Category Archives: A Round of Words in 80 Days

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A Month In Review – ROW80 Check-In 5 and Wrap-Up

Hello gentle reader,

you may have noticed my last ROW80 Check-In was… 6 weeks ago. I was supposed to check-in every week, but life got hectic in May and I chose to use the little free time I had to read and write instead of checking in. But now we’ve reached the end of this Round and it’s only fair that I let you know how I did.

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round was to read or write every day.

This round I read 8 novels, 1 novella and 2 non-fiction books for research. I also beta-read 2 manuscripts. My goal being to read one book per week this year, I’m on target here!

This round, I also added 14K to my Work In Progress. It’s not as high a word count as I wanted it to be, but considering that I’m editing my other manuscript at the same time, it’s a good number, I think.

What I’ve been reading

The City’s Son by Tom Pollock (YA Urban Fantasy)

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch (YA Epic Fantasy)

Murder (Mayhem #2) by Sarah Pinborough (Historical Fantasy)

Debutantes by Cora Harrison (YA Historical)

Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii by Vicky Alvear Shecter (YA Historical)

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi (YA Sci-Fi/Dystopian)

Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi (YA Sci-Fi/Dystopian)

The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3) by Julie Kagawa (YA Paranormal/Dystopian)

Born of Corruption: A Born of Illusion Novella by Teri Brown (YA Historical Fantasy)

What I’ve been watching

Penny Dreadful

Penny Dreadful

Places I’ve been

I went to London this week, and walked around Foyles’ new flagship bookstore.

It’s an amazing place, with a huge YA section.

EM Castellan - Foyles 1

EM Castellan - Foyles 3

I also went to Liberty on Regent Street, one of my favourite department stores in London.

I just love its Tudor revival building!

EM Castellan - Liberty

What’s next

In July I’ll be taking part in CampNaNoWriMo, another writing challenge. Feel free to join in!

How was your ROW80 Round? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you in the comment section below! And here is the Linky to check out the other ROW80 posts.

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My Week In Review – ROW80 Check-In 4

Hello gentle reader,

My apologies for the late check-in, but I’ve been busy… writing! I hope you all had a great week!

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round is to read or write every day.

This week I read every day and I added 5,300 words to my WIP. I call this a small success!

Book of the Week

Snow Like Ashes

I read my ARC of SNOW LIKE ASHES by Sara Raasch (expected publication: 14th October 2014). It’s a YA High Fantasy and I really enjoyed it.

Picture of the Week

P1030375

Since this was a bank holiday weekend in the UK, I went to London for a day. The weather was beautiful and I had a wonderful time, as usual in this city.

Links of the Week

I interviewed YA Author Michelle Krys and posted the pictures I took in Paris in April.

How was your week? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you this week in the comment section below! And here is the Linky to check out the other ROW80 posts.

 

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My Week In Review – ROW80 Check-In 3

Hello gentle reader,

It’s time for my weekly check-in! I hope you all had a great and productive week. Mine was incredibly busy!

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round is to read or write every day.

This week I still didn’t write much, but I read every day. I finished THE CITY’S SON by Tom Pollock, an amazing YA Urban Fantasy. I recommend it if you want an example of great world-building. I also did more research for my new WIP.

Good News of the Week

EM Castellan - ARC Snow Like Ashes

I won a book! I won an ARC of SNOW LIKE ASHES by Sara Raasch (expected publication: 14th October 2014). Sara held a giveaway on Twitter and I still can’t believe I won it 🙂

Music of the Week

Within-Temptation-2014-Photograph-by-Arjan-Kremer-800x534

I went to a concert this week: I went to see Within Temptation in Paris. It wasn’t the first time I was seeing them on stage but they were amazing as always.

Links of the Week

On my blog, I interviewed YA author Kat Ellis and I posted a few revision tips.

Next Week

Next week on my blog I’ll post an interview with YA author Michelle Krys as well as a few inspiring pictures taken in Paris…

How was your week? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you this week in the comment section below! And here is the Linky to check out the other ROW80 posts.

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My Week In Review – ROW80 Check-In 2

Hello gentle reader,

Happy Easter!

It’s time for my weekly check-in! I hope you all had a great and productive week. Mine was good!

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round is to read or write every day.

This week I didn’t write, but I read every day. I’ve been researching for my new WIP and reading two non-fiction books. I also beta read an awesome manuscript written by Katie Bucklein.

TV Show of the Week

New Worlds

I’ve been watching New Worlds on Channel 4. It’s a historical show set in England and America in the 1680s. I’ve been enjoying it, although the plot is quite scattered.

Book of the Week

CitysSon

For #UKYADay, I’ve been reading The City’s Son by Tom Pollock, a YA Urban Fantasy published in 2012. I’m only a few chapters in but I’m really enjoying it so far!

Links of the Week

This week I was interviewed by Karen McCoy on her blog. I talked about my agent and my manuscript.

On my blog I interviewed YA Author Susan Dennard and I explained how to write a large cast of characters.

On There And Draft Again I shared a list of books on the writing craft.

Next week

Next week on my blog I’ll post an interview with YA Author Kat Ellis and I’ll share a few editing tips.

How was your week? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you this week in the comment section below! And here is the Linky to check out the other ROW80 posts.

 

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ROW80 2014 – Round 2 – Check-In 1

ROW80 Logo

Hello gentle reader,

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may recall a time when I took part in the ROW80 Challenge. From April 2012 to June 2013, I checked in every Sunday and reported on my writing progress. Then revisions for LILY IN THE SHADOWS took over my life, then I signed with my agent, and… I gave up on ROW80 check-ins.

But I’m back!

If you’re new around here, A Round of Words in 80 Days (aka ROW80) was created by Kait Nolan. It is “the writing challenge that knows you have a life”. Each ROW80 round runs for 80 days and the participating writers have to set themselves writing goals for that time. Each Wednesday and Sunday, we check in and let the others know how we are doing. The idea is to form writing habits that writers will hopefully continue once the challenge is over.

Round Two started on Monday 7th April (so I jump in a little late) and it will end on Thursday 26th June. If you would like to join in and become a part of the ROW80 community, please do so, it’s not too late and we’re friendly!

Here are my goals for this round (I always keep them very simple):

  1. Read or write every day
  2. Write the first draft of my new YA Historical Fantasy (hopefully by the end of this round I’ll be able to tell you what it’s about!)

Here is the Linky for the other check-in posts. How are you other ROW80 writers doing?

 

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Blog Update and ROW80 Check-In 10

Hello gentle reader,

I hope you had a lovely week!

If you’re here to enter my Best Book Ever Giveaway and have a chance to win The Gathering Dark by Leigh Bardugo, click on the image below (giveaway ends tomorrow):

Best Book Ever Giveaway

If you’re here for my ROW80 Check-In, know that I spent my week running like a headless chicken for my crazy day job. Therefore I didn’t do any writing, I barely did any editing and I only did a bit of reading.

ROW80 LogoPlease note this is my last check-in for this round (although this round won’t be over until 20th June).

Indeed I have decided to join a summer challenge called Ready. Set. Write!

ready-set-write-button

Hosted by Alison Miller, Katy Upperman, Erin Funk, Jaime Morrow and Elodie Nowodazkij, it’s a summer writing intensive that starts Tuesday 11th June and will go on for 2 months. The idea is to update weekly on Wednesdays on what we’ve been writing and on our new goals for the week.

Sunday Giveaway

Finally and starting this week as well, I’ll be hosting a giveaway each Sunday. I will give you the opportunity to win one e-copy of a YA book I’ve read this year or will be reading this summer. I borrowed this idea from the wonderful Amy Plum whom I met in Paris at the SCBWI Conference in March.

So that’s what will happen on my blog until 15th August!

I wish you all a great summer and hope to read your comments below.

Let me know how your week was and what you have planned for the summer!

In the meantime, happy reading, and happy writing!

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My Week In Review – ROW80 Check-In 9

Hello gentle reader,

june is here and it’s time for another weekly check-in! I hope you had a great and productive week. Mine had its ups and downs…

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round is to write every day.

This week however I… didn’t write. At all. I was waiting to hear back from my beta readers, and instead of writing, I read books and helped my CPs with their query letter/manuscript/blogs.

TV Show of the Week

Supernatural-Season 8

Supernatural – Season 8 (CW)

This week I’ve been catching up on the last season of Supernatural. This show isn’t what it used to be, but I still love Dean and Sam. And Castiel when he shows up.

Good News of the Week

This week, Rachel O’Laughlin launched her Street Team for the release of her Epic Fantasy novel. You can sign up and join the fun here!

Links of the Week

On my blog I posted about the Versatile Blogger Award here and shared the ups and downs of my week here (with GIFs!).

On There And Draft Again I posted about the writing device known as Deus Ex Machina.

And JuNoWriMo has started! If you need a writing challenge to help you write a book in a month, do consider joining, it’s not too late!

Next week

Next week on my blog I will host a book giveaway. I have recently gained a lot of new followers and I want to say thank you!

How was your week? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you this week in the comment section below!

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My Week In Review – ROW80 Check-In 8

Hello gentle reader,

It is time for another weekly check-in! This week I’m happy to be back to my normal routine, and I can offer you a proper Week In Review post…

Quote and Film of the Week

the-great-gatsby-leonaro-dicaprio_1

“I was within and without. Simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”

The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. Film by Baz Luhrmann.

To me, The Great Gatsby is a masterpiece because of its writing, not because of its story. Thus turning the book into a film is incredibly hard. I enjoyed Baz Luhrmann’s interpretation because that’s what it is: a vision of the book.

TV Show of the Week

World Without End

World Without End (Channel 4)

I missed this show when it aired in September. I played catch-up this week because I love The Pillars of the Earth and this is the sequel. However I was a bit disappointed: the plot is exactly the same and therefore very predictable.

Good News of the Week

I bought my first Kindle! I resisted peer pressure for a long time, because I love reading paper books. But I travel all the time and my bookshelf space isn’t unlimited, so I finally gave in and got the Kindle Fire. Any tips welcome!

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round is to write every day. This week again I managed to write

2 days out of 7.

With my WIP in the hands of beta-readers, I basically took the week off writing…

Links of the Week

I was interviewed by the ever awesome Serena Lawless about my Work In Progress. You can read it here.

On my blog I posted my reasons for writing Lily In The Shadows.

On There And Draft Again this week, it’s giveaway time! Our group blog has reached 100 followers and we’re giving away Fantasy books to celebrate. Make sure to enter here.

The Like a Virgin Contest has been announced! It will be held in July 2013. It is co-organized by Rhiann Wynn-Nolet and Kristina Perez, the ladies behind the weekly Thursday’s Children blog hop. It will be open only to manuscripts that have yet to go through the online contest trenches. They want your fresh, sparkly and new manuscripts. How exciting is that?!

Next week

Next week on my blog I will be sharing my latest readings…

How was your week? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you this week in the comment section below!

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My Week In Review – ROW80 Check-In 7

Hello gentle reader,

It is time for another weekly check-in! I hope you had a great and productive week. Mine was very buzy and I apologise for my lack of posts and this short check-in. I’ll be back full-time next week, I promise!

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round is to write or edit every day. This week again I managed

5 days out of 7.

Word Count of the Week

This week I revised my Work In Progress and added 1000 words to this draft.

TV Show of the Week

Dracula_NBC

Dracula (NBC)

This TV show is coming this fall and I’m so excited for it! You can watch the trailer here.

Good News of the Week

Lily In The Shadows is now in the hands of its first beta readers and I’m waiting on their feedback…

Next week

Next week on my blog I shall finally accept the Versatile Blogger Award and return to a regular blogging schedule!

How was your week? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you this week in the comment section below!

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My Week In Review – ROW80 Check-In 6

Hello gentle reader,

This post is one day late and I apologise for this. You’ll see below I had a very busy week. I hope your week was as productive and good as mine!

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal this round is to write every day. This week I managed to write

5/7 days

Word Count of the Week

This week I wrote 9000 words and finished my Work In Progress. It needs some fine-tuning now, but I’m quite pleased I managed to write a whole book in 5 months.

Movie of the Week

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3

I finally managed to see Iron Man 3 and I really enjoyed it! Some impressive action scenes, great humor, well-developed characters… all in all a very entertaining film.

Good News of the Week

I received the Versatile Blogger Award no less than 5 times this week (!). I’ll write a post about it this week. Thanks to all the bloggers who thought of me for this award!

I hope you all had a wonderful week too! Feel free to leave me a comment below and to visit the other ROWers here.