Tag: Life

Life, Writing

Yearly Goals: 2023 edition

AJ Niblock

Okay, February is nearly over, and I’ve finally made a list of personal goals I hope to achieve this year. It took me until a few days ago to feel like even thinking about it. The sun came out in the Pacific Northwest. Seasonal affective disorder is a real thing.

Anywho… what are you doing this year? Here is what I’ve got so far:

  1. Read 50 books
    • I’ve already started this one. I just finished book #8 for the year last night. This is the one goal I set and start every year without fail.
  2. Write 12 short stories
  3. Participate in and win NANOWRIMO
    • This one starts and ends in November.
  4. Move
    • We are moving! I’m so excited about this one. We’ve already started shopping for houses though we aren’t moving till the summer. I don’t really like where we are now, so I’m ready for a change.
  5. Write 5th novel
    • This is starting soon. I’m going through my brainstorming phase right now for two projects. I haven’t decided which I want to write first, so I’m hoping by the time I get done jotting things down, one of them strikes me as the one!
  6. Finish recipe cross stitch
    • This is my first cross stitch project for the year. I started it very late in 2022. It’s actually a recipe for hot chocolate. I’ve been meaning to make it for years. I’ve almost finished the outline (it’s a complicated outline).
  7. Update our wills
    • So, (pulls out soap box) if you have kids, be sure you have a will. I won’t get into why, but you should!
    • My husband and I haven’t updated ours since our daughter was an infant. And we both realized there are some major changes we would like to make.
  8. Crochet 3 different projects
    • I’ve actuallly started this one already too. The first project I’m tackling is jellyfish. I’ve already made two and I’m making several more for family.
    • I think my next two projects are going to be a dinosaur and Grogu, but that’s not set in stone yet.
    • I’m trying to learn new things that I haven’t tried before, so for each project I try to pick something that has a technique or stitch that I haven’t done before. I’m teaching myself very slowly.

As you can see, I wasn’t really ready for the year when 2023 began, but I’m finding my way now.

As always, happy reading and writing today and every day!

Life

2023 So Far (Is it possible to start the year over again?)

AJ Niblock

If you read my first post of the year, I mentioned that I’m being more cautious and taking my time to start my year. I usually begin the year by jumping in and making lists and plans. This year, I can’t seem to muster up the same enthusiasm. Maybe it’s the grey skies here (near Seattle) or because the first week of the year we lost a family pet, but I’m already over this year. Can I get a do over? Or refund? Or mulligan? Something…

In addition to my family’s pet bird dying, we’ve had a somewhat turbulent month. Some good, some bad, but the bad is bogging us down right now. It’s not just me. My whole family is dealing with terrible news.

We just found out that our seven-year-old cat has bone cancer. In her lower jaw. I’ll be honest when the vet told me, I was in complete disbelief (aka denial). One of my degrees is in veterinary nursing, so I immediately went home and pulled out textbooks and pulled up reliable veterinary medical websites to read anything and everything I could about it.

I was still in denial. I even pulled out the old x-ray pictures from our other cat to compare their x-rays. And I stared at those pictures a thousand times, and I was like, nope! I don’t see it. I think the doc is wrong.

And even after two days, I still refused to accept it. Then on the third morning, I was drinking my coffee and picked up the picture of our sick cat’s x-rays, and I saw it. I saw exactly what the doctor was talking about. Even though she had pointed to it when I was with her, it took about 48 hours and way too much looking at x-rays online for me to finally admit that I saw it. It was like a magic eye picture. Now that I see it, I wish I couldn’t.

We are still waiting for histology to confirm, but my whole family is in shock. We thought we’d have Rosie, our cat, for at least another decade or so. We’ve never had a pet die before it reached “senior” status. I know it can literally happen to anyone, at any age, but it’s terrifying and heart breaking. Sometimes knowing something and being able to accept it are two very different things that don’t coexist well together.

UPDATE: ROSIE DOES NOT HAVE CANCER!!!!! I am so happy right now. We finally got the histology back. She has a bone infection, which is still terrible, but very treatable!!! The doctor was almost giddy when she told me. Sometimes doctors don’t mind being wrong. I totally get that. I am unbelievably relieved.

Life, reading, Writing

Quotes of the Year

AJ Niblock

I started a new thing this year. (New for me anyway). As I read, I make a list of quotes I like for whatever reason, and then when I finish the book, I copy the quotes into a notebook that I have just for quotes.

It’s really fun to flip through the book and re-read the quotes. It takes me back to the moment when I was reading. I love reading them. Some of the quotes I wrote down because they were funny, some were like aha! moments that I feel like could be the seed of a new story, and some of them I write down because I think they’re very clever.

Here are some of my favorites from this year:

  1. “That’s all magic is really: the space between what you have and what you need.” (from The Once and Future Witches)
  2. “He let it slip that he was afraid that therapy might make him normal and well adjusted, and that would be the end of his writing.” (from Armageddon in Retrospect)
  3. “If it’s not Disney, we won’t get sued for it.” (from Kaiju Preservation Society)
  4. “Moral: to avoid embarrassment, never say anything at all to a human if you can possibly avoid it.” (from An Orc on the Wild Side)
  5. “I don’t know if anyone who hasn’t tried it can properly appreciate just how horrible it is to be constantly surrounded by people who believe in absolutely everything.” (from A Deadly Education)

There were so many more, but I’m really enjoying this little side project of mine.

As always, happy reading and writing today and every day!

Book, Book Review, Life, reading

My Year in Books 2022

AJ Niblock

Just a quick post because I just finished my reading challenge for the year (45 books!).

Here’s what I read this year:

My Goodreads 2022 (Click the link to see what I read this year!)

My top three reads this year were:

  1. The Once and Future Witches
  2. The Eigth Detective
  3. Kaiju Preservation Society

My favorite comic or graphic novel I read this year was:

Batman: The Three Jokers

Happy reading and writing today and every day!

Life, Writing

Current Status…

AJ Niblock

How is every one this month? I hope you all are doing great. I am super busy.

In exciting news, I have finished editing my fourth novel!!! Now, I am finalizing some other things (synopsis and query letter) before I start querying next week. I’m super excited and nervous! Wish me luck!

In other news, I am prepping and doing all the things I try to get done before NANOWRIMO starts. I don’t write extensive outlines, but I write out a very rough outline of the book from start to finish. I try to create the names for the main characters too (otherwise I get hung up on naming people and can’t seem to write).

As you can see, once again, I am participating in NANO, and this means next month is basically all booked for me.

I am a little behind at this point in the year as far as writing and some other personal goals go but I should be able to get caught up soon. Gotta keep trying, right?

Anyway, if you are participating in NANO, good luck!

Happy reading and writing today and every day!

Life, prompt, Writing

October 2022 Prompt

AJ Niblock

How is everyone doing? I’m once again trying to play catch up. I went on vacation the last week of September, and then when I arrived home, I was sick within two days. Since then, I’ve been in bed, watching tv, blowing my nose, and wishing I was writing. My head has been too foggy for editing though.

In happy news, I’m feeling much better today. Yesterday I made myself work on editing a bit. I’m a little behind on my list, but hopefully in the next few days I can catch up. And hopefully then I’ll also have time to get caught up on my short stories.

Anyway, I hope whatever you are working on is going well! If you are here for the prompt, look no further:

The doctors had never seen anything like it. She was a perfectly healthy little girl who just happened to have two hearts. The only explanation they could offer was…

Complete the Story

Happy reading and writing today and every day!

Life, prompt, Writing

September 2022 Prompt

AJ Niblock

It’s a new month, and that means it’s time for a new writing prompt!

If you’re looking for something to write about, look no further:

“As a young girl, she learned how to juggle fruit: apples, oranges, sometimes pears. There was little risk, little drama, and people smiled politely and then moved on. But they started paying attention when she started juggling…”

Complete the Story

This month is all about editing for me. I am working through my new novel before I start deep editing. I’ve finished my first round of edits, and now it’s time for the real work. If you’ve ever edited something as lengthy as a novel, you know what I’m talking about. It’s an even harder process when you edit yourself. I always have someone else read my work too, but before it goes to them, I go through it about four times. It takes months. And here we go…..

My plan is to start querying in mid-October, maybe November. Wish me luck.

Happy reading and writing today and every day!

Life, reading, Writing

Hauntingly Beautiful

AJ Niblock
One of the many hauntingly beautiful Lego statues made by Nathan Sawaya

One of my favorite elements of storytelling is the combination of horror and beauty. It shows up in books, movies, and art. And I don’t know why, but it captivates me.

If you don’t follow what I’m talking about, here are some examples that have a hauntingly beautiful feel to me:

  1. The Virgin Suicides (movie)
  2. Follow Me to Ground (book)
  3. Spirited Away (movie)
  4. Pan’s Labyrinth (movie)
  5. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (book or show)
  6. Lily and the Octopus (book)
  7. The Night Circus (book)
  8. Poems and Short Stories of Edgar Allan Poe
  9. Guernica (painting)
  10. Lego art by Nathan Sawaya

These are just some of the many examples of storytelling that for me have this distinctive element. I’ve been wondering lately… what makes these stories fit this description?

I think there is an element of sadness and/or tragedy that comes through in these works. And that sadness is combined with horror and/or violence in a way that leaves a lingering feeling of beauty.

What do you think? Maybe not everyone gets that same impression from these things, but I do. Not gonna lie, the hauntingly beautiful is one of those ideas that I am instantly drawn to.

Happy reading and writing today and every day!

Scene from Spirited Away
Life, Writing

Trying Something New

AJ Niblock

In addition to editing my novel, I am brainstorming for this year’s NANOWRIMO. At this point in the year, I try to gather and read through any unused ideas that I have stashed away. I keep them all in a notebook. Occasionally, I pull it out and write down more, or if I have thoughts about an idea already in the notebook, I add to it.

I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to work on in November, but I’m thinking about branching out and trying something other than fantasy writing. To date, I’ve written four novels, all of which are middle grade fantasy. It’s still what I enjoy writing the most, and it’s what I want to try to publish more of.

However, sometimes it’s nice to work outside your comfort zone. I want to try something new. So…. I’m thinking of trying to write a mystery.

As a reader or writer, what are your favorite mystery writers? What types of scenarios do you like to read about? What do you think is over done in that genre? Or, do you love mystery so much that you will literally read anything by anyone?

I’m genuinely curious. I don’t read a lot of mystery, but every once in a while, I do pick one up. I enjoy them, but I only like a handful of writers. I don’t know why I find it so hard to like more mystery writers. And the even weirder thing is, I love, love, love crime shows. I watch any and all mystery shows I can.

Anywho, hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Happy reading and writing today and every day!

Book, Book Review, reading

This Year in Books… So Far

AJ Niblock

What have you been reading? And of those, what would you recommend?

This is what I’ve read so far this year:

  1. The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco
  2. The Orphan Witch by Paige Crutcher
  3. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
  4. Batman: Three Jokers (comic)
  5. The Haunted Bookstore 1 by Shinobumaru
  6. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King
  7. The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow
  8. The Dreaming Volume 3 (comic)
  9. Orlando by Virgina Woolf
  10. Lumberjanes Volume 1 (comic)
  11. Clive Barker’s Next Testament (comic)
  12. Paper Girls Volume 1) (comic)
  13. The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco
  14. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
  15. Paper Girls Volume 2 (comic)
  16. Paper Girls Volume 3 (comic)
  17. The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco
  18. Paper Girls Volume 4 (comic)
  19. Paper Girls Volume 5 (comic)
  20. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
  21. Beautiful Chaos
  22. The Ever Cruel Kingdom by Rin Chupeco
  23. Locke and Key Volume 2 (comic)
  24. Locke and Key Volume 3 (comic)
  25. Locke and Key Volume 4 (comic)
  26. Locke and Key Volume 5 (comic)
  27. Locke and Key Volume 6 (comic)
  28. The Death Cure by James Dashner
  29. Beautiful Redemption
  30. The Kill Order by James Dashner
  31. The Fever Code by James Dashner
  32. Redder Days by Sue Rainsford
  33. Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut

There is still a lot of year left, and I’ll be reading more but not many more. I’m currently editing my own novel, and I tend not to read as much when I’m doing that, simply because of time. And, then November is when I don’t have time to read practically anything because I usually participate in NANOWRIMO.

This year I’ve tried to finish reading a few series that I started ages ago, and I’ve been reading more comics than normal because I discovered that my local library has a pretty great comic selection.

For the novels I’ve read this year, there have been a couple of highlights. Basically, anything by Rin Chupeco. I wrote about this recently: see my previous post about her: Why I Love Rin Chupeco.

The other two books that I would highly, highly recommend are The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow and Redder Days by Sue Rainsford. They’re both great, and if you don’t want to know why I think so, stop reading now, otherwise… SPOILER ALERT.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow

This book is brilliant. I loved every word. It’s historical fiction that incorporates witch lore and women’s rights issues. The use of familiar nursery rhymes and fairy tales interwoven into the storyline is fantastic. It’s so clever. It’s about three sister witches fighting against an ancient evil as well as trying to be non-traditional women in a time when they weren’t allowed to.

Redder Days by Sue Rainsford

I couldn’t put this down. I read it in one sitting. If you haven’t read Sue Rainsford first book, Follow Me to Ground, go read it too. Both of her books are weird in the best possible way. Redder Days is about two children, twins, born in a commune that formed when the world was ending. However, the world didn’t really end, and these two children are brain washed. Every character in this book is a little crazy. This book falls into my favorite category of Literature — The Weird Tale. I can’t explain what it is, but you’ll know it when you read it. This book holds up that standard. Let me also say this, every author hopes they write at least one story as great as the two novels by Sue Rainsford. I will be reading whatever she writes in the future.

Anywho, enough rambling for today. Get out there and have a great day!

Happy reading and writing today and every day!