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The Innkeeper by Keaton D. Winter - A humbling reminder of the beauty in kindness
'Darkwind' by Renee Dugan: A Magical Journey of Building Resilience, Forging Friendships, and Embracing Possibility...
Rebecca (2020) Review: More Bland Than Bittersweet
Looking to the Edges: The Space Between Categories
'Regina Rising' Review
"Remember, Remember..." The Ominous Origins of Bonfire Night
"The Circle of Frost" - A Ghost Story written collaboratively by Bookstagrammers!
Time
New 'All Creatures' Evokes Old Series Without Imitating It
Belle (2013) Review: The Importance of Impassioned Reason
'Daughter of the Deep' Review: A Swashbuckling Adventure Rich In Wit, Mythology and Mystery
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I haven't shared much from my book for a while, so

I haven't shared much from my book for a while, so here's a little snippet of something I wrote yesterday! (Brought to you by Barny🦉)

Over the past 2 months, I've written three times as much as I did in the previous 6🤯 Sometimes our pace speeds up and slows down, and that's all part of the process. If you're in the initial stages: they can be messy; keep going, and it'll gradually come together.

Writing a little bit almost every day (as much as I can) has helped me get into a rhythm with it. A three-times-weekly call with @chronicles.of.a.bookworm has also really helped to make sure I'm sitting down regularly to write! Alysha has been such a support while we've both worked on our own books - it helps to reflect ideas and share in the struggles😂 So I finally reached the midpoint last week!

✍️For all ye writers - how are your current projects going? How are you finding the process?💕

Swipe to see 4 of my favourite opening lines✨ I

Swipe to see 4 of my favourite opening lines✨

I was inspired by @warmcupofmagic to share these!

1 - Nevermoor book 1: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

2 - The Tiffany Aching series book 2: A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett

3 - Lockwood & Co. book 2: The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud

4 - The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

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✨If you're interested in my take on the books:

☂️Nevermoor was recommended to me by @kabyburton and I loved it! Gothic but magical vibes, with the kind of aesthetics in A Series of Unfortunate Events but a much more light-hearted tone and almost Wonka-factory-like setting. You could imagine Tim Burton adapting it into a movie.

🧙My Dad lent me the Tiffany Aching series to read when I was about 9, and I remember poring over the witty lines and working out what they meant. The second book is where Tiffany goes to learn about being a witch, and I always loved the character of Miss Level who has two bodies, and a house ghost called Oswald that likes to keep things neat and orderly.

💀I've rambled about Lockwood and Co lots here, but the second book features a sassy skull ghost that basically argues with Lucy the whole time they're on investigations, and I find the opening line particularly gripping.

🌳The Gruffalo was among the first stories my parents ever read to me, and I know the whole book off by heart. It's about a little mouse who uses his wits to survive the "deep dark wood" and he's probably one of my favourite characters in literature🐁 (and yes it counts as literature in my books)😂

#openinglines
I've tagged a few, but feel free to do this tag yourself if you'd like!

✨What are some of your favourite opening lines?✨

FOLKS LOOK AT THE GLASS! 😮 So one of my favou

FOLKS

LOOK
AT
THE GLASS!
😮

So one of my favourite book characters ever is Finnick Atlas from The Saltwater Heir, and he likes drinking hot chocolate from a wine glass (as one does)🍷 Thanks to this book box I now possess a glass that says:

"The Contents of this glass:
Wine
☑️Hot chocolate
T̶h̶e̶ t̶e̶a̶r̶s̶ o̶f̶ m̶y̶ e̶n̶e̶m̶i̶e̶s̶"

and yes, I have been drinking hot chocolate from it since😂☕

When I opened the box it was instant comfort - the packaging made it feel like I was opening a treasure chest, and I was really impressed with the quality. It even came with some tiny seashells as though straight from the beaches of Atlas!🐚

The candle smells JUST LIKE cinnamon buns and is SPARKLY!

And it came with FUZZY SOCKS just like Soren has in the book, and a cool woven battle-mate bracelet🤩

I love the prints of the Atlas siblings, and the little stickers and quote book marks.

It also came with this gorgeous special edition of the book with a bonus chapter, which I lifted from beneath the gold packaging as though unearthing it from the sand!

🧜‍♀️
You can find more info about the boxes at @sirenstrovebookbox, run by my wonderful writer friend Lina and her sister - I believe there's a different theme each month.

The box for this month is themed around Darkwind by Renee Dugan (@reneeduganwriting) - another series I ADORE, so keep an eye out for that! From the photos, the items look just as beautiful and creative✨

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📖What book do you want to see in a themed book-box?

Uh-oh...🧚 Anyone else excited for the Stranger

Uh-oh...🧚
Anyone else excited for the Stranger Things S4 finale tomorrow? I was aware of the show but hadn't watched it before this month... Suffice to say I have now caught up and I'm invested!
This shoot was inspired by the latest season, where the victims rise into the air like this, before... well, it's not pretty.

🎶What song would be powerful enough to get you out of a trance?
For me it would be The Purge by Within Temptation or Eyes Wide Open by Gotye.

🔮I've always been fascinated by characters like

🔮I've always been fascinated by characters like Maleficent, Regina from Once Upon A Time, and Clytaemnestra from Greek Mythology - women who were wronged, then abandoned or cast out, and who sought revenge as a result.

🦇It's interesting that they're "villains", yet the story they come from presents them as someone we can sympathise with. Maleficent is the main character of her film, changing the narrative from what we knew in the original Sleeping Beauty. OUAT does the same with Regina, reversing the standard "Evil Queen" into someone we watch suffer repeatedly, and can empathise with. In Aeschylus' Oresteia, we see Clytaemnestra's anguish play out onstage, and I certainly feel for her.

🔥Each of them are driven by deep grief and injustice, which I think is what humanises them as compelling characters. Their power comes as much from their raw emotions as it does from the literal magic or weapons in their hands, and the idea of a powerful solo woman striving unwaveringly towards her goal is inspiring (if a little scary - and, you know, maybe without the murder and mass-destruction😂)

🍎I love the redeemability of Maleficent and Regina, where we get to see their softer sides, and how they progress to a healthier version of themselves. They are still powerful, if not more so, as they learn how to act through love, rather than revenge✨

•

Have you seen Maleficent, Once Upon A Time and/or The Oresteia (or a similar play featuring Clytaemnestra)?💃

Also, are there any other characters you can think of that fit with this archetype? I'd love to hear about them!🧙‍♀️

🧙‍♀️What makes up your aesthetic?✨ I l

🧙‍♀️What makes up your aesthetic?✨

I love the concept of this tag - identifying the elements at the core of your aesthetic.

So, I suppose #katiecore is...

🌳Walking through a woodland in green velvet, sun-dappled as owls hoot from the trees above. It's reaching a cottage full of witchy trinkets and dried flowers, to sit on a mahogany rocking chair by the fire and begin pouring room-temperature tea into an earthenware cup.

✍️It's sitting at the writing desk with a quill and penning long letters to friends, sketching portraits on old parchment and studying paintings on the walls. It's reading out perfectly-rhymed poetry and twirling with gentle ballet to classical music and pairing the notes with everyday sounds.

☕It's toasting marshmallows over a barbecue with a mug of hot chocolate and laughing with family, tapping a rhythm on tree-bark to folk music, whispering stories by candlelight and smiling at the moon. It's standing at the end of a pier, looking out at the sunset over the sea and imagining a pirate ship on the horizon, dragons swooping amongst the stars, and the shimmer of mermaid tails in the water.

🏰It's making bad puns and telling obscure facts about history, imagining regency ballrooms, designing room decor and quoting books. It's fairy-dust and flower-rings, crumbling castles and camera-clicks, horses and rabbits, fancy dresses, long skirts and vintage heels.

🕯️It's baking with cinnamon, farmhouses and open fields, leather jackets and flared trousers, rambling and walks, secret doorways and hidden corners in libraries, ghosts and gothic turrets, layered necklaces and cloaks and vanilla candles.

🧚‍♀️It's a joy in wordplay and wit, platonic best-friendships and childhood magic, fairytales and 'Once Upon A Time'.

🧙‍♀️It's a soft spot for the quiet character who runs from the castle to become the witch of the wood.
-

(There's an attempt, anyway. Did I do it right?!?😂)

I'd love to hear your take on your own aesthetic!! (Either in a comment here or in a post.) I've tagged some who I think would enjoy this tag (sorry if you've already done it - feel free to send me yours if I haven't seen it yet!), but consider yourself tagged if not ✨

🌄"𝑨𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚,
𝑻𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒋𝒐𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚."
(- from The Bard of Berribury Fair, a poem in my book draft🧝‍♂️)

This quote captures my mood today, as the sky dips into pink and the trees outside my window twinkle with birdsong and sunset. I've just finished uni for the year, I had a lovely day with my family, and I feel the distinct magic of inspiration in the Spring air. It feels like a spreading of wings somehow, like a fairy awakening after a cold winter, and emerging from the hollow to take flight again🧚‍♀️

After I made 'quality over quantity' my focus word for 2022... perhaps I took it a little too far😂 Joking apart, although I haven't posted in a while, I've felt very connected with my creativity these last few months. I've loved working on my book, prioritising fun, taking uni easy, and spending time with family and friends - the 'quality over quantity' mindset is working well for me so far. I wanted to wait until I felt the time was right to post on here again - and the time has come!💕

I'll give you a full update soon about how I've been getting on, but for now I'd like to send you wishes of inspiration and calm.

See you soon, enchanted folk.
Katie🧙‍♀️🌿

P.S. This is Barny the owl. He's a writing companion, and he'd love to know all about how you've been getting on with your creative projects!🦉

✨What's something you've felt inspired by lately, or something you're looking forward to in the coming weeks?✨

⚓Adventuring with my pal @kabyburton_music (Cred

🥂What's something you're looking forward to in

🥂What's something you're looking forward to in 2022?

A while ago, my lovely friend @b.solis_ was telling me how at the end of each year, she picks a particular focus-word for the upcoming one.

It could be 'Gratitude', 'Adventure', or 'Self-forgiveness' - and you can tailor it to apply to your personal goals and hopes for the year.

I've decided that mine for 2022 will be 'Quality over quantity'. Something I struggle with in life is juggling multitudes of options: which TV show to watch; which photo filter to choose; which synonym works best.
Though I love being detail-oriented and interested in lots of things, it can also get overwhelming and unfulfilling.
To help with this, I want to narrow my field of view with projects and tasks; to focus on depth, rather than breadth.

• I plan to sift through old photos and select the most important ones, to put in photobooks I can actually enjoy and treasure, rather than having to wade through a huge file store every time I want to look back at memories.

• I hope to declutter my room and let go of items that don't hold much meaning or purpose for me - the random odds and ends in a box that I haven't needed, or the ornaments I've had for ages but that I'm not really attached to.
I'll put them in a 'quarantine box' for a while to see if I miss them over 6 months, then if not, they can go - out of sight and out of mind.

• For both uni work and while drafting, I endeavour to refine my writing: not so much to lose my cadence and tone, but enough to bring my points into sharper focus.

We'll see how it goes😂

🥂Here's to a new year, enchanted folk.
May it bring you wonder and magic✨
•

(P.S. Thank you to everyone in this community who has contributed to making many moments of this year positive and joyful. Sorry I couldn't fit everyone in the tags - I added them in a random order and stopped when it was full😅 You all know who you are🥰)

•
📖 What is your focus-word for 2022?📖

✨🎄 Sending magic your way this Christmas Eve

✨🎄 Sending magic your way this Christmas Eve day🎄✨

Christmas has always been magical for me, and I'm certain that no matter how old I get, and even though its form changes over time, it always will be.
Even the memories of beautiful times can carry the magic of the past into the present.

From the mellow cinnamon warmth of fruit punch, to the minty sweetness of candy canes; watching Christmas films during the day and reading illustrated storybooks in the evening.

The excitement of hanging stockings, and leaving cookies out for Santa (with a carrot for Rudolph). Tiptoeing out to the front porch in gingerbread-print pyjamas, to scatter glittery oats on the driveway for the reindeer.

Looping the shiny red ribbon of the magic key around the door handle, in lieu of a chimney, for Santa to post through the letter box after delivering the presents. Eyes squeezed shut with twinkly excitement as night-time settles; not daring to peek until the blue dusk of morning wakes the magic of Christmas day...

This was the Christmas of my childhood, and even though it might be a little different each year, the magic still carries through it.

In the words of Kermit:

"I don't know if you believe in Christmas
Or if you have presents underneath the Christmas tree
But if you believe in love, that will be more than enough
For peace to last throughout the coming year"

And in the words of Terry Pratchett:

"It didn't stop being magic just because you found out how it was done."

Wishing you a magical Christmas Eve and Day, folks - no matter how you celebrate (if at all)☃️

✨🎄What are your Christmas Eve traditions?🎄✨

🔊(Sound on) Here's an abridged snippet from th

🔊(Sound on)

Here's an abridged snippet from the audiobook I narrated!

It features Keira and Ronan - enemies from two warring families - finding themselves face to face with each other after 4 years apart. Keira thought Ronan had died, after murdering her father...

...but did he do it?

Find out in Daughter of the Deep by Lina C. Amarego (@lina_amarego_writes) - available in ebook, paperback, hardback and audiobook.

(Instagram always reduces the audio quality, so it's a lot clearer in the actual audiobook 🥰)

I hope you're having a lovely Christmas Eve Eve, folks! I'm feeling the festive spirit more strongly now🥰🎄

✨What are some of your favourite enemies to lovers stories? I'd love to hear your recommendations!✨

🏰 What's your favourite setting that features i

🏰 What's your favourite setting that features in your writing project - or your current read?

From my book, I reckon my favourite location has got to be the gothic mansion the characters visit midway through. It becomes a hub and a safe space for them, as well as a place of learning and uncovering mysteries. It also becomes very important for my main character Zoe's arc as the story progresses.

It's spooky, rickety, grand, and just a little bit haunted...

➡️ Swipe for some quotes from my draft.

•
•
For those intrigued, here's an extended snippet from the scene where it's introduced:

' “𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆!” 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒄𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅, 𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒔. “𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚?”

“𝑶𝒓 𝒂 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚.” 𝑴𝒐 𝒈𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒅.

𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒍 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆. *𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂.*

𝑰 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅.
𝑴𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅, 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓.
“𝑲𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒖𝒑, 𝒈𝒖𝒚𝒔. 𝑾𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉.”

“𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒘.” 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒘, 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. “𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔.”

“𝑬𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚. 𝑺𝒐 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒖𝒑.” 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓.

"𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒊𝒇 𝒘𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆..." 𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅, “𝑾𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒏𝒐?”

Do you reckon they go into the house after that?...
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✨Tell me about a location from your Work-In-Progress✍️

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Latest Posts

The Innkeeper by Keaton D. Winter – A humbling reminder of the beauty in kindness 15 March 2021
‘Darkwind’ by Renee Dugan: A Magical Journey of Building Resilience, Forging Friendships, and Embracing Possibility… 30 November 2020
Rebecca (2020) Review: More Bland Than Bittersweet 22 November 2020
Looking to the Edges: The Space Between Categories 20 November 2020

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