October 2023 Recap

It feels like I spent most of October traveling, preparing to travel, or recovering for travel. Which has left me feeling like I didn't get much done this much, or had much time for things I enjoy. But life is like that sometimes. So let's dive into what October held for me.

• My family took our annual vacation to the Outer Banks at the start of the month. It was a good time. No rain, perfect weather, and lots of thrifting and antiquing. We also stayed an extra day, which made our schedule feel a little more relaxed.

• I traveled to New York for a friend's wedding. While the traveling part wasn't great, I did enjoy the wedding. They're both amazing people and I can't wait to see what's in store for them during this next phase of life.

• I did some Halloween stuff, like carving a catbus pumpkin and dressing up as Rosie the Riveter for our church's Reformation Day party. Great fun all around.

• My sisters and I went to see the Eras Tour Movie! It was awesome and (thankfully) not too wild. I had a great time.

• The Long Patrol- Brian Jacques* (5 stars)

• Hallow'een Party- Agatha Christie (4 stars)

• Shades of Rust and Ruin- A. G. Howard (4 stars)

• Marlfox- Brian Jacques* (4 stars)

• Oathbound- Victoria McCombs (3 stars)

• My Hero Academia, Vol. 1- Kohei Horikoshi (4 stars)

• Mission: Impossible (I rewatched this entire series with my youngest brother, which was a blast)

• Ferris Bueller's Day Off (such a lovable manipulator)

• Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (with a little tweaking, this could be a great movie)

• Dungeon & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (as everyone said, loads of fun)

• Practical Magic (not what I expected)

• 13 Going On 30 (better than anticipated)

• Dracula Untold (I wanted it to be so much better)

• Mission: Impossible III (great in spite of the constant shaky cam)

• Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol (one of my favorites in the entire series)

• Casper (the romance weirded me out)

• The Nightmare Before Christmas (one of my all time favorite movies)

• Moana (watched with a kid I was babysitting, who made sure to explain everything to me)

• Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation (has great parts, but also a lot of forgettable parts)

• Mission: Impossible- Fallout (an absolutely fantastic film)

• My Cousin Rachel (I liked it even less than the book)

I spent my month continuing edits on New Magic. After getting back from vacation, I started at the beginning and worked my way through the book, editing and polishing it up.

I still have a bit to go, so I won't complete my goal of finishing the edits this month. But I've made good, encouraging progress and I look forward to maybe getting back in the querying trenches next month.

6 More Popular Books I Didn't Like

Why I Ship Wirt and Beatrice

Fast Fashion, Sustainability, and Good Stewardship

• At the end of September, I finished my next Disney princess- Pocahontas. This one came together much easier than Jasmine did, which I'm glad for. I had fun playing with high fashion and Native American motifs.

• Then the rest of October was dedicated to Inktober. I'll post a full recap of that next week, so stay tuned.

• Complete New Magic edits, update my query materials, and hopefully send new queries. If I don't complete it next month, I might wait until January to start again due to the holidays.

• I hope to have a quieter month so I can do some of the stuff I couldn't in October. More reading, a little more gaming, and more music practice. I barely practiced in October and that makes me sad.

• It's time to start Christmas planning! I need to figure out gifts for everyone so I can get started on my shopping/creating.

How was your October? Did you travel anywhere? Tell me in the comments!