I have had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful content creators during my time online. So many of these deserve a shout-out so here is the first (of many). Check out these creators!
Author Shout-out: O.J. Barré
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O.J. Barré hails from the lushly forested, red-clay hills near Atlanta, Georgia. From birth, O.J. was a force of nature. Barefoot and freckled, headstrong and gifted; she was, and is, sensitive to a fault. Books became her refuge as a young child, allowing O.J. to escape the confines of her turbulent alcoholic home on adventures to untold places and times. Her daddy's mother was a Willoughby, making O.J. a direct descendant of William the Conqueror. Her Awen series is a love letter to that distant past.Let's look at O.J.'s books!
Author Shout-out: Tessa Hastjarjanto
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Tessa Hastjarjanto is a Dutch/Indonesian writer from the Netherlands. She writes speculative fiction, and blogs at narratess.com about books, fountain pens, and writing.From a young age, she imitated popular stories and games in creating her own worlds. This love eventually led to a master's degree in media and game studies at the University of Utrecht. However a mundane desk job was enough to inspire her to follow her creative passion. The first fanfics were written in lunch breaks and soon original fiction followed.
With the support of her husband, she now focuses on her writing career while battling chronic pain. Swiss white shepherd, Shiro, acts as a therapy dog to keep her healthy and reduce stress through extensive cuddle sessions.
Let's take a look at Tessa's books!
Guest Post: Depression Nest by Rachael Hawksworth
Depression Nest
It may not seem like much but today I cleaned my room.
Days like these dont come too often
Even if I didnt wake up till noon,
I still cleaned my room.
Life gets heavy sometimes
Depression weighs you down,
And no matter how much you want a clean, welcoming space
Motivation isnt easily found
Today I cleaned my room
Iv been meaning to do it for a while now
I swear Im not lazy, just down
Most days I feel happy
Some days I feel overcome
Other days arnt great at all
But the worst are when I'm numb
Not happy,
Not sad,
Not excited,
Not even bad…
While this might sound ideal,
life doesnt feel real
and its absolutely no way live…
…not able to feel.
Thats when I let myself go
Self care isnt a priority
Iv lost myself and I dont know…
How do I get back to ‘’normality’’
My personal space is neglected
Before I know it Im living in a mess
It may seem weird from the outside
But theres something comforting about my Depression nest
A small part of the world
Which is mine alone
Safe, messy, mine
In my nest, unknown.
To the outside world
I seem put together
Organised, confident, happy
Little do they know, I'm untethered.
It may not seem like much but today I cleaned my room.
Days like these dont come too often
Even if I didnt wake up till noon,
I still cleaned my room.
Life gets heavy sometimes
Depression weighs you down,
And no matter how much you want a clean, welcoming space
Motivation isnt easily found
Today I cleaned my room
Iv been meaning to do it for a while now
I swear Im not lazy, just down
Most days I feel happy
Some days I feel overcome
Other days arnt great at all
But the worst are when I'm numb
Not happy,
Not sad,
Not excited,
Not even bad…
While this might sound ideal,
life doesnt feel real
and its absolutely no way live…
…not able to feel.
Thats when I let myself go
Self care isnt a priority
Iv lost myself and I dont know…
How do I get back to ‘’normality’’
My personal space is neglected
Before I know it Im living in a mess
It may seem weird from the outside
But theres something comforting about my Depression nest
A small part of the world
Which is mine alone
Safe, messy, mine
In my nest, unknown.
To the outside world
I seem put together
Organised, confident, happy
Little do they know, I'm untethered.
But today, I cleaned my room.
To most, this had no meaning.
Something normal, a part of life
But for me, its healing.
To most, this had no meaning.
Something normal, a part of life
But for me, its healing.
Rachael is a lifestyle, travel and self-care blogger at https://rachaelhawksworth.com/. You can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Book Review: The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant
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Title: The Hatmakers
Author: Tamzin Merchant
Illustrator: Paola Escobar
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Review:
In The Hatmakers we are introduced to a unique and creative magical world set in England in the past but with a difference: there are families who make magical clothes and accessories that impact the wearer. Items that can make you feel brave or calm or sleep and so many other things. Cordelia is the youngest hatmaker. Her father has gone missing and strange things start happening. With a war looming, can Cordelia find her father and work out what is going on?
A Look At... Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega
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Title: Witchlings
Author: Claribel A. Ortega
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Buy links: Book Depository - Waterstones - Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.com
Synopsis:
A middle grade Latine witch story with action-packed adventure, a coven of quirky Witchlings, humour and girl-power vibes.
Every year, in the magical town of Ravenskill, Witchlings who participate in the Black Moon Ceremony are placed into covens and come into their powers as full-fledged witches.
And twelve-year-old Seven Salazar can't wait to be placed in the most powerful coven with her best friend! But on the night of the ceremony, in front of the entire town, Seven isn't placed in one of the five covens. She's a Spare!
Guest Post: An Iota of Visibility
Most people don't know that I have seizure disorder. I can walk in a (quote-unquote) "normal" way and talk in a "normal" way. I can respond to social cues. When I inform people that I have a disability, they say things like "You're not in a wheelchair; you can't be disabled," or "My cousin is blind. Whatever you have isn't so bad."
I'm not wheelchair-bound and I'm not blind, thank goodness. But I do deal with seizures every single day of my life.
I get small "absence" seizures that last 1-3 seconds long. If I'm standing under bright light (like a florescent lightbulb or the sunlight), the seizures will repeat over and over. Trying to focus when this happens feels chaotic and disorienting, like trying to read while being in a wavepool. I'll slur my speech and blink my eyes rapidly. I cannot get tasks done. I'll lose my place in a conversation, forgetting what I had just said, or what has just been said to me.
I'm not wheelchair-bound and I'm not blind, thank goodness. But I do deal with seizures every single day of my life.
I get small "absence" seizures that last 1-3 seconds long. If I'm standing under bright light (like a florescent lightbulb or the sunlight), the seizures will repeat over and over. Trying to focus when this happens feels chaotic and disorienting, like trying to read while being in a wavepool. I'll slur my speech and blink my eyes rapidly. I cannot get tasks done. I'll lose my place in a conversation, forgetting what I had just said, or what has just been said to me.
Indie Showcase #3 A New Way of Story-Telling: Serialised Stories on Kindle Vella
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I recently learned about this new platform for writers. Kindle Vella, currently only US-based. Writers can publish a story in 'episodes' or chapters at a time. The first few episodes are free to read and then you can purchase Kindle tokens to read more. The writers release a new episode every week so you can essentially read a whole book on a chapter by chapter basis, much like how webcomics are released. Writers earn through reads and they also get bonuses which really help them.
Here are a few writers who use Kindle Vella:
A Look At... The Mapmakers by Tamzin Merchant
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Title: The Mapmakers (The Hatmakers, book 2)
Author: Tamzin Merchant
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Buy links: Book Depository - Waterstones - Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.com
Synopsis:
Return to the spellbinding world of Cordelia Hatmaker in this soaring magical sequel to The Hatmakers. Perfect for fans of Nevermoor and A Pinch of Magic.
Ever since Cordelia discovered the hidden map in her father's precious telescope, she's been searching the streets of London by starlight and trying to uncover its secrets. She's sure that her missing father is out there somewhere, and that if she follows his map, she'll finally discover the truth about his disappearance.
Christmas Gift Guide: Gifts for Everyone from Waterstones
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With Christmas fast approaching and supplies running low, you may be at a loss as to what to get people for Christmas. Well, here are some really fun and cute Christmas gift ideas!
I love plushies and Waterstones have a ton of plushies based on book characters, the perfect gift for any age!
Waterstones have lots of different jigsaw puzzles, some based on books and others just for fun, such as this cat puzzle.
