I didn’t have high hopes for productivity in July. The first week was spent in Jamaica doing nothing but lounging on the beach, a much needed break from the real world. But I always have a bit of a vacation hangover, and between that and how freaking hot it’s been in July, I assumed it would be a lazy month.

Boy was I wrong…

But first things first, reviews! And I read a LOT of books this month thanks to my lovely beach vacation. So I am going to keep these short and sweet. Some great recommendations and a few disappointments…

What I Read

GRAND TOTAL: 9

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno 

Royally Screwed by Emma Chase 

The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E Reichert

Little Black Lies by Sandra Block 

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas 

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young 

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Camino Island by John Grisham 

Write Naked by Jennifer Probst .

I am not counting them here, but I also made great progress on my goal of rereading the Throne of Glass series before the finale is released in October. A little too much progress as I read five out of the seven this month alone. So much for savoring them… Oops.

What I Wrote

Like I said above, I wasn’t expecting July to be very productive. Between my vacation and family coming in town at the end, I didn’t even really have a full month to work with.

But I had agreed to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo with a few writing friends, so I figured I’d do my best.

For those of you unfamiliar with Camp NaNoWriMo, it’s a month-long challenge to write as much as you can. In November, it’s a whopping 50K words. In April and July, you can set your own goals but are encouraged to challenge yourself.

At the start of the month, I set a goal to write 20K words in July. To my immense surprised, I hit that on Day 10. So for the hell of it – thinking I’d never make it – I doubled my goal to 40K. I hit that one week ago. And throughout the month of July I ended up with a grand total of 50,146 words!

Granted they are terrible and the entire draft is a hot mess. But that’s what first drafts are supposed to be, so I will take it! I am extremely proud of my accomplishments this month and am hoping to carry that momentum over to August.

Next week, I’ll be releasing a blog discussing the lessons my friends and I learned during Camp NaNo in the hopes that it will help you on your writing journey too!

Coming Up

My goal for August is to finish writing Act Two of my WIP, The Blood Between Us. That’s about 10 chapters, so I am aiming for 30,000 words. I am also going to outline the rest of the novel, including the ending which I am pumped to write.

I’m also happy to announce that I have my first editing client, and I will be line editing her novel throughout the next week or two. If you are interested in booking my editorial services – whether queries, synopses, or your full novel – check out your options here.

As far as reading goes, I’ve gotten back in the habit of reading each night before bed instead of watching TV, and I’ve loved it. It helps my brain start to relax, and we all know electronics don’t help you sleep. So here’s the list of books I plan to attack this month:

• Sea Witch by Sarah Whining
• Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
• Royally Matched by Emma Chase
• Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
• A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman