My Goings On in March:
- I did what everyone did in March: stayed home.
- I played lots of games, watched lots of movies and TV, worked on a puzzle, did some crafts, worked on my home renovation project, and more. I’ve already been chronicling these things in my Sunday Posts, so I won’t bother going into detail here.
Features & Discussions:
March 2020 Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up & Giveaway!
Google Searches Are Weird (AKA: You Found Me HOW?)
All Those Deleted Drafts. Let’s Discuss.
Fun with Spam #12
March 2020 Discussion Challenge Link-Up & Giveaway!
My 2020 Reading Progress:
I’ve read 40 books so far this year, putting me 16 books ahead of my Goodreads goal.
March 2020 Reviews
- If We Were Giants by Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith | Review
- Freaky in Fresno by Laurie Boyle Crompton | Review
- Descendant of the Crane by Joan He | Review
- Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom by Booki Vivat | Review
- A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano | Review
- Don’t Check Out This Book! by Kate Klise & M. Sarah Klise | Review
March Best of the Bunch:
(Best of the Bunch is hosted over at Cocoon of Books. We link up our favorite reads of the month!)
My choice for MG was incredibly difficult this month because I loved both If We Were Giants and In the Red. I adored both of these books, and setting played a huge role in each of them! I settled on In the Red (but, honestly, it may have only been because I just read it and it’s fresher in my mind.)
Instead of choosing a YA for March, I went with A Beginning at the End (which is adult but would probably still appeal to many YA readers). This pandemic novel is more than a little scary in our current times, but it’s also incredibly hopeful!
2020 Goals Progress:
Progress: 7/21-30 Discussions (Chatty Kathy)
2 discussions this month puts me on track with 7.
Google Searches Are Weird (AKA: You Found Me HOW?)
All Those Deleted Drafts
Book-Related Anxiety. It’s a Thing (and I Have It).
The Wonders of a Writing Accountability Partner
The Cybils Awards Finalists! Which Books Do You Hope Will Win?
My 2020 Goals & Challenges
2019 End of Year Book Survey (& Year in Graphs!)
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Feed Your Fiction Addiction & It Starts at Midnight
My Bookish Goals for 2020:
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My Writing Goals
- Finish first edit of my Selfish Giant retelling. Oh, guys, can we just pretend March didn’t happen? Pretty please? I have NOT been doing well with anything but checking the news.
Okay, actually I did make a pretty big breakthrough with one of my characters and I’m currently editing the part of the book in his voice. My goal is to have that DONE in April and start working on new poems. I’m signing up for Camp NaNoWriMo, so hopefully that will help! - Attend one writing conference and at least one online class. There are lots of online classes going on right now, so I just have to choose one to do in April!! (I just did an online SCBWI discussion on the topic of craft books last night!)
- Read writing craft books and resources. Okay, start a book in April.
- Edit A Memory of Magic. Not on the schedule for April because I’m focusing on Selfish Giant.
My Reading/Reviewing Goals
- Review (requested) review books within two weeks of publication. I was doing so well on this, but now I have one book that got left behind. I’m making it a priority in April!
- Review two backlist review books per month. I … did not do this. But I’m still at 6 for the year so far, so I guess it works out okay.
- Here’s the spreadsheet I created specifically for my backlist ARCs and review copies. (This was adapted from one of the tabs on Val @ Reader Voracious’s 2020 spreadsheet). Hopefully seeing this list here monthly will help keep me on track!
- Finish first edit of my Selfish Giant retelling. Oh, guys, can we just pretend March didn’t happen? Pretty please? I have NOT been doing well with anything but checking the news.
Wrap-Up Round-Up!
Don’t forget to link your March wrap-up posts up to the Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up. And enter the giveaway!
A good month for you. Happy April, stay safe!
Thanks! You too!
Awesome that you’re already ahead in your GoodReads goal. I’m a bit ahead myself… but nothing like 16 books. 🙂 A Beginning at the End went on my TBR as soon as I first read the synopsis but it’s going to have to wait a while. A little too close to home these days.
I reduced my goal this week so I’d focus on writing, but I haven’t been so great about that yet.
I have to say, if you need a little pick-me-up, jump on Foolish Hearts. That book was all sorts of wonderful, and the family element was stupendous! Hang in there and stay safe.
Oh, thank you for the recommendation! Who can’t use a pick-me-up right about now?
I second this recommendation!!
That settles it, then!
[…] am linking with the following: Monthly Wrap-up(At Feed Your Fiction […]
Thanks for linking up!
I too am hoping to sign up for Camp NaNoWriMo. I never considered it before, but I got the email tonight and it reminded me that I literally have nothing else to do, and I have missed writing a lot since my university classes have been cancelled. Good luck with your writing too!
If you decide to sign up and want to buddy me, my username is nmhewitt!
I really need to read A Beginning At The End. I’ve been seeing good reviews for it everywhere lately. I hope you have a good April!
I think I saw it first on Shannon’s blog and knew I had to read it.
March was also stay at home month for me. I really want to read A Dash of Magic. I subscribed Scribd and they have it. 🙂 You wrote a Selfish Giant retelling?! That sounds so freaking amazing!!!!
Happy readings!
I’m still writing the retelling, but I’m happy to hear someone’s excited for it—not all that many people remember that story!
Looks like you had a great reading month! I’ve been in a bit of a slump, but I’m hoping that will be better in April. I’m trying to stick to happy, light reads. I finished The Honey-Don’t List last night and really enjoyed it. Stay well and happy reading!
I keep slipping in and out of reading slumps. I’m definitely feeling like a mood reader lately.
Ahh best of luck for your editing this month, Nicole, I’m rooting for you <3
Thank you!!
Same here. Trying to kind of forget March. Although I did hit the send to self-publish my short story on Amazon! I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo too, but have yet to actually do anything in it. How are you doing? I also might reach out to you about writing a query letter! Since I know you were successful in that. I’d love to find an online creative writing class or something like that. If you come across any that don’t cost thousands of dollars, let me know, would you? Here’s to a better April for us all!
Wait, you published something? How can I find it?!
There are actually a ton of online classes being offered right now. If you check out Twitter you should be able to find some. I know there are some through SCBWI, but since you write adult, you can probably find some that are more geared toward that. Writer’s Barn is also offering some short classes at really low prices right now, so check those out too. Story Studio in Chicago is currently offering all of their classes online, and I know they have some geared toward romance, not sure what the prices are.
I’m buddies with you on NaNo, so we can follow each others’ progress!!
Well, I put it under my pen name, Vienna Amans, it’s called Pillow Talk. It’s a sexy romance short story!
I just got it. 🙂
Home, all things home. I’m really interested in Mike Chen’s work. I’ll need to look into it.
I really need to read Mike Chen’s first book because I loved this one!
Thank you for sharing! I will read the book you recommended.
Hope you enjoy it!
Good luck on your writing! I really want to read Descendant of the Crane! Sounds like a great book!
Hope you enjoy it!
Oh gosh, March was just insane. I’m hoping that April will be a bit better for all of us. That’s great you had a character breakthrough in your current WIP!
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
I feel like I’ve been making really good progress on the book lately, so that’s felt great!
March has been a crazy time. It sounds like you have a lot occupying your attention. I hope your edits for your Selfish Giant retelling go well this month!
Thanks, Crystal!!
I want to read In the Red after reading your review. I did read and enjoy Mike Chen’s book and am a big fan of his work (I can’t forget his first book that got time travel RIGHT and made me a believer again). I haven’t felt much like writing this month–I submitted my picture book ms for a contest in March and failed at that, so I haven’t had the desire to try again yet. REading and writing reviews for authors has been more satisfying for me this quarantined time.
I really want to read Mike Chen’s first book—I heard great things about that one too!
Glad you have been staying home and staying safe! I hope Camp Nanowrimo will help with the progress. What’s your username? Let’s be friends there as I am also working on my Camp Nanowrimo as well to start off my novel slowly…
I’m so late getting to this comment!! (NaNo has been going well, but that and editing have meant I’m behind on comments. My username is nmhewitt, so feel free to friend me!!