 Hello Everyone, In my last post about being productive during quarantine I mentioned that I have started using a Kanban board. And if you are like me you probably really confused about what it is? I heard about a Kanban board about three months ago, and it was something I instantly wanted to incorporate into my day job, and found it worked really well. So now that we are home I decided to bring it home too. A Kanban board is a way to visualize your to do lists, and to break it down into steps. So the things you need to create this board are 1. A bulletin board, whiteboard or wall space 2. Sticky notes, index cards, or bits of paper 3. Pens or makers Easy right? I have color coded stickies for didn't parts of my life, and different goals that I am working towards. For example, my day job are blue, personal life is yellow, and author business are pink. Once you have decided how to color code, the next thing you need to do is divide your board or space into three categories. I didn't want to put tape on my wall so I just make sure there is enough space to clearly show the difference in the three spaces. The spaces are to-do, in progress and done. This way you can visualize what you still have to do, what you are working on, and what you have gotten done. One note, is you can flex this to whatever works for you, for me I break things down into tiny steps it helps me to visualize how much work I am actually getting done and to help me realize that I truly am being productive during this time. But if you need big overarching things, do it! Be flexible. This is a way for you to help visualize and track progress. In college, many of my friends and I did our own version of this with out even realizing it by writing down our course work for the week on whiteboards, and shifting it across. I believe their are some programs to help you do it digitally so if that is more your way of doing things you can do that too! For me there is just something about doing it handwritten that helps me. I have a bullet journal, and an app on my phone and this. And it all is my way. Is it a bit neurotic? Yeah, but we all need something to make our lives feel a bit of normally, especially right now. If you make a Kanban board, tag me on Instagram! My board isn't fancy, but I would love to see how you keep track of your life. My Instagram is @authorkatelyncostello With love! Katelyn Costello Follow me on the interwebs: amazon.com/author/katelyncostello https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5... Twitter @Scripturienting IG: @authorkatelyncostello Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello Youtube: The Scripturient 101 The Frituals (Book #1 The Frituals) Signed Copy
$13.99 - $20.99
Is having Magick worth the cost? Each year men and elves are tested to see if the Fritual of their kingdom will be revealed, a powerful person able to control an elemental magick. Shauna Flynn has always wanted to meet a Fritual, but these magick users had all but disappeared in the war of men and elves nearly two hundred years before. Shauna has always wanted to meet a Fritual, she never thought she would be the fritual. Shauna is the first human to ever be able to control magick. Forced from her home by a group of elves known as the Dark Ones who want to control the first human Fritual, Shauna has to find the other Frituals and stop the Dark Ones, to save herself, her family, and the home she has always known. Rebellion (Book #2 The Frituals) Signed Copy
$13.99 - $20.99
Shauna Flynn grew up wanting to meet a Fritual. She never thought she would be a Fritual, but now she isn’t alone. She has found three of the other Frituals, and like her, they are all trying to understand what they can do in a world that doesn’t want their magick to be shared. Taytra Flynn wanted a purpose. But she never thought her purpose would take her away from her family, away from her home. She never thought she would be branded a Rebel and the leader of an uprising. But with the Dark One’s power closing in on them both sisters are left with the same question. Will I be strong enough to fight them again?
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 Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orïsha #2) by Tomi Adeyemi Hardcover, 404 pages Published December 3rd 2019 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (ISBN13: 9781250170996) After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too. Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari's right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy's wrath. With civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart. I was really really excited for this book. It was one of my most anticipated reads. And I have some thoughts. It was a good book. It passed the time, but it for me did not live up to the hype of the last book. You can read my review of book one <HERE> I GUSHED over my love of it. Did I hype myself up to much. Maybe. I am giving this one three to three and a half stars. I enjoyed it. It did make me feel things, especially a certain scene near the end. Almost made me cry. And as someone who does not cry often for books that is pretty big. I enjoyed the fight scenes and the beauty of the magic that Adeyemi creates. As for some of the things that didn't work for me. Instead of the episodic feel of book one that lead to a really nice rolling pace. Book two felt like it was an all out sprint the entire time. Now that fast pacing works well for some books. But it didn't really work for me here. It felt like everyone was running around like a chicken with their head cut off. They needed some good ADULT advise and honestly some therapy. I saw a lot of the turns coming this time around, and the ones that I didn't see, felt a bit out of character. It was not my favorite of the series so far, but I will continue when book three comes out. I have quite a few questions that I hope will be answered. Follow me on the interwebs: amazon.com/author/katelyncostello https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5... Twitter @Scripturienting IG: @authorkatelyncostello Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello Youtube: The Scripturient 101 The Frituals (Book #1 The Frituals) Signed Copy
$13.99 - $20.99
Is having Magick worth the cost? Each year men and elves are tested to see if the Fritual of their kingdom will be revealed, a powerful person able to control an elemental magick. Shauna Flynn has always wanted to meet a Fritual, but these magick users had all but disappeared in the war of men and elves nearly two hundred years before. Shauna has always wanted to meet a Fritual, she never thought she would be the fritual. Shauna is the first human to ever be able to control magick. Forced from her home by a group of elves known as the Dark Ones who want to control the first human Fritual, Shauna has to find the other Frituals and stop the Dark Ones, to save herself, her family, and the home she has always known. Rebellion (Book #2 The Frituals) Signed Copy
$13.99 - $20.99
Shauna Flynn grew up wanting to meet a Fritual. She never thought she would be a Fritual, but now she isn’t alone. She has found three of the other Frituals, and like her, they are all trying to understand what they can do in a world that doesn’t want their magick to be shared. Taytra Flynn wanted a purpose. But she never thought her purpose would take her away from her family, away from her home. She never thought she would be branded a Rebel and the leader of an uprising. But with the Dark One’s power closing in on them both sisters are left with the same question. Will I be strong enough to fight them again? Life in 2020 is unlike anything anyone could ever imagine the start of the decade would be like. Many people are unsure of what to do or how go about this "New Normal." Many people are finding themselves at home, working, teaching themselves schoolwork, or just attempting to function. I have been working partially from home for a few months prior to this so have a bit of a routine. But no not everything is going to work. Here are a few of the tips that have been working for me. 1. Establish A Morning RoutineThis is going to be different for every person, but you can create a series of triggers for yourself that your day is starting. I try to get up around the same time every day but it doesn't always work (we will get to that.) But no matter what happens, the first thing I am doing every morning is a few set things. 1. I feed my cat 2. I fill my water cup 3. I get some coffee going/ grab a cup of coffee 4. Review my to-do list from the day before, and build my list for the day. By doing these few things as soon as I get moving in the morning, I trick my brain into okay I am still working and I have something to look forward to. 2. To Do ListLike I said I make a to do list every day. And I include everything on that list that I want to do, from emailing people for my day job, to cleaning the litter box, and making myself lunch. Each little thing I am able to check off gives me a little happy boost, that I can look at the end of the day. This helps to keep in perspective when I feel like I have done nothing but sit at my desk all day that I have gotten quite a few things on my list done. I also have a few daily goals that I like to hit, that I feel for me if I do these things, that I have been productive. Since coming home I have established a sort of KanBAN board to help keep track of what I should be working on and where I am making progress on my goals. (I will have a post on this coming out soon!) 3. Do something fun Most of us are going to start out feeling that we HAVE to sit with our booty in the chair working for seven hours a day. However, unless your job is something you can do entirely remotely you will find very quickly you won't be able to fill all that time. For example if you have a little one at home you may want to have them do school work the whole day, but research has shown homeschooling only needs to be done for a max of up to 4 hours for high schoolers. So what do we do with all this extra time? Try something new! Try a new workout routine or pick up a new hobby. Keep training for that thing you wanted to. But give yourself the space to step away. There are a lot of things on social media saying how we have to come out of this with 20 new skills. But you may not have the brain space for that. And that is okay. Be Kind To YourselfWe hit a wall of people saying how you have to be productive as soon as we were sent home. People came out with their pretty color coded schedules and plans to be great productive people who deep cleaned their entire house. This may be you. That's great! But you may be the person that is sitting on you phone scrolling twitter for an hour before you realize what has happened (GUILTY) and you know what? I am here to tell you that is completely okay. It is okay to feel sad for the things that are happening when it may not be directly happening to you. It is okay to grieve for the events, vacations, get together etc that is being canceled left and right. If the only thing you accomplish today is taking a shower that is great. If you want to put on a full face of makeup everyday to hold on to the normal you knew, go for it. Give yourself the space and the grace to feel and do what you can. And if it takes a little bit to get into the groove of things. That is totally okay. What are you doing to help yourself during this time? I hope you are all staying safe and healthy, I and I will talk to you soon. With Love Katelyn Costello Follow me on the interwebs: amazon.com/author/katelyncostello https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5... Twitter @Scripturienting IG: @authorkatelyncostello Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello Youtube: The Scripturient 101 The Frituals (Book #1 The Frituals) Signed Copy
$13.99 - $20.99
Is having Magick worth the cost? Each year men and elves are tested to see if the Fritual of their kingdom will be revealed, a powerful person able to control an elemental magick. Shauna Flynn has always wanted to meet a Fritual, but these magick users had all but disappeared in the war of men and elves nearly two hundred years before. Shauna has always wanted to meet a Fritual, she never thought she would be the fritual. Shauna is the first human to ever be able to control magick. Forced from her home by a group of elves known as the Dark Ones who want to control the first human Fritual, Shauna has to find the other Frituals and stop the Dark Ones, to save herself, her family, and the home she has always known. Rebellion (Book #2 The Frituals) Signed Copy
$13.99 - $20.99
Shauna Flynn grew up wanting to meet a Fritual. She never thought she would be a Fritual, but now she isn’t alone. She has found three of the other Frituals, and like her, they are all trying to understand what they can do in a world that doesn’t want their magick to be shared. Taytra Flynn wanted a purpose. But she never thought her purpose would take her away from her family, away from her home. She never thought she would be branded a Rebel and the leader of an uprising. But with the Dark One’s power closing in on them both sisters are left with the same question. Will I be strong enough to fight them again? Hello Everyone and Happy March! I haven't really used this space for much in the last year and I want to bring back a few things that I used to do! So reading wrap ups, reviews and writing updates are back! I also have plans for some more writing craft based things that I am in the process of planning out so stay tune! My goal for 2020 is to read 50 books. It is much less that I have read in the past few years, but between writing and my day jobs, reading has fallen a bit to the way side. Cue the bringing back some of these different standard posts that helped to build up my platform to hold myself accountable. So let's get started with these little bi-montly reading wrap up! Over the last two months I read 11 books and I found some gems. The average rating for the last few months on my goodreads was 4.2 stars  <REVIEW COMING SOON> 5 Stars Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports by Kathrine Switzer Audiobook Published August 22nd 2017 by Da Capo Press (first published 2007) Katherine Switzer ran the Boston Marathon in 1967 where she was attacked by one of the event's directors who wanted to eject her from the all-male race. She fought off the director and finished the race. From the childhood events that inspired her to winning the New York City Marathon in 1974, this liberally illustrated book details the struggles and achievements of a pioneering women in sports.  5 Stars Bram Stokers Dracula A true masterwork of storytelling, Dracula has transcended generation, language, and culture to become one of the most popular novels ever written. It is a quintessential tale of suspense and horror, boasting one of the most terrifying characters ever born in literature: Count Dracula, a tragic, night-dwelling specter who feeds upon the blood of the living, and whose diabolical passions prey upon the innocent, the helpless, and the beautiful. But Dracula also stands as a bleak allegorical saga of an eternally cursed being whose nocturnal atrocities reflect the dark underside of the supremely moralistic age in which it was originally written -- and the corrupt desires that continue to plague the modern human condition. Pocket Books Enriched Classics present the great works of world literature enhanced for the contemporary reader. This edition of Dracula was prepared by Joseph Valente, Professor of English at the University of Illinois and the author of Dracula's Crypt: Bram Stoker, Irishness, and the Question of Blood, who provides insight into the racial connotations of this enduring masterpiece.  3 Stars Running Man by Charlie Engle Audiobook Published September 13th 2016 by Simon Schuster Audio Charlie Engle’s “fascinating account of the high and low points of his life as an ultramarathon runner…is uplifting and inspirational” (Publishers Weekly) as he describes his globe-spanning races, his record-breaking run across the Sahara Desert, and how running helped him overcome drug addiction—and an unjust stint in federal prison. After a decade-long addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol, Charlie Engle hit bottom with a near-fatal six-day binge that ended in a hail of bullets. As Engle got sober, he turned to running, which became his lifeline, his pastime, and his salvation. He began with marathons, and when marathons weren’t far enough, he began to take on ultramarathons, races that went for thirty-five, fifty, and sometimes hundreds of miles, traveling to some of the most unforgiving places on earth to race. The Matt Damon-produced documentary, Running the Sahara, followed Engle as he lead a team on a harrowing, record breaking 4,500-mile run across the Sahara Desert, which helped raise millions of dollars for charity. Charlie’s growing notoriety led to an investigation and a subsequent unjust conviction for mortgage fraud for which he spent sixteen months in federal prison in Beckley, West Virginia. While in jail, Engle pounded the small prison track, running endlessly in circles. Soon his fellow inmates were joining him, struggling to keep their spirits up in dehumanizing circumstances. In Running Man, Charlie Engle tells the surprising, funny, and emotional story of his life, detailing his setbacks and struggles—from coping with addiction to serving time in prison—and how he blazed a path to freedom by putting one foot in front of the other. “A fast-paced, well-written account of a man who accepts pain, pushes beyond imagined limits, and ultimately finds redemption and peace” (Booklist), this is a raw and triumphant account about finding the threshold of human endurance, and transcending it.  <REVIEW COMING SOON> 5 Stars Again, but Better by Christine Riccio Kindle Edition, 384 pages Published May 7th 2019 by Wednesday Books Shane has been doing college all wrong. Pre-med, stellar grades, and happy parents…sounds ideal -- but Shane's made zero friends, goes home every weekend, and romance…what’s that? Her life has been dorm, dining hall, class, repeat. Time's a ticking, and she needs a change -- there's nothing like moving to a new country to really mix things up. Shane signs up for a semester abroad in London. She's going to right all her college mistakes: make friends, pursue boys, and find adventure! Easier said than done. She is soon faced with the complicated realities of living outside her bubble, and when self-doubt sneaks in, her new life starts to fall apart. Shane comes to find that, with the right amount of courage and determination one can conquer anything. Throw in some fate and a touch of magic - the possibilities are endless.  <REVIEW COMING SOON> 4 Stars Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare Hardcover, 698 pages Published March 8th 2016 by Margaret K. McElderry Books The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel. It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses. Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions… Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it? Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.  4 Stars Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) by Seanan McGuire Kindle Edition, 190 pages Published June 13th 2017 by Tor.com Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. This is the story of what happened first… Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline. Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got. They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted. They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.  4 Stars Business for Authors: How to Be an Author Entrepreneur by Joanna Penn Paperback Published January 3rd 2017 by Curl Up Press (first published September 19th 2014) Are you ready to take the next step in your author journey? Art for the sake of art is important. Writing for the love of it, or to create something beautiful on the page, is absolutely worthwhile and critical to expand the sum of human expression. But I'm not here to talk about creativity or the craft of writing in this book. My aim is to take the result of your creativity into the realm of actually paying the bills. To take you from being an author to running a business as an author. I was a business consultant for 13 years before I gave up my job in September 2011 to become a full-time author-entrepreneur. I worked for large corporates and small businesses, implementing financial systems across Europe and Asia Pacific. I've also started a number of my own businesses: a scuba dive charter boat in New Zealand, a customized travel website, a property investment portfolio in Australia as well as my freelance consultancy. I've failed a lot and learned many lessons in my entrepreneurial life and I share them all in this book. In the last six years of being an author, through tempestuous changes in the publishing world, I've learned the business side of being a writer and I now earn a good living as an author-entrepreneur. I'm an author because it's my passion and my joy, but also because it's a viable business in this age of global and digital opportunity. In the book, you will learn: Part 1: From Author To Entrepreneur The arc of the author's journey, definition of an author-entrepreneur, deciding on your definition of success. Plus/ should you start a company? Part 2: Products and Services How you can turn one manuscript into multiple streams of income by exploiting all the different rights, various business models for authors and how to evaluate them, information on contracts, copyright and piracy. Part 3: Employees, Suppliers and Contractors The team you need to run your business. Editors, agents and publishers, translators, book designers and formatters, audiobook narrators, book-keeping and accounting, virtual assistants. Plus/ how to manage your team. Part 4: Customers In-depth questions to help you understand who your customers are and what they want, as well as customer service options for authors. Part 5: Sales and Distribution How to sell through distributors and your options, plus all the information you need to sell direct. ISBNs and publishing imprints: do you need them? Plus/ your options for pricing. Part 6: Marketing Key overarching marketing concepts. Book-based marketing including cover, back copy and sales pages on the distributors. Author-based marketing around building your platform, and customer-based marketing around your niche audience and targeted media. Part 7: Financials The money mindset, revenues and costs of the author business. Banking, PayPal, accounting, reporting, tax and estate planning. Part 8: Strategy and Planning Developing your strategy and business plan. Managing your time and developing professional habits. The long term view and the process for becoming a full-time author. Plus/ looking after yourself. Part 9: Next Steps Questions from the book to help you work out everything to do with your business, plus encouragement for your next steps.  <REVIEW COMING SOON> 4 Stars The Tyrant's Tomb (The Trials of Apollo #4) by Rick Riordan Audio CD, Unabridged Published September 24th 2019 by Listening Library (Audio) In his penultimate adventure, a devastated but determined Apollo travels to Camp Jupiter, where he must learn what it is to be a hero, or die trying. It's not easy being Apollo, especially when you've been turned into a human and banished from Olympus. On his path to restoring five ancient oracles and reclaiming his godly powers, Apollo (aka Lester Papadopoulos) has faced both triumphs and tragedies. Now his journey takes him to Camp Jupiter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Roman demigods are preparing for a desperate last stand against the evil Triumvirate of Roman emperors. Hazel, Reyna, Frank, Tyson, Ella, and many other old friends will need Apollo's aid to survive the onslaught. Unfortunately, the answer to their salvation lies in the forgotten tomb of a Roman ruler . . . someone even worse than the emperors Apollo has already faced.  <REVIEW COMING SOON> 5 Stars Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle #1) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff Audible Audio, Unabridged Published May 7th 2019 by Listening Library (first published May 6th 2019) The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch… A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder An alien warrior with anger management issues A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy. They're not the heroes we deserve. They're just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.  <REVIEW COMING SOON> 3 stars The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm: Eragon (Tales from Alagaësia #1) by Christopher Paolini Kindle Edition, 288 pages Published December 31st 2018 by Knopf Books for Young Readers A wanderer and a cursed child. Spells and magic. And dragons, of course. Welcome back to the world of Alagaësia. It's been a year since Eragon departed Alagaësia in search of the perfect home to train a new generation of Dragon Riders. Now he is struggling with an endless sea of tasks: constructing a vast dragonhold, wrangling with suppliers, guarding dragon eggs, and dealing with belligerent Urgals and haughty elves. Then a vision from the Eldunarí, unexpected visitors, and an exciting Urgal legend offer a much-needed distraction and a new perspective. This volume features three original stories set in Alagaësia, interspersed with scenes from Eragon's own unfolding adventure. Included is an excerpt from the memoir of the unforgettable witch and fortune-teller Angela the herbalist . . . penned by Angela Paolini, the inspiration for the character, herself!  <REVIEW COMING SOON> 5 Stars Seeker (Keeper Duology #2) by Kim Chance Audio CD Published November 5th 2019 by Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio Lainey’s normal, bookworm life no longer exists. With her family murdered by the Master, she joins forces with a group of Supernatural rebels. But as she struggles to cope with her new role as Keeper and the uncontrollable power it gives her, Lainey realizes that magic does indeed leave a mark—but it’s not always physical. Ty isn’t one of the good guys. He’s done terrible things, and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. Even if it hurts. Even if it means betraying the girl he loves…again. For Maggie, all her comic book dreams have come true, and her new life as a Shifter is just beginning. But with war closing in, is it truly a dream or a death sentence? In the ultimate battle for power, Lainey, Ty, and Maggie must face-off against the Master, and work together to discover the greatest weapon of all. Seek and you will find. Lainey’s normal, bookworm life no longer exists. With her family murdered by the Master, she joins forces with a group of Supernatural rebels. But as she struggles to cope with her new role as Keeper and the uncontrollable power it gives her, Lainey realizes that magic does indeed leave a mark—but it’s not always physical. Ty isn’t one of the good guys. He’s done terrible things, and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. Even if it hurts. Even if it means betraying the girl he loves…again. For Maggie, all her comic book dreams have come true, and her new life as a Shifter is just beginning. But with war closing in, is it truly a dream or a death sentence? In the ultimate battle for power, Lainey, Ty, and Maggie must face-off against the Master, and work together to discover the greatest weapon of all. Seek and you will find. That is all for today, I hope you enjoyed it! Make sure to follow me on social media down below. And don't forget to sign up for my mailing list! I have several big events I can't wait to tell you about! Follow me on the interwebs: amazon.com/author/katelyncostello https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5... Twitter @Scripturienting IG: @authorkatelyncostello Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello Youtube: The Scripturient 101 www.katelyncostello.com https://www.pinterest.com/ladykate100... The Frituals (Book #1 The Frituals) Signed Copy
$13.99 - $20.99
Is having Magick worth the cost? Each year men and elves are tested to see if the Fritual of their kingdom will be revealed, a powerful person able to control an elemental magick. Shauna Flynn has always wanted to meet a Fritual, but these magick users had all but disappeared in the war of men and elves nearly two hundred years before. Shauna has always wanted to meet a Fritual, she never thought she would be the fritual. Shauna is the first human to ever be able to control magick. Forced from her home by a group of elves known as the Dark Ones who want to control the first human Fritual, Shauna has to find the other Frituals and stop the Dark Ones, to save herself, her family, and the home she has always known. Rebellion (Book #2 The Frituals) Signed Copy
$13.99 - $20.99
Shauna Flynn grew up wanting to meet a Fritual. She never thought she would be a Fritual, but now she isn’t alone. She has found three of the other Frituals, and like her, they are all trying to understand what they can do in a world that doesn’t want their magick to be shared. Taytra Flynn wanted a purpose. But she never thought her purpose would take her away from her family, away from her home. She never thought she would be branded a Rebel and the leader of an uprising. But with the Dark One’s power closing in on them both sisters are left with the same question. Will I be strong enough to fight them again? Hello everyone!
How is 2020 going for you so far? 2020 has been a busy time for me. I've done a bunch of prep work for The Frituals #3, progress so far on the writing of it has been pretty slow so far but words on a bag a better than no words. As of this post I have roughly 2k... little bit far from the 80k goal I have for April 1st. Let's see how that goes over the next few weeks. I have been working on some other stuff. The main thing I have been working on is a workbook, planner thing! It is a step up from my NaNoWriMo prep work sheets, with planning pages, plotting tools, character sheets, and more more. It is available for preorder now for only $5! I hope you enjoy it and tell me what you think of it. The last thing that I wanted to talk to you about is something that isn't entirely book related. If you watch my vlogs over on youtube you may have heard me talk about some of the road races that I have been doing. I am the kind of person that works out more consistently when I have some sort of goal that I am working towards. And working out makes me much happier person. Last year was the first time I ever participated in any races longer than a 5k (3.1 miles) I upgraded from a 5k to a half marathon which is 13.1 miles or 21k. Sorta a big jump. I ended my year by participating in 3 half marathons and 2 5ks. This year I plan on participating in at least those same races, as well as a full marathon. 42 kilometers. 26.2 miles. But while I am doing it for me, I am also doing it for some other people. I will be running the Buffalo Heart to Heart Marathon on May 24th 2020. In doing so I will be raising money for Kalieda heath services and their research into heart disease treatment. I am trying to raise $774 in honor of my grandmother who's birthday was 7/7/44, she passed away in 2011 due to heart disease complications. For more information and to donate directly please head over to my fundraiser page! I am already 20% of the way to my goal which is so, so exciting. If you want to support in a more indirect manner, I will be donating 40% of my profits from any books sold through April 1st! Thanks for all your support make sure to sign up for my mailing list for all new fun info that is always coming! With love and creative energy! Kate NaNoWriMo 2019 is starting TOMORROW can you believe it??I am so excited. NaNoWriMo is one of my favorite times of year. This will be my 8th year doing Nano and hopefully my 7th win, below you will find my top 7 Tips for Conquering NaNoWriMo, and making it your best process. If you are late to my site or NaNoWriMo and need to do some last minute prepping, head over to my nanowrimo prep tab! 1.Join the communityBeing a part of NaNo can be very hard. You are slogging away hours at a time on a project within one month. It can feel pretty isolating. So I highly suggest you become a part of the writing community. There are several ways and places you can do this
2. Other Forms of Motivation Throughout the month you are going to have a lot going on. And sometimes the idea of just focusing on Nano is going to SUCK. We all hit that point where we freaking HATE our stories and wonder why should we even go on and whats the point and… you get the idea. This is a great time to take a step back and put your focus and motivation toward something no where near writing. For example, this year I started running road races again, I am currently 3 weeks into a 14 week training program for a race in January. Going on those long runs will be a time for me to take a step back for me, and focus on another thing I love to do. 3. Writing sprints are when you set a timer for a period of time between 5 mins- 1 hour and you “sprint” and try to write as many words as possible during this time. These can be self run using apps like Pomodora or Forest, or hosted by people on twitter, nanowrimo, youtube , facebook or instagram. I will be hosting events this year on my youtube! So make sure you are subscribed to be notified when I go live! 4. Don't Self Edit during NovemberThis can be quite difficult, especially if you are like me and have recently come off an extended time of editing or revising. But editing is just going to slow down your process. At the bare minimum at the end of a writing day I will run spell check. But I try not to do more than this unless I am quite ahead on my project. If I am ahead, I may run a chapter or two through Grammarly. But editing is for later. It is national novel WRITING month for a reason. The editing part comes later, the NaNoWriMo website actually has a program called “you wrote a novel now what?” that happens in January. 5. Family and Friends SupportOne big thing I always do is to let my friends and family who interact with me on a daily basis know that I will be doing NaNoWriMo. Explaining it prior to to getting started helps to allivate any question when you get started about why you are being a crazy hermit. 6. Build a RoutineMake writing a part of your daily routine (if you don't have one definitely practice one this month.) If you know every day around 2 o'clock you have around an hour of free time, that is a great time to get in a bit of writing, you will find once you make a set routine you will have a lot of free time open up. For example, I get up just about every morning and while I make my breakfast I watch a Phil Defranco news recap and unload, and reload the dishwasher. Just the little things, so I don't have to worry about it at the end of my day. 10. Have FunJust freaking have fun with it, enjoy the process of story telling. Many people (Myself included) get way to intense during NaNo, it's a personal competition to do better than the year before, to be faster to whatever. But it doesn't have to be like that, like at all. Take you time, enjoy the process and see what you learn about yourself. You would be surprised what your brain has in store
Thanks and Good luck on your nano journey!! ORDER REBELLION https://www.katelyncostello.com/rebel... Order The Frituals (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/Frituals-Katel... My site https://www.katelyncostello.com/the-f... Follow me on the interwebs: amazon.com/author/katelyncostello https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5... Twitter @Scripturienting IG: @authorkatelyncostello Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello Youtube: KatelynCostello www.katelyncostello.com https://www.pinterest.com/ladykate100...  Leah on the Offbeat (Creekwood #2) by Becky Albertalli Audible Audio, Unabridged Published April 24th 2018 by Harper Audio Leah Burke—girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—takes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst. When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends—not even her openly gay BFF, Simon. So Leah really doesn’t know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting—especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended. My thoughts...So as you can probably tell by now when I read Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda by Beck Albertali I ended up going on a reading binge of Albertali's books. This is the last review of her's you will see for a few weeks but you will see her coauthoring a book in a few weeks.
Leah isn't a perfect character. She has flaws, she isn't "nice" she is angsty. She is angry, she is hurting. and I LOVED HER. I am so happy we go to see her side for senior year after spending time with Simon. It was a great look at a young person going through some STUFF in high school, and how you will and can make it through. From home life, to body issues, and again facing high school romance. I really appreciated this book for so many reasons. And I really hope they make this into a movie too... Still haven't watched Love Simon... the sentiment still stands.  The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli Audiobook Published April 11th 2017 by Balzer + Bray Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful. Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny and flirtatious and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back. There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right? My thoughts...The Upside of Unrequited was definitely the kind of story that had I read it in high school I probably wouldn't have like it. It was cute, and all about boys, and relationships and summer flings... but it was also about being a twin, having same sex parents, making friends, and growing up. And that is what made me like it. There was so much more to the story. I really enjoyed it and I hope you did too if you have read it what did you think?
ORDER REBELLION https://www.katelyncostello.com/rebel... Order The Frituals (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/Frituals-Katel... My site https://www.katelyncostello.com/the-f... Follow me on the interwebs: amazon.com/author/katelyncostello https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5... Twitter @Scripturienting IG: @authorkatelyncostello Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello Youtube: KatelynCostello www.katelyncostello.com https://www.pinterest.com/ladykate100...  Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Creekwood #1) by Becky Albertalli Hardcover, 303 pages Published April 7th 2015 by Balzer + Bray Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised. With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met. My Thoughts....I went into Simon vs the Homosapien agenda (From now on I will refer to the title as Sv.HA cause I am ) or as the movie retitled it Love, Simon with an open mind but also with some trepidation. I hated HATED contemporary romance in high school. I thought they were way to sappy, that the characters were to one dimensional and a lot of the time annoying. I was such a romantic in high school (honestly I was just didn't want to read it.) Since reading The Perks of being a Wallflower last summer two summers ago I was more interested in it.
I knew I wanted to read Sv.HA before seeing the movie but I hadn't gotten around to it. Finally I ordered the audio book and I was hooked. It was sweet, and the problems that Simon faced as a gay student who was grappling with his sexuality and what that meant to him, and general school issues were relatable.* I don't know what about it made me enjoy it so much after not liking contemporary as a kid, maybe it was time and space, being in my own happy relationship where I can see the same things that happened with my relationship, the friendships. Overall this was a really cute story, and I can't wait to see the movie. Which I still haven't done months after reading the book... What did you think of this book? *I say relatable but some of it was not aka being a (mostly) closeted student. I am straight but I was able to relate to the crush flutters. See you soon! ORDER REBELLION https://www.katelyncostello.com/rebel... Order The Frituals (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/Frituals-Katel... My site https://www.katelyncostello.com/the-f... Follow me on the interwebs: amazon.com/author/katelyncostello https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5... Twitter @Scripturienting IG: @authorkatelyncostello Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello Youtube: KatelynCostello www.katelyncostello.com https://www.pinterest.com/ladykate100... Hello, My Scripturients, My readers and my writer friends. I haven't done a writing update in well over a year. And that is tragic because I used to honestly love to write these little updates for you. But I got busy, and it was easier to put a two min word vomit clip on youtube than it was to actually sit down and articulate my thoughts. I took a break from this. And a break from youtube. But I am back now and am ready to get back into attempting to put my thoughts down. If you have purchased a copy of Rebellion, you will have the key to knowing what the next book I will be writing is called. If you don't have it yet... I will be at a few book events in the next few weeks or sign up for my mailing list. I will be sharing a lot there and on Patreon. But I made a timeline for myself that is quite fast so you won't be waiting too long for a new book from me, don't you worry. I will have a lot more information for you come October 4th. There I said it. The deadline is out there. Anyway, this is just a little post to say that I am extremely happy to be where I am right now. That I am on to the next project but that it is a break from The Fritual Saga. I will be back to that shortly, I just want to take this little side jaunt and refresh my brain before jumping back in. With lots of love Katelyn See you soon! PRE ORDER REBELLION https://www.katelyncostello.com/rebel... Order The Frituals (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/Frituals-Katel... My site https://www.katelyncostello.com/the-f... Follow me on the interwebs: amazon.com/author/katelyncostello https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5... Twitter @Scripturienting IG: @authorkatelyncostello Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello Youtube: KatelynCostello www.katelyncostello.com https://www.pinterest.com/ladykate100... |
Katelyn CostelloA lover of words, reading and writing. Archives
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