YAY UPDATE Feat. Fun Life Stuff and Scrolling (Also, a Giveaway!)

Hiiiiiiii!

OH GOSH IT HAS BEEN SO LONG. If you're reading this, I love you. SO MUCH. That's because it's been a long while since I wrote anything here, which means you're here after a long while, and man, that is love-worthy!! Also, I just love you really creepily.

I'm going to stop before this turns into the creepiest love fest ever (that's later!) and instead tell you the story of what the heck I've been up to for the past whole summer! Get ready, Internet, because this shizz reads like some kind of cah-razy YA novel!

1. *~Graduated High School~*

With my sister at the ceremony! :)

You know those times in your life when everything changes and you're like, "Whaaaat?" But you love it. Graduating from high school in June was like that. To be honest, I'm so glad be out of HS and into college - but it's still scary to me that I've officially left what was, in order to run head-on into what will be.

And by scary, what I really mean is EXCITING AND WONDERFUL. Yes!

2. *~Backpacked in Freakin' Europe!~*

3 weeks in July. 2 girls (me and one of my best friends!). 5 major cities: London, Paris, Nice, Venice, and Rome. 3 years spent dreaming and saving up the moolah. 6 months of preparation. 1 majorly awesome experience!

Seriously, backpacking in Europe was just as life-changing and eye-opening and YA-novel-esque as I could have hoped. The only pieces missing were a couple of cute foreign love interests (next time)! I learned that I want to keep traveling for the rest of my life, and I learned a ton about patience (have it), flexibility (have it), adventure (embrace it), cultural diversity (appreciate it), the world (it's beautiful)... even writing! (More on that here. Plus more pictures!)

(I like parentheses. ONWARD TO THE NEXT THING!)

3. *~Started College~*

If you're currently at a point in your life where you're considering which colleges to apply to, I recommend Vassar College because it is AMAZING! Okay, now that I'm done advertising: it's true. I'm a College Person now. What??! I don't know, dude.

This is the library. No joke AUGH.

Coming to college is pretty much the biggest life step I've ever taken - and even though term started in August, the fact that I'm here still hasn't quite sunk in. But I'm still so thankful, every day, for the fact that this step has been made.

Nonsensical feelings aside, I gotta wonder: where are all the relatable New Adult novels written to help peeps like me understand this crazy-yet-fun newness? There's a market! Let's make it happen! Right? Right? Well... someday soon. Muahaha.

So, that's the story. Overall... yeah, oh man, wow. And between all of this has been writing - slow writing, but writing! A non-contemporary novel by the name of Hysteria is coming... oh yes, it is coming. Dun-dun-dun-dun... *Jaws theme*!!

If you're reading this, and you are currently writing, or revising, or outlining, or brainstorming, or editing, or struggling to finish an essay, or trying to earn money for books, or freaking out about the upcoming holidays, or anythinging, I just want to say this to you: you can do it. You are amazing. You are fantastic. It's going to take work, for sure, but it's going to rock. YAY HUGS

OKAY NOW LET'S GET TO THE FREE STUFF!

I want to give one of these things to you: a $25 iTunes gift card (also good for buying books in iBooks) ~ a $10 Barnes and Noble gift card ~ an ARC of Tahereh's Mafi's SHATTER ME (coming out November 15th)!!

3 free things, 3 random winners! The winner picked first gets to choose first, etc. HOW DOES ONE GET THESE THINGS? Forreal, just comment saying you want to enter, and you shall be entered for a chance to win. No tweeting or following required, although of course I would appreciate that kind of thing so so so much. Giveaway ends at 11:59PM on Wednesday, October 25th!

And that concludes this update. Thanks so much for listening, fellow traveler! :) Have a mind-bogglingly wonderful day!