Welcome to the February 2025 roundup!

While I don’t want to open another Roundup complaining about how quick time is going, February only had 28 days in it, so I think it’s justified! .

As usual, I tried to make as much progress as I could and actually felt like I got somewhere for once. My big goal for this month was to get my Writing and Editing Checklist book ready for ARC readers, and I did! It came at the cost of new blog posts, though (more on that below), and I did spend the bulk of last week learning how to use the writing/formatting software, Atticus.

I’d been meaning to get it for a while because my sanity can’t handle trying to get Word to start page numbers where I want them to anymore, and as my luck would have it, I purchased Atticus after a big update that saw the program run really slow. After struggling with it for a few days and getting frustrated at how long it took to do basic tasks, a Reddit thread advised uninstalling and then reinstalling it as the “Simple” version that was given by Atticus as a temporary workaround. Thankfully, that fixed most of the glitching, and I ended up with a shiny PDF of my latest WIP, all ready for a read-through that I could work with to get the final ARC version together.

As for what else I got up to this month, read on…

Well, for the first time in almost 8 years, I didn’t deliver a new blog post when expected/scheduled. For the last few years I’ve been publishing 2 new blogs and 1 roundup a month, but this month, I only managed 1 new blog and this roundup.

I tried. I even spent a whole day last week working on a blog draft, but when I read it back, I just wasn’t happy with it. This was stressing me out because I was hoping I’d gotten over my burnout after writing such a lengthy blog about that very topic at the start of the month, but it seems as if I’m still getting stuck when trying to write about writing.

In the end, I abandoned the blog post for another time, decided 1 blog and 1 roundup will have to do for the foreseeable future, and chose working on the ARC. With that done and ready to be sent out next week, I’ll be straight on to editing the companion checklist book I want to offer alongside the main book. I need them both ready to go at the same time, which means making them the priority for now. So, you may see fewer blogs from me for a little bit, but once the Checklist books are out in the world, I’m sure I’ll have the mental space and inspiration to write and publish my regular number of blogs again.

School Spirits (S1 and currently airing S2)

Not sure how I hadn’t heard of this show until the second season was about to air, but that just gave me time to catch up on season 1. It revolves around Maddie, a teen having the kind of day where her boyfriend is acting suspicious and her drunk mother has shown up at her school. The next thing Maddie knows, there’s blood in the boiler room and missing posters with her face on them. The school is holding a vigil for her, but she’s there, and no one can see her.

Dun, dun, dun! Maddie is dead and now trapped in the school, alongside other ghosts who also perished there. Trying to help Maddie come to terms with her situation, things get complicated when they realize Maddie’s body has never been found, and she can be seen and talked to by one of her best friends, Simon. Together, they try to work out what happened to Maddie, and the answers are very surprising.

Cobra Kai (S6, Part 3)

(Light spoilers) Did it take forever to finally get to the final 5 episodes of Cobra Kai? Were they packed with essentially the same pep-talk given to different characters by other characters? Was there lots of fan service? Was there an out-of-place yet not-out-of-place bond villain-esq death battle? Was Daniel as whiny as ever? Was there a weird AI dream sequence with Mr. Miyagi, and did they tie up every plot and character ARC in a neat little bow? Yes, yes they did. Did I simultaneously both hate and love it? Yes, yes, I did! There were some real highs and lows over the 6 seasons, but Cobra Kai reinvigorated, and I’d argue, out-peaked the original Karate Kid films, proving that some reboots are worth it.

The Mess of Us by Chantelle Atkins

My first read for February was The Mess of Us by Chantelle Atkins. This book is a sequel to The Mess of Me, and it was so great to revisit the characters two years later. By now, Louise and Joe have turned 18 and are navigating their first steps into adulthood and their best-friends-turned-couple dynamic. When an unexpected pregnancy and a horror from their past reemerge, Lou begins to wonder if their love can survive. Like the first book, it deals with heavy, everyday topics, but there’s a hopefulness baked in, too, making it a satisfying and compelling read.

Haven Wakes by Fi Phillips

This book has been on my #TBRPile for a long time and it was a fun read to finally pick up. When Steve’s parents go missing and a mysterious package sent by his recently deceased uncle puts him in danger, Steve needs help, and he doesn’t expect it to come from new friends and magic traveling doors. Mixing futuristic elements of technology and robots with old-school fairies and spells, Haven Wakes is a solid, magical adventure, and just the start of this unique fantasy series.

Anomaly by Emma Lord

This was one of those books that just grabbed me from the first page. I knew right away that I was going to like the main character, style, and story—and I did! When a virus sweeps the world, killing almost everyone, 17-year-old Piper Manning wakes up from its effects changed. Electricity now runs hot through her veins, and she needs to learn to control it before she can risk finding her family.

When another teen, Seth, ends up on her isolated farm and they save each other from an otherworldly creature, Piper discovers the virus was not the worst thing to happen to the world, and that her devastating power may have some use after all. Layered with flashbacks, expertly revealed secrets, a plot that goes in some very intriguing directions, and the kind of ending that leaves things open for the next book, this is definitely one for fans of supernatural YA with a difference.

The Power of Writing It Down by Allison Fallon

I wanted to get back into the habit of reading one writing craft book a month, and thankfully the list of books I’ve saved to Goodreads and the Libby app came in handy! The Power of Writing It Down is part therapy, part writing advice, and all relatable. Author Allison Fallon challenges you to dig deep and start a simple daily writing habit to unlock your inner writer and get to the core of what compels you to write. Asking, amongst other things, what you want to write and why, the book is rounded out with her own real-life and client examples, which I found both interesting and inspiring.

Let’s Be Book Friends!

If you’ve got any good book recommendations, let me know in the comments, or be my friend on Goodreads and share your faves! You can also find and follow my book reviews on Amazon and BookBub.

This month, I’ve been taking photos of… my writing buddies!

As I got busy at my writing desk this month, my writing buddies, Dash and Luna, weren’t far behind. They join me early in the mornings when I get up to write on Threads with the #6amAusWriters, where they sit at the window and watch for scary birds. Later in the day, one of them usually takes up residence on the cat tower to supervise my editing. If it’s Luna, she’ll also try to sneak into my lap, which always makes it impossible to type, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

In case you missed any of my posts, or want to reread them, here are the latest blogs.

I also wanted to give a huge shout-out and thank you to the Australian Book Lovers Podcast, and its wonderful hosts, Veronica and Laurie, for mentioning my Tips For Overcoming Authoring Burnout post during Episode #132 when they discussed their own burnout experiences, and to the awesome Kelly Sgroi who also mentioned and quoted it in her informative and inspiring newsletter (which you can sign up for here).

And that’s it for this month. I hope you’ve enjoyed my February Roundup. Let me know what you got up to in the comments!

— K.M. Allan

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