other day and it's now awaiting the feedback of my critique partner, Ivy. It's an understatement to say I'm excited. :D
• something fun for Andora's Folly turning one in July. If you have any ideas or things you'd like to see, let me know! I've got two ideas I'm hoping to make happen at the moment. :) I'll also be doing Camp NaNo again this month (woohoo!).
• the Self-Editing Checklist in August. Remember when I shared my Self-Publishing Checklist? I really want to do one as an editor to give writers some tips and such that I share when I edit for people. Whoever your editor is will thank you for knowing some things in advance! This will probably be shared in a blog post so everyone has access and be kind of a promotional thing for my editing services I suppose.
• a complete first draft of Martin Crossroads by the end of September. I'm currently at 40k and aiming for 100k, so this should be feasible if I don't drop the ball! (August is my true goal but I'm guessing the summer will explode on me.)

There. That's nice to have down on paper for my own sake. What are your summery writing plans?

2018 Goal Progress

*hides* I'm so bad at checking my goals that I was a little worried for this bit. Here's how I'm doing.

• memorize 10 items // I memorized a lot of music for choir??? No? Okay ...
• publish something // Maybe I can do a Christmassy short story or something as I'm holding off Behind the Act for traditional publication (hopefully ... one day) and Martin Crossroads still has a way to go.
• read 40 books // I've read 17 and am currently reading 3 more which means I'm still on track! *phew*
• review everything // Um, I think I've reviewed all 17 books on Goodreads and even a few on Amazon ... I'll need to double-check that ;)
• 5 book buy limit // BAHAHAHAAA Yeah right, who was I kidding? I've probably already bought 12 or so -_- However, I have stuck to my goal of all those books being on sale when I bought them so I shall not be ashamed.
• travel // Oh oh oh! It's official I will not be attending any writing conferences this year because $$ ... but I just booked a flight to NYC for 5 days in September. *screams* I'm going with my aunt, cousin, and sister. While I'm sure the 10-year-old will control the itinerary since it's over her birthday, I'm holding out for a visit to Harper-Collins (because hello tax write-off), Hugh Jackman's coffee shop (say what?!), and of course Broadway (which is a guarantee).
• writing experiments // Thanks to flash fiction and the checklist I plan on publishing, I think I'm getting there with this one.
• finish writing lectures // Oh yeah ... xP I did finish one series but I have two more to go!

Did you make any goals for the year?

That got long, but you are officially in the loop and responsible for holding me accountible! ;) What are your summer plans?