Bernadette Benda

HEY BABY IT’S AUGUST. Usually August is like one of my favorite months. There are fairs and festivals to go to, the last hurrah before the fall dance season starts (which started in July because…well COVID) and plus the countdown to my birthday in September to there’s that.

Now August is just like….ah, whatever.

But back to July.

WHAT HAPPENED? (I feel like this is now happening every month that I look back now and am just like *breaths heavy and panics because COVID is still throwing off all sense of time*

Reading

It was honestly a sad month for reading. I’m sloooooooooowly making my way through Indianapolis, and finished the Maze Runner books (FINALLY), which you can read about here.

And that’s it. I feel like July is usually a big reading month for me but heck nothing is normal right now so let’s move on.

Writing

Finished editing Lily for now (so putting that away). Have taken up editing OWWTSF. (I’m sooooo excited about this. There’s so much world-building to be done, I love the characters and can’t wait to delve more in their relationships and like there’s gonna dragoon helmets and giant gargoyle monster thing and royal politics and Tragic^TM backstories and I just – *screeches*) (I’m also like throwing the whole second half of the book into the trash but that’s fine.)

Her Name Was A Ghost is ALMOST. ALMOST DONE. In fact, don’t call me too hopeful but maybe I’ll query next week??? *is too confused and shocked to scream*

Also was reading something I stared writing back in April when the lockdown was in full swing and I was just like I NEED TO DRAFT SOMETHING OR I WILL LOSE MY MIND (strangely enough the story takes place in one setting because like the characters can’t leave so I mean I don’t know what that says…) and I got a lot farther than I remembered (27,000 words) and like had the whole story plotted out in two days. It was so weird. And honestly, it’s not that bad. Will I finish it? Who knows.

Life (cause apparently life isn’t just reading and writing)

THE DRIVE-IN MOVIES. Honestly, this was one of the best things that happened this summer. The funny thing is, there’s a a drive-in I pass every week while going to dance (well, when the season is on) And I’ve always kinda wondered, “is that thing still operational?” Because during the day it looks like an old giant white screen and dusty gravel just sitting next to the railroad tracks.

WELL IT IS OPERATIONAL. AND IT’S AMAZING. This month we saw Footloose (which ended up being a wild night that I just cannot fully explain except yes I was pulling potato chips out of my ear and no I do not like newer cars with the stupid push-button thing instead of the keys.)

And THEN this weekend we saw *drumroll* THE LORD OF THE RINGS. ALL OF THEM. THE EXTENDED.

But on Monday my brain was kinda mush because I’m not used to getting to bed at 3am three nights in a row (I’m so sorry but I’m kinda a hobbit who enjoys the comfort of home like getting to bed on time) and on Monday my brain was just:

Now I think I need to read the books again. (Not that I don’t have other things on my TBR…)

OHHHH AND my sister and I went on a photo shoot and….

So despite there being a raging pandemic I did manage to do some FUN things this July. As well as get some stuff done.

How was your month? What was a highlight? Have you ever gone to a drive-in?