Things I’m Looking Forward To In Autumn!

Hello, all! ^^ Autumn (my favorite season EVER) is here, and I am just… (breathes in deeply) I adore autumn! It’s my favorite season, the season I was born, and the season where the leaves turn gold and red, the air smells like cinnamon and coziness, and so of course, I’m pretty excited! Ah yes, and the rain… Autumn rain is absolutely heavenly!

But first, let me know in the comments how your summer went! Did you get any writing done? Go on a fun vacation? Finish a book, perhaps? (That would be a pretty good summer, in my opinion!) And let me know what your plans for autumn are as well!

Lately, I’ve been avoiding Island Keepers. Doing everything i can to avoid it and this story’s piercing glare. But I suppose stories always have a way of finding us, and this story is not at all quiet — it starts screaming and wailing in my mind each time I avoid it, demanding to be written. (Please tell me I’m not the only one this happens to…… No? No one? Just me then? Mkay…)

So I suppose it’s time for me to get back to it, as terrified I am of this story.

But anywho, onto the list of the things I’m looking forward to in autumn! 🙂

writing things i’m excited for

Working on Island Keepers

This, I’m feeling kind of… meh, about. I am both excited to dig into this project and really try and figure out what this story really really is trying to tell me. However, Island Keepers has not been dubbed my “problem child” for no reason — other than The Last Hope, it’s so far been one of the hardest stories I’ve ever written! But this idea has so much potential, and after spending 9 months of my life toiling and chipping away at this, I do NOT want to give up on it. Give it a break? Sure. Give up? ABSOLUTELY NOT NEVER.

Crazy Writing Month

Eeee, I’m super excited for this writing challenge! I joined Crazy Writing Week and Crazy Editing Week earlier this year and I met some wonderful people there (shout-out to my good friend Madison and also my sort of name twin, Ysabel!), so I’m so excited that they’re turning Crazy Writing Week into Crazy Writing Month! Crazy Writing Month is basically this sort of writing challenge, in place of NaNoWriMo, for young Christian writers, and the word count goal is 30K — which means I won’t be forcing myself to rush and overwork like I did during NaNoWriMo.

books & other reading things i’m excited for

Oh my gosh! I have so many books I’m so so excited to start reading (especially since Kindle Unlimited just added a bunch more middle-grade ones!!! Cue heart eyes and star eyes!). My parents have also made me an offer so that I can get three books of my choice when we’re in Thailand! Doesn’t sound like a lot, but considering I need to beg them to let me add more MG books to my close to overflowing shelves…. yeah. I’ll take it. XD)

Some of the books I’m really excited for:

Seekers — Return to the Wild. I’m a huge Erin Hunter fan (Warriors was the series that turned me into an avid reader, along with Percy Jackson), and now that the Seekers series is in KU, I’m really excited to dive into it! This is the second arc, but I am desperate for another Erin Hunter book to read, so I shall piece together the backstory!!!

The Keepers: The Box and the Dragonfly. This looks like such an interesting book! From the blurb, I assume it’s a mystical MG fantasy (which I adore!). The cover is absolutely gorgeous, so I’m looking forward to reading this!

The Eye of Zeus (Legends of Olympus Book 1) I didn’t even read the book blurb of this. From the cover, I think this is MG fantasy that has Greek mythology in it! I’ve been looking for books like this, other than Percy Jackson, so I shall see if this book is any good.

Jinx by Sage Blackwood. I only came across this book because Tui T. Sutherland recommended it in a YouTube video, and the cover looks really fun! I love fantasy books, so I’m excited to check this out!

The Color of Sound by Emily Barth Isler. I already read this book! And it is amazing, so moving, and such a beautiful contemporary book about a girl who is a violin prodigy but is taking a break from the violin for the summer to discover who she is, aside from a violin prodigy. I was brought to tears by the book.

publishing goals & dreams

Publishing goals this autumn?

Uhhhh

Does banging my head against the wall for the hundredth time and finally figure out Island Keepers count? (no? just me then?)

I honestly don’t have any big publishing goals this autumn. But it also feels rather nice to admit that, because my plan for this autumn is honestly to just give myself permission to just… let my writing simmer and not freak out over plot holes. To give my permission to not be perfect or have to chase some goal like a crazed cat.

However, I am publishing the rest of the paperback books of Enchantria (and re-publishing the paperbacks of books one and two so that they’ll actually fit in someone’s bag!) this autumn, and eeeeee I’m super excited about that!!! I’ll finally be able to hold my own books in my hands!!!!!! Which is basically every writer’s dream.

other life stuff

Heading to Thailand

Surprise, my family’s heading to Thailand this fall!

(as we do almost every fall)

We’ll be leaving sometime mid-October and be returning…. in winter? We will be spending Christmas in Thailand though, so it will odd celebrating Christmas somewhere warm where my fingers aren’t itching with frostnip and I’m shivering every 5 seconds even though I’m all bundled up.

I’m Turning Thirteen…

…

My birthday’s this season. Literally the day before Halloween. And I’m going to be a teen.….

…………………………….

(is unsure how I feel about this)

I don’t want to grow up.

So we will not speak of this.

These are all the things I’m really excited for in this new season! ^^ Do feel free to share some of your own plans for autumn in the comments! I love hearing from y’all! And here’s to an autumn filled with lots of writing, soft scarves, and good books! And of course, more scribbles!*

Till next time,

-Isabelle

*in reference to this poem I wrote