The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead.
What’s been happening since my last Sunday Post:
More painting and planting – We got my son Noah a new bed and painted his room. After Danielle moved out, he decided to do a major overhaul of his room and get rid of a bunch of things (including some books from his childhood, which went to Bernie’s Book Bank). I also bought more plants for the backyard and did a bit of transplanting. It’s been stormy here since then, so that’s been good for the plants!
Volunteering at Bernie’s Book Bank – Now that I have a bit more time, I’m back to volunteering there weekly. Volunteers do things like pack bags with books to give to students, scan books to sort them by grade level, check books for damage, sticker them with the Bernie’s logo stickers, etc. It’s been nice to get back to volunteering regularly!
Movies with AMC A-List – Since my last Sunday Post I’ve watched the new Superman movie (really enjoyed it) and a movie called Sketch, which I loved a lot more than I was expecting to. I recommend that one – it probably isn’t on most people’s radar.
Lunch with B&N friends – Since I quit B&N, I’ve been trying to meet up with a couple of my friends from there once a month or so. My one fear after quitting was that I would lose out on actual human interactions with people outside of my family. LOL
Book News:
Check out this new review of The Song of Orphan’s Garden over at Always in the Middle! I love the way Greg ends his reviews with a “five more things to like about” format!
Turned a manuscript in to my agent! – I finally finished the ms I’ve been working on converting from prose into verse and sent it off to my agent. I don’t know what’s going to happen next (or when), but at least I’ve made actual progress.
Writing sprints – I’ve been doing writing sprints most mornings with some MG author friends. This has honestly been HUGE for getting me to actually finish my ms, so I’m going to keep going with it so I won’t just take a six-month-long break after finishing. 🙂
Maybe a picture book? – I’ve been working lately on a few picture book ideas. Picture book writing is a whole new ballgame – and it’s hard! But hopefully I’ll eventually write something worth sharing with my agent. We shall see!
What I Read:
- I read Radiant by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, a verse novel about seeing the world from others’ perspectives. Loved it!
- Then read An Encantadora’s Guide to Monstros and Magic, a new release by fellow Middle Grade Escapades author Sarah Mendonca. I’ve been so excited that all of the books in our group are so incredibly good!! The MG world is getting some great books this year! My review for this one goes up tomorrow, along with a Top Ten Addictions list for the author!
- I also read an advanced copy of The Cassette Tape Secret by Danielle Herzog for my first blurb. Kind of an exciting milestone, and I really loved the book! It has great mental health representation and a very satisfying mystery.
- I listened to the final Greenwild book, The Forest in the Sky by Pari Thomson. I absolutely love everything about this series – such gorgeous writing and creative worldbuilding. This series might be an all-time favorite for me!
- And, finally, I listened to Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow. This is one of the books that’s been sitting on my shelf for way too long, and I added it to my listening TBR when I did my shelf-purge. I knew this book was going to be heartbreaking, but I didn’t realize it was going to be so poetic!
Here’s what you may have missed on the blog since my last Sunday Post:
NEW Pre-order Campaigns
Head over to my Pre-Order Campaigns Page to see ALL of the pre-order deals, including pictures!!
Here’s a list of the pre-order campaigns I’ve added to the list since my last Sunday Post:
Pre-order FALLING LIKE LEAVES by Misty Wilson from Black Cat Books & Oddities to receive art print, sticker, and bookmark! (Ends 9/1) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR by Ellen Oh from People’s Book to receive a free sticker sheet and enamel pin! (Ends 10/6) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order A STEEPING OF BLOOD by Hafsah Faizal to receive an excusive compact! (US/CAN) (Ends 9/3) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order THE MAIDEN AND HER MONSTER by Maddie Martinez to receive a silver-foiled art print and a signed bookplate! (INT) (Ends 9/11) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order THE NINE MOONS OF HAN YU AND LULI by Karina Yan Glaser from Books of Wonder to receive a signed/personalized copy, a bookmark, sticker, mini poster, steamed bun recipe, and an adhesive wax seal! (Ends 9/15) CLICK FOR DETAIL
Pre-order BLOODTIDE by by Sophie Burnham from a participating indie to receive a dazzling dust jacket for the first book in the series! (Ends 10/13) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order WHAT FURY BRINGS by Tricia Levenseller to receive two art prints and a signed bookplate (US) or a different art print (UK)! (INT) (Ends 9/22) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order OUR ROGUE FATES by Sarah Glenn Marsh from Mysterious Galaxy to receive 2 vellum art overlays, a sticker of the main characters, and a signed bookplate. (INT) (Ends 4/27/26) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order JULIA SONG IS UNDATEABLE from Mysterious Galaxy to receive, a signed/personalized copy, a bag charm, a bookmark, and a set of 3 art overlays! (INT) (Ends 10/25) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order DEMON SONG by Kelsea Yu from Mysterious Galaxy to receive a bookmark, signed bookplate & 2 art prints! (INT) (Ends 9/29) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order THORN SEASON by Kiera Azar to receive a limited-edition metallic bookmark! (US only) (Ends 9/1) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order EVERY SPIRAL OF FATE by Tahereh Mafi to receive an exclusive pin! (US only) (Ends 9/29) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Lots of good stuff! Have any news? Feel free to share in the comments!
Oh wow, you’ve done so much this last week!! I’m tired just reading about it! 😂 Honestly, I do one thing and I’m tired out the whole week and here you are getting so much done! I especially love that you volunteer! I have so much respect for people who do. I have been wanting to volunteer at my local library but I feel like I barely have enough energy to get my own life together at the moment. Hopefully soon!
If it makes you feel better, it’s been three weeks since I posted a Sunday Post, so this is three weeks worth of happenings. I WISH I was that productive in a week! LOL!
You are definitely keeping busy. Good for you doing the work to maintain some of those B&N connections. It’s hard to keep up those friendships when you are not seeing each other like you were when co-workers.
Yes, that’s one of the biggest things I was worried about when I quit B&N. It’s really easy to just lose all your connections and your friendships and go back to being a hermit who stays in your house all the time! LOL!
Glad you’ve been able to tackle some projects and meet with friends. Wishing you the best with your new manuscript!
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Thanks, I’m hopeful that the ms will meet with my agent’s approval! At the very least, it’s good to be making some forward progress.
Sounds like you’ve had a good week. 🙂
I love my AMC A-List, but haven’t had time to use it much. I did use it to go see the new Superman movie which I loved! I would love to be a part of a book bank around here like that. I’ll have to check it out. Some of my best friends in the last few years were people I worked at B&N with. Although we don’t see or talk to each other much these days other than on Facebook. Hope you have a good week!
I was really hoping not to lose the connections with my BN friends – I’ve been really intentional about initiating get-togethers every month (in the past I haven’t been good at that – I’m always happy to follow along with others make plans, but I’m not a great initiator!).
It’s great that you sent your manuscript to your agent. Good luck with the picture book ideas.
Thanks!! I’ve said for years that I’d love to write a picture book. Of course, writing one is a whole different thing. LOL!
Oh wow! You’ve been busy but at least it’s a good kind of busy from the sounds of it! Hope things continue to go well with your ms!
Thanks for visiting my StS!
You have sent me in all sorts of directions, requesting books from the library, adding books to my wishlist, and looking for movies online. Congratulations on turning in your manuscript! I’m fascinated with the idea of doing with writing sprints with friends.
Sorry(not sorry) to send you all over the internet! Glad you found so many things worthy of researching here, though!
I’m getting really tempted to watch the new Superman movie — people make it sound so fun. 😀
Superhero movies are hit or miss for me, but I definitely enjoyed this one!
The last time I went to the cinema was to see the Barbie movie. I’m so out of touch right now with what’s going on, as my oldest grandson now prefers to go to see films with his mates and the younger one reckons he’s too cool for films at all… Volunteering at the book bank sounds like a lovely way to keep in touch with other folks, as well as helping out:). And good for you managing to complete your ms – right now I’m finding my current book a bit of a slog! Fingers crossed your agent likes the transformation. Have a good week, Nicole:).
Busy week! Good luck with your manuscript. Have a great week!
I love the sound of volunteering at a place like Bernie’s Book Bank, how fun. Good luck with your latest manuscript!