Emily Rachelle Writes

Hello, my lovely readers! It's been a long while since I last posted. That's because my blog and website have moved! Come visit my new site at emilyrachellewrites.com . I look forward to having you there!

Hello, my lovely readers. I'm just checking in briefly today to let you all know that some life developments have kept me away from the blog. The Chemist movie poster designs post will eventually be up, but for now I have some other things that need handling. I'll be back soon, promise!

Anyone who's a book worm (or book blogger!) will tell you, there are some books that just seem meant for movies. Maybe because they're just so good  that you're dying  to see them in another medium. Maybe because the description is so vivid, you can picture it all in your head as if you were watching it firsthand. Or maybe because the plot and action just feel designed for the mechanics of a movie. An example of that last case, for me, was The Chemist . It's a new-ish book, a thriller published in 2016 or 2017 (I'm not sure), which I read as an audiobook during the fall 2017 semester. It has mixed reviews, which I'd say are partly earned. I had mixed feelings, but I'm sure some people hated it just because of who wrote it (which is why I'm not saying who that is. Ha!) While listening to the story, I kept thinking that I liked it — but I'd like it better as a movie. (Turns out, the rights have actually been sold to make a TV movie.) With a deep de...

A long, long, long  time ago on this blog, I mentioned a television show I was watching. At the time, I think the show was beginning season two. I binged the first on Netflix and watched the second live. Now, fast forward a few years, and the show has come to its end, after 155 episodes (and one failed spinoff). I'm talking about ABC's Once Upon a Time. I just recently caught up on season seven, which took its own weird turn in jumping ahead a good decade (at least; I don't think specific dates are given). The cast's contracts all expired, and only three of the original actors remained. So the main character's son goes from high school student to full-fledged 20-or-30-something man (effectively replacing the actor), and a plot is contrived to stick him (as the new main character) in some other place where all our missing members can be mentioned with plausible excuses for never seeing them. Honestly, the way I talk about this show's writing sounds like I hat...

In high school, I used a lot of time watching shows like Doctor Who  on Netflix. I enjoyed crafts, even though I wasn't good at many of them. My senior year, I became active on Pinterest. And there was one phrase that really, really irritated me: "wasting time." My brother playing video games was "wasting his time." I, binging Netflix for three hours, was "wasting my time." My dad, sitting in his armchair and watching PBS after work, was "wasting time." It took me a few years to realize exactly why that bothered me so much, but I've finally figured it out.

"look out, 'cause here I come, and I'm marching on to the beat I drum. I'm not scared to be seen; I make no apologies. This is me" - "This Is Me," The Greatest Showman 05.19.2018 Me with the grandparents. Me with the parents.

Good morning, my lovely readers! Today we have a new guest, Taylor Bennett. She's here to talk a little about her new book, Porch Swing Girl , and share some old writing from her past for kicks and giggles. Enjoy! About Taylor Homeschooled since kindergarten, Taylor Bennett is the seventeen-year-old author of Porch Swing Girl , released by Mountain Brook Ink on May 1. When she’s not reading or writing, Taylor can be found playing her violin or taking walks in the beautiful Oregon countryside. She loves to connect with readers via her author website, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (her favorite!), Pinterest, and Goodreads. Where to find her Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Goodreads Order Porch Swing Girl on Amazon About her book What if friendship cost you everything? Stranded in Hawaii after the death of her mother, sixteen-year- old Olive Galloway is desperate to escape. She has to get back to Boston before her dad loses all common...

#5 5/2/2018 Dear Freshman, This series didn't really go the way I expected. I had a lot of big, vague ideas with not a lot of direction. I 'planned' for several letters, meaning I made a list of one-word topics and assumed I'd remember what I meant months later. Let's just say that's not the most effective approach to blogging. But here we are. I've shared my senior year experiences and how they compare to the dreams and realities I had as a freshman. I told you about the types of friends I made in college, and how friendship doesn't fit into templates or rules. I listed the most important pieces to my (admittedly still developing) time management skills. And I narrated a few of the many, many pieces of identity that are often explored and discovered in college.

Congratulations to our giveaway winners! The Writer Pack: Marija M. The Reader Pack: Janey B. The Bird Lover Pack: Tamara R. The I Miss Christmas Pack: Alma L. The Fangirl Pack: Allyson T. Your prizes will be in the mail this weekend. To everyone who entered, thank you! May you have better luck next time :)

Hello, my lovely readers! I want to say thank you so much to everyone who entered my spring cleaning giveaway in the last week. We had over 300 entries! The giveaway closed last night at midnight, so now it's time to pick the winners. I've drawn five names from the Rafflecopter entries. I've emailed the winners to notify them, so if you entered, check your email! And make sure to check the spam folder, too, just in case. Winners have 24 hours to respond before I draw someone else, so don't dilly-dally! I'll announce the winners' (first) names and prizes on Saturday. Again, thank you to everyone who entered! And if you're new to my blog, welcome. I hope you stick around to see what else we have going on here :)

Don't forget: today is the last day to enter my Spring Cleaning Giveaway ! # 4 4/25/18 Dear Freshman, This year, I've heard the phrase "identity politics" a lot. I guess the idea is that people let their identities dictate their political stances and alliances instead of grouping together by party. I've never understood why saying something like "hey, LGBTQ people deal with unique problems everyone else doesn't, and I'm part of an LGBTQ group trying to do something about that" is so horrible, but political talk makes everyone jumpy and irrational, I guess. The concept of identity and how it shapes your opinions, worldview, lifestyle, and choices is nothing new, though. And it's a huge part of the college experience. Let's talk a little about some of the pieces that make up a person's identity, and how we think about them differently in a college environment. This letter is going to be limited in what I can teach based on my...

Good morning, my lovely readers! According to the calendars, spring has been upon us for nearly a month now. But ask anyone who's spent any time in Indiana, and they'll agree: spring is an elusive and mysterious creature here. So I don't think it's too late to do a little spring cleaning. I've got a lot of big life changes coming up. In the next few months, I'll be graduating college and hopefully starting a new job. In preparation for these big life changes, I've been combing through my belongings and weeding out stuff I no longer want or need. Most of it has been thrown out or donated to a local secondhand store, but there are a few nicer items I've decided to save for you! The Prizes I have five prize packs for five winners. Each prize pack will include one signed paperback copy of my book Sixteen  and one or two mystery items that correspond to the prize theme: Writer, Reader, Fangirl, I Miss Christmas, or Bird Lover. The Rules This is on...

The series is finally back, with a few more letters before I graduate. I know it's been a while, so you can go back and read the beginning of the series if you'd like. # 3 4/11/18 Dear Freshman, There are a lot of sayings out there about time. Trust me, I'm as sick of them as you are, so let's skip the mottos and platitudes and get straight to the point. In college, your most hoarded resource, possibly even more than money, will be time. So if you know how to budget it from the start, life will be a whole lot easier as you go. Everyone in college talks about time management, but what does that really look like? Honestly, an effective system is different for every person. There is no one-size-fits-all. But there are a few common factors to successful time management and fitting your needs and your wants into a realistic schedule.

I have news for you, my lovely readers. Take a look at this! I met a snake this weekend on spring break! But that's not the point, obviously.

A group of my friends on Facebook were once discussing "bad first date/first meetup stories," and I had a fun one to share. My comment turned out so massively long I decided to turn it into a blog post. Hopefully someone will find it as comedic and entertaining as I do now in hindsight. Once upon a time, I met a guy on Tinder. Call him Adam. My friends think this story is hilarious because he was a skinny bald plumber, but I swear he was really cool. Listened to cool music and made me laugh. I wasn't even sure if I had feelings for him, I just thought he was a cool friend.

The screenshots in this post are blurry, I know. I got a new laptop recently and haven't figured out how to fix the screenshot settings yet. Sorry, readers! There are also some images with off-color boxes blocking out text — I censored some of the images for privacy. I recently received an email regarding a service called  Paperless Post . Friends of mine have used this service before; basically, it's an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional stationary. Or it's very fancy ecards. Whatever you want to call it. How it works: Choose your design, make it your own, manage your event. Whether you're hosting a baby shower or birthday party, whether you're sending save the dates or inviting friends to be in your wedding party, Paperless Post has a beautiful and classy digital design for you. And they've given me 1000 "coins" to try out the experience and share it with you all, my lovely readers!

Tea Tree Oil Shampoo and Conditioner Set Tea Tree Oil Shampoo This is the product Maple Holistics sent me. I've never been big on the "organic and all-natural" movement, but I rarely turn down an opportunity for free stuff. When Maple Holistics  reached out and offered me free shampoo in exchange for a review, I figured, "What do I have to lose?" Nothing. I had nothing to lose. AND I GAINED EVERYTHING! Okay, okay, a bit dramatic. But hey, when you live your entire life with dandruff and eczema, an itchy, flaky head is no joke. This is gross — and maybe TMI — but I've reached a point where scratching my head and coming away with bloody nails isn't that uncommon. The skin is just so irritated! Or it was, before this shampoo. Maybe I should give the organic, all-natural movement a second look, because dang, this stuff really works .

Read my reviews of Shatter Me , Unravel Me , and Ignite Me . Shatter Me  by Tahereh Mafi is the latest hot YA series, started as a trilogy with another three set and a television series to come. About the first book: "Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel with a paranormal twist that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel." There's not a lot of details about the television series yet, although I think it's supposed to start this year (yay!). I didn't know about the show as I was reading the series, so I kept hoping and wondering about Shatter Me being the next big YA trilogy to hit the screens. So, like I always do when I finish a book that's just so made to be on screen, I put together my dream cast for a movie — or, you know, a television show...

About the Book The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, called “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love.” With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her. Amazon Page GoodReads Page Author's Website My Thoughts Read my review of the first book, Shatter Me ,  and second book, Unravel Me . Can I just start by saying how much I utterly adore Kenji? He's my main man, my favorite friend, just the absolute best....

About the Book The thrilling second installment in New York Times bestselling author Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series. It should have taken Juliette a single touch to kill Warner. But his mysterious immunity to her deadly power has left her shaken, wondering why her ultimate defense mechanism failed against the person she most needs protection from. She and Adam were able to escape Warner’s clutches and join up with a group of rebels, many of whom have powers of their own. Juliette will finally be able to actively fight against The Reestablishment and try to fix her broken world. And perhaps these new allies can help her shed light on the secret behind Adam’s—and Warner’s—immunity to her killer skin. Juliette’s world is packed with high-stakes action and tantalizing romance, perfect for fans of the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard and the Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken. Amazon Page GoodReads Page Author's Website My Thoughts I read the first book ...