This past week on FYFA (and in my life):
Yesterday I went to a presentation by Allie Pleiter at my local library. Allie has written over 40 books and she has come up with her own writing time management method called The Chunky Method. I’m actually really excited about it because it seems to me like it might help me with solid daily goals (like I have during NaNo) that are tailored to my own writing process. I don’t do well without solid goals, so I’m going to give this method a try and see if it helps me as much as I think it will.
Also yesterday, my daughter had her second swim meet of the high school season. She’s really enjoying being on the swim team and she’s doing great in high school in general. She’s made some great friends already, so I’m very excited about that (since this was one of my main concerns with switching her to public school).
One other thing: I watched SIERRA BURGESS IS A LOSER on Friday and I found it really disturbing. I wrote a whole Twitter thread about why, so I won’t repeat myself, but suffice it to say I do NOT recommend it.
Here’s what you may have missed on the blog since my last Sunday Post:
- A Spoiler-Filled Discussion of The Young Queens and The Oracle Queen (AKA Queens of Fennbirn)
- Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake: Release Day Review & Giveaway!
- Book Box Subscriptions. Yay or Nay? Let’s Discuss.
Book Blogger Birthdays and Blogoversaries:
Here are the birthdays and blogoversaries for this week! I hope you’ll go wish these bloggers well on their special days! Make sure you check out the calendar to see what you might have just missed or what’s coming up. (If you want to be added to the calendar, it’s easy! Just fill out the birthday/blogoversary form.)
- September 9th – Wendy @ Musings of a Bookish Kitty‘s Birthday
- September 12th – Remembered Deservedly‘s Blogoversary
- September 14th – Jaclyn @ JC’s Book Haven‘s Birthday
- September 15th – The Fictional Reader‘s Blogoversary
For Review:
I’m really excited to read The Nebula Secret from National Geographic’s New Fiction Imprint Under the Stars.
Purchased:
I bought The Chunky Method Handbook and its companion when I went to the Allie Plieter event at my library.
Great Discussions/Goings On Around the Blogosphere:
- Ezrah @ I Heart Romance and YA gives us Bookstagram Props That Don’t Break the Bank
- Sam @ We Live & Breathe Books asks What’s the Con? She hates negative reviews that just rant and aren’t specific.
- Head over to Girl with Her Head in a Book for a post about adaptations that stray from the source in Exploding the Canon
Pre-Order Deals:
Listed in order of release date. Any new deals that I just added to the list this week will be denoted with a *** so you can easily find them!
Please note: Almost all pre-order giveaways run “while supplies last,” so I can’t guarantee that they’ll be open until the date listed. Pre-0rder early for your best chance to get all the goodies!
- Pre-order SUMMER BIRD BLUE by Akemi Dawn Bowman to receive a signed bookplate, a bookmark featuring a quote from the book, an adorable enamel pin, and an exclusive promo card. (INT)(ends 9/10)
- Pre-order MERCI SUAREZ CHANGES GEARS by Meg Medina to receive an author-crafted bookmark, a laptop sticker, and a custom bicycle bell! (US Only)(ends 9/10)
- Pre-order AS SHE ASCENDS by Jodi Meadows to receive a signed bookplate, dragon stickers, a bookmark, and a dragon card! (INT)(ends 9/10)
- Pre-order THE NAVIGATOR’S TOUCH by Julia Ember to receive a signed and personalised postcard, a set of five character cards, a badass Viking warrior keychain, two stunning cover stickers and entry into a Grand Prize Pool! (USA, Canada, UK and EU)(ends 9/12)
- Pre-order WILDCARD by Marie Lu to receive Warcross buttons, a Wildcard Thank You postcard with a special message from Marie Lu AND the exclusive short story “Life After Legend II“. (US Only)(ends 9/17)
- Pre-order LEADERSHIP IN TURBULENT TIMES by Doris Kearns Goodwin to receive a signed bookplate. (US Only)(ends 9/17)
- Pre-order WHAT THE WOODS KEEP by Katya de Becerra to receive a themed digital wallpaper, a short story of “Smoke and Mirrors,” and a query critique. (INT)(ends 9/17)
- Pre-order ESCAPING FROM HOUDINI by Kerri Maniscalco to receive 8 limited edition character cards. (US Only). You’ll also be entered to win an INT giveaway. (ends 9/17)
- Pre-order CHILDREN OF THE BLOODLANDS by S.M. Beiko to receive a custom-made owl pin. (INT)(ends 9/24)
- Pre-order FOR A MUSE OF FIRE by Heidi Heilig to receive a signed bookmark & sheet music to La Lumière, as well as fully orchestrated mp3s of all 4 songs featured in the book! (INT)(ends 9/25)
- Pre-order A MAP OF DAYS by Ransom Riggs to receive a collectible pin, and be entered to win an exclusive A MAP OF DAYS ViewMaster! (US Only)(ends 10/1)
- Pre-order THE LAST WISH OF SASHA CADE by Cheyanne Young to receive a signed bookplate, a bookmark, a sticker, and a wish bracelet. (US/CAN only)(ends 10/1)
- Pre-order GRIM LOVELIES by Megan Shepherd to receive a branded tote bag. You’ll also be entered to win the grand prize! (US Only)(ends 10/1)
- Pre-order THE LADY’S GUIDE TO PETTICOATS AND PIRACY by Mackenzi Lee to receive a digital, never-before-seen epilogue to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. (US Only)(ends 10/1)
- Pre-order MISFITS by Jen Calonita to receive a Fairy Tale Reform School / Royal Academy Rebels crossover story—When Devin Met Gilly! (US Only)(ends 10/1)
- Pre-order THE SPY WITH THE RED BALLOON by Katherine Locke to receive nine character cards and a signed bookmark. (US Only)(ends 10/1)
- ***Pre-order BLACK WINGS BEATING by Alex London to receive a signed Bookplate. Plus, the first 150 people to order the book will get an enamel pin. (ends 10/1)
- Pre-order THE DEVIL’S THIEF by Lisa Maxwell to receive character art, a map, a bookmark, and a signed bookplate. (INT)(ends 10/8)
- Pre-order BRIDGE OF CLAY by Markus Zusak to receive a book club kit containing a Collectible Print, a
Book Thief/Bridge of Clay Discussion Guide, 6 Coasters, a Debossed Notebook and 6 Pens. (US Only)(ends 10/9) - Pre-order ONE GIANT LEAP by Heather Kaczynski to receive a holographic character art print and a signed bookplate. (INT)(ends 10/22)
- ***Pre-order KINGDOM OF ASH by Sarah J. Maas to receive an exclusive enamel pin. (US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and India)(ends 10/22)
- ***Pre-order KINGDOM OF THE BLAZING PHOENIX by Julie Daw to receive a signed bookplate, enamel pin, quote sticker and bookmark. (US only)(ends 11/6)
- ***Pre-order PULP by Robin Talley to receive 2 autographed postcards, 2 bookmarks, 1 signed bookplate (personalized upon request), and 1 bonus As I Descended sticker. You’ll also be entered to win a grand prize. (US only for swag. Contest open INT)(ends 11/12)
- Pre-order ALL THE WANDERING LIGHT by Heather Fawcett to receive an exclusive world map, a signed bookplate, a bookmark and two stickers. (INTL)(ends 12/3)
- Pre-order THE BIRDS, THE BEES, AND YOU AND ME by Olivia Hinebaugh to receive an enamel pin. (US Only)(ends 1/21)
- Pre-order THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE by Samantha Shannon to receive an exclusive signed poster. (USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand)(ends 2/25)
More Awesome Giveaways:
- Twitter Giveaways:
- @Remy_Lai is giving away a copy of @amandarhill32’s THE THREE RULES OF EVERYDAY MAGIC and so is @LaurieLMorrison
- @JennieLy is giving away a 2018 release of your choice from Book Depository
- @LJSilverman1 is giving away an ARC of THE WICKED KING
- On my blog, you’ll find the August Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up & Make Me Read It Giveaway and the September 2018 Discussion Challenge & Giveaway
- Enter to win a trip for two to the Miami Book Fair!
- Evelyn Skye is celebrating the upcoming release of Circle of Shadows by giving away a cute sword letter opener!
- Head over to Love Is Not a Triangle for a chance to win an As She Ascends Prize Pack!
- Star-Crossed Book Blog is celebrating its four year blogoversary with a huge giveaway!
- Cornerfolds is giving away an ARC of Boneless Mercies & a candle from Cornerfolds Candles!
- Head over to BookHounds for a chance to win all five A Twisted Tale books and a copy of Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret, plus an Explorer Academy tote, stickers, folder, poster and pin.
- Head over to Chapter by Chapter for a chance to win a $15 Starbucks gift card or B&N gift card, plus a digital copy of Poppy Mayberry: A New Day
- Head over to Wall-to-Wall Books for a chance to win A $25 gift card for the giveaway plus a superhero high t-shirt!
- Shealea @ That Bookshelf Bitch is giving away ARCs of Richard Lawson’s All We Can Do Is Wait and Kim Liggett’s Heart of Ash to two Filipino readers!
- Head over to Bookcrushin’ for a chance to win a VE Schwab Prize Pack!
- Lots of blogs participating in the September Book of Choice Giveaway Hop!
- And then there’s the Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop!
- Head over to Clean Wholesome Romance for a chance to win a 6 Month Kindle Unlimited Subscription
- Enter Read It Forward’s weekly giveaway! This one is The Travelling Cat Chronicles!
- Kim @ Caffeinated Book Reviews is celebrating seven years of blogging with an audiobook giveaway!
- Head over to Bookish for LOTS of giveaways!
Lots of good stuff! Have any giveaways or great discussions happening on your site right now? Feel free to share them in the comments!
So when I saw the trailer for the movie you’re talking about it, I was like, “Okay, so this is a remake of Cyrano, but I didn’t even like that story… so… yeah.” It seemed problematic to me from the get-go. Glad to see I wasn’t wrong! Also, so happy to hear your daughter is doing well in high school! That’s so great!
Yeah, Cyrano isn’t specifically a favorite of mine, and it’s really problematic when put in real-world, modern terms.
It’s awesome to hear that public school is working out for your daughter. It’s a big change, and I am really glad it is going well. (thanks for mentioning my post too XOXO).
Thanks! I’ve been so happy that the transition has been a smooth one.
I must be behind, because I didn’t even know what Sierra Burgess was for awhile until I started seeing comments on Twitter on Friday. I missed yours, but I saw some similar to yours (along with a lot of really excited comments) and decided that yeah, I don’t need to be watching this. It sounds wrong on SO many levels and that’s not cool, especially like you said – it’s wrapped up in a really good overall message, so people might not notice or pay attention to the bad stuff, but that doesn’t make it okay.
-Lauren
Right. I almost felt like those good messages made the bad ones more dangerous.
That’s wonderful that your daughter is off to such a great start at the public high school.
Thanks for the head’s up on Sierra Burgess is a Loser. I saw it pop up as a recommendation for me, but I think I’ll skip it now.
Yeah, I wouldn’t recommend the movie at all. It was pretty problematic, in my opinion. (And I don’t use that word often.)
I’m glad your daughter is enjoying school. High school was traumatizing for me, so I’m always happy when it works out for other people. Have a great week!
I was pretty nervous about her jumping into this totally new environment, but she’s adjusting way better than I expected her to (based on past experiences with new things. 🙂 )
I always love your posts they are so informative. Thank you for doing all this work with the preorder stuff and the giveaways! It makes finding them so much faster. We watched that netflix movie my girls thought it was cute.
I’m really glad these posts are helpful!!
I know a lot of people liked the movie, and I can see that, but there were several issues that REALLY rubbed me the wrong way. That’s just me, though.
I’m going to a public university, which is a big change from spending 14++ years in a private school, but I’ve been doing okay. I think one of the pros of being in a public school is that you really grow to be more mature and independent. I’m glad your little one’s enjoying the swim team! ♥ And that’s so exciting about getting something out of the presentation! I hope you find something that works for you. 🙂
Yes, I think it’s working out to be a good change for her. She needs to get comfortable with being out in the “real world” a bit more—our homeschool co-op was amazing, but it felt a little sheltered sometimes.
Hmm, the Chunky Method sounds like something I need to look into! I’m considering going to an editing workshop put on by Carina Press at the end of October that is taking place on the other side of my state. I think editing is something I definitely need help with. I’ve been seeing stuff about the Sierra Burgess is a Loser lately, but had never heard of it until now. I also should go read the discussion post on the subscription boxes. While I think they are cool, I just can’t imagine spending that kind of money. Just don’t have it to put out in case it might be something I want. Have a great week!
Oh, I hope that editing workshop is really helpful! Workshops are the best way to keep learning, in my opinion.
I hope the Chunky Method works for you! And I am glad to hear your daughter is settling well into her new school. Good luck to her with her swimming this year. I hope you have a great week!
Thanks so much! So far, the Chunky Method has been working great for me. I’ll have to see how it goes once I’ve really dived into writing my next WIP.
I’m glad you found the workshop so helpful! Teaching the Chunky Method to writers is one of my favorite things to do–it’s gratifying to watch the idea catch with writers and give them a solid path to meeting their goals.
Thanks so much for your wonderful presentation! I think it’s going to be very helpful for me. I’m still working on plotting for the book I plan to write next, so I haven’t implemented the actual writing strategy yet, but I have been using your list method to get myself to that point. Like you said, it seems obvious, but breaking my list down more has helped me a lot. (One of my tasks for today is responding to comments on the blog. 🙂 )
I haven’t heard anything good about Sierra Burgess is a Loser. I don’t watch much TV anyway, so I guess it won’t be too hard to stay away from.
Good luck with NaNo this year! It’s only a month and a half away now. Getting close!
Ha! Yes, sometimes staying away from TV in general is the best way to avoid all the duds. 🙂
The Chunky Method? I’m curious and want to know more. ??? I’m glad to hear your daughter is doing great in high school so far and enjoy being on the swim team!
I personally don’t like the title of Sierra Burgess is a Loser – for someone who often got ostracized as a kid and called a loser, it hurt and having a title calling someone else a loser is well… Not exactly cool in my book.
I haven’t gotten down to the nitty gritty of using the Chunky Method yet because I’m still in the planning stages for my next book, but I think it’s going to be helpful. Her list methods are already helping me—I just have to figure out how many tasks I can realistically get done in a day. 🙂
I’m so glad you got to have that experience with the author and that it will help you with your goals, fingers crossed! And I’m so happy that your daughter had such a wonderful meet and that she has already made friends! Double YAY!
Thanks! I think this is a good step toward me getting my writing life organized. 🙂