July 2019 Happenings

July 28, 2019

Happy Sunday!

*cue cliché line about how July is already over*

To be fair, though, my July was so busy, I barely had time to stop and look around. This month was EPIC.

So let's get started, shall we?


Honestly, I wasn't really home for most of July. For literally the first two weeks, my family was on the move as we went on vacation. We traveled to California and visited Yosemite! <3

And, literally four days after we got back from that trip, I went to REALM MAKERS. (the time change between California and St. Louis didn't help my sanity, by the way. XD)

I won't talk about that weekend much here, because next week my GIGANTIC post on it is coming out. (Brace yourselves.) But I'll just say that the conference was amazing! I met so many people and . . . if I keep talking about it, I'll just rewrite next week's post, so we'll leave it there.

Anyways, I didn't really have much of a life after RM. I was really tired from the conference, so I pretty much didn't leave the house except for work. XD Whoops.

But. Recently, my mom and I went to go see ABBY JOHNSON SPEAK.

If you haven't heard of Abby Johnson, she's a famous pro-life speaker with an incredible conversion story and a powerful message. While I wasn't a fan of the political speakers before and after her, I really enjoyed her speech!

Enough on my life outside stories - my fandom life was also kind of insane. XD

Avatar: The Last Airbender. You guys have heard me talk about this show waaaaayyy too much. But I just started season 2 and IT'S SO MUCH BETTER THAN SEASON 1.

*cough* Zuko Alone is the best episode *cough* *cough*

The Office: Season 1. Can you really consider this a fandom? I don't know. I've only seen the first four episodes, but it's HYSTERICAL. (You know, besides the, ahem, adult humor. -_-)

Spider-Man: Far From Home. Okay. *deep breath* I expected this movie to be so much better than what it actually was. It was a good movie, but . . . it kind of fell flat?

That first end credit scene, though. HECK YES.

The Illuminae Files. YES I am still obsessed with this series. I reread Obsidio on vacation and I forgot how good of an ending it was! <333

I didn’t make this, I just found it hilarious. Kudos to the creator!
The Story Peddler. I actually met the author at Realm Makers! And I was so glad that I enjoyed the story. Definitely one of my favorite new reads of the year so far! (Also, Tanwen x Mor FOR LIFE.)

So. Camp NaNoWriMo was this month.

*cough* Am I still somewhat failing it? Yes.

But I DID change my goal to make it smaller, because this year I actually do want to win it. (I didn't win it last April.) I've been doing edits for The Inhumans #1 this time around.

Except . . . after RM, I realized that practically my entire first book is utter TRASH and I'm going to have to write it over again.

*cue unenthusiastic cheering*

Will it make the book better? I think so.
Will it be a pain in the butt? Probably.

So I've been procrastinating on writing that book. Yay.

But I HAVE been writing a lot of flash fiction recently, and I've been considering a special writing project that may or may not happen. So . . . you might hear something about that in the coming months. *shrugs* It's still in the planning stages though, so no promises!

Here are my posts for the month (which has been dubbed "Tag July"):

The Versatile Blogger Award
The Project Inspire Tag
The 20 Question Book Tag

I'm really sorry I haven't been responding to comments quickly or reading your posts as often as I would like! I can't promise that I'll improve in August, but I'll at least try my best. <3

Now, some of the best posts that I DID end up catching . . .

Keturah's post about our identity really hit home with me. If any of you guys are having existential crises (or are just curious), definitely check it out.

Gray's recent foray back into the world of writing is absolutely GORGEOUS and YOU NEED TO HAVE IT IN YOUR LIFE.

And the Realm Makers wrap-up posts have begun! So far, I've seen Sarah's, Julian'sAngela's, Victoria’s, and Jenna’s, and THEY ARE SO GOOD!

yes, I'll stop talking about RM now, I'm sorry

You guys. I'm SO EXCITED for this month's posts. I have a lot of exciting things for you guys that I CAN'T WAIT to share. You already know what next week's post will be, but I'll keep the next weeks' topics to myself. ;)

In the meantime, I hope you have a great August! With luck, I'll see you around the blogosphere!

-Nicole <3

How was your July? Have you ever been to Yosemite before? Are you participating in Camp NaNo? Let's talk!

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32 comments

  1. Hey girl! Your July sounds so fun! Mine has been sooo busy and I haven't had time to think. I read Jackaby from William Ritter (which was AMAZING), worked a lot, had a cookout, and basically worked some more. ;)

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    1. Hello! *flails* JACKABY IS THE BEST. <333 Sounds like you had a good July too! XD Hope you have an awesome August!

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  2. Realizing your draft needs to be rewritten is the worst. (That is normally where my stories die X.X)
    I really need to reread the Illuminae files...They're so amazing and I haven't read them in forever. (Also, apparently the audio books have the song from Gemina in it and I really want to hear it, but also am afraid that it will get stuck in my head.)
    Can't wait to see your Relm Maker's recap!

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    1. Hahaha SAME. (I am very concerned about this book.)
      *horror* In that case, I am never listening to the Gemina audiobook. I HATE THAT SONG WITH A BURNING PASSION. XD
      With all luck, it’ll be out next week! *fingers crossed*

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  3. July has been a good month! Sounds like you had lot of fun! Have a good August!!!

    astordetective.blogspot.com

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    1. Glad to hear it! I hope you have a great August as well! :)

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  4. RM sounds like it was fun! I can't wait for the post about it so I can read vicariously. ;P
    And oh, Abby Johnson! That's so cool!!!

    Have a good August. <33

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    1. It was really fun! (Haha, yeah, I’ve been doing the same thing with everyone else’s RM posts. XD)
      Ack, yes, it was really great! (If she comes by you, I would highly recommend you listen!)

      You too! <333

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  5. I can't wait to see your Realm Makers post. I'm just drinking all of those up.
    And thanks so much for sharing my post! I'm so glad you found it helpful :D

    I'm sad that you think spider-man was flat ... I haven't seen it yet, but yeah Marvel is going downhill and I believe it ;/

    July is the best month of the year, so yeah, been loving it!!!!

    keturahskorner.blogspot.com

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    1. Haha, I’m doing the exact same thing. XD
      You’re welcome! It was really interesting. :)

      I don’t know if they’re necessarily going downhill, but they’re definitely changing. . . . I hope you like Spider-Man, though!

      Whoo-hoo, glad your July was great!

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  6. YOU SAW ABBY JOHNSON <3333 Goodness that lady is amazing!! I've read her book, 'Unplanned', and HAVE YOU HEARD about the new movie about her experience?? It's also called 'Unplanned' and you should DEFINITELY watch it!!

    *wraps up ranting with a sheepish grin*

    And I love hearing about RM!

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    1. ACK YES I DID!!!! I agree, she’s so inspiring! I have read the book and LOVED it! (I haven’t watched the movie, though. . . . I know that my emotions will be whacked out after seeing it. XD

      *appreciating rant*

      Yay! (So do I, and I was even there. XD)

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  7. Ooh, I’ve been to Yosemite once. I went with some friends and I lowkey almost died because they wanted to do 2 hikes and I’m not athletic anymore (I used to be a competitive gymnast, but that ended like...a long time ago). XD XD But yeah, Yosemite is great and it’s also super pretty.

    I didn’t do NaNo😭 I just didn’t have the time, but on the bright side, I DID finally start writing the first (good) draft of my OG novel idea. So that was super fun.

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    1. Ooo, nice! XD Honestly, same. (When I heard that there were seven-hour hikes, I went “nope” - but our family stuck to the short ones anyways. XD) Agreed!

      Hey, that’s okay too! (I probably shouldn’t have done it either...) Whoo-hoo! *confetti* That’s awesome, Bree!

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  8. I'm SOOOO looking forward to your Realm Makers post! It was so fun to meet you! Your costume was so perfect!

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    1. Ahhhhh, it was so awesome to meet you too!! (And come on, your costume was literal AMAZINGNESS and ONE OF MY FAVORITE COSTUMES EVER. XD)

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  9. Oooooh, you went to Yosemite!! I went a couple years ago with some family friends...it was GORGEOUS but also extremely cold (we went in the winter I think XD).

    I've been wanting to see Spider-Man: Far From Home...hopefully I'll love it as much as I thought I would! ^_^

    I cannot wait for your RM post!! ♥

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    1. Ooo, nice! (Yeah, I don’t understand how California is so chilly, even in the summer. San Francisco especially has some weather issues. XD)

      I hope you love it! (I think you will, honestly. Parts of it just didn’t click for me. XD)

      It seems to be highly anticipated, so I’ll make sure to get it up on time! <3

      Delete
  10. Sounds like you had a full month, plus Camp Nano. Can't wait for your Realm Makers post. I still need to write mine.

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    1. Yeah, you could say that. *collapses* Ooo, and I can’t wait for yours as well! :)

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  11. AHHHH YOU GOT TO HEAR ABBY JOHNSON THAT IS SO COOL *screams* She's one of my heroes and I'm jealous now *fans self*

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    1. ACK I KNOW IT FEELS SO STRANGE TO SAY. *is also screaming* I hope you get to hear her speak sometime - I’m assuming you know her story already, so I won’t go on and on about how powerful it is. XD

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  12. Sounds like you had an EPIC July!! I'm so excited for you that you got to go to RM! AND I'M SO PUMPED FOR THE RECAP POST.

    I'm participating in Camp NaNo too. Well... DID participate. I pushed myself to win today because tomorrow is too busy. It took a good chunk out of my day, but I managed it. SOMEHOW. :P Hope you can win this time too!! <3

    Great post! Here's to an awesome August!

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    1. Ack, thanks, Lila! I'm so pumped for you to read it!!!

      CONGRATULATIONS!!! *chocolate party* I actually just won a couple hours ago! <3

      Thanks again, and I hope your August is amazing too!

      Delete
  13. I... actually really likes Far From Home?? I mean, I love Peter, so ��
    OMW AVATARRRR YAAAS GIRL WE NEED TO FANGIRL NOWWWW literally Zuko alone was so good!!
    And ooh you came to Cali! We could have hung out! Jkjkjk lol ��
    Ayyy us busy-July-ers are the best ��
    Have a wonderful August! Does school start soon?

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    1. Yay, I'm glad you liked it! True, Peter is amazing. <33
      ACK ACK ACK ANOTHER FAN CAN I MESSAGE YOU TO TALK ABOUT THIS
      yestesyesyesyes it was!!!! *is dying*
      Aw, you live in Cali? We totally could have hung out! Maybe next time . . . *fingers crossed*
      Hahaha, true. ;)
      Thanks, and you too! (Sadly, yes, it starts in less than two weeks. When does your school start?)

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  14. Sounds like you had a fun month! RM sounds SO fun: I want to go even though I'm not even a writer!

    (Also I've been trying to remember to read the Illuminae files for like,,a year now and I keep forgetting �� aaaa)

    Hanne || losingthebusyness.wordpress.com

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    1. Ooo, yes, you should go! (just raid the bookstore ;) )

      YES, READ IT! There is quite a bit of content, but if you can wade through it, it's truly a great storyline!

      Delete
  15. Hey, Nicole! It's Hanna, from Realm Makers. =)
    I didn't get your URL at the conference, so I was really happy that Tracey linked to you! It was great to meet you, and I enjoyed looking at your blog.

    (And I dog-ear the pages in my favorite books, so you're not alone. =D)

    -Hanna
    takingmytime.rothfuss.us

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    1. HANNA!! *tackle-hug*
      OH NO, sorry about that! It was awesome meeting you! <33

      (Oh, thank goodness, I'm not the only one! :D)

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  16. *eyebrows hit the ceiling* GIRL - you heard Abby Johnson speak???? Holy cow - that is so cool! She's one of my heros now :)

    Hey - consider the first attempt as a practice. I'm sure I'll have to rewrite TWR at least once before I publish, so don't worry.

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    1. *is still in denial* Ack, yes! (I hope you get the chance one day - I think you'd really enjoy her speech!)

      Haha, that's a good way of looking at it. :) We can be rewriting buddies! ;)

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Welcome to the comment section! I love hearing what you guys think and seeing you guys talk. Just remember to keep it clean, and as always, check back for my replies! <3
-Nicole