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🥂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🥰)

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📖 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?🎄✨

🏰 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.” 𝑲𝒂𝒊 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✍️

🕯️Do you enjoy horror in books and movies?🕯️

Despite loving spooky aesthetics and stories, I don't like horror films. My imagination tends to spin vivid images from them and I'll inevitably be freaked out for a long while afterwards.

I think psychological thrillers are the most affecting, because they mess with your mind's sense of reality and what is safe. It's the ones that take the simplest, most innocent things of daily life and make them jarring and unnatural, that I find the most harrowing.

As shown in Doctor Who episodes 'Listen' (where a disembodied shape lurks under a blanket on the bed) and 'Midnight' (where an invisible spirit takes over people's minds and makes them copycat everything you say until it can speak at the exact same time as you), some of the scariest things are the ones we can't see.

I attempted watching The Haunting of Hill House last month, and made it through the first episode! But I almost chickened out 3 times because of the tension build-up. It was literally a person sitting in a bed in a mansion room as the camera zoomed in - but my anticipation of something scary was far worse than the actual scare itself, and that's the part I hate🙈

It depends what it is, though. If there is creepiness framed within a world that feels comfortable - cosy, even - and you feel safe with the characters.. elements of horror can be fun. It also helps when there is plenty of humour to balance out the scary stuff: E.g. Supernatural, Doctor Who, The Addams Family, BBC Ghosts, What We Do In The Shadows.

In the latter 3, the 'creepy' or unusual characters are the protagonists we root for - shown to be endearing, vulnerable, funny and human - which means we aren't scared of them, but laugh with them.

One of my absolute favourite movies is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and one of my favourite book series, Lockwood and Co., involves some pretty spooky ghosts (I'm rereading them now and they're still effective!). I find both so comforting.

As you'll have noticed, those are designed for the young adult age, so it's no wonder they're not too scary.

Why?

Because of how the scariness is framed.

🕯️What scares you most?🕯️

✨📚 What have you read recently that has broug

✨📚 What have you read recently that has brought you joy?📚✨

Whether it's a new book world you've been absorbed in, a gripping article, or even an Instagram caption that made you smile - what is something that has captured your joy of reading lately?

Or perhaps you've been in more of a slump. I had some weeks this year where my love of reading seemed to be obscured in a dull fog.

But this week, it's returned stronger and more vibrant than it has been for the entire year! I've actually enjoyed reading multiple 40-page criticism documents for my four uni modules, so I've got that satisfied sense of having completed work and learnt things.

I've also been enjoying a readalong with the lovely Anna @booksilove.gr. We're reading The Great Chimera, and the prose is so beautifully lyrical - reminiscent of Greek epics!

Has anyone else been feeling nostalgic for old favourites and comfort reads as we draw nearer to Christmas? I've been rereading The Wee Free Men (the book that made me fall in love with the fantasy genre, and Terry Pratchett's writing, when I was about 8!) It's so cosy and fun to reread - and I'm getting so much out of re-experiencing it years on.

I also hope to finish An Evanescent Shadow by Brianne Wik, and Lightfall by Renee Dugan - two books I've had on pause and that I'm very excited to jump back into.

Probably, my brain has realised it's near the end of the year and now wants to catch up on my Goodreads goal as much as possible 😂 The cosy winter weather probably helps too!

Now I'm going to tune in to @reneeduganwriting's livestream to celebrate the release of book 5 from her Starchaser Saga - 'BLOODSINGER'!

Happy Tuesday all - sending well-wishes and cosy winter vibes your way✨☕

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📚 Anyone else been on a reading spree this week too? 📚
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❄️ Share a snow day memory of yours?❄️ •

❄️ Share a snow day memory of yours?❄️
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It snowed on Monday!!
We haven't had snow in November for years, I don't think😮

I woke up to golden sunlight streaming into my room, and lifted the blind to see a glittering blanket of icing-powder covering the whole village view. The snowflakes on the sloping roof beneath my window were actually sparkling! It was magical😍

In my cosy red dressing gown, I put fluffy socks and my black lace-up boots on, then tiptoed across the edge of the garden (so as to avoid leaving footprints through the even white) armed with toast, hot chocolate and a new book - 'The Name of the Wind' by Patrick Rothfuss.

Perching on a chair in the outbuilding, I sat and read while eating my breakfast.
The chapter I read fit the vibe well, featuring an atmospheric tavern, mysterious innkeeper, and autumnal landscapes in a fantasy setting. It was also named 'A Beautiful Day', which I think was rather apt.

In England, we're lucky if we get more snow than 5 centimetres once a year - so snow days tend to stick in my mind because of their rarity and novelty.

I remember the year it snowed on my sister's birthday and school was cancelled, then the time many people from the village went out for a walk all wrapped up warm, and we went sledding at the park. A different year, we built a huge snowman in the front garden - and another, my sister built a snow-Gruffalo with the light dusting we had in the back garden one February.

It always reminds me of the magic that exist in this world, and how beautiful even the coldest of winters can look.
It also put me in such a Christmassy mood, which ive been feeling since!!

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🎄Are you feeling the Christmas spirit yet? (If you celebrate)🎄

🃏"How the grinning jester might be a leering sk

🃏"How the grinning jester might be a leering skull in disguise"...💀

Are morbidity and humour intertwined?

There's a duality to everything, and it's strange to think how closely alike two seemingly opposite themes can be. Sometimes, visual associations help us to notice those similarities - such as the skull being compared to a jester in this book.

Picture a sharp metal implement, one that can be wielded to cause damage.
Are you imagining it?

What did you see?

Maybe a dagger, or a sword...

...but how about a pen?
They're not far different in description: both made of metal, both drawing to a fine point - maybe even utilised to similar effect! But the main difference is in their intended use, and the subtle linguistic difference between drawing a sword vs. drawing WITH a pen. It's also down to the visual associations they conjure: the enrobed monk hunching over a writing desk, versus the chainmail-clad warrior striking an enemy with a steel sword.

So, two contrasting concepts can be separated by a finer line than we might think, such as humour in death, mercy in violence, peace in war.
Those opposing themes, when placed side-by-side, reveal differences that help solidify their similarities.

• Humour reminds us that life is short, and we must laugh while we still can.

• Mercy highlights how our quality of life always hangs in the balance of a single person's actions.

• Peace reveals what exists in the space we take for granted in the absence of conflict, and how miniscule a difference there is between silence and disruption.

At least, that's what came to mind for me when I thought about it a bit.

•
🃏I'm interested to know if you've found examples of this in your current writing project, or in your current read...

One of the key things that springs to mind for my book is the duality of my main character, Zoe. She feels extremely anxious in front of a crowd, and wants to be away from people... yet her biggest dream is to read her own writing aloud to a large audience. It's a sort of paradox, I suppose.

✨Do you recognise this within yourself? What other contradictions do you, or your favourite characters, have? I'd be fascinated to know!✨

📜Once upon a time, eleven wordsmiths gathered o

📜Once upon a time, eleven wordsmiths gathered outside an apothecary, before journeying from bookshop to bookshop until they arrived at a candlelit tavern. Each took their place at an oval oak table, where stories were told and glasses were clinked and laughter echoed into the evening. There was something in the air that day, floating on the breeze... and those willing to look closely enough knew that it was Magic✨

I had the honour of being invited to a UK writers meet-up yesterday, and it really felt as fairytale as that! The magic of Bookstagram continues in person.

I found the small gathering at the train station (keeping an eye out for Venetia's beautiful candyfloss-pink coat), and we were chatting right away.

When we walked into Waterstones, an energy filled the space, as if the books knew they were in the presence of enthusiastic readers. I picked up a book that looked interesting, and Rebecca (who happened to be standing nearby) said she loved it, and it got her out of a reading slump a few years ago. So I had an immediate recommendation for the first novel I saw - and you bet I bought it!

We laughed about failing book-buying bans with Sam, and trying to relate to non-readers with Megan, before trooping through the rain to a rather posh bookshop. All the books were wrapped in plastic coverings, and they had a His Dark Materials edition for £3000😮 Kat was tempted, but somehow none of us ended up getting that one... though I did buy a signed copy of Stephen Fry's latest book.

We went on to the pub, which was decorated like a Victorian study with a Christmas tree in the corner and two pretty chairs by the fireplace, and chatted over roast dinner. I related to Victoria about the drafting process, praised literary classics with Charli, gushed about fantasy with Esme, and marvelled at book covers with Victoria P.

After much laughter and taking photos, it was time to go - but not before getting a signed book from Luke!

As we shared our joy for reading and writing, I realised how safe it felt, like here on Bookstagram. It's as if I've known them my whole life.

Here's to finding 'our people'.🥂

📚Who do you like to go book-shopping with?📚

➡️Swipe for a snippet of the audiobook I've na

➡️Swipe for a snippet of the audiobook I've narrated!⚓

Do you like listening to audiobooks? Depending on the narrator, I do - but I definitely don't listen to them as often as I'd like, especially considering I'm now contributing to that sphere of media!

Curious to know more about this audiobook I recorded?..

It's called Daughter of the Deep, written by Lina C. Amarego (@lina_amarego_writes), and it's a new-adult book (so there is some explicit material throughout). The story involves pirates, seafaring, mythology, magical creatures, war, singing, bloodshed, dancing, tears, and lots of laughter.

"The sea was silent, the day of my wedding..."

It's available to buy from Audible, Amazon and iTunes now!

Thank you so much to all those who have shared, commented and generally shown enthusiasm and support for this project - Lina and I really appreciate it❤️ And a special thank you to those who have already messaged me saying you've bought it!!🤩

(In case you haven't heard the full trailer yet, see my previous post - and its caption, for more details behind the audiobook and the process!)

The Daughter of the Deep audiobook features me attempting to do various accents for different characters, which was good fun! Apologies to anyone who actually has one of the accents I attempted; I tried me best😂

⚓Out of interest, which do you think is more difficult to do accurately:
A Yorkshire accent, cockney accent, or Irish accent?⚓

🔊Exciting news, folks!!! The audiobook I've bee

🍎What's your favourite fairytale/children's sto

🍎What's your favourite fairytale/children's story?🍎

...And what's an aspect of it that captures your imagination?

Perhaps it's the chilling wintry aesthetic of The Snow Queen, the kinship of the dwarfs in Snow White, the bookishness of Belle in Beauty and the Beast, the timeless romance of Cinderella, or the childlike freedom of Peter Pan...

I'm counting all stories that are included in the TV show Once Upon A Time - so the classic Grimm's fairytales, but also Frankenstein, 101 Dalmatians, Jekyll and Hyde, and basically any other Disney princess movie you want to count!

🍄Then, do you have a favourite movie adaptation of a fairytale? Is it the same one as your first answer?🍄

My answers:

I struggle to choose a favourite fairytale, but I do adore Beauty and the Beast - I feel like the story is more unconventional than the typical fairytale setup, I relate to Belle a lot, and I love that she has such agency in the plot. On the other hand, my favourite adaptation of a fairytale has got to be Tangled - just the humour, the aesthetics, the poignant undertones, and Flynn Rider (the best Disney prince, I accept no other answer😌)

I'd love to know your responses!🧙‍♀️

🌳✨ Once Upon A Dream, I ventured into the for

🌳✨ Once Upon A Dream, I ventured into the forest...

My trailing cloak, dark as death, ruffled the sleeping leaves of ochre and bronze that the earth wore like a shawl. The soil bore their weight as a spine clutches parchment; entwined as the vines on the peeling trunks I passed; inseparable as the green veins in my pale hand, clutching the steady staff that pressed into the soil beside my floating steps.

Not a sound did my pointed leather boots make, concealed by shadow as mist swirled over the silver of my rings. Velvet hung heavy from my shoulders, and time weighed dearly on my heart.

As the night wind rippled with life, emerald light fizzed from my fingertips. I twirled it like a goblet between the talon-sharp nails of my left hand... until the glow whirled up and up, and round and round, past the apple-red of my smirk, along the sharp edges of my elven cheekbones, round the piercing green of my widened eyes, until it caressed the ribbed ebony of my spiralled horns...then floated away into the indigo sky.

The magic flew, with wings free as my own, all the way to the ivory beacon gleaming from that mysterious swirling pool, peering from her throne amongst the ink-steeped cotton-wool clouds.

My solitude whispered through the midnight chill as I wandered through the woodland, my path parting the arms of branches like a serpent gliding through water.

Though I was the most frightening creature in the forest that night, my presence conjured no harm for those who slumbered under the blanket of darkness. After all, my only witness was the moon - singing her ballad of serenity over my midnight-draped shoulder.

[- written by me]
•

🌳A bit of a Maleficent-inspired perspective for you there, folks!
I LOVED dressing up as her for Halloween - I didn't quite walk through a forest like that, but this description is what I'd imagine it would've been like if I had!! I was wearing green contact lenses, but I have edited my eyes in these photos to look even brighter green, for the effect!

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🧙‍♀️If you were to join me (as Maleficent) for a moonlit midnight walk, which other Disney/fairytale villain would you dress up as? Let me know in the comments!🧙‍♀️

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