Hello, dear reader,

This last month has been a month of wild change and wild opportunities. First of all, summer hit full force–I went from loving my days in turtlenecks and sweatpants, to driving through nearly 100 degree weather. Which, as an Autumn girl, half hurts my heart. I still haven’t packed away all my turtlenecks. But then I think of all the amazing things Summer brings–fireflies. Ice cream. Watermelon, juice running down your cheeks. Vibrant nights, blasting music in your car with the windows down, breeze in your face. It’s beautiful.

Also, one of my favorite parts ever–all the time I can spend reading fiction, rather than schoolbooks. I somehow leapt out of my reading slump, with a combination of fantasies, science-fiction, and a splash of contemporaries. One of my favorites, though I didn’t do a blog review for it, was Storm-Wake by Lucy Christopher. It’s a YA retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and when I say I was stunned…. the character voice was stunning and poetic, the romance was so sweet, and though the ending was a bit most mysterious than my usual reads, I adored it. It fit the vibe of the novel perfectly. I highly recommend, as this is a novel I won’t easily forget. If you’re interested in reading my full review, check out my post on Goodreads here.

I’ve been thinking about the little moments in life, too. As I often have, as you know if you’ve been reading my past updates. Especially in the summer, when bumblebees are falling over new blooms, and there’s sunsets, and humid nights, cicadas and rainbows–you have to seep in every little moment. At the writing workshop I recently attended, one of the songs people kept playing was Moments Into Memories by Adeline Hill.

It’s led to another one of my life mantras, along with “the worse they could say is no“:

Live for the little moments.

Everyone has those moments. Sitting with a friend, stargazing. Laughter at 3 am. Sitting outside on the porch with morning tea. A ladybird. A baby chick. Sticky ice cream fingers.

Peace. Happiness. Nostalgia.

In the little moments, you can find what’s truly meaningful to you, what really touches your heart and tickles your brain. They are powerful. You can find your own, personal meaning of living.

I encourage you to find those sparks, dear reader, over this summer. And then let those habits of living in the little moments carry on through the school year, through winter, through life. In your darker days, these sparks will make a world of a difference.

Life & Writing Update

I have two very fun announcements this month–one, I joined Instagram! If you wanna see cool aesthetic reels, mini book reviews, and whatever other bookish content pops into this brain of mine, go find me at @zrisewrites on Insta. I’d love to connect!

My second announcement of the month is…. *drumroll please…*

I’m launching my Etsy shop, ZRiseDesignsCo! *confetti*

I am so excited for this, you have no idea. I’ve dreamed of funding my life and passions creatively for years, and this is the first step into a beautiful and hopefully, booming road. All I’m waiting for until launch are my logo stickers to be printed, and then it’ll be out into the world…

I’ve created my shop, ZRiseDesignsCo, in the hopes of creating beautiful art, stickers, and gifts for everyone. With every order, I hope to give you the joy of receiving a gift. Just because you’re amazing, and you deserve it. The shop has a focus on art and bookish things–no surprise there, I’m sure. I have creative stickers, personalized Blind Dates with a Books (perfect for getting out of a reading slump!), and potentially jewelry in the next couple months… stay tuned…

I’m also interested in creating custom sticker designs for you! If you have a design, quote, or idea you’d love to see turned into a sticker, shoot me a message at @zrisedesignsco on Instagram and we can start creating a design! Note: I will not do any designs with language, sexual content, or gore. While I hope to design for anyone and everyone, I have the right to refuse any design I am not comfortable with.

I’m so happy to share this with you all, and as thanks for being my reader, I’d like to give all my subscribers a special discount on their first order. I’ll be sending that out via email later this month on launch day! (Hopefully in the next couple weeks!) Thank you so much for all your support.

As for my writing update, I haven’t done much drafting on my novel, but I have been arranging planned writing and plotting calls with my plotter bestie, so best case scenario, if my characters agree to keep co-operating with me… the fourth draft (fifth draft? I don’t know anymore…) ball should be rolling soon!

Reading Challenge

This month is officially both Disability Pride Month, and National Ice Cream Month. Do these two mix? Absolutely, because they’re both epic, and they both have some really fun related books.

Your challenge this month is to read a book featuring a disabled person. This has lots of options. You can read a fiction book, with a disabled main character. Like Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, a middle grade contemporary that was recently adapted into an amazing movie. I’ll be reading and reviewing this book later this month, and I invite you to join me!

You can also read a book with a disabled character in the main cast, such as Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, a YA Dystopian twist on a classic heist/prison break trope, featuring Kaz Brekker and his colorful cast of accomplices. Or, you can read a memoir, such as Alice Wong’s humorous Year of the Tiger, where she tells her story of living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) as a disabled person activist.

No matter which route you choose, I’d love to hear what you explored! Tag me on Goodreads or Instagram–I’m always looking for new recommendations.

For an added challenge, find a book with a disabled person featured, and ice cream. I dare you. #strengthandsweets

Prompts for the Month

Last but not least, our writing and self-care prompts for the month–this month is a feature on the little moments, on summer joy and freedom, on starting new things and leaping head-first out of your comfort zone, or into the pool.

For our writing prompt… this can be used for poetry, a short story, art, even–whatever sparks your fancy!

Fairy lights // damaged dreams // wandering // violin

And for our self-care prompt:

Go get some ice cream! I don’t care about diets or whatever, you deserve it. Live your life. (Or blend up some frozen fruit for a quick and nutritious version!)

Always keep loving, laughing, and living for those present, little moments in life. Remember you are stunning exactly how you are, exactly where you be. And let me know in the comments–what little moment have you noticed this summer?

Until next time, stay cool ❤