Happy Sunday!

Is it just me, or did June FLY by? It feels like summer just began, but now we're a third of the way through it.

*panic*

I can't believe July is just around the corner. I've been looking forward to July all year, and it always felt so far away. But now it's just DAYS away, and I'm kind of freaking out.

Let's not look at that now, though, shall we? For now, let's stick with June's highlights.

Honestly, for how busy June was, I can't remember most of it. XD It's been a lot of working at my job and doing stuff around the house.

I did get together with my friends, which was fun! We listened to Hamilton and played MarioKart (which is my all-time favorite video game of ever) and just had a good time in general.

As part of a leadership project, I also led the first two sessions of a Camp NaNo writing club for teens. I'm not going to lie: I expected two people to show up. So when FOURTEEN PEOPLE walked into the room, I almost lost it.

(See, I'm not good at speaking to people about writing - I don't get much practice. And I'm not good at speaking in front of people. It was a recipe for disaster.)

Fortunately, all went well! I'm not sure what the others are thinking of it so far, but as far as I can tell, at least some of them are getting into it. *shrugs*

The Flash: Season Three. Oooo, boy. *rubs hands together* I HAVE THOUGHTS. Unfortunately, most of them are spoiler-y, and I definitely don't want to spoil this series. But, my vague thoughts in bullet points:

• Okay, Julian is my second-favorite character (but Cisco has forever stolen my heart).
• BARRY STOP BEING AN IDIOT OKAY
• okay Caitlin's pretty cool this season
• I'm torn between loving the Barry x Iris ship and wanting to rip it to shreds.
• *facepalm*
• *all the facepalms*
• whyyyyy

not from season 3 but reason #203845 why I love Cisco

The Illuminae Files. Yes, I'm reading them for the second time this year. XD I actually understand the plot a lot better, now that I took the first book slower. At the time I'm writing this, I'm plowing through Gemina. And I LOVE NIK SO MUCH. <3

The Raven Cycle. I've hesitated reading this series for a while now because of content. And while it's true that I'm still not a fan of all the cursing (to name one thing) it's a really intriguing series. Will it be a favorite? Probably not. But am I enjoying myself? Oh, yes.

(By the way, Noah is the most underrated Raven Boy in this series and that makes me sad.)

Game Theory/Film Theory/GT Live. This is the current YouTube series I'm binge-watching. I especially love the livestreams they do - they're so entertaining. For instance, the Baba Is You streams are awesome. (I haven't watched the GTea sessions, though, because those don't seem up my alley. I don't care to hear about YouTube drama. XD)

I've definitely been writing, but . . . not as much as I would like. Procrastination and laziness are proving to be formidable foes. But I'm doing my best to push past them.

However, it's really easy to turn to YouTube or other procrastination forms when you're attempting to rewrite a book.

Rewriting, for lack of a better term, stinks. I can't even put my finger on why it's so hard. It just IS.

And that's why, although I hoped to make better progress on writing The Inhumans #1, I . . . really haven't done much on it. I'm hoping to get it close to completion before Realm Makers, but, realistically speaking, that probably isn't going to happen.

Speaking of Realm Makers, I made a decision about it:

I'm not going to pitch there.

I've gone back and forth over it for months now, weighing the pros and cons. And honestly, I don't think any of my stories - or my writing - is at a place where I can pitch them to an agent. I HAVE scheduled a few mentor appointments, but I canceled my pitching appointment.

And I don't regret it one bit.

Anyways, here are the posts I wrote this month:

And, around the blogosphere . . .

Gray @ Sunshine and Joy is on a mission trip to Panama! So exciting!

Rose @ A Purpose of Winged Dogs celebrated her second blogoversary! Congratulations, Rose! :)

Savannah @ Inspiring Writes posted an EPIC movie review of Avengers; Endgame. (I'm still not over that movie. Amazing, I tell you. Amazing.)

And Julian @ Saver of Memories and Sarah @ Pen of a Ready Writer posted their blogoversary vlog, which was INCREDIBLE (especially when the canopy blew over XD).


A quick apology. I know I wasn't a very active blogger in June, and sadly, July is not going to improve - it'll only get worse. I'll try to read, comment, and write posts, but if it doesn't happen, don't worry - I'm not dead.

Also, if you don't mind, I've got a quick survey I would like for you to take! It's about two post ideas I have, and I would like to see your input on them.

A brief explanation before you take it:

• The very first question asks if you would rather have me vlog Realm Makers or write a blog post about it. I make no guarantees about vlogging - I've never done something like that before, and I might not get video footage, people's approval, etc. If it doesn't work out, I'll definitely do a blog post.
• The second question stems from my obsession with The Flash. XD

Thank you so much in advance!

And now I'll let you get back to your last Sunday in June. I hope you have a great July!

-Nicole <3