As some of you guys already know, I'm currently working on a couple verse novels. So, I've been reading a ton of books from authors familiar with writing in verse. Mainly, Ellen Hopkins and Lisa Schroeder.

Before starting my project, I hadn't heard of Lisa Schroeder's work before; however, after doing my research, it soon became clear that she was definitely an author that I needed to check out! So, what did I do? I made my way over to Amazon and ordered four of her verse novels: I Heart You, You Haunt Me, Far From You, Chasing Brooklyn, and The Day Before.

Synopsis:
Lost and alone...down the rabbit hole.

Years have passed since Alice lost her mother to cancer, but time hasn't quite healed the wound. Alice copes the best she can by writing her music, losing herself in her love for her boyfriend, and distancing herself from her father and his new wife.

But when a deadly snowstorm traps Alice with her stepmother and newborn half sister, she'll face issues she's been avoiding for too long. As Alice looks to the heavens for guidance, she discovers something wonderful.

Perhaps she's not so alone after all....

It took a little while to get back on track, but I'm excited to announce that the Weekly Writing & Reading Recaps are back on! This week I accomplished more than I thought I could and I'm excited to share it with you all!

Honestly, I always thought there was a bit of a stigma against books found at the dollar store. Unlike the one's you'd find at a thrift shop, I stupidly assumed that the one's marked for $1 were just not good enough to be marked full price.

I can't remember where I got that idea from, but I still check out the dollar store book section anyways. Occasionally, it's for pages to make my paper roses, but this time, I struck gold!

Ok, guys! Listen up!

After working with Blogging for Books for a couple months, I decided to see what other companies that I could work with to get books in exchange for honest reviews. Eventually, I stumbled upon NetGalley.

Peaking my interest, I decided to sign up and take a look through their available titles. In doing so, I found a lot of the books on my current wishlist. However, I was specifically on the hunt for a good book to inspire progress on one of my current projects.

In the process of doing so, I happened upon Hello Me, It's You: A Collection of Letters Written By Young Adults to Their Younger Selves. And although, it wasn't quite what I was looking for, it inspired me nonetheless! That's how I ended up coming up with the idea that I shared in my last post, "Upcoming Anthology | Unofficial Call for Submissions."

Anyhoo, I was so interested in what the book had to offer that I went ahead and requested a copy! I was then approved shortly after and immediately downloaded my copy!

Synopsis:
Everyone says being a teenager is CRAZY. But do they mean crazy hard, crazy fun... or just plain bonkers?

Roughly three people in every class have some kind of mental health issue, but most of them have no idea what's going on. They think they're just weak, or shy, or bad, or completely, irreversibly, writing-on-the-walls 'insane'. But they're not. They have some form of depression, anxiety, eating disorder or other mental health issue and they will come out the other side.

This is a book of advice, from young people who made it through, to their sixteen-year-old selves.

Do you ever feel like the apocalypse is coming, and it wouldn't be that bad? Like bed is as far as you want to get today? As though your heart is going to beat right out of your chest and your legs have turned to jelly, at the thought of leaving home or talking to another human being? Or maybe you just feel like when you start worrying, you can't stop.

Whatever form it takes, this book can help you through it.

Trigger warning: Due to it's nature, the content of this book may be triggering. Contains personal experiences of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, trichotillomania and other mental health issues, as well as issues such as assault.

As some of you might know, I've always wanted to work on a non-fiction book. Originally, I thought it would be about my life and the journey that I've experienced, but I was wrong! Turns out, my first non-fiction piece is going to be an anthology featuring some of you guys!

I've seen a lot of reading lists on Pinterest, but I've never quite found one that I actually wanted to participate in. So, I decided to create my own!

This year my Goodreads reading goal is 30 books, so I'm hoping to use this reading challenge to fulfill my yearly goal! Of course, I'm a little weary that I might not be able to finish it, but I'm determined to give it a shot!

2017 Reading Challenge

• A book with an ugly cover
• A book from a genre that you wouldn't normally read
• A book that's been on your TBR list forever!
• A book by an indie author
• A book written by a celebrity
• A book you were assigned in high school
• A book by a local author
• A debut novel
• A book about or written by someone with a mental or chronic illness
• A 99¢ e-book from Amazon
• A book that someone recommended to you
• A nonfiction book
• A book that you've been given
• A book with a one word title
• A book written anonymously
• A book before it hits theaters
• A book you haven't read in years
• A book that's a part of a series
• A book with less than 200 pages
• A book with multiple authors

In case you weren't aware, I'm hosting a giveaway on my blog, Perfectly Ambitious! So I wanted to take a moment and share it with you all too!

Usually, my giveaways include books that the authors have donated, but this time is different! I have officially participated in my first book launch and I'm giving away my own copy of Tim Tebow's Shaken!

This giveaway starts on 1/4/2017 and ends on 1/11/2017. The winner will be randomly drawn and announced on 1/12/2017 and contacted immediately.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Please note that there is only one mandatory entry and a variety of ways to earn extra entries. You can also come back to enter every single day!

After working with Blogging for Books for a couple months, I decided to see what other companies that I could work with to get books in exchange for honest reviews. Eventually, I stumbled upon NetGalley.

Peaking my interest, I decided to sign up and take a look through their available titles. In doing so, I found a lot of the books on my current wishlist. However, I was specifically on the hunt for a good book to inspire progress on one of my current projects.

Of course, since my idea doesn't have it's own genre, I ended up looking through them all. Luckily, there were a couple options in the poetry section that sounded like they'd work. I Love My Love just happened to be one of them. Quickly, I requested a copy and downloaded it to my iPhone.

Synopsis:
In short, poignant verses, Reyna Mays' poems explore pain, emotional reckoning, and the power of self-love.

The debut collection from 22-year-old poet Reyna Mays, I Love My Love tells the story of Reyna's childhood, her parents’ toxic relationship, and how, against all odds, she learned to love herself.