North Carolina

I was next. I was next, and my heart was in a million places at once, and my mind was struggling to run through the hundred million things I wanted to say. How do you summarize a lifetime of admiration and respect into a single, three-minute interaction?

*Record scratching*

Yep, that’s me. I bet you’re wondering how I got myself into this situation.

Our story begins somewhere in the mid-2000s. Without a bookstore to sustain her, Yours Truly was scavenging the library shelves, reading anything and everything she could possibly get her hands on. Moving on from the Junior Fiction section to Young Adult felt like a rite of passage, and it was there that I found Sarah Dessen.

I latched onto her books in a way that I still can’t quite understand. Even now, as a Grown-Up reader drifting farther and farther from the core YA demographic, I find myself growing the Dessen collection on my shelf with every book she releases. Every time I think I’ve moved on from the young adult section of the bookstore, she drags me back, and I find myself once again invested in a teen summer love story. She shaped my adolescent reading habits and set the standard for the contemporary styles I still enjoy to this day. Her books have been a solid constant for more than half of my life.

More than that, though, she came to be a role model of sorts. She was so honest about the writing process and how hard it was. I would grow to appreciate this more than I initially realized; when I struggled with my writing, when it became so hard and scary that I doubted whether I had it in me to keep going, I would see photos of her own abandoned projects, see her tweets about her doubts and frustrations, and I would sink in relief. I wasn’t alone—the struggles and doubts were a normal part of the process. Sarah showed me that writing was allowed to be hard.

Fast forward to summer 2017. I packed my entire life—or at least, all that would fit—into a suitcase and flew down to Orlando in May. I got to live my dream of living in Disney World, making magic, meeting amazing people, and going to the parks on almost every day off I had. In fact, there were only three instances in which I didn’t spend my day off in the park: 

1) When I went to the beach and got horrendously sunburnt, even though I put on sunscreen. Twice.

2) When I flew home to surprise my sister for her high school grad, immediately after getting horrendously sunburnt. (Even though I put on sunscreen.) (Twice.)

3) When I took an overnight train to travel through four states to Raleigh, North Carolina, for what amounted to a 12-hour day trip.

Here’s the thing about living in Canada: nobody comes here. Sure, select cities may see a few tour stops from popular bands, but anyone living outside the GTA knows the pain of being skipped over by their favourite artists, musical or otherwise. This is most prevalent in places like southern Manitoba, a location which Taylor Swift has skipped during her last TWO (2) tours. The closest any of the authors on my shelf have ever gotten to Manitoba is Toronto—which is to say, not very close at all.

But as luck would have it, my Disney internship wasn’t the only thing that was happening that summer. In June 2017, Sarah Dessen would be releasing her then-newest novel, Once and For All, followed up by a book tour in select cities across the United States. For the first time, I felt like I had a real chance to actually meet her. Then in May, the dates dropped: 11 stops across six states, and guess which city didn’t make the cut?

So I did what any sane person would do—I looked up every city on the map, found the closest stop to Orlando, and booked a nine-hour train ticket to Raleigh, North Carolina.

The plan was simple: stuff a backpack full of essentials, save money on accommodations by sleeping on the train, successfully meet one of my biggest creative inspirations, and arrive back in Florida in time for work the following evening. All I had to do was get one of my shifts covered, and I was good to go.

I made it to the train station in downtown Orlando with little excitement and fanfare. The station was busier than I expected, filled with families carrying armloads of plastic Disney park bags—a hallmark of the ending vacation. I had travelled by train only one other time in my life. The car then had been barren, but this time the train was packed. “I’m visiting family in Raleigh for the week,” the man sitting beside me said. “What about yourself?”

I told him that I was only going up for a day, for a book signing.

“You wrote a book?” he asked, and he sounded so impressed that I almost didn’t want to correct him. The truth was far less exciting.

Even I had to admit that the whole adventure seemed rather crazy—coming all this way for such a short interaction. But I also knew that I couldn’t miss this opportunity. There was this weird sense of urgency attached to the trip; it may not be my only chance to meet Sarah, but it would definitely be my first real chance, and it would almost certainly be my best chance. Because even when Sarah did make the trek to Canada, she was always farther from me there than she was now, this faithful summer.

Which brings us back here—to me, standing in a bookstore in a city that I hadn’t known existed until a few weeks prior. I could never hope to express to Sarah just how important her writing has been to me, and I certainly couldn’t do it in such a brief encounter. I’m not even sure I remember what I said in the end. Something about being from Canada, but also somehow Orlando, about the long and complex journey I had taken to find myself standing in front of her—the journey I had hardly expected to take at all. 

And then, it was over. I was ushered along, dazed and jittery, to make room for the next reader.

The sun was already setting by the time I boarded the train back to Florida. The lights in the car were dimmed, other passengers more tired and wary than I hunkering down to get some sleep. I knew that I should probably be doing the same—I had to work the next day, after all, and who knew how much time I’d have for sleep by the time I got back home. But when I curled up in my seat, I instead pulled my new book out of my bulging backpack, tracing over the signature on the first page, revelling in my proof that this whole thing had happened. 

Plus, the whole trip counted as my monthly “cultural activity,” as required under my J-1 work visa. So y’know. Two birds, one stone, etc.

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Ah, Just Listen. A personal favourite.

This week's read follows Annabel, a model who went from having everything to nothing at all. After a scandolous party mishap sparks rumours abound and ends her friendship with Sophie, she finds herself on the literal outskirts of her school's social circles--and the cafeteria. There, she meets Owen, who has his own rumours circling the school. Music-obsessed, unbelievably honest, and with a rough past of his own, the two begin an unlikely friendship that gets the school talking more than ever.

As the two tread further into each other's lives, Owen teaches her the importance of listening--to music, to others, and to yourself.

A problem I sometimes find with Dessen's books--as much as I love them--is that the minor characters often end up outshining the main protagonist. In truth, all of Dessen's characters are great, but sometimes I end up caring more about the best friend than the main character. Just Listen is one of the exceptions, as I think Annabel shines out just as brightly among the likes of Mallory, Owen, and Rolly.

I also loved the sisters' ongoing storyline, and their relationships with each other. Each of them had their own lives, their own problems, their own ongoing stories, and yet they all somehow came back around and connected with each other. In a way, they all learned the same lesson, in a variety of different ways.

There were times when Annabel's behaviour was frustrating, but her reluctance to tell her mother the truth about modelling was warranted, understandable, and overall relatable for myself and for others, I'm sure. The idea of speaking up about anything is easy, but actually doing it is another matter entirely.

And finally, at the center of it all, was the relationship between Owen and Annabel. Dessen's characters always have great chemistry, I find, and these two are no exception. Their conversations seemed effortless, and their shift from friendship to something more was a lot more gradual and easy than some of her other books.

Overall, I don't really have any complaints about this one! It's a solid read, although I personally think that some of her other work outshines this one.

Final rating: 4 stars.

Until later,

- Justyne

My Favourite Book

"Jason was going to Brain Camp. It had another name, a real name, but that's what everyone called it."

That is the opening line to The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen, which I reviewed last year after reading it for the umpteenth time. I know the first two lines as well as I know my own name. I can't recite the whole book, as cool as that would be, but there are certain lines that pop up in my memory from time to time; the extent to which I know this book is the equivalent of the way I recite dialogue from The Lion King II as I watch it. (I can't do it with the original Lion King, strangely enough. I can only do this with a few select movies, and I couldn't tell you why that's one of them.)

I have this thing where, once I experience something that I thoroughly enjoy, I want to relive it over and over and over again. I listen to my favourite songs on repeat for days. I once watched Tangled three or four times in a row over the course of a day. (That wasn't even on purpose--I put it on while I was doing homework, and it just...stayed on. And kept distracting me. Turn off the TV, kids--yet another life lesson from Yours Truly.) In the 8th grade, after having read The Truth About Forever once and deciding to use it as the focus of my book report, I read it eight times in a row. I'm not kidding or exaggerating here--I'd read it constantly, during breaks at school and in my free time at home. Once I finished the last page, I'd just flip the book over and start from the beginning again. I did that for the entire time that I was working on my report, and when all was said and done, I had read the novel a solid eight times. (Not including the first initial read through, before being assigned the report.)

Not everyone understands why I do this. Some people get annoyed after I blare my new favourite song for the seventh day in a row (to the point where my dad came into my room and shut off my stereo himself, once). Some people consider watching a movie once a year to be sufficient, even as I proceeded to watch Frozen six times in theatres. I mean, I love watching a new movie or reading a new story as much as the next person, but everyone else seems to quickly bore of the old stuff, always ready to move on to the next, whereas I need a couple evenings to properly cry and mourn the end of one of my television shows. (I don't cry because it ended poorly or too soon, but because it ended at all. There are two different reasons to yearn for more story, and mine is the latter.)

The words that fill my favourite book are familiar--almost comforting at times. Even though I know what's going to happen, and there's no chance of being surprised, I know I'll still enjoy it. I won't get bored or restless, even as my mind begins to form the words before they appear on the page. The characters will still have life to them, even though they're just acting out the same story I've read a million times. The fact that people are satisfied with only experiencing a story once is mind-boggling to me. If you love a book, why wouldn't you want to go back in time and relive the experience? The writing will be as good as it was the first time, the characters will be just as lively, the plot just as well crafted. Why does something have to be new to be interesting?

I love my well-worn, scribbled in, spine-cracked copy. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

What about you? Do you reread your books after finishing them?

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: Keeping the Moon

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

HELLO, FRIENDS! This week we revisit my favourite author for one of her earlier books--Keeping the Moon! (Techincally another reread, but it's been so long since I've read this particular novel that I had forgotten 95% of the plot before I sat down to read it again!)

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Colie has always been an outcast. First it was because she was fat. Then, even after her mother skyrocketed to informercial fame with her "FlyKiki" workout videos and helped her shed the extra weight, cruel and untrue rumours began to circulate, ensuring that her life remained as lonely as it's always been. When her mother leaves for her European tour, she sends Colie off to live with her aunt Mira--eccentric, overweight, and the subject of her own rumours that seem to bother Colie more than they bother her.

After an unexpected shift at the Last Chance restaurant, Colie is offered a waitressing job, where she meets Morgan and Isabel. The two are best friends, as close as you can be, and together they team up to teach Colie the art of confidence, standing up for yourself, and most importantly, friendship.

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

Some of Dessen's earlier books--That Summer, Dreamland, and, of course, Keeping the Moon--are shorter, probably because she was a newer author at the time. These books are half the size of all of her newer stuff, but thankfully, the pacing doesn't suffer because of it. A smaller book for a smaller story--exactly how it should be!

One of the biggest differences I noticed when comparing this to her newer stuff is that many of her newer books involve conflicts between the main character and their parents--something I talked about in my last review. But this time around, the conflict was almost entirely focused on Colie. It was more internal than external, which is something that I love to see. Internal conflicts are always more interesting because they're much more personal; it's not something that we see going on a lot because it's something we most often keep to ourselves. 

The thing that sucked about this, though, was that Colie's mother was hardly present in the book. Their relationship was an interesting one--they seemed rather close, and Colie's admiration of her mother and her mother's bravery was apparent throughout the story, and their relationship is one that I would have liked to see a little more of.

Speaking of relationships, the romantic one between Colie and Norman was a little...disappointing. The romance is one of the biggest reasons I'm such a hardcore Dessen fan, but whereas her other books spread the romance out throughout the story, this one seemed to happen in a more compact fashion towards the end. We had a couple moments here and there, but for the most part it wasn't addressed until the very end, after Colie had just about finished her journey to self confidence. I would have liked to see their relationship develop a little more, just so that it doesn't feel quite as rushed towards the end.

The other relationships, though, were spot on. The friendship Isabel and Morgan shared was compelling and real. Dessen's trend of including a compelling cast of side characters wasn't lost in this book, and I loved seeing these two interact. I only wish Colie had found someone with whom she could be the same way. She always seemed, to me, like an outsider to their friendship. Including someone she could bond with has closely as Isabel and Morgan would have been fantastic to see.

And finally, Mira. Sweet, sweet Mira. Reading about Mira was an interesting experience for me. In the beginning, Colie was embarrassed to be seen with Mira in public--and, since she's fifteen, I could definitely see where she was coming from. I'm sure at that age that I'd be cringing, too. (I probably did, actually, the first time I read this book.)

But now, as a twenty-year-old semi-surviving the Real Adult World, I didn't feel the need to cringe at all. In fact, Mira quickly became my favourite character--her quirky personality was downright adorable, and the fact that she was so confident in herself was absolutely inspiring. She heard the whispers, what the townsfolk said about her, and she straight up didn't care. Not a care was given by that woman, and it was fantastic. She never shied away from who she was, and she never tried to change--not even when Colie's mother sent her all of her workout tapes and equipment.

Both Colie and Mira called Kiki the brave one, and I'm not denying that she is--but Mira was just as brave, if not more so. I'm almost glad that Colie didn't get the chance to stand up agianst her aunt's bullies, because Mira didn't need it in the slightest.

THE STAR-Y BIT

Overall, I did enjoy this book--I mean, c'mon, how can I not enjoy a Sarah Dessen book--but it fell short to where some of her other books have soared. I give it four stars.

Review: Saint Anything

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

HELLO, FRIENDS! It's that time of week again!

This week, I'll be reviewing Sarah Dessen's newest--Saint Anything. Enjoy!

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Sydney has always been the invisible one, living in the shadow of her charming and self-destructing brother Peyton. Even now, after a drunk driving accident lands him in jail and a young boy paralyzed, Sydney feels lost amongst the endless lawyers and court dates. To her parents, she is the least of their concerns.

Then she meets Layla, self proclaimed expert of boys and french fries. With her comes her older sister Rosie, graceful and beautiful beyond compare; her mother Mrs. Chatham, sweet with a heart of gold, never letting anyong fall through the cracks; and brother Mac, quiet and oh-so-observant. They welcome her immediately, and accept her into their world filled with pizza, lollipops, and bluegrass music echoing into the late summer nights.

As Sydney enters this world, struggling to balance it with her old one, she begins to find her place. A place where she feels accepted, loved, and anything but invisible.

THE REWIEW-Y BIT

Have you ever read a book that just gave the feeling of a familiar setting, the whole time? Because to me, Saint Anything felt like a cool summer night, the kind perfect for s'mores and bonfires, with a cool breeze that was just refreshing enough to bring the hot temperature down, but not so much that you needed to dig up some layers. Just...perfect.

It's hard to pinpoint why it felt like that for me.Maybe because the bulk of this book was read in one night, with a window open in my bedroom while the sun set to provide just the breeze I was talking about. Maybe it was because my favourite scene, with the carousel and the talk of Saints and the blue grass festival in the living room, gave off that same vibe.

Either way, I really loved this book.

There's something satisfying with starting a streak of fantastic books, and this book did just that. While I didn't finish this book in five hours (like my last read), it was finished within 36 hours of being bought--something that only ever happens when a highly anticpated book meets and/or exceeds my expectations.

I'm no stranger to Sarah Dessen books. And once again, Dessen's characters shine brightly throughout the book, from french fry connoisseur Layla to slightly condescending, self-proclaimed music expert Eric.

And then there's Sydney.

Before the story even starts, Dessen sets the tone for Sydney's journey with a chord-striking dedication:

"For the invisible girls

and for my readers, for seeing me."

Sydney's desire to be seen for herself, and not for her brother, is so real and relateable for so many people. It's a great quality of all of Dessen's stories that make them so good.

I love the way that Dessen portrays the parents of her characters. A common danger in YA lit is to have the parents mysteriously MIA for the majority of the book, or to have them clueless or useless for just as long. Or the parents are immediately turned into the enemy, mean and strict just for the sake of being mean and strict.

But Dessen doesn't write them off, keep them in the dark or antagonize them for no reason. No, her protagonists don't often get along with their parents...but how many kids do? The difference here is that the parents are human--they make mistakes, but they're trying their best to do what's best for their children. Throughout the story, Dessen's protag often has a second parental figure in their life, an impartial third party who sees both sides of the story.

For Sydney, that's Mrs. Chatham.

Mrs. Chatham sympathizes with Sydney; she knows what Sydney's going through. But she also sees and understands where her parents are coming from, the motivations behind their actions. And it's because of this dual understanding that Sydney is able to reconcile with their parents by the conclusion.

The book wasn't without its issues, of course. My biggest problem was that the whole Eric-and-Sydney storyline is kind of lost throughout the climax and resolution. He's hinted at having feelings for her for a good portion of the book, right up to the point where he asks her out, and then...nothing. She avoids giving her answer, and the issue is never brought up again. Not when Sydney and Mac's secretive relationship was revealed, or when Eric and Layla rekindled their pre-plot romance. I even forgot about it, too, until the cover was closed after the happily ever after. Now, I'm left to wonder.

I also thought that the relationship between Sydney and Mrs. Chatham was extremely underdevelloped. They had their moments, of course, but I feel like their bond could have been used even more throughout the story than it was. 

THE STAR-Y BIT

Forgotten and misused plotlines aside, Dessen's newest quickly earned another five stars from me. Saint Anything has already made it onto my reread list!


Until later,

- Justyne

Review: The Truth About Forever

HELLO, FRIENDS! I fought with myself a little over whether to review this book, as I was afraid of a sliiiiiiiiight presence of prejudice, what with this being my favourite book and all. (This was my fourteenth time reading this book. FOURTEENTH!)

But in the end, I decided that skipping such an important book would be a tragedy. So with that, I give you my review of The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen.

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Jason has gone off to Brian Camp for the summer. For most people, his absence is of little consequence; but Macy Queen is not most people. Her perfect boyfriend has been her anchor, her distraction and salvation from the grief of her father's passing two years prior. Without him, the months ahead seem endless, with little to occupy her time except her dull library job, and her worries over her mother's stress levels.

Soon, though, her thoughts and time are occupied by other things--namely, her new job at Wish Catering, where everything goes wrong and, somehow, all makes sense in the end. And her older sister's spontaneous new project of renovating the beach house, which puts pressure on their mother that she may not be willing to handle. With the help of her new friends, their truths and their insights on forever, Macy begins to move on. She starts to pick through the pieces of her life, and restart her grief where she paused it two years ago.

But change, it seems isn't always easy...or even welcome. So how can she convince her mother that it's for the best?

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

Like I mentioned earlier, this was my fourteenth--FOURTEENTH--time reading this book. This review isn't coming from the point of view of an outsider--I know this book backwards, forewards, inside out and diagonally. So let me start out by saying this: this story, at its core, is extremely relateable to myself as a human being from at least three very different points of my life. I'm no Macy Queen, but I feel for her and have felt for her on levels that I have yet to reach with any other characters. After eight years, I know Macy very very well.

The characters have always been one of my favourite aspects of this book. Sarah Dessen has a thing for making her side cast very diverse [need a new FUkKING WORD] and quirky and fun, and this story is home to my favourites--namely Kristy and Bert. Kristy's mature and idealistic outlook on life is refreshing, and Bert is just...well, he's Bert. He's unique, to say the least, and it's imposisble not to love him and all of his quirks.

The only problem with her lovable minor characters is that, sometimes, the main character doesn't shine as well in comparison. In this case, especially, I always felt like Macy kind of faded to the background around her new Wish friends--but then again, who wouldn't, when faced with such a rambunctious crowd?

Sarah Dessen is my favourite author, and has been for a long time. But what really made me love this book, in particular, so much more than her others are the themes. The first one, the main one, is one that has been done probably a million times before. Kristy's whole speech that night of the party, about how your forever can end tomorrow or a million years from now, is basically a revamped version of "seize the day" or "you only live once". But even still, I just loved the way it was said. If your forever was ending tomorrow, would this be how you'd want to have spent it?"

That, paired with the themes of second chances and grief and moving on are tied together so eloquently and, more importantly, effortlessly. Dessen has so many plots going on, all at once, but they all wrap together and move the story along so nicely. So much is happening in Macy's life all at once, but it still doesn't seem overwhelming.

Macy's actions--or lack thereof--throughout the book have me...well, torn. Her decisions take a bit of a two-steps-forward-one-step-back approach, which gets extremely frustrating after a certain point. When she's at odds with her mother towards the end of the book and just doesn't have the courage to sya something, it gets me both steaming mad and incredibly heartbroken. But at the same time, I can't help but admit that it's actually quite realistic. Nobody changes all at once--we change slowly over time, bit by bit, until we become the person we want to be. Sometimes we fall back into old habits, because that's what they are--habits. I'm guilty of it, myself. In this way, it's almost reassuring to see a fictional character behave in a fashion similar to myself. It might be the very reason I find the story so relateable.

And fnially: the climax. That scene where Macy takes off after Wes, running for the first time in years...it makes me smile. It makes me smile so much, even after reading it fourteen times. Their entire relationship as a whole, actually, is one of my personal favourites to read about. They bond over grief and chaos, over the truths that come out in a game stretched on for the majority of the book. Their interactions have always been a pleasure for me to read, no matter how much time passes.

THE RATING-Y BIT

Do I even have to say?


Until later,

- Justyne

Even More Books

Although my love of reading has existed since the early 2000's, book releases have always been something I was completely oblivious to. With the exception of a few choice books, release dates were not among my area of expertise. The closest I got to anticipating specific releases was checking the library database every two weeks or so, to see if they had what I was looking for.

The other day, though, I realized that I actually live for book releases. (And, y'know, weekly television. But I digress.) Starting from the summer, I can list five books off the top of my head that I was excited for, and that have since been released.

After My True Love Gave to Me came out last week (an anthology of Christmas-themed love stories...CHRISTMAS. THEMED. LOVE. STORIES. It's like this magical book was crafted just for me), I thought I was done anticipating new books. I thought all the ones I was excited for had already come out.

I was wrong.

Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins - April 7th 2015

I had high expectations for Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins. I had heard absolutely nothing but good things about it, and let me tell you...I wasn't disappointed. The book was everything I've ever hoped for AND MORE. You can't even blame me for being excited for the next installment in this new YA series, because it is TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY WARRANTED.

SO EXCITED.

City Love by Susane Colasanti - April 21st 2015

I've enjoyed a handful of Susane Colasanti books in the past; Something Like Fate and So Much Closer especially come to mind. So to discover, one day, that she is releasing a new series, about LOVE in NEW YORK CITY....

SO EXCITED.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen - May 5th 2015

Sarah Dessen is probably my all-time favourite author. I've read all (or almost all) of her books at least once, sometimes more, and I adore all of them. So you can imagine my excitement when she announced her 12th book at the beginning of the month.

SO EXCITED.

Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer - May 19th 2015

Last year I read Between the Lines, the first book written by this mother-daughter duo, and it easily became one of my top books of the year. I adored it. And then, one magical fall day, I logged on to the internet to discover that they were coming out with a sequel. A SEQUEL.

SO EXCITED.

Storm by Amanda Sun - June (?) 2015

I read Ink, the first book in this trilogy, at the beginning of 2014.  Although it kept my attention, I wasn't really into it, and thought that I wouldn't be continuing on with the series.

Later that summer, when the second book, Rain, came out, I bought it on impulse. I enjoyed it a lot more than the first one...so now I can't HELP but be excited for the finale.

SOO EXCITED.


What book releases are you most excited for?

Until later,

- Justyne

10 Quotes That I Absolutely Love

Every now and then, I come across a quote--be it from the internet or a book or whatever--that I love oh-so-very-much that I just HAVE to write it down.

I now present to you ten of these quotes, in no particular order.

~~

"...and I decided that I would do my best in future not to write books just for the money. If you didn't get the money, then you didn't have anything. If I did work I was proud of, and I didn't get the money, at least I'd have the work." - Neil Gaiman, Make Good Art 

"I know you're not perfect. But it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for someone else." - Stephanie Perkins, Lola and the Boy Next Door 

"Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy." - Stephen King 

"The truth is this: successful writers don't have more time than you. They MAKE time to write." - S.J. Scott

"For any one of us our forever could end in an hour, or a hundred years from now. ... If your forever was ending tomorrow, would this be how you'd want to have spent it?" - Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever 

"Life is full of screw-ups. You're supposed to fail sometimes. It's a required part of human existence." - Sarah Dessen, Along for the Ride

"Writing is the only thing that when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else." - Gloria Steinem

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." - Neil Gaiman, Coraline 

"I am here to tell you that if you don't feel ready for university at the age of eighteen, there is always time to go back should you ever want to. I am here to tell you that having a well-paid job that is so often glamorised by the media and 'career advisers' at school is not the answer to happiness if it is not what you want to do." - Emma Blackery, YOU ARE NOT YOUR PARENTS

"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

What's your favourite quote?

Until later,

- Justyne