I Published My Second Book of Poetry!

 

Ghost light shine, ghost light flicker . . .

An open journal of mixed and complicated emotions, Ghost Light is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is art. Written entirely during quarantine in 2020, Kate I. Foley’s second collection of poetry is angry, joyful, wistful, and whimsical. The ghost light burns to keep the demons at bay, to watch over the artists and dreamers and remind us all that we will rebuild and return and fill the air with music once again.

My first book of poetry, Instructions For Flight, was published nearly four years ago and the process was so confusing and exhilarating, I knew I wanted to do it all over again in the future, if only to learn from my experience and do it better the second time around. Quarantine in the wintertime seemed like perfect timing to polish up some poetry and publish another collection. This was a very spur-of-the-moment decision (my family didn't even know I was doing this!) and I spent every free second perfecting the details.

Since Instructions For Flight, I learned how to do several things better:

-Create a prettier, more professional-looking book cover

-Format the interior text to read smoother

-Write more polished poems LOL

-Write a more intriguing book description

-Design 3D mockups like the picture above

-Have all of the nitty-gritty publication details ready to go so I'm not scrambling to write anything at the last minute

-Etc., etc., etc.

Where can I buy Ghost Light and how much is it?

You can buy your ebook copy of Ghost Light by clicking right here, and it's only 99 cents!

What can I do to support you and get the word out about Ghost Light?

-Buy a copy

-Review the book on Goodreads, Amazon, and/or your blog

-Buy copies for friends

-Tell your friends and family about it

-Post about it on social media; I love bookstagrams!

-Contact me if you want to work out an interview, guest blog post, promotional post, etc.

-Let me know what your favorite poem from the collection is; I love hearing from readers!

-Contact me if you want to write a blurb for the collection I can use on graphics and advertising posts; I'll be sure to promote your blog/bookstagram in the process!

Can I read one of the poems for free as a sneak peek?

Absolutely. One of my favorite poems from the collection is called "Captions" and it was written back in the spring as a found poetry exercise for a creative writing class at college. It is composed entirely of captions from photos.

This was probably the most complicated poem for me to write and edit because I had to trim and rearrange the order of the captions just right to create poetry that meant something and was enjoyable to read, but I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Captions

After testing positive for coronavirus,

when you loved someone, you couldn't hold back.



Carl Goldman in quarantine at a hospital in Nebraska,

body bags and blue bags, piled inside a portable refrigerator storage unit outside the hospital,

I feel the need to say goodbye.



I will never forget the memories made:



Test tubes at Quest Diagnostics,

the nearly empty streets of Camden Town,

the total number of confirmed coronavirus deaths in Britain,

China,

Russia.



An artist’s illustration of a brilliant supernova, the explosive death of a star,

expected to extend its lockdown measures,

weathered multiple crises.



Look back over all the things experienced:



Authorities say it is too early to know.

Purchase your copy of Ghost Light for just 99 cents today! Click HERE.

12 Fictional Romances Designed to Make You Go "Awww"

I love a good romance in just about any medium (novels, TV shows, musicals, movies, etc.), but I tend to be very picky about the ones I enjoy at a surface level and the ones I love. My OTPs, the ones I read copious amounts of fan-fiction about and shriek about on Twitter and Goodreads, are those truly special romances. Let's take a look at some of my favorites this Valentine's Day season.

(***Minor spoilers ahead if you haven't read some of these books/watched these shows***)

1. The Doctor/Rose

Anyone who's been following my blog for a while knows how deep my love goes for this ship. The second season of the "New Who" series may have corny special effects and some level of cheesy plotlines, but the Doctor and Rose were the heart of the story. There's a reason why Whovians are willing to look past said corny special effects and cheesy plotlines; because those two characters were perfect (both on their own and for each other).

2. Cress/Thorne

Cress is adorable, awkward, and shy and Thorne is the king of pickup lines and arrogance that somehow comes off as endearing. I don't know why I love these kinds of pairings as much as I do, but they work. I shipped this coupling more than any other in the Lunar Chronicles.

3. Monty/Percy

Here's another case of endearing arrogance, against all odds. Monty and Percy were great as a friendship, too, which is a key factor for well-written romances. They had undeniable chemistry throughout the entire story. And there aren't many people who would put up with Monty's questionable antics, so for that reason alone, Percy was perfect for him.


4. Cath/Levi

As far as fluffy college romances go, I'm not sure anything can top Fangirl. An introverted fan-fiction author and an extroverted barista is a match made in heaven. Levi could supply Cath with coffee and Cath read Levi stories. It's a win-win.

5. Lilac/Tarver

Gotta love the enemies-to-lovers trope. This book (and pairing) isn't talked about nearly enough and I don't understand why, because it was so good. Poor, underrated treasures. This was one of the first sci-fi books that kept my attention the whole way through. Two sworn enemies trapped on a deserted planet? You can imagine how great the tension was.

6. Simon/Blue

Your heart has to be made of stone to not find this pairing pretty dang adorable. I have ridiculous text exchanges with my friends all the time, so I can totally relate to their e-mails where they bond over things such as Oreos and Harry Potter. Their story is one of my favorite rom-coms.


7. Jesper/Wylan

Here's another instance of the shy cinnamon roll and the blustering charmer falling for each other and it being absolutely perfect. Really, all of the ships in this series were great in different ways, but these two stole my heart.


8. Beck/August

Logic pretty much dictates that this withdrawn, somewhat prickly, horribly abused boy would never go for a girl made of sunshine and cake and pure energy, because she is just so much to take, but this friendship/relationship defies logic. And they're adorable. I love Beck's sass and August's passion for just about everything.


9. Castle/Beckett

This whole television series was built upon murder, meta humor, and a will-they-won't-they romance. It hit just about every trope in the book and I'm trash for it all. I had such an obsession with this show, mostly because of Castle and Beckett's relationship. Castle does his best to annoy her, Beckett rolls her eyes a lot, they solve a lot of murders, and everyone in the show ships them. It's fantastic.

10. Jane/Michael

I know people have a lot of strong feelings about the love triangle in this show, but I always came back to this coupling. It has way less drama and way more fun. Michael's more of a boy-next-door type of guy. He's funny, dorky, and makes Jane take herself less seriously. It's so sweet.

11. Jake/Amy

Yet another pairing that really shouldn't work, but somehow does. Jake is an absolute dork, kind of a slob, and takes nothing seriously. Amy's uptight, orderly, and takes everything seriously. But if you put the two of them together, you get the perfect blend of each. One of my favorite parts of their evolving relationship was watching Amy get Jake hooked on Harry Potter. So funny.


12. Jess/Nick

These two are kind of a mess, but it's an adorable mess. Above all else, they're really good friends who have a ton of goofy fun together. They find all of the other's quirks absolutely endearing when not everyone would, which shows how well they're made for each other.

What are your favorite fictional pairings? Leave a comment!

Do You Like Your Story Endings Open for Interpretation or Tied Up With a Bow?

I got the idea for this post from reading Shannon's post on open endings at "It Starts at Midnight." You should definitely check it out and join in the discussion!

Reading her post got me thinking: what kinds of endings do you prefer? There are so many differing opinions on how books should be wrapped up; that much is clear when perusing reviews and seeing both the one-star and five-star ends of the spectrum.

So: ambiguity or neatly wrapped up? Personally, I think there are perks to both.

Ambiguous Endings

As anyone who's read my bio on the sidebar of this blog knows, I'm a big fan of bittersweet endings. And with bittersweet endings usually comes some ambiguity. Often that mixture between holding back the tears while also feeling satisfied is because you don't know for sure what's going to happen to these characters after you close the book. Do the romantic interests end up with each other later on or not? Will the protagonist reach their goals? Is everyone going to be okay?

I feel like there’s an important distinction between open endings and ambiguous ones. In my opinion, open endings are more out of nowhere. Those resolutions almost seem like the author ran out of steam, tacked on a few paragraphs, and called it an ending so readers could decide for themselves what happened afterwards. That’s lazy. Open endings don't make me think for days after finishing a book about the characters and where they might be. They usually make me stare at a wall in annoyance or do something like this:

But I adore ambiguous endings. Those feel more artistic, where the story is somewhat resolved but not definite, so you can almost imagine the characters living their lives past the last pages of the book. In those cases, I think the author usually knows what happens next, but they don’t lay it all out for you.

I'm not sure exactly why I love ambiguous endings so much, but I know there's something strangely satisfying about the frustration of not being able to be 100% sure about where/how the characters end up. It makes my imagination run wild. I think it's more realistic for resolutions to be imperfect and unsure, which makes the books and the characters feel more real, as a result. It's also fun to take this piece of art the author has laid the groundwork for and be able to fill some of the gaps in yourself. It's not all that different from fan-fiction writers creating new stories to fill in the gaps.

I know ambiguous endings can drive some people absolutely bonkers, but if you're looking for some books that do ambiguity well, I recommend checking out:

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Sadie by Courtney Summers
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Tied Up with a Bow

As much as I love leaving stuff up for interpretation, there's something to be said for endings that are neatly resolved. There is an entirely different kind of satisfaction when it comes to closing a book with a happy sigh, knowing exactly what happened to those characters and that everything is going to be Just Fine.

With most longer fantasy series (or other genres, like sci-fi and dystopian), I don't think I'd be content with an air of mystery after finishing the last book. When I've invested that much time in a cast of characters, you bet I want a detailed epilogue telling me that everyone's going to be okay. That's not to say every character has to be perfectly safe, happy, and alive, but there should be a healthy dose of hope along with the inevitable grieving of characters lost during an epic series.

I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows epilogue, because after seven books (especially after making it through the behemoth that is Order of the Phoenix), I wanted a glimpse into Harry, Ron, and Hermione's futures. I don't need entire spin-off series necessarily, but at least a few pages to reward dedicated readers for seeing a journey through to the end.

Also, with rom-coms, I need a Happily Ever After. I don't need this with every romance (see my reference to Eleanor & Park and its ambiguous ending above), specifically just rom-coms. The kind of fluffy contemporaries that you read with a cup of hot chocolate or on a sunny beach. There may be a small difference, but that kind of distinction matters to me when it comes to how to wrap-up a love story. Becky Albertalli's rom-com endings, for example, give me all the warm fuzzies.

And, as with any kind of writing, HEAs or other detailed endings can be done poorly. Execution is everything. If the author tries to fit in the resolutions of every single minor character, the ending is going to feel forced and trite. Not everything has to be perfectly spelled out, otherwise it'll feel dumbed down.

Other than Harry Potter and Becky Albertalli books, I think stories that have had good, satisfying endings in this vein are:

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Let's Talk!

What kind of ending do you prefer? Do you like both for different reasons or are you adamantly opposed to one? Leave a comment with your thoughts below!

Most Anticipated Books of 2019

Despite the fact that I'm dreadfully behind on 2018 releases, I've already started to add books coming out in 2019 to my TBR list. My overflowing bookshelf is groaning as I type this. Seriously, I've got books from 2014 glaring at me from the shelf where they're collecting dust.

What are you gonna do?

Based on the few books that have already been put on my radar, 2019 is going to be a great year for YA fiction.

I devoured One of Us Is Lying, so I'm fully expecting to love this one just as much. Of course, those kinds of expectations could be dangerous, as I've been burned before. But I can't really help it.

If you haven't heard of The Hate U Give, you've been living under a rock. On the Come Up looks like it'll have a similar style and themes, but I'm mostly curious about the passages of rap lyrics that are going to be included in the book. Not all novelists are lyricists, but Ange Thomas said that she used to be a rapper herself, so I'm betting they'll be good.

Whenever I see this book, my mind immediately goes to this:

We all know I'm Les Mis trash, so obviously I had to pick up a novel all about the French Revolution, but with MAGIC.

And whenever I see this book, I think:

Just give me any book that's even vaguely inspired by anything having to do with musicals and I'm guaranteed to read it. Jessica Khoury wrote The Forbidden Wish, which was a massively underrated book, so I'm eager to read something else by her. A sci-fi "Anastasia" retelling? Yes, please.

Not gonna lie, I came across this book only because Becky Albertalli blurbed it. I didn't even remember what it was about a week later, but I knew I still wanted to read it. It looks like a fun, twisty, social media mystery.

Again, Becky Albertalli (and Angie Thomas) blurbed this. So I went to see what it was all about. It seems to have a "Groundhog Day" aspect to it and maybe some alternate timelines, so I definitely want to see what it's all about.

It's the queer coffee shop romance I didn't know I needed until I saw this. It's bound to be cute and cozy!

I've read and liked every single other book A.S. King's written, so of course I need to read this one, too. Her books are delightfully strange. This one looks like it'll have a fair amount of suburban family dysfunction in it, which will no doubt be tons of fun to read about.

Geekerella was adorable and, predictably, geeky. I'm all for a fangirl retelling of the Prince and the Pauper. I can totally relate to super fans starting angry campaigns about their favorite characters being killed off.

IT'S WRITTEN BY CAIT. NEED I SAY MORE.

Another geeky novel about fangirls and TV shows! If you haven't read Queens of Geek yet and you're looking for a splash of sunshine in your reading material, you need to pick it up ASAP.

Queer witches in Salem with all kinds of supernatural happenings! I am here for this! (Also I need it to do some lowkey research, considering I've got some gay witch stories I'm hoping to revise and shop around soon.) And how eye-catching is that cover???

RAINBOW ROWELL WROTE A GRAPHIC NOVEL. I don't even think I know what it's about? But it's Rainbow Rowell, so you bet I'm gonna read it as soon as it comes out.

What books are you looking forward to in 2019? Have you managed to keep up on 2018 releases or are you just as behind as I am? Leave a comment!

Briggs Book Tag (Learn all about my personality through books!)

I first saw this tag at "It Starts at Midnight," but it originated here. If you're not familiar with the Myers-Briggs Personality test, check it out here and take it for yourself. It's fascinating, and totally accurate. The questions for the tag are here. Here's my MBTI type:

Yep, that pretty much sums me up. Notice how some of the top careers listed are "artist" and "musician" and my life is consumed by books, writing, and musicals.

On with the tag!

INTROVERT: ( I )

You can be outgoing, but need to recharge with some calming solitude, Where is your favorite place to read & unwind? Why is this little oasis where you choose to go?

When I am absolutely and completely drained for whatever reason, I spend most of my time in my room. It's the coziest place in the house for me. When we moved to the house we're in now, it was the first time I got to completely decorate the room however I wanted, so it has a little bit of everything I love. It's small, but bursting at the seams with color and fandom gear. If you wanted to know what kind of stuff I like, all you'd have to do is step in my room for a few seconds.

Don't let the tiny stack of books fool you; this picture was taken shortly after moving in, so most of my books were still in boxes and unavailable to me. My nightstand has at least six books on it at any given time.

This is what it looks like now. Not pictured: my kindle or Dear Evan Hansen: the Novel, which I'm currently reading.

My collection of Playbills.

My bookshelf, which is obviously way too small to hold all the books in my TBR (which takes up the top two shelves--it doesn't even include the books on my TBR that I don't own).

Trying to take selfies with Scout in my room, but she's not paying any attention. You can see my mismatched curtains in this picture: green and purple!

A friend of mine made this super cool canvas decorations for my graduation. This one has all kinds of musicals and plays written on it in black, but the shows that I've performed in are written in blue so they stand out a little more.

These cutouts have almost given minor heart attacks to every single person who's walked into my room.

My cozy reading nook.

Scout enjoys it, too.

INTUITION: ( N )

Some books are meant to be understood and others are meant to be explored. What book or character stands for an idea that is deeply meaningful to you?

There are a few categories of important issues that I think YA books in particular have been excellent at addressing.

These books are excellent for anyone looking for a little self-esteem. They make you feel so good about being yourself.

These tackle all kinds of areas of racial justice.

I highly recommend all of these for LGBTQ+ teens or those questioning their sexuality.

FEELING: ( F )

Not everything needs to be realistic, where is the fun in a world with limits? Which fantasy world do you find so atmospheric you slip inside and never want to leave? (Put simply a book with good vibes).

This was surprisingly tricky to come up with at first (besides Harry Potter), because a lot of fantasy worlds are terrifying, even if the stories are great. I wouldn't say I would particularly want to live in these worlds, but these books were great escapes and feel warm and cozy to me for different reasons.

No further explanation necessary.

This was also a really cool fantasy world that I remember my twelve-year-old self loving. I'll probably go back and reread it at some point, but it's hard to commit to rereading a series that long when my TBR is already giving me the stink-eye . . .

I read these books during the holidays a couple years ago while it was cold and snowy, so I associate them with cozy winter reads now.

You can't help but love this adorable graphic novel about lovable "villains." It made me giggle so many times.

I don't remember much in particular from this book, but I know that it was definitely beautiful and atmospheric and massively underrated. I hardly ever see any of my blogging friends talk about it, but it was a great retelling.

I love this series to bits and pieces!! *heart eyes emoji* Cress was one of the few books I had available to me when my family moved, so I both tried to savor it and flip the pages as fast as I could because the story was gripping. And I read Winter during the winter over Christmas break. It seems like the feeling of a story stays with me longer when I can remember exactly when and where I read it, which makes the book a little more nostalgic.

PERCEIVING: ( P )

TBRs are fun to construct and meant to be destroyed. Do you stick to the list or mix it up every now and then? What’s a book you’ve put down that you want to pick back up, but just haven’t been in the mood for?

In general, when it's time for me to pick up a new book, I try to stick to something that has been on my TBR list for a long time. But, inevitably, instead of making the list shorter, the books I read are just replaced by new books that are coming out. But I do tend to stick to my list.

If I read something impulsively, it's usually a brand new book from one of my favorite authors (like Rainbow Rowell or Becky Albertalli), or it's for a book club. Or I saw a pretty cover in a bookstore, bought the book, and ignored every other book I was in the middle of reading.

Right now, I've been trying to read Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer for a couple months now, but I keep getting distracted and find that I'm not in the mood for that kind of story. It's really good and I enjoy it every time I pick it back up, but other books keep grabbing my attention. One of these days I'll finish it.

INFP: The Idealist

Even when conflict runs high you can be the advocate for either side. What is a book that was not well received but you were able to find its good qualities?

I'm going to alienate a lot of my fellow Harry Potter fans by saying this, but I really enjoyed The Cursed Child. I know a lot of people said it felt like bad fan-fiction or it was a money grab or the characters weren't in character whatsoever, but somehow I was able to appreciate both as part of the series and also as something completely separate from the books. Also, I don't think you can full appreciate the story unless you see it. It's a script, so it's meant to be performed, and I loved it so much more on the stage.

So . . . *shrugs* If you don't like it, that's fine, everyone's entitled to their opinions, but I loved it.

Tag, you're it! Steal this for your blog or share in the comments. What's your MBTI type? Do you feel like it accurately sums you up?