Tag: Reader

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What I Inherited from My Estranged Mother

Maggie Hemlock

I’m taking a day off today from writing. I’ve said it was to take care of filing my taxes online. I said it was because Saturday I wrote emotionally challenging scene. Both of those things are true, but there’s something else too.

Mother’s Day is a bitch for me. My mother never really was a mother even when she was around. I mean, in my early years she was there physically, but a combination of mental illness and drug addiction left her anywhere but actually there.

Full disclaimer: At the time my father wasn’t much better. He’s somewhat better now, but we don’t connect. Not really. This coupled with various drama throughout my family leaves me making my own family with my friends. I love them.

It also leaves me feeling lonely. I spent years wondering why I couldn’t connect with my father? We have nothing except blood and a caffeine addiction in common.

So if I’m not like him or any of my aunts or uncles where did I come from? I mean, yeah, I partially raised myself. Sometimes I joke that books raised me and they did in someways.

Where did those books come from? My mother. It’s a mixed bag. I remember her buying me books during her clean periods. I remember her reading them to me sometimes. I think this is why I don’t remember learning to read like a lot of people do. I think it’s wrapped up in my early childhood abuse/neglect memories and my PTSD programed mind protects me from it.

But the books were there. I remember one traumatic reading experience. We were reading Disney’s Aristocats (Spelling?) I loved those stupid cats and watched the movie and read the book a lot. Sometimes she read it to me. By the time of this memory I was probably 5 and preferred not to be read to, but I mean I was 5 any attention was good attention, right?

Well, she was reading it to me and she skipped half of the middle. I wasn’t going to stand for it. So, she went back and read it inserting her own crude language. I wasn’t having that either – this was my book. My story. I often imagined myself an extra kitten in the story. Well, that went over about as well as you expect with an addict. She whacked me across the face, ripped the book apart, and continued to beat me with it. Gone was my favorite book of the time.

After that I hid my books from her. I hid a lot of my things from her. Hell, at some points I hid the baby from her. The literal baby. My brother.

I continued to read, though. At school. At my grandma’s. Anywhere I could find books. Then we didn’t talk about reading again until I was 9. We were snowed in and I ran out of library books. She tossed me a book of mommy porn – basically one of those romances from the civil war era. I can’t remember the name of the book and I’ve tried. I’ve searched and even asked around Reddit, but apparently I don’t remember the right details.

I don’t know that my love of reading came from her. During her short clean periods she did read her romance novels. What I gained from her was the ability to escape into books – I had to. And sometimes in there I wrote my little stories. The first one was writing an episode of Flintstones to add myself in. Yep. Seven year old Maggie wrote fanfiction for The Flintstones. Yep.

So from all the things I inherited from her – trust issues, relationship complications, PTSD, scars, years of therapy, and more. What can I take away from all of this?

I became a writer and a book lover. They were my friends when she and her long line of abusive boyfriends chased off real people from my life. That love of story telling and immersing myself in a good story was the sole thing I snatched and kept for myself.

I’ve been asked why there’s not more moms in my stories. I usually answer with ‘Well, I write Mpreg!” lol And that’s part of the truth. The other part is I’m afraid my own mother would creep in there. I mean there are obviously some mom’s in my stories. (RIP Miriam)

I’ve always wondered what my life would have been like if my parents supported me during my early years. I got good grades until my last year of high school when I just stopped trying for the most. I’d sleep through class because sleeping at home wasn’t an option for me. I wondered what would’ve happened if my mother had read the book and hadn’t torn it to shreds.

I don’t know honestly. Maybe I would’ve still become a writer. Maybe my stories would be LGBT lit mainstream. I dunno. I love what I write now. I don’t think I’d be the person I am today. I loved stories because they were all I had. As an adult my life still circles them and I wouldn’t change that for anything.

 

 

Readathons, Uncategorized

O.W.L.s Magical Readathon Reading Update

Maggie Hemlock

Finally! I’m writing a blog at an appropriate time and not when I should be working on my novel! Book 9 of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga is off to the editor! I can’t wait to bring it out for everyone to read, but for now it’s time to catch up on my own reading. My O.W.L.s are going a bit slower than I thought they would.

I know it’s only the 8th, but I’m behind by my own logic.I should finish a book about every 2 days to get through all 8 of them this month. It’s the eighth and I’ve finished one. My Potions O.W.L. at that. I’m in the middle of my O.W.L.s for Care of Magical Creatures and History of Magic. My TBR has shifted a little bit as my mood has changed. I switched from the Christmas Carol to the Most Dangerous Game for my Potions O.W.L. Then I switched my History of Magic to The Witchcraft of Salem Village. It’s non-fic about the Salem witch trails. I think it’s in the spirit of the O.W.L. I’m currently reading that one and Hum if You Don’t Know the Words. I’m enjoying them both for different reasons.

I’ve put together a handy spreadsheet to track my progress. I should say I’ve also finished two books I wanted to read that were not for the O.W.L.s and that’s why I’m behind on the readathon. I’m reading just not what I should be reading. lol As usual, this list is subject to change on O.W.L.s I haven’t started.

aaa

How’s your O.W.L.s Magical Readathon Going?

Readathons, Uncategorized

O.W.L.’s Magical Readathon Preparation

Maggie Hemlock

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Soo… Tomorrow the magical journey begins! Yes, that’s right! Tomorrow is the first day of O.W.L.’s Magical Readathon 2020! I have a lot of work (AKA Book 9 of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga) going on next month. As well as Dewey’s and a personal project I’m considering. I’m unsure about how to go about the latter, but some planning will definitely be needed if I’m going to balance everything!

I’m still really excited for April to get here. With all the crazy stuff going on in the world I need a good distraction that allows me to connect with the world while still practicing social distancing. I may be a little over cautious I refuse to even order out. Though, everyone I know is doing it. I want a calzone, but not not enough to take the risk. At this point, I’d just rather be too safe than not safe enough. Anxiety or caution. Frig if I know. lol

So, first off, Book 9 is on schedule. I already read (I’m averaging 12 books a month as of right now) so I don’t think the readathon will interfere with that.

See the source image

In the mean time to get ready for the month – I’ve made the first reading journal I’ve had in years. It’s really cutesy with drawings and stuff, but my phone won’t take a decent photo of the pages. That sucks, but life goes on.

I’ve sorta planned out my reading order, but that’s always subject to change. I’m the sort of reader who follows their whims and moods. So, these readathons are always a challenge for me. Dewey’s Readathon is at the end of the month and I’m hoping to use that as a catch up for anything I don’t get to throughout the first part of them month.

First up, I’m tackling my second largest book (the largest if Order of the Phoenix, but I love that book and can finish it in a day if I have nothing else to do). My first O.W.L. read will be for my Transfiguration course. I’ll be reading Incubus Dreams by Laurell K. Hamilton. This is a reread for me, but I love the Anita Blake series. I wanted to read Micah, but that book is still at a friend’s house waiting to be shipped after the plague ends.

What’s your first book for O.W.L.’s Magical Readathon?

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Readathons and Reading Challenges to Enjoy While Flattening the Curve

Maggie Hemlock

I’ve talked to friends, family, and readers who are all looking for a way to fill in time they’re spending at home. Of course, reading is our number one go-to,  but everyone could use a bit of spice in their life.

See the source image

So without any further ado… Let’s get onto it. readathons first. Of course, I’m biased and my favorite readathon is

O.W.L.’s Magical Readathon.

It’s fun and a two parter with the first happening in April. Yep, I’m a big HP nerd (Proud Slytherin for life!!) and though the readathon doesn’t have to include the HP books it is based on the exams given at Hogwarts. I participated and passed my O.W.L.’s last April. My N.E.W.T.s in August were interrupted by some crap. So, I didn’t finish the challenge. This year, I’m trying again. Except I’m not going for writing. I’m going for healer. I might blog my readathon experience, but I’m not 100% positive I will.

Book Roast from Youtube (the host and creator of the readathon) can explain it much better than me. I’ll link her video below. FAQs, Career paths, and prompts can all be found in the description below her video on Youtube. The first part of this readathon runs the length of April.

 

Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon

 

This happens on April 25th this year according to the director’s Twitter. I participated in this one once or twice last year. It was great fun. Basically, you read as much as you can in 24 Hours. If my writing schedule allows it I will be doing this one this year. You can find more information here.

 

The PopSugar Reading Challenge

This is a year long challenge and you’re not behind if you didn’t already start. You can check out the prompts here.

 

Off the Grid Readathon April 17-19

This readathon encourages readers to put down their phones and read. This readathon encourages you to take as much time as you can away from all the daily distractions and really focus on reading. You can find more information here.

 

Queer Lit Readathon March 28 & 29 (weekend edition.) 

This readathon’s title explains it all. It’s all about LGBTQ+ reading and books. Hope my schedule let’s me participate in this one before O.W.L.’s start.

 

There are many many more readathons and reading groups spread across the internet. One I’m personally active is r/52Book over on Reddit. It’s a subreddit for those trying to read 52 books in a year, but anyone with a yearly reading goal (bigger or smaller) is welcome over there. It’s a friendly place to chat with other bookworms and to get reading recommendations.

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Reader Q&A

Maggie Hemlock

It’s that time again! I love getting questions and comments from readers. Interacting with all of you really makes my day. Writing is by nature a solo profession. You have to sit at the keyboard and ‘see’ and then translate what you ‘see’ into words and sentences that make sense to other people. It’s not always easy. Some days getting words on the page is like getting blood from a turnip. Other days it’s like I get to play with my imaginary friends all day and they’re nice to me. At the end of the day , though, it’s  about the stories I tell and how they can touch my readers. Without you guys, I’d be a kook with a wild imagination. Okay, maybe that’s exactly what I am, but you guys help me make a living from it. lol

I have three questions I’m going to answer today,. They’re simple questions, but the answers may be long and winding. I’ve touched on some of these in other Q&As, but I think I can expand those answers and really give you guys a look into how I started writing my Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga.

Question: How did you come up with the names for your shifter families?

Answer:

This one depends on which family/pack/flight you’re talking about.

Hemlock Academy came to me before the pack did. It started in a dream I had, but was nothing like you’ve read in the books. In the original dream it was an all girls boarding school where I taught that had been invaded by zombies. I’m a huge Walking Dead Fan and my dreams often get zombies if I watch the show too much. The school in the dream was not Hemlock Academy. It has a name that sounds sort of close, but I’m not disclosing here. I always knew I was going to turn that dream into a book. I still might. Not in Mpreg, because I don’t think babies and zombies mix. Maybe I’m wrong. Let me know in the comments if you think Mpreg and the zombie takeover go hand-in-hand and would make for a good read. The pack ended up named after the school once I got to know Darian in Omega Studies.

I’m not saying what the school was called in the dream, because who knows. If I ever switch genres in the future I still might write the book in the original way I saw it.

The West Appalachian Wolf Pack were just named after the area they come from. I was born in West Virginia and just sorta tacked on West because of that. I love the nature and mountains of the region. Yes, Monta’s pack in part is based on some people I knew growing up. No one was killed from their crimes against their families. So, it’s really loosely based, but it’s there.

The Moonscales are the tricky ones. The name just came to me while I was writing a standalone which is yet to be released or finished. I’m hoping to finish it one day, but it won’t be until after the Hemlock vs. Raven Hallow War. It’s given us the characters of Clarence and Medwin and all of the Moonscales, though. They first showed up in that book that’s half finished. One of the MCs of that standalone novel is still a hatchling at the moment. So, for the sake of the timeline I won’t be worrying about that book just yet.

The Raven Hallow Wolf Pack is a bit more complicated. I could say it just came to me, because a lot of them do and it did. It came from their lore of being connected to ravens and crows. Though, they have heavy elven influence too despite it not being represented in the name.

I think I’ve covered all the main ones I’ve actually introduced this far. There are others on the map, because I needed to mark them because I knew they were there. If I’ve left anyone out drop me a message on FaceBook and I’ll include it in the next Q&A.

Question: What got you into writing MM?

Answer:

Do you want the short answer or the long one?

The short answer: Harry Potter.

That doesn’t make sense unless you were part of the 2000s HP fanfiction communities. The first story I ever wrote to completion on a computer was when I was 14 and it was a  Draco/Harry slash fanfic. Yep. The real reason I turned into a writer was because my young teenage self thought Harry and Draco should get together. I guess I liked tension even back then before I could explain it.

It probably has something to do with my gender identity too, but I’ll touch on that in the next question.

Question: What made you decide to write MPREG?

Answer:

This one’s complicated too. I’ve touched on a lot of these things in my previous Q&A, but I’ll expand here since the question is what made me decide to write MPREG. I’m nervous about this one, because though a lot of my friends know and are super supportive I’ve never really talked about it in a professional setting. This is very personal to me and it’s taken me a long time to be comfortable talking about any of it in a public forum.

Since I was little gender has confused the hell out of me. Not just gender stereotypes, but gender itself. It’s like umm…. so there are two boxes and I have to stand inside of one?  It’s not that I don’t like the boxes. It’s that neither box is for me. I identify as gender non-binary despite being born AFAB (assigned female at birth.)

What I love about Mpreg is being able to explore different ideas about gender roles and gender expression. Being able to not have to write inside those boxes. Yes, some of my omegas are what my dad and uncles would call ‘pretty boys’ (Hence, why the Appalachian Wolf Pack got it’s name and attitude.) but I’ve always admired men who are softer and gentler and love things that aren’t inside that box we’ve labeled “Masculinity.” And of course, vice versa. One of my favorite characters from the series is one who has only been mentioned. I hope to get her on screen soon.

I’ve been accused of having inadequate female representation in my books. I don’t think that’s quite true. Sure, male characters out number female characters, but I write gay romance. I need a pool of side characters to pull from and play matchmaker with.

I’m also very aware of how strong women can be perceived. I didn’t have my first female Alpha on screen until The Sleeping Omega Prince. Mostly, because I wanted to avoid the question of ‘How do female Alphas get their mates pregnant?” Many people have given their thoughts on this and if you don’t understand it, want to know, and are old enough to read my books – send me a message. I’ll tell you in the cleanest way possible. lol I write sex scenes, but I’m not that comfortable discussing anatomy publicly.

What actually lead to me writing Mpreg was a number of things. First, as I mentioned in my previous Q&A my early roleplay years had a lot of mpreg in them. Then mpreg fanfiction. I never knew it was a thing until two things happened very close together. A good friend introduced me to the genre on Amazon. Then an old ghostwriting client (yep that’s what I did before I went indie) e-mailed me and asked if I’d be interested in ghostwriting some Mpreg for her. I don’t do ghost work anymore and didn’t at the time. But I was mind blown that this was a thing in actual books now.

So, my little fanfiction heart had some original characters of its own to share with the world and on December 9th, 2017 I penned the first few chapters of what would become Omega Studies.

Thank you so much for submitting your questions. If you have more feel free to send them my way on Facebook to be included in the next Reader Q&A blog.

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Writing, Book Covers, and the death of my last nerve

Maggie Hemlock

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Because I should be working on the book cover for Omega Rebellion ((AKA Cody and Micah’s story), but my last nerve has just died.

If you haven’t caught up with the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga they are all free on Kindle Unlimited. If you haven’t checked out the program they’re always running some first month free or some sort of promotion. If you read a lot and haven’t checked it out yet, it’s a great source to save you some money on your reading habit. I swear by it which is why my books will remain in it for as long as it works.

Like a lot of people, my adult life has been one big ball of anxiety. Not always the normal sort either. Today is the two month mark since I was attacked by my intoxicated brother. That’s not what killed my last nerve, though. It wasn’t moving across the country while recovering from injuries or the mental aspects of recovery that are still ongoing.

It was tornado sirens last night. Here I was getting ready for bed thinking about what sort of cover Omega Rebellion called for and the next thing I know I’m in a closet pretty sure I’m going to die. Sure, the city I live in is rarely affected, but it only takes one. I see another move in my future, because I have no nerves left. Just none. Zilch. Zero. I know life is never 100% peaceful. I lived here before and knew it was a possibility, but I didn’t know how bad my nerves had gotten.

So, today I’m running way behind schedule and feel like crap. As a writer, I’m pretty good at filling in the blanks in life of what could happen. It’s great for storytelling, but sucks when my brain tries to apply it to real life. I haven’t asked other writes, but I can’t be the only one who thinks like this. lol

Either way, the coffee is ready and I need to go stare of screens full of sexy stock photos to make the cover for Omega Rebellion.

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N.E.W.T.s Magical Readathon Updates: (August 1-10)

Maggie Hemlock

August 1st:

3:07 PM EST

I started Eleven Things I Promised by Catherin Clark. I plan to save it for Dewey’s but was really in the mood to read some YA. I read about ¾ of the book and plan to finish the rest tomorrow. It was slow to start, but the plot picked up about halfway through the book! Can’t wait to finish it tomorrow!

August 2nd:

7:43 AM EST

I feel like I should be writing, but after writing about 1k words I’m still dragging my feet today. I’ve written just over 26k words this week. It’s been a damn good writing week. So, I’m going to finish Eleven Things I Promised and see how I feel afterwards.

8:02 AM EST

I just finished Eleven Things I Promised. It was a decent little read. I think I would have enjoyed it more when I was in high school. Don’t get me wrong I still love YA books, but I feel some of the newish ones I don’t relate to as well.

It’s Day 2 of the challenge and I have my A (For acceptable) in Muggle Studies. (A cover that includes an actual photo element.)

I’m off to a decent start. I’ve been on such a roll with writing that it feels strange not to write more today, but I want to avoid a burnout. So, I think I’m going to read some more. I know Dewey’s doesn’t start until tonight and by reading all day today I might not want to do it tomorrow, but that’s a chance I’ll take. I’m moving onto a book I’ve had for quite some time: Comet’s Tale by Steven D. Wolf with Lynette Padwa.

I’m excited to read this book, because it’s about a rescue dog. I believe it’s based on real events. I just doubled checked and it is based on real events. The book’s about 250ish pages. I think I can get through that today. I’m currently 4 books behind on my Good Reads challenge goal. So, the more reading I squeeze in the better.

4:51 PM EST

I just finished reading Comet’s Tale! It was an incredible book. I’d recommend it to any dog lover!

August 3rd

I blogged this day separately for Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon: See the blog post here.

August 4th

After participating in Dewey’s I need a day off from reading. I mostly wrote and watched Sinner on Netflix.

August 5th:

5:07 PM EST

I finished Riverkeep by Martin Stewart. That’s the A of my History of Magic N.E.W.T. (Read a fantasy.)

That’s 4 out of the 9 books I have planned. Since it’s only the 5th of the month I’m not doing too shabby.

August 6th-7th:

No reading. The real world got in the way.

 

August 8th

8:30 AM EST

I started reading Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee. This is my (A) for Astronomy. (Moon on the cover or anywhere in the title.)

I read the first 50 pages of this book. It’s good so far, but real life and writing are eating up my attention. I’m so close to finishing book 6 of my Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga and it keeps drawing me in. Which is good news for my readers, but bad news for my grades in this readathon.

August 9th:

Real life wouldn’t let me read.

August 10th:

2:27 PM EST

I spent some time reading Outrun the moon today. I haven’t finished it yet.

Grades Achieved

Muggle Studies: A, E, & O.

History of Magic: A

What’s Left?

3 books to fulfill my career. 5 books left for my overall goal.

Reading Stats:

Books Read: 3.25

Days I Read: 6/10.

Outlook:

I’m close to finishing Claiming the Shaman (Book 6 of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga) so finishing it will definitely take priority. Then it’ll be cover work and rewrites for me to do. I’m hoping to finish this reading challenge and meet my career goal, but I’m saying I have like a 30% chance of reading all the books.

 

 

Readathons

Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon: One book finished!

Maggie Hemlock

I’ve only been up a little less than 4 hours and have finished my first book of the day: Willow Trees Don’t Weep by Fadia Faqir. I really enjoyed unraveling the mystery of where the main character’s father was.

https://i0.wp.com/img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110822090923/harrypotter/images/5/51/Magical_Quill.jpg

I’m using today to get a better jump start on my N.E.W.T.s Magical Readathon books too. As of right now I have my O in Muggle Studies. Since, I’m studying to be a writer/journalist in the Wizarding world I only needed an A, but was in the mood to go above and beyond.

I’m off to grab a shower and a snack. Happy reading!

Readathons

Good Morning! Happy Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon!

Maggie Hemlock

Happy Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon!

Back in April I participated in this particular readathon for the first time. I had a lot of fun and couldn’t wait for it to circle back around. Recently I’ve been off to bed before 8PM (I live in EST) so for it starts now. I woke up about 4:00 this morning. I’m not aiming for any certain goals today page, time or book wise. I’m just looking forward to chilling out and getting some reading done. I read 2 books yesterday, though. So, we’ll see how today goes.

When I first made my TBR list for Dewey’s this time I had planned to start the day with Eleven Things I Promised by Catherine Clark, but I read that on the first and second, because I couldn’t wait any longer.

So today I’ll be starting with Willow Trees Don’t Weep by Fadia Faqir. It’s the last book I need for my O in Muggle Studies (O: Read a book written by a person of color.) for the N.E.W.T.s readathon this month!

I’ll check in soon! Happy reading!

XOXO

Maggie

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5 Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon Tips (August 2019)

Maggie Hemlock

In my previous blog I said I believed I wrote a similar blog post in April, I dismembered. In April, I wrote several posts about getting ready for Camp NaNoWriMo, not the readathon. Sorry about that.

Now, that I have one Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon under my belt I’ve collected some tips to help you make the most out of your readathon experience.

  1. Have a TBR List, but plan to diverge too.
Brass-colored Chandelier

It’s exciting and fun to create your TBR list for any occasion, but when creating one for a 24 hour readathon you should be aware of the pit falls. If you’re like me, what you’re in the mood to read isn’t always the same. I planned my list way ahead of the actual date this year and have put a few other books aside in case they no longer tickle my fancy. I’ve also accepted it’s perfectly okay to pick up a book I’ve read a hundred times or another book from my TBR shelf.

2. Meal Prep/Plan Ahead

Bowl of Vegetable Salad and Fruits

If you plan to read as much as possible during the 24 hours of the readathon be sure to plan what you’re going to eat. You don’t want to feel hangry or exhausted from skipping meals. While sweets and junk food are a great addition to the readathon be aware of sugar crashes and the yucky feeling from eating too much of them.

This time around I’m going to meal prep like normal and just allow myself a few extras since it’s a special day. For those of you who don’t know, I’m currently part of the Weight Watchers community. In the past, I’ve totally let myself have whatever I wanted on special days, but this year I want to keep it within reason. So, yeah, I’ll probably have a brownie and some chips, but they won’t be my soul source of nutrients.

3. Remember to move around.

Brown and Black Beagle Walking on Green Grass

If you’re planning to do your best to stay up for most of 24 hours you need to keep your blood pumping.

While everyone has they’re own way of doing this I like to alternate between reading and doing small tasks around the house. I do this most of the time when I read anyway, but this is my first time testing it on a longer time frame since I plan to read for most of my waking hours that day. I’m sure some things will have to be taken care of. The pup will need to go out and I’m not planning on totally skipping my workout that day.

If the weather’s nice moving outside to read or perhaps even taking your books to a cafe or coffee shop are all great options too!

4. Get Comfy

People Lying On Green Wooden Lounger Chairs On Beach

Many of us have our favorite reading spots. For the readathon make sure your area is prepared. You don’t want the start of the ‘day’ to roll around only to find your area cluttered or ill prepared for your purposes. The day before take some time to straighten things up and gather your supplies.

5. Don’t get caught up in how much you do or don’t read

Assorted-color Sequins

Dewey’s isn’t a competition. Sure, it can be fun to track reading progress, but don’t think of the day as a competition to read more than other readers. You’re participating in the day to enjoy one of your favorite activities. If you focus on that you’ll enjoy the whole day much more.

What’s your best advice for a 24 hour readathon? Let me know in the comments.