Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 133

Book Review: Begin Again by Mona Kasten

Begin Again (Again #1) by Mona Kasten Blurb: He makes the rules. She breaks them all.
A new start. It's the only thing keeping Allie Harper going, when she packs up her life and moves across the country to Woodshill, Oregon. She's about to start college, desperate to leave the ghosts of her past behind her. Even if that means never talking to her parents again.
Now the hard part - finding an apartment before classes start. Just when it seems she'll have to live out of her car, Allie visits one more place. It's beautiful. With one exception: can she stand being roommates with campus bad boy Kaden White? Sure, Kaden is sexy with his tattoos and careless attitude, but he's also an arrogant jerk. With nowhere else to go, Allie moves in.
The first thing Kaden does is make a set of rules. Either Allie obeys, or she's out:
1. Don't talk about your girl problems.2. Keep your mouth shut if I bring someone home.3. We will NEVER hook up.
Easy enough, thinks Allie. Who would want to get involved with a brute like Kaden? But the more she gets to know him, the more she sees beyond his gruff facade. He, too, is harboring some painful secrets. For Kaden and Allie, it gets harder and harder to ignore the sparks between them. And the lines between the rules start to blur-
Begin Again is a beautiful romance that shows us just how possible it is to start over. To find freedom in heartbreak and love in the most unlikely places.
My Review: Allie Harper is running from her past and breaking free from her overbearing, stuck up parents. To do that she's just moved all the way from Lincoln, Nebraska to tiny Woodshill, Oregon. After extensively searching for a place to stay she winds up at the apartment of Kaden White - who definitely doesn't want Allie as a roommate (or any female for that matter). But Kaden needs the money and Allie needs a place to stay so they come to a compromise: Allie can have the room as long as she plays by Kaden's rules. 
Allie agrees, besides the last thing she needs right now is a hook-up but as she settles into her new life, makes new friends and experiences new things Allie begins to see another side to Kaden - a side she likes a lot. 
Will Allie be able to stifle her feelings for Kaden? Or will Kaden throw his rules out the window? Can their relationship survive all the darkness in their pasts? Or will Kaden's fear of letting anyone get too close tear them apart?
I loved reading Begin Again. More than just the romance, seeing Allie come into her own and become a strong, independent woman after a lifetime with her parents made for a pleasant, hopeful read. Watching Allie experience new things and make friends, seeing her try to hide her growing feelings for Kaden, I thought overall the story was well written and plotted. 
I loved Kaden, although I can see why some readers may not like him. Some may see a girl fall for a guy that acts like a jerk toward her over and over again until he finally realizes how special the girl is and be put off by the story but I love books like this. I love seeing male characters that are broken and twisted by their pasts learn to love. 
I hope the other two books in this series get translated into English because I would love to read them! Mona Kasten is definitely an author I'd like to see more of! 
My Rating:★★★★★5 of 5 Stars!

Double Cover Reveal: SHELTER & ESCAPE by Jay Crownover

Today I'm excited to share with you a double cover reveal for one of my favorite authors, JAY CROWNOVER! Behold the sexy covers of the next two books in Jay's Getaway Series...
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From New York Times Bestselling author Jay Crownover comes the next two standalone titles in her Getaway series, SHELTER and ESCAPE! And that’s not all! RETREAT, the first standalone title in the Getaway series, is on sale for the first time ever! You can grab your copy for just $.99 for a limited time only. So check out the amazing covers below, and order your copies today!   
Cover Design by Hang Le
About SHELTER (Coming 12/26/17):His life is chaos and confusion. It’s a storm of uncertainty and raging emotion. 
Sutton Warner is a mess. Everything in his life feels like it’s unraveling.
He’s let a lot of people down lately, including his daughter. Sutton always promised his little girl he would never disappoint her and that he would always be there when she needed him. Until he wasn’t.
The truth is, he’s used to disappointing the women in his life. First was his mother who couldn’t find a reason to stick around when he was growing up. Then there’s his ex. The woman who takes unbridled delight in making his life incredibly complicated. Luckily, his daughter is still young enough to believe her old man is some kind of hero. But, he knows the day is coming when she realizes the truth, that he’s just a man with some serious flaws and a list of ever-growing weaknesses.
Finally, there’s the woman he’s desperately trying to forget with every shot tossed back and each pill popped.
He more than disappointed Emrys…he almost got her killed.
Her love is steady and sure. It’s a shelter shaped by conviction and silent assurance.Emrys Santos is lost. Everything in her life feels pointless and futile.
She’s been busy running away from her feelings and all the people who love her the most—including her best friend, the one person who knows exactly what she’s been through. They promised to always stick together and to lean on one another. It was a promise Em had to break so she could lick her wounds and figure out her next move. For once, there is no easy way out of the tangled web of emotions she’s caught up in, and right now, she recognizes that all roads lead back to Wyoming…and back to Sutton.
The man she nearly got killed.
Shelter is a standalone novel, the second book in the Getaway series, which features the hardheaded and brokenhearted Warner brothers and the women who dare to love them. These boys are very good at putting the wild in wilderness.
PREORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!✦ Amazon ✦ Other Retailers ✦ Goodreads   
Cover Design by Hang LeAbout ESCAPE (Coming 1/30/18):Everything inside of him is screaming that he needs to run, he needs to go, he needs to escape.
Lane Warner is used to being overshadowed and overlooked.
After all, he’s the youngest brother and the most laid back one in the family. He’s the one known for going with the flow and not making waves, even when things seem to be at their worst.
Very few things in life have had the ability to rile Lane up and get under his skin. At the top of that list is his childhood friend Brynn Fox…no…Brynn Warner. The fact that they share a last name was the one thing that has the power to light him up and spin him out of control like no other. There was no calm, cool and collected when it comes to all the reasons why Brynn had to become part of his family.
It’s slowly killing him to keep wanting what he can’t have, so Lane sees only one way to stop himself from doing something they’ll both regret…he has to leave.
Everything inside of her is calling out to find him, to follow, to bring him home.
Brynn Warner is used to being stuck between a rock and a hard place.After all, she’s the daughter of an unrepentant gold-digger who never once blinked at being the cause of her daughter’s pain and suffering.
Very few things in her life have ever brought happiness and a sense of security. At the very top of that list is Lane Warner. She has unwaveringly loved the youngest Warner since the first minute she laid eyes on him. He was everything Brynn ever wanted and everything she knew she could never have.
Sometimes the right choice is the one that hurts the most and Brynn’s had to make a few that felt like they might be the end of her.
When Lane takes off, one thing is clear, the only choice Brynn has is to go after him.She’s going to bring her wayward cowboy home….whatever it takes.
Escape is a standalone novel, the third book in the Getaway series, which features the hardheaded and brokenhearted Warner brothers and the women who dare to love them. These boys are very good at putting the wild in wilderness.
PREORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!✦ Amazon ✦ Other Retailers ✦ GoodreadsAnd don’t miss the first standalone novel in the Getaway Series, RETREAT, on sale for just $.99! Grab your copy today! ✦ RETREAT on Amazon ✦ RETREAT on Other Retailer s



About Jay Crownover: Jay Crownover is the international and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men Series, The Saints of Denver Series, the Point Series, the Breaking Point Series, and the Getaway Series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads



 

Book Review: Glitter by Aprilynne Pike

Glitter (Glitter Duology #1) by Aprilynne Pike Blurb:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike comes a truly original new novel—Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future world where the residents of Versailles live like it’s the eighteenth century and an almost-queen turns to drug dealing to save her own life. 
Outside the palace of Versailles, it’s modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it’s the eighteenth century—with the added bonus of technology to make court life lavish, privileged, and frivolous. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it’s about to become a very beautiful prison.When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play . . . blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen. When she turns eighteen, Dani will marry the most ruthless and dangerous man of the court. She has six months to escape her terrifying destiny. Six months to raise enough money to disappear into the real world beyond the palace gates.Her ticket out? Glitter. A drug so powerful that a tiny pinch mixed into a pot of rouge or lip gloss can make the wearer hopelessly addicted. Addicted to a drug Dani can sell for more money than she ever dreamed.But in Versailles, secrets are impossible to keep. And the most dangerous secret—falling for a drug dealer outside the palace walls—is one risk she has to take.
My Review:Welcome to the palace of Versailles where despite the fact that it's somewhere in the late 2000s/early 2100s people still live as if it's 1700, except with modern technology.
A hundred years ago Versailles was bought from the French in an underhanded deal by the head of a tech company (I think, don't hold me to that) who refurbished the palace to its' former glory, brought in his employees and declared himself king of what he called "Sonoman-Versailles" - a separate country from France. (Reviewer note: Does anyone else think that sounds like the name of the cookware store Williams-Sonoma??)
Now four generations later the country and company is being run by nineteen-year-old Justin. When our heroine seventeen-year-old Dani accidentally sees the young king having rough sex with a nobleman's daughter and he sees Dani and panics, accidentally strangling the girl to death, Dani's mother cooks up an evil plot. She and Dani will remain quiet about what they've seen if the King marries Dani and makes her his queen. At first, Justin balks at the idea but like a caged animal he eventually gives in. 
Dani doesn't want to be Queen and she definitely doesn't want to marry a man that could potentially kill her but she has no choice. In an attempt to escape her life at Sonoman-Versailles, Dani sneaks away from the palace to the Catacombs of Paris in the hopes of being smuggled away from her old life to a new one. But her face is too noticeable and her would-be savior tells her he'll only help if she manages to raise five million euros. 
Dani doesn't think it is possible until she discovers the illegal drugs her father has been stealing money from her to purchase and Dani begins to see a way out. She'll sell these addictive glitter drugs to the noblemen and women of Sonoman-Versailles to earn the money she needs to escape her impending marriage. 
When the drug deal she meets turns out to be the same man she met in the catacombs she's even more determined not to fail and with the help of one of the drug dealer's young assistants, Saber, Dani comes up with the idea to put the drugs into cosmetics to sell at court. 
The idea is a startling success and Dani sees the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe she will escape in time. But she's forgetting - drugs are addictive and they come with deadly consequences. After two unexpected deaths the entire Glitter operation begins to implode, will Dani be able to escape Sonoman-Versailles with Saber, the boy she's begun to have feelings for? Or will everything begin to crash down on top of her?
This book took two tries for me to get through and I did end up liking it in the end. I like the world Dani lives in at Sonoman-Versailles, it's an interesting contrast to the modern world outside the palace walls. And there were some interesting technology devices in this book - not a lot though which is what I would have expected in a futuristic world after reading similar books like The Thousandth Floor. 
However, I didn't quite see King Justin as the villain he's made out to be. Yes, he killed his lover accidentally in a kinky-sex-gone-bad situation but its not like it was full-blown premeditated murder. I don't believe he intended to kill the girl. There's a huge difference between negligent homicide, manslaughter, and out-and-out murder. Hell, what Justin did could even be considered an accident - he was startled and he squeezed the girl's neck too tight. I kind of think Dani's reaction to Justin was a little blown out of proportion. 

 And yes, Justin is a cocky, arrogant, jerk who is used to getting what he wants; but he's a 19-year-old king, seriously, what else do you expect? I kept waiting for a stand out scene or some solid proof that made me think "OMG this guy is a monster!" but I didn't really get that. Yes, he's an antagonist in this story, but is he really a true "villain" or just someone that struck an unreasonable bargain in a moment where he felt like a cornered rat? At times I almost found myself liking him, but hey, I tend toward the screwed up guys. 
Honestly, if anyone is a villain here it is Danica's mother. I can definitely say I think she's a cold, conniving, scheming witch with a b.
Despite all that I liked the premise of the book and I'll probably read the sequel. It was an enjoyable read once I looked past my issues with Dani's reaction to Justin and realized it wasn't as well thought out as my favorite futuristic book, The Thousandth Floor. 
My Rating:3.75 of 5 Stars!

Book Review: Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff Blurb:Clementine DeVore spent ten years trapped in a cellar, pinned down by willow roots, silenced and forgotten.
Now she’s out and determined to uncover who put her in that cellar and why. 
When Clementine was a child, dangerous and inexplicable things started happening in New South Bend. The townsfolk blamed the fiendish people out in the Willows and burned their homes to the ground. But magic kept Clementine alive, walled up in the cellar for ten years, until a boy named Fisher sets her free. Back in the world, Clementine sets out to discover what happened all those years ago. But the truth gets muddled in her dangerous attraction to Fisher, the politics of New South Bend, and the Hollow, a fickle and terrifying place that seems increasingly temperamental ever since Clementine reemerged.
My Review:Ten years ago Clementine DeVore was shut away in the cellar of her home with her eyes sewn shut. She does not know how much time has passed or why she was put there, only the niggling voice in her head that tells her to stay still and sleep and to wait there until someone comes to get her.
It's a long lonely time before she hears voices coming nearer - three teenage boys up to no good. But one of those boys hears something and decides to investigate despite his friend's warnings. There he discovers Clementine walled up in the canning closet covered in soot with roots grown up around her and her eyes sewn shut. His friends protest but the boy pulls her out and takes her to safety.
It's been a long ten years and someone hid Clementine away for a reason. Other than her cousin Shiny and her friend Rae nobody else remembers Clementine, not even her aunt Myloria. And with Clementine's reemergence, strange things begin happening in New South Bend and the Hollow outside the town limits. 
Is the magic inside Clementine the reason strange things are happening? Will her reappearance cause the reckoning to coming a second time? Is that the reason she was put away in the first place? Or is someone else the cause of the strange occurrences? Possibly the mysterious boy, Fisher, that saved Clementine from her cellar prison and whom she can't help being drawn to like a moth to a flame. 
Welcome to New South Bend where Fiends roam the hollow and magic is about to upend not only the lives of five teenagers, but the entire town. Enjoy your stay and if you smell gasoline - run! 
Fiendish is truly a unique, strange, creepy book. It's beautifully written and dripping with Southern Gothic charm. Every page screamed authentic small town southern life and I could  picture it all so clear. 
I felt like Clementine's story was spun like a southern afternoon, slow and well thought out, something to savor. I was eager to find out who stuck Clementine in the cellar and why as well as what Fisher was hiding, but the pieces came together in a very drawn out way. 
I loved Shiny's short temper and the way Rae's calmness complimented it, loved seeing Fisher relax in Clementine's presence, and loved the eerie feel of the Hollow and New South Bend with all of it's abandoned stores laying in wait. 
I found it interesting that after ten years locked away, Clementine was surprisingly mature. I would expect someone who was locked away for so long starting at such a young age to still have the mind of a child but Clementine was intelligent, levelheaded, and insightful. 
Overall, I loved this book from the gorgeous cover to the intriguing story and its' overall feel! I've never read anything quite like Fiendish and I mean that in the best possible way!
My Rating:5 of 5 Stars!

Cover Reveal: XO, ZACH by Kendall Ryan

I'm thrilled to help InkSlingerPR bring you the cover from New York Times bestseller Kendall Ryan's upcoming novel, xo, Zach. xo, Zach is a steamy new forbidden romance full of heat, heart & humor releasing January 23, 2018!   
ABOUT xo, ZACHThe first time we met was at a party.Your ex arrived to show off the person he'd left you for last month, and you asked me to pretend to be your date.I was more than happy to help. You were attractive, smart and witty--and that kiss we shared? It left me wanting you for days.
The second time we met was in my office on campus where we were both surprised to discover you were the new master’s degree student in poetry that I would be working with. You promised to be professional. I did no such thing.The late nights and intense study sessions spent alongside you majorly throw me off my game. I want you, and I fight with myself daily over this fact.I know I'm crass, that my sexual innuendos and dirty mouth annoy you, but I live for those two bright spots of color in your cheeks. If that's the only reaction I can get out of you, I'll gladly take it.You hate Mondays so every Monday I slip an anonymous poem into your bag and your smile gets me through the week.I think I'm falling for you, and I know it's wrong. I know that I'm only supposed to be your adviser and nothing more, but here's the thing. I think you're falling for me too.xo, Zach
  ADD TO GOODREADS     PRE-ORDER NOWAmazon  | Amazon Paperback  | iBooks  | Nook  | KoboAudible:  Live release, narrated by Andi Arndt & Sebastian York!


ABOUT KENDALL RYAN         
  A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She's a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. 
Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she's appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine. 
 Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTREST | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | GOODREADS | BOOKBUB | NEWSLETTER                  

Cover Reveal: Book of Souls by Nadine Nightingale

Today I am helping reveal the gorgeous cover for Book of Souls by Nadine Nightingale! Check it out and be sure to grab your copy when it releases February 9th, 2018!

Title: Book of SoulsAuthor: Nadine NightingaleGenre: Paranormal RomanceRelease Date: February 9th
About Book of Souls:They call me Angel of Death, but my name is Nisha Blake. I am Shepherdstown’s living urban legend. My life, a tale of the macabre. People avoid me like the plague. Well, everyone but my friends. They don’t see the Angel of Death when they look at me. They see poor, broken Nisha—the bully victim, suffering from vicious night terrors and vivid hallucinations. 
Things take a turn for the worse when Blaze shows up. He’s a too hot, tattooed, bad-ass MMA fighter from London, hell-bent on getting to know me. Since he walked into my miserable life, my hallucinations graduated to a point where I can no longer differentiate between fiction and reality. I am insane. Broken beyond repair. Or so I think until— I uncover a secret form the past—a link between all the deaths, my hallucinations, and my night terrors. It’s then I understand I’m not the Angel of Death. I am something else. Someone else. 
Add on Goodreads!
Exclusive Excerpt:
I look at the desert rose in my palm. It’s small and fragile, yet it weighs down my arm as if I carry the weight of the world in the palm of my hand.


“You belong to me,” he says. I don’t need to see his face. I know it’s him. The conqueror. He’s been haunting my dreams forever and a day. The sand takes ahold of me, pulling me down into the cold darkness. 
“What do you want from me? Why are you doing this to me?” 
“Because I love you,” he whispers. “I always have, and I always will, my love.” 
I’m dreaming. I know I am. I will my eyes open, but it doesn’t work. It never works. Something in this foreign world holds me captive. And it’s not just the sand and the conqueror. It’s a part of me, too. The part that knows it belongs here, belongs with him.

About Nadine: 
Nadine aka Dini is a traveler at heart. She considers the world her home and practically lives out of her suitcases. When she’s not glaring at a blank page or abusing her poor keyboard, she spends her time reading, watching movies (preferably horror), pretends to work out, and hangs out with friends and family. Poor girl also suffers from a serious Marvel superhero addiction. So, if you run into her at night, wearing black, know she’s secretly dreaming of being the infamous Black Widow.
Her love for writing started in the sixth grade where she annoyed her classmates with a short story featuring Sailor Moon characters, a cemetery, and creepy ghosts. Yes, she’s always been addicted to the dark side. Nadine writes paranormal romance. Her debut novel “Karma” the first book in her paranormal romance series Drag.Me.To.Hell. is published by the Wild Rose Press and will be out in May 2016. She has a serious girl crush on her protagonist Amanda Bishop.
Nadine has a BA in Comparative Religions and studied Creative Writing at the University of Oxford.
Connect with Nadine:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest



Enter Nadine’s Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #98

This "WIR"-Wednesday I'm 2/3 through a fantastic book that I don't want to put down. If you haven't yet, you should check out...
Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff Blurb:Clementine DeVore spent ten years trapped in a cellar, pinned down by willow roots, silenced and forgotten.
Now she’s out and determined to uncover who put her in that cellar and why. 
When Clementine was a child, dangerous and inexplicable things started happening in New South Bend. The townsfolk blamed the fiendish people out in the Willows and burned their homes to the ground. But magic kept Clementine alive, walled up in the cellar for ten years, until a boy named Fisher sets her free. Back in the world, Clementine sets out to discover what happened all those years ago. But the truth gets muddled in her dangerous attraction to Fisher, the politics of New South Bend, and the Hollow, a fickle and terrifying place that seems increasingly temperamental ever since Clementine reemerged.
Why I Chose This Book | What I Think So Far:I saw this book for the first time on Bookstagram and instantly fell in love with the cover. After that, I forgot about it until my trip to the library last month when I found it among the display of creepy, scary books for Halloween. I grabbed it and put it in my stack without even reading the blurb. It's taken me a while to get to it (I checked out wayyyy too many books last month!) but once I started I was hooked. The book is beautifully written and the story keeps the reader engaged. I only have about 140 pages left, which I intend to read the end of today, and I can't wait to see how it ends and who put/why Clementine was put in the cellar. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Natural Born Leaders

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. 
Top Ten Tuesday - Characters That Were Born To Lead

This week's TTT is all about characters that were made to lead. Lead what you ask? Rebellions? Committees? Book Clubs? You decide. I chose rebellions - and this week they're all kick-ass females!

Feyre

Aelin Galathynius

Elena Michaels

Britta Flannery

Anna Arden

Amber Tate

Anna Whitt

America Singer

Aurora Pavan

Alina Starkov


These are just a few of my favorite female rebels that changed their worlds. There are plenty of male characters that cause change too. What are some of your favorite natural born leader characters?Drop me a link to yours!As always, happy reading bookdragons!-

Man Crush Monday: Book Boyfriend Edition #2

This MCM I'm featuring an awesome new book boyfriend who you'll want to meet starting tomorrow...

Man Crush Monday: Book Boyfriend Edition #2Rain Ryland Source: PinterestBook Rain Appears In:Haven by Mary Lindsey
Why I'm Crushing:Rain doesn't think very highly of himself because of the way his mother treated him but he's loyal and protective and one of the most realistic male leads I've read in a long time. He's not exactly your mushing, sprouting sonnets male lead you see over and over, he's attracted to Freddie both emotionally and physically which is refreshing. Sometimes male leads are made out to be like perfect Ken dolls that always say and do the right thing but Rain is raw and tough and that's what I love about him. 
Be sure to check out Rain Ryland in Haven, hitting bookshelves tomorrow!

NaNoWriMo Stress-free

It's November, and if you are a writer like me you know that it is NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month, a month where authors temporarily lose their minds in an attempt to write 50,000 words in thirty days. I've done this two previous years in a row and actually excelled. Then came this year...

What's different about this year you ask?Well, this fall has not been going my way at all. I've had a sick relative that was in a hospital and then a physical therapy facility for a whole month who has now returned home, turmoil in my relationship that hopefully is calming down, a surprise book release, and another book coming out in less than two months. Who wouldn't be freaking out?!?
On top of that, the "perfectly constructed story idea" that sounded so good in my head is not going so well on paper. I can actually feel the psoriasis breaking out on my skin as I type this. So I'm not really feeling the spirit of NaNoWriMo this year. 
So to soldier on, I've decided to do NaNoWriMo my way to keep the stress at a minimum.
Here's how I'm switching things up...
1. I left my "Home Region" on the NaNoWriMo website.Why did I even join that region anyway? Even though it's one of the two closest geographically to where I live (as in the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin) it isn't really accessible for me to get to write-ins 45 miles away when I have neither a car nor a license, nor, if I'm being perfectly honest, the spare time to sit around at a library working on the same thing I could be working on at home just for the sense of camaraderie. Besides that, there's one woman in my "home region" who is a total witch with a b. I mean on day one she claimed to have written over 13,000 words which I swear is an impossibility. I'm not competitive, but she gloats and rubs it in and is overall not a nice person - and this is the second year of having to put up with this. And I don't need the stress, so the group had to go.
Whew, I feel better already.
2. I'm taking on a "Que Sera, Sera" attitude. If I can figure out the kinks in this story then eventually I'll finish it, even if I don't hit 50,000 words in the month of November or finish the first draft in thirty days. I'm not going to freak out if I don't. I'm patting myself on the back because you know what? I've already written 92,000 words this year on two other writing projects. That's pretty damn good if I say so myself.
3. I'm not writing every day. Sure, I can tell you I'm sitting here on my laptop every day writing. But some days I'm just not feeling it. I'm not behind... I don't think? I'm at 12,000 words written since November 1st and I'm tired. So if I want to read, I'm going to read. If I have a book that pops up that I have to review or a blog post to type and schedule, that will come first. I can stress myself out by staring at a flashing cursor on the screen or I can relax and let the words flow out of me if and when they come. 
4. I'm not thinking about writing when I'm not writing.Sure, if an idea pops up, I'll write it down. But I have other things on my mind so I'm not going to panic and think "oh no, I haven't written today," or "I'm so behind on my word count!" Like I said, if it's going to happen, it will happen in time. I think that's part of my anxiety issue, I'm so afraid of what's going to happen if I don't get what needs to be done, done now that I don't stop and think about what will really happen, which usually is nothing. Why did we let NaNoWriMo get to be such a big thing? Did it used to be fun before all the competition and pressure? Some of my friends talk about being supportive and encouraging and I want to get back to that, not surround myself with writers who act like jerks and pick on people if they don't have a certain word count on a certain day. 
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Are you doing NaNoWriMo? What are you doing to keep your stress levels in check?