Hi hello and happy holidays! Welcome to Blogmas 2018 where I will be making a brand new post every day of December that relates to something bookish. I'm changing it up with my post today and probably for the next few days so look out for some new posts from me in my upcoming Blogmas posts. Today is day thirteen and I'll be talking about ten of my favorite book covers of 2018! Just as a side note, these are not in any particular order. Let's get festive!
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City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

And that's it for some of my favorite book covers of 2018! Yes, I know, there are a few more than ten in there but I couldn't help myself. Especially with those last three. What are some of your favorite book covers of 2018? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you tomorrow for another day of Blogmas!

Hi hello and welcome to the NaNoWriMo tag! This tag was created by Kristina Horner so be sure and go check out her awesome video for her answers and subscribe to her channel for some really great content! If you don't know what NaNoWriMo is, it stands for National Novel Writing Month, where you basically aim to write 50,000 words towards a novel during the month of November. I've tried to participate for several years in a row but never actually follow through, unfortunately. But 2018 seems to be the year I'll actually make some progress! So, to celebrate, I decided to do this tag! Let's get started!
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1. How many times have you done NaNoWriMo?
Successfully? Zero. I've actually never won a NaNoWriMo because I tend to just stop and/or give up at some point during the month. Whether it's because I just forget to write or lose interest in my WIP, I've never followed through with any of my projects. I've had my NaNo account for 7 years but have only participated and documented my progress twice, I believe. Once in 2016, and this year!

2. How did you first find out about NaNoWriMo?
Wow, I honestly can't remember! I've had my account for seven years and when I try to think back on how I discovered this, I can't remember a thing. I may have found it through watching some video on YouTube probably? But don't hold me to that!

3. What was the name of the first novel you attempted with NaNo?
Don't laugh. I named it Kingdom of Emmawrath and it was the one I attempted in 2016. I was super proud of it and was determined that it was going to be the book that made me a NYT Bestselling Author. It's currently still in progress somewhere, oops.

4. Give us a 1 sentence summary of what you’re writing this year.

I don't have my elevator pitch yet (somehow) but I'll get one eventually. For now, I'll say...two girls (a human and an alien) teaming up to fight against wrongful experimentation and finding friendship (and probably love) in the process. It sounds so terrible when I put it like that, oh no.

5. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever been given?

Basically, anything that V.E. Schwab says. I'm serious, she is my absolute idol when it comes to writing. Some of my favorites from her are:

I'm not writing a book, I'm writing a chapter. 

I'm not writing a chapter, I'm writing a page.

I'm not writing a page, I'm writing a line.

“This is just a change of setting, a new storyline, a fresh chapter. We have a whole book to write," she says, squeezing me around the shoulders, "and how do we write it?"

"One page at a time.” (Quote from her book City of Ghosts)

She has so many more and she's so open about her writing process and is always giving out fantastic advice to people who ask. I just can't say enough nice things about her!

6. Did you ever take a year off from NaNo? Why?
Well, yeah, but honestly? It was because I forgot. And I also spent the first week of November 2017 in the hospital and got diagnosed with cancer that same week and started treatment and all of that so I didn't really have the ability to do pretty much anything.

7. What's your biggest inspiration when figuring out what to write?

Sometimes I just get random ideas and I try to write down keywords that I'll remember and then try to string something together from the nonsense that I come up with. I had my fiance help me with my 2016 project actually and he helped me work on a ton of worldbuilding stuff! But inspiration for me comes from all kinds of stuff. Honestly, and I know here I go again, V.E. Schwab is a huge fountain of inspiration and I just really aspire to be even like, 1/4th as good of a writer as she is one day.

8. Read us the first sentence from one of your novels.

"They say that in space, no one can hear you scream. But that didn’t stop him from trying."

That's from my current work in progress I'm calling Space Book because I cannot come up with a title at all. Did I mention I've been planning out this book for several months now? Because I have. And I still don't have a title. Go me.

9. Why do you love writing?

I've loved writing since I was very young, I'd say probably elementary school? It's always been something that I've consistently loved and wanted to do for as long as I can remember. I've dreamt about being an author for years and years and while I don't think it'll ever actually happen for me, I'll still continue to write because I love it. It's something that allows me to just create stories that I think are fun and share them with people. It makes me happy, to put it simply.
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And that's it for the NaNoWriMo tag! I had a lot of fun doing this and talking a bit about my love of writing and what I'm doing this month. I've been a bit behind with posting because I'm lazy and because I've been caught up in the first week of NaNo so I thought this would be a fun tag to share! I'd love to know some of your answers to these questions so feel free to pick some and share your answers in the comments. Or, if you've done this tag, give me the link and I'll go check it out! If you'd like to add me as a NaNoWriMo buddy, my link is below. Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you in the next chapter!

https://nanowrimo.org/participants/megannelle

Hi hello and welcome to Blogtober! This is the first year that I'm participating and I'm so excited! If you don't know what Blogtober is, it's similar to Vlogtober (for YouTubers) where I'll be posting a brand new blog post every day in the month of October. I got all of my prompts from the fabulous Jenniely, so be sure to go over and check out her post if you want to jump in on all of the blogging fun. Today is day eight and I'll be talking about some creepy reads. Let's get spooky!

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Starting this list off with a bang we have The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco! While this is easily one of my all-time favorite YA horror books (as well as the sequel, The Suffering) it is still pretty frickin creepy. I think the aspect of being inside Okiku's head and hearing her thoughts is what made the creepy factor in this skyrocket. But if you're not easily spooked and you're looking for a creepy book to pick up for the month of October, I highly recommend this one!

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk. I have read this book exactly one time and one time ever because it freaked me out and messed me up really bad back in the day. I say back in the day but I only read this seven years ago, honestly. It was amazing and fantastic, don't get me wrong, and Chuck Palahniuk is one of my favorite authors, but this book just...dang. It made me really think about my own mortality quite a bit and being 17/18 years old and thinking about that was not conducive to a positive mental state for me. So, yes, this book is definitely a creepy one for me, and I'd only recommend it if thinking about death and your mortality doesn't freak you out.

The Diviners by Libba Bray. While I haven't read this book (yet) I've heard nothing but good things about this! I've seen Booktubers and reviews on Goodreads talk about how creepy and sometimes terrifying this book can be and I am absolutely here for that. 

What's a creepy books list without a good ghost story?! City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab is a fantastically creepy middle-grade book that's absolutely perfect to read this time of year! Nevermind the fact that Victoria Schwab has recently become one of my all-time favorite authors and her book Vicious is now officially my favorite book ever. She's just a wonderful author and this book has such a creepy vibe on every page but it's such a great book and I highly recommend it!

Last but certainly not least, Survive the Night by Danielle Vega. If you're claustrophobic, then this book will definitely freak you out! This book reminds me heavily of the film Catacombs which was quite creepy so if you liked that, then you'll really enjoy this book!
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And there you have it! Some creepy reads perfect for the Halloween reading season. Have you read any of these? Let me know what you thought of them if you have! I'd also love to know what some of your suggested creepy reads are so let me know in the comments. Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you tomorrow for another Blogtober post! Stay spooky!

Hi hello and welcome to the Halloween Book Tag! Yes, I know it's only September. No, it's not too early to be posting this. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I always start getting into the mood to read horror/spooky books around...well, I'm always reading those kinds of books! But when September hits, something awakens in my soul and screams Halloween, so here we are. This tag was created by TheLibraryofSarah so be sure and go check out her video! Let's get spooky!
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1. Favorite horror book?

This was a tough one but I absolutely love The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco. I read a lot of mixed reviews on it before I actually picked it up, but I am so glad I finally sat down and read it. It's definitely spooky and gory and those are two things that I love in a good horror book. This is actually a YA book but it gave me a good spook every so often! The sequel, The Suffering, is set in one of my favorite haunted locations- Aokigahara, also known as the Suicide Forest in Japan. I just love both of these books so much and am definitely due for a re-read this season!

2. Scariest moment in a book you've read?

I don't get spooked easily when it comes to books, but Gerald's Game by Stephen King freaked me the heck out. I don't want to give away any spoilers for those that haven't read this book yet, but all I will say is I don't do well with dark corners in my room anymore. 

3. Would you/have you ever dressed up as a book character for Halloween?

For those that may not know, I'm also a cosplayer! I actually recently made Mia Corvere's outfit from the Darkdawn cover for a convention (but then worked too hard and didn't actually wear it oops) in Atlanta. So, yes, I would definitely dress up as a book character for Halloween!

4. What do you think your favorite character would dress up as for Halloween?

Sallot Leon, my precious amazing gender-fluid assassin, would probably dress up like an assassin. I'd lean towards Edward Kenway from Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. Mostly because I think that Sal running around as a pirate would be the best ever.

5. What is your favorite kind of horror? (gore, psychological thriller, spooky)

Honestly, I love all types of horror. But I really love all-out gore fests. The more blood, the better. Although, I can get behind a good psychological thriller. Please give me a book that just messes with my mind and turns everything I thought I knew upside down! No really, I'm open to recommendations. 

6. If books were as cheap as candy, which ones would you give out to trick-or-treaters?

Goosebumps! I had a huge collection of them (and now I want to figure out where they went because y'all, these are classics) and used to love watching the TV show. These are a great intro to some spooky books that aren't too scary but will definitely get you interested in more horror related reads!

7. Halloween to-read list?

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
What the Woods Keep by Katya de Becerra
Vicious/Vengeful by V.E. Schwab
Watch the Girls by Jennifer Wolfe
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
Fear the Drowning Deep by Sarah Glenn Marsh

These are just a few of the books I plan to read during this spooky season!

8. Recommend some Halloween reads!

Survive the Night by Danielle Vega

The Merciless series by Danielle Vega
The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
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And that's it for the Halloween Book Tag! Let me know some of your answers to the questions in the comments below. I'm always on the lookout for more Halloween/spooky reads! This definitely isn't the last Halloween related book tag you'll be seeing from me so be sure to stick around if this is something you like to read about! Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you in the next chapter!