If all goes as planned, I’ll do a CURRENTLY post every other Tuesday—I heard of this through fellow 2017 debut author Katy Upperman, and you can find the origins of the idea here.

LOVING

(Yes, indeed I *do* occasionally knit sweaters for my French press.)

When I moved from Austin last October, I feared I’d never find anything as good as the Wild Gift coffee beans sold at Thunderbird. Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about—Denton has some incredible coffee shops here that are just spilling over with atmosphere and some of the best coffee I’ve ever had. I’m really loving Bookish Coffee these days, fresh from the French press. I’m sorry to say they don’t sell it online, but you *can* order your own bag of Wild Gift coffee! (Things tend to be pretty seasonal over there, as far as the selection goes, but look out for their Firecracker, Troublemaker, or Ethiopian beans!)

 

READING

I’ve been working on several writing projects lately, so pretty much all of my reading time has been spent on those. I’m hoping to do some just-for-fun reading again soon, though, starting with ROCKS FALL, EVERYONE DIES (Lindsay Ribar) and KINGDOM OF ASH AND BRIARS (Hannah K. West)—these books are staring at me from my iPad, begging to be read, and I am soooo excited to dive in!

WATCHING

I could go on and on about how much I love Jane the Virgin and The Mindy Project, but in short—I waited way too long to start watching these, and I’m *SO* glad I finally did! I’m all caught up with Jane right now (ugh, the waiting between new episodes!), but at least I still have a couple more seasons of Mindy to marathon.

LISTENING TO

Scriptnotes podcasts! When I’m driving, when I’m on the treadmill, when I’m doing dishes—I’ve gotten completely addicted to these. I started listening to screenwriting podcasts late last August, when I found out a film agent* wanted to start sending my project out. (*Shout-out to Mary Pender-Coplan, who is amazing! See also: Leonardo DiCaprio + Paramount, which she put in motion.) Screenwriters John August and Craig Mazin offer insight into a wide variety of topics—even though I write books, not screenplays, I’ve learned so much from them. No matter the topic, they consistently offer up their thoughts and opinions in a way that’s refreshing and broadens my perspective. The only downside: it’s so motivating I’ve jumped off the treadmill early, to go write, more times than I care to admit.

THINKING ABOUT

I’ve been brainstorming a couple of new projects, so my mind is full of ALL THE POSSIBILITY. Though I love all parts of the writing process for different reasons, this phase is particularly fun—discovering characters for the first time, seeing the bones of plot and structure start to take shape. Next up: drafting!

ANTICIPATING

I’m super excited about April, and the two bookish events where I’ll get to reconnect with writer friends: TXLA in Houston, and the North Texas Teen Book Festival in Irving. Let me know if you’ll be at either one of those events—I’d love to say hi, whether we’re old friends or just meeting or somewhere in between.

WISHING

I recently joined the 2017 debut author group, and you guys, there are SO MANY amazing-sounding books coming out next year. I wish I could read them all right now! I hesitate to even start listing out books I’m excited for—there are so many, seriously—but I’m hearing excellent things about Stephanie Garber’s CARAVAL, and am also majorly anticipating Lana Popovic’s HIBISCUS DAUGHTER duology (we share the lovely Taylor Haggerty as an agent). Here are a couple of Goodreads lists where you can check out allll the books and vote for the ones you’re most excited to read: YA 2017 Debuts + 2017 Debut YA/MG Novels. My book, THE SANDCASTLE EMPIRE, has landed on both lists—if you haven’t already, and you’re so inclined, feel free to vote and/or add it to your to-read list.

MAKING ME HAPPY

Alison Cherry’s THE CLASSY CROOKS CLUB hits shelves today! If we’re friends on Twitter, you’ve already seen me tweeting my love for this book, BUT SERIOUSLY. When I first read it, the tentative title was Heist Grannies, and really, do you need to know any more than that? I have so much admiration for Alison’s deft skill at weaving subtle plot threads together, always with tons of humor and heart. ❤

✹

Okay, that’s it for today! If you’ve also done a CURRENTLY post, tweet it to me @olsonkayla *or* leave a link in the comments so I can check it out!