The Last Week Or Two

I didn't post last week (I've been aiming for once a week). Why? I spent the weekend attending DVCON and it was been great. Really good panels. Really good people. To be honest, some of what the panels talked about I already knew since I've been a member of the WCYR for a few years. What I found invaluable was how the same things I've already learned can be changed / altered / influenced by the fact that I'm a visible minority / marginalized / diverse voice. Perspective can really change so much. It was the first DVCON, born from #DVPit. It was free, but I would have paid to go. The information and inspiration was fantastic. I also "met" some great people. We've followed each other on Twitter and Instagram. I've also joined a couple Discord groups, which typically isn't my thing (I have a hard time with chat rooms), but everyone has been sharing information and supporting each other. I've watched people find Critique Partners and Beta Readers. Writing can be so isolating, and if you're not part of some kind of group, it can be difficult to get the feedback you need to grow. Friends and family worry about your feelings and don't necessarily have the insight another writer does. 

I finished: How to be an Anti-Racist, by Ibram X. Kendi. It was so good, so interesting. I listened to the audiobook. I really liked his reading style (is that a thing?). How to be an Anti-Racist was part memoir, part history lesson, part instruction manual. It was so engaging, that when it got to the end (I won't tell you what happened), I was concerned and ready to cry. I really can't recommend this book enough.

I finished: We Hunt the Flame, by Hafsah Faizal. I've had it sitting in my Kindle app for a while. When I signed up for DVCON and she was going to be speaking, I knew I had to read it. It was so good. Just so good. I enjoyed the world, the characters, the story. Everything. I can't wait to read the sequel. I also enjoyed the panel and what she had to say. She/they offered us information I had not considered before. I'm definitely ready for the sequel, which was just released.

I finished: The A.I. Who Loved Me, by Alyssa Cole. Alyssa Cole has become one of my favourite romance authors. I'm pretty much ready to ready anything she writes. She blends romance into other genres that she writes in. The A.I. Who Loved Me is a near-future sci-fi romance. I thought there would only be a little sci-fi in the novel, but it surprised me. The Hive is very scary, like if Amazon ruled the US. I wonder if Cole will write more stories set in this world. I also saw her speak at DVCON. I think I could listen to her talk about writing and stories all day.

I finished: Lumberjanes: Stone Cold, by Shannon Watters, et al. I love Lumberjanes. I've been reading them for a few years. Stone Cold is the 8th volume in the series. I feel like "don't make assumptions" and "don't judge a book by it's cover" were really prevalent in the story. Also, "friendship to the max". I haven't met a Lumberjane I didn't like.

I also binged the Thor movies with my daughter. I think she wanted to watch Loki (who doesn't). We ended up watching the first Avengers movie too. It was fun. She knew a surprising amount of behind-the-scenes stuff and I asked her if she Googled MCU stuff. Not specifically. She Googled Iron Man stuff (her favourite superhero) and fell down the internet MCU rabbit hole. 

What's coming up this week? More work on the edits for my manuscript. Maybe updating the Me! and Writing Life portions of the blog. Edits again. Contemplating the fate of the characters in the manuscript. Reading some more poems by Maya Angelou. Maybe writing some new words for my next novel. 

Lumberjanes: Out of Time

The more I read the Lumberjanes series, the more I love them. These are some fantastic girls. Their personalities shine. They are so different, and they love each other so much. They love Jen. I was glad we got to spend more time with her. Being their Camp Counselor must be so hard! They are always getting into trouble, sneaking out, or fighting the supernatural! What is Jen to do? Jen understands the girls more in Out of Time, and she learns more about Rosie too. I think this is the most we've seen Rosie. Rosie is usually this overarching presence, without being involved directly in what the girls do. This time though, Rosie finds herself in the midst of not just saving Jen and the girls, but the whole forest.

I really liked that we got to see more of the forest and what lives in those woods. Is every creature living there evil? Are any of them? We learned more about the Bear Woman too. I feel like there's so much more to that story.

What about Abigail? When are we going to see her again? Because she's not done with the forest or Rosie. What happened to her was sad, but she did not deal with it well. She was an interesting character, a real contrast to those we've met so far. 

Jo was a stand out for me too. She always seemed like such a leader to me, sure of herself and her place among the group. In Out of Time we got to see her have doubts. She had to deal with one of the Scouting Lads from earlier in the series. April befriended Barney and we got to see him return with his kitten (which was a call back to the brainwashing story, so that was fun). Barney wants to be a Lumberjane so much, he wants to go on adventures and thinks these girls are amazing. Through this interaction, we get to see Jo grow as a person, become more mature and reflect on herself. We also get to see her call her Dads and what that reveals about the camp the girls are in.

Lumberjanes: Out of Time was the fun and uplifting story I wanted it to be. I'm so glad I have more Lumberjanes waiting for me. I've introduced them to my daughter too. I'm excited to start talking to her about these fun and fantastic stories.

Lumberjanes: A Terrible Plan

You know what isn't "a terrible plan"? Reading this book. Lumberjanes #3: A Terrible Plan was fun. It was lighter than the previous two books. I felt like the girls were in less mortal peril.  A Terrible Plan was about the girls having an opportunity to navigate normal life and learn more about each other. There was definitely still some adventure. Some questions were answered, more were asked.

A Terrible Plan was the book that I needed. I have been in a reading slump. It has been a little while, but I have also been in denial. Since the new year, I had only finished one book. One! When I'm not reading, I'm not writing very much either. When I think about it, I feel bad. I feel as though I'm missing something. I started reading It when this reading slump began (not realizing that I was in a slump). I have been struggling through it. Not that I am not enjoying it. Once I pick it up and have time to dive into it, I enjoy it. I'm excited to see what happens in Derry, what happened when they were kids, and what will happen to Pennywise. But trying to get through a Stephen King novel is not how I get through a slump, though I tried and tried. I was about halfway through when I decided to take a break. I decided what I needed was a fun graphic novel. I think Lumberjanes: A Terrible Plan may have just done the trick. I'm feeling more excited about reading. The story and the art grabbed me. Am I reading to go back to It? No. Next, I'm going to read Wonder Woman: War. (The cover is freaky.)

Maybe I'll need to read another Lumberjanes book or I'll decide I need some short stories. I'm definitely going to let my feelings guide me for the next little while.

Like Mal and Molly's feelings? I really enjoyed the developing of Molly and Mal's relationship. They're getting closer, learning more about each other, their "real lives" not just their lives at the camp. They also get into adventure, and learn a little more about the past of the camp. I'm excited to see more "Bear Woman" too.

I liked seeing more of the other campers. The camp seems to be filled with exceptional girls. As the other three explore more "common" goals, the readers get to see even the "common" is special at the Lumberjanes camp. 

I need to mention that the art is different in this volume of the Lumberjanes. It's not bad. It took me a bit to stop missing the previous artist and stop comparing (which I'm going to do here a bit anyway). I found every thing more "round". I'm not sure that's the right word, but that's the one I'm going with. The faces, the eyes, the hair, the background, there was a roundness to it. I enjoyed the expressions, the faces and the emotions they conveyed. So, it was good. It was just noticeably different.

I have not checked (and try not to check) to see if the artists have changes for book 4. Part of me never wants to know. It's not like I like being surprised, it's just with graphic novels, I feel like even a little bit of peaking can give something away. 

Lumberjanes: Friendship to the Max

Lumberjanes: Friendship to the Max was so much fun. It was exactly what I expected and exactly what I needed. I loved Jen. Jen is the best camp leader the girls could have asked for. Jen wanted to have adventure, but her first priority was always the safety of the girls. We learn more about the personality and motivations of someone we only saw as “in the way” for the Roanoke campers.

I like that in this volume we get to see more of the camp. There are more cabins, and they are filled with more girls. Their safety is Rosie’s top priority. We also get introduced to new and unique characters. Diane was interesting. I wasn’t sure where she was going to lead the girls. I also liked that we learned more about the boys camp. Who was the bear lady

The bull coming out of the woods thing was pretty funny

I wish Lumberjanes was longer. There was an issue of another comic at the end. It was good, I just expected more Jo, April, Mal, Molly, Ripley and Jen. And Rosie. Who is Rosie? I want to know so much more. I have the next 2 volumes and I know there are at least 4 more after that. I’m hoping we’ll find out more about Rosie in one of them. Because I think the Lumberjanes camp is no accident. There’s definitely something going on.

Also, Jen’s happiness at the end made me happy. Molly and Mal made me happy too.

Lumberjanes: Beware The Kitten Holy

Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy is just so cute! It's funny and sweet, smart and tough. These are five different girls, who are friends, who trust and rely on each other. They drive their camp counselor crazy, but the camp director seems to have other ideas. I had a feeling that I would like the book, but I didn't know how much I would enjoy all its fun, interesting and unique quirks. I picked up Lumberjanes on a whim. Part of me was actually thinking this story would be great for my children in a few years. Now I am the one who has to read the whole series.

I really like how different Molly, Mal, Jo, Ripley, and April all are. They each have not only a distinct look, but distinct personalities. If this were a novel, without the visual "help", I'd easily be able to tell these girls apart. The visuals were great though. Bright when they needed to be, dark when it was time to be scared. Their expressions conveyed how they were feeling. I loved Camp Counselor Jen's expressions too. This is a difficult group of "hardcore lady types" to be in charge of. Jen does the best she can. I'm surprised these girls don't make her rip her hair out. Rosie's look is very distinct too. When you find out the girls are going to be taken to the director, you do not expect Rosie. Noelle Stevenson and the entire group who created Lumberjanes have done an amazing job.

The ending though... I mean, the whole book was great. Each chapter was a fun-filled adventure. The end really made the book even better. What they learned, the potential for danger, the new relationships, are all going to change how they continue to pursue this mystery. 

There are so many things I could talk about with this graphic novel. There's diversity, strong women who are all have their own strength, their pledge, their leader, the males they encounter, but what I want to say is that with all those aspects, the plot, the story is worth reading for everyone. 

I have to say though, this badge was one of my favourite parts of the whole book.

I'm so happy that I picked up Lumberjanes and I can't wait to find out what happens to them next.

One more thing... I made an infographic with an app called Bookout. I couldn't change anything about it, it just generated based on my reading stats for this book. I'm not sure what I think.

I read Lumberjanes Vol. 1. Here's an infographic about it made with @bookoutapp