Book Review: ON THE COME UP by Angie Thomas

 Photo Credit   Wow. Wow wow wow wow wow. Originally, I had been wondering how Angie Thomas was going to create another novel as amazing as The Hate U Give. So I went into On the Come Up with high expectations, but also with a large belief that Angie Thomas would defintely meet those expectations.…

The Motivational Peptalk You Didn’t Know You Needed

  Long time, no see. A lot has happened in the time that has elapsed between this post and my last, and yet, it feels like nothing has happened at all. During my last post, I was gearing up to participate in the agent showcase for Pitch Wars. Due to unforeseen events that I couldn’t…

The Juggle

  Hello all, I hope everyone's been having a great week! A lot of times I get asked how I'm able to balance reading, blogging, and writing, along with academics and my various in-school activities. This juggle is something I've been thinking a lot about is I try to figure out how it might look…

Four Things I’ve Learned About my Writing Process Through #TeenPit and #PitchWars

  The time between March 2018 (when I entered TeenPit) and present day (leading up to the Pitch Wars showcase) has taught me a lot about writing and my individual writing process. I thought it'd be fun to do some reflection and share some of what I've learned.   The publishing process....is strangely similar to…

Book Review: Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America

  Ahhh, this is my first book review of 2019! Reading Black Enough: Stroies of Being Young & Black in America was like taking a sip of refreshing lemonade. This anthology was so original in the fact that it was centered around multiple facets of being a Black teen, and each story was written by…

9 Releases That I’m Excited for in 2019

    This post is a follow up to my 8 Books I Loved in 2018 post! This year is a going to be great one for YA and my 2019 tbr is already overflowing. So let's jump right in (all images are from Goodreads!)...    (March 19th) You all know how much I loved…

My Writing Playlist: Songs I Always Listen to When I Write

  I believe that I've spent at least 80% of my life listening to music. Music plays such a huge role, and especially in my writing. It's how I gain inspiration, flesh out ideas, and get to know my characters better. For every WIP, I have a playlist. Even before I begin brainstorming, outlining, or…

8 Books I Loved in 2018

  Now that 2018 has to come to a close, I wanted to share some of my favorite reads from last year with you all! All photos are from Goodreads.    It's hard to believe that 2018 was the year that Children of Blood and Bone dominated YA fantasy. I'm sure most of you have…

Hey Girl, Hey! (Where I’ve Been…)

I'm back!!!!!! A lot has happened between my last post and now: a month has flown by, I turned 18, I finished the fourth draft of my Pitch Wars manuscript, I finished applying to college, and I got through the first half of the first semester. Due to extreme school-related stress and trying to balance…

Writing Update #13: Patience and Showing Up

  It’s hard to believe that it's October. The days have started to get chillier, and I'm already anticipating pulling out my sweater collection. September was a bit of a rough month for me, as I struggled to find balance and wasn't able to work on my revisions much, if at all. I had a…