Monthly Rewind (January is OVER?) and TLCS

This says 2015. But I am too lazy to do anything about it.

I do know that it is the fifth of February. 

I'm just behind. Still. But I know what day it is, because it's the second day of the February Birthday Avalanche. My family (extended and immediate) have so many birthdays this month that I confuse them all. (Even mine, sometimes!)

But I digress. January is over. 

Yes. It is.

Bring on the villains

I survived the first month of 2016 without losing my mind, despite the crazy amount of things I had going on. I didn't blog very much, but I read several books! See the proof scattered over this post.

I also read quite a few books on the Korean language, but those covers just aren't as pretty, so I'm ignoring them.

Anyhow, I usually do the end of the month wrap-up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction. I refuse to let the fact that I am a week late stop me from participating. If you want to join up late like me, click this link.

As I said, January wasn't a huge blogging month for me. I did compile several epic Best of 2015 lists - covering music, writing, books, and more:

• Year in Books. If you were interested in what I read, and seeing a lot of book covers, then this is the post for you.

• Year in Everything Else. Kpop, movies, and the other things I got around to in 2015.

• The only Top Ten Tuesday I managed to finish in January. Writing Resolutions for 2016. Gifs aboundeth.

• And behold, I wrote a writerly post! Tips for Better Dialogue are this way - - - ->

• January 2016 Beautiful People - Betas, queries, writing processes, ideas, and more. Click this for a peek into what I am (probably) writing in 2016.

• Another writerly post. How does music affect your writing? I shared specific examples, and a video that you must watch.

Fine, but a little light

• The aforementioned Emoji Mini Reviews

• I finished the first draft of my WIP, The Last Coffee Shop, took pictures of my food like a regular twenty-something, and went to a bookseller wonderland called Winter Institute. Read more about that here.

I liked this one way more than I thought I would

POOR KEN=Tokyo Ghoul

Counting back, I actually completed 9 posts, which is pretty good considering how busy I was!

Looking ahead, there's the February Beautiful People (I'll have to find a WIP with romance in it if I want to participate!), books to read and review, my birthday (I am trying to replicate the kimchi stew/kimchi jjigae I had in Denver), and a lot of work stuff to keep me busy. 

Also, I made the mistake of starting Kdrama You Who Came From the Stars, and I won't be able to rest until I finish the darn thing. (HOUR LONG EPISODES, PEOPLE. And there are 21 of them). I don't know why I do these things . . .

Ahem.

<3<3<3 Ishiguro

And speaking of TV, I forgot to mention something in my Denver recap - I discovered NHK World News (out of Japan). I turned on the hotel TV when I was way overtired (as you do), and was mesmerized (you read that right) by this glimpse into Japan and Asian politics from the inside. Fascinating. My favorite segments were on pop culture (exploring a manga studio!!) and going to lunch (not kidding).

As far as writing goes, I have to decide which WIP to work on next. I have several in progress, several in synopsis form, and several begging to be typed down right this minute.

I'm giving The Last Coffee Shop a month-long break, so I can come back to it in March with reinvigorated editor's eyes. To celebrate finishing the draft, I'm ending this post out with some random stats and facts.

Current Word Count on the Unholy Leviathan: 121,554

This is just to show you that I have a lot of work cut out for me.

Page Count (Size 11 font): 254

Fun Fact #1: It was supposed to be a novella.

Fun Fact #2: TLCS was originally structured as a (fractured) fairytale retelling. Any guesses as to which one? (Handy link to TLCS posts if you want to dig).

Fun Fact #3: I actually did finish this draft while listening to Let's Not Fall In Love in an endless loop, :0

Hey, whatever works, right?

First Sentence (from the Prologue): The first time that the boy died, he drowned.

Last Sentence: “Madeleine Capot,” said the figure, “Did you miss me?”

My Current Favorite Chapter Title: Chapter 17: You, Me, and Blood On the Dance Floor

Fun Fact #4: Despite the mammoth word count, I actually stuck much closer to my story outline with The Last Coffee Shop than most of my other manuscripts.

This gives me something to look forward to March for (March isn't Michigan's prettiest month . . .)

So that was my January. Am I the only one still surprised by the fact that it's February? What did you do last month? Read anything good? What are your plans for the shortest month of the year?