[EDIT: Somehow I forgot there were 31 days in January, so this is accidentally going up one day early. *oops*]

No, that’s not possible. Another month hasn’t gone by yet. I’m still trying to get used to writing 2015 instead of 2014!

That pretty much sums up how I feel as I write Time Flies!: January 2015. The first month of this year went by way too quickly – and it was an awfully stressful month offline, which stalled my blog-writing for a while. I was forced to put articles for this site on the backburner just so I could meet my deadlines for my outside columns. So… yeah, January 2015 was a blur. Things look like they’re starting to slow down, though, so I’ve been able to start catching up and cross off items on my “to-do” list.

Let’s be more positive from here on, starting with the past month’s updates:

A Bibliophile’s Reverie

I love a good oolong tea, and the one tea review I was able to fit in for A Bibliophile’s Reverie was exactly that. Click here to read my review of Tea From Taiwan’s Hua Gang Oolong.

What’s Coming in February

Next month’s pipeline should make up for this past month’s quiet. A new article at DIY MFA during the first week of February, a guest post at a friend’s blog the following week, and my next tea review for ABR ready to go – yup, I’ve been busy. 😉

I also have some exciting news: Not only will I have a new author interview for you in February, but said author has invited me to host a giveaway for her upcoming book! Any guesses who that author might be? (Hint: I’ve mentioned her before at this blog.)

Other Happenings

I’ve already mentioned the offline stress and how it impacted my blogging this month. Thank goodness it didn’t affect my novel-writing. As of this morning, the WIP sits at just under 114,000 words. (That’s before Saturday’s writing session.) I think – or, rather, I hope – I have about 10,000 to 12,000 words to go before it’s done. That said, I have a bad habit of underestimating my word counts…

Anyway, remember how I mentioned last month that I was disappointed with “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”? Well, I gave it another chance – and I enjoyed it more! It’s not a perfect finale; I still think several things should have been done differently (or not at all). However, I was able to sit back, have fun, and go home feeling a little more satisfied the second time around. And not only did the second viewing prompt me to buy the film soundtrack, but it also inspired me to write the WIP’s climactic battle sequence. 😀

I also watched the movie-musical “Into The Woods” since the previous Time Flies. It was fun! Very playful, colorful, and funny. I was aware of the general storyline and how “Into The Woods” is a mash-up of various Grimm fairy tales. That said, I wasn’t expecting its central message (“be careful what you wish for”) to resonate with me as strongly as it did. The film doesn’t necessarily warn us about making wishes in general, but to be mindful of how we articulate our desires or intentions, which is something I’d been thinking about before seeing the film.

I wish I could think of other non-writing things that happened last month – but except for stress management, I can’t. New age music, more episodes of Top Gear (those blokes know how to make me belly-laugh), and a boatload more chocolate than I should have eaten – it all helped in some way. I also took a practice yoga class with a friend of mine. By “practice class,” I mean that my friend taught the session. She’s about 3 months into her yoga certification course so she can become a yoga instructor. And not only did she do a good job with the practice class, but I felt so relaxed and cleansed afterwards! Incredible what wonders yoga can do on the body, mind, and soul.

Finally, just a reminder of where you can find me on social media. Right now, I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. If you use any of those sites, feel free to like / follow / add me, see what I’m up to there, and say “Hi.”  🙂

The next Time Flies! is scheduled to post on Saturday, February 28th. Until then, stay tuned for the author interview and giveaway mentioned above, as well as more book reviews, a new blog hop, and – fingers crossed – the final installments of Chronicling The Craft!

~ Sara