#may release

[thoroughlymagicalmonument]

Behind the scenes 😍😍😍😍😍

[aralenorimaki01]

Just Blanka waiting in line to take a dump... 🚽

Notice anyone else?

[shimako]

volume 04 cover reveal

Ahhhhhh....it's just so pretty!!! By the looks of it Shen Zechuan is gonna fuck some shit up 😆😆😆.

[hollymbryan]

Blog Tour: Top 5 Reasons to Read DON’T ASK IF I’M OKAY by Jessica Kara!

Welcome to Book-Keeping and my stop on the TBR and Beyond Tours blog tour for Don’t Ask if I’m Okay by Jessica Kara! I’ve got all the details on this gorgeous contemporary book below, along with my top 5 reasons to read this one, so let’s go!

About the Book

title: Don’t Ask if I’m Okay author: Jessica Kara publisher: Page Street Kids release date: 16 May 2023

Heartfelt and bittersweet, this coming-of age story explores the tender space of healing where grief meets love

A year ago, Gage survived a car accident that killed his best friend, Hunter. Without the person who always brought out the best in him, Gage doesn’t know who he is. He likes working as a fry cook and loves his small-town friends and family, but they weren’t in the wreck and he can’t tell them how much he’s still hurting. He just wants to forget all his pain and move on.

So when his stepdad shows him a dream job opening in one of his idol’s restaurants, Gage knows this is his chance to convince everyone and himself that he’s fine. To try to push past his grief once and for all, Gage applies for the job, asks out a crush, and volunteers to host a memorial for Hunter.

But the more Gage tries to ignore his grief, the more volatile it becomes.

When his temper finally turns on the people he loves, Gage must decide what real strength is—holding in his grief until it destroys him, or asking for help and revealing his broken heart for all to see.

Content Warning: Loss of friend, PTSD, toxic masculinity

Add to Goodreads: Don’t Ask if I’m Okay Purchase the Book: Amazon | B&N | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Jessica Kara is a professional author and artist. With a BFA in technical theatre, she worked as a stage manager for eight years in regional theatres and on several national tours. Eventually she left the business to focus on writing, which has always called. She has served as President of her local writing organization, Authors of the Flathead, and is a member of the Society for Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. She frequently speaks at local conferences, schools, and college classes, striving to inspire a new generation of writers to pursue their passions.

Jess has indie-published a young adult fantasy series featuring gryfon characters, and is excited to now dive into the pool of contemporary young adult fiction. She currently resides in northwest Montana with her husband, spends her time staring at the mountains, drinking a lot of coffee, dreaming up things and people, and chirping back at birds.

Her stories, whether fantastic or contemporary, are “noblebright” at their core, woven with a spirit of determined hope, belief in the power of kindness, and the faith that good will overcome.

Connect with Jessica: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Facebook

Top 5 Reasons to Read

Every once in a while a book comes along that you didn’t realize you needed in your life, and had no idea how much it would affect you, until you read it. In 2021, that book for me was What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson, and this year it is absolutely THIS BOOK. Here are my top 5 reasons to read Don’t Ask if I’m Okay:

1. It’s the most honest, unflinching, tender exploration of grief I’ve read in a long time. 

2. It’s also an honest and unflinching look at toxic masculinity, how it can mess up our young boys, and how hard they must fight to escape it.

3. It has quite possibly the single best portrayal of a father figure (stepdad) that I’ve read in any YA novel, ever. Seriously, Jack -- I adore you with my whole heart.

4. It’s such a beautiful portrayal of teen friendship, especially between teen boys, and a recognition of how hard it can be for them to lean on each other, even when friends are there to catch them (which holds true for adults, as well!).

5. It’s a book that will rip your heart out, leaving you sobbing and snotty at midnight, and then patch it back together, leaving you smiling through your tears at 1:00 a.m. (this may or may not reflect my actual experience, lol).

I don’t want to say much more so as to avoid spoilers, but I will say this: I lost my sister to domestic violence 15 years ago this past January, and I STLL struggle with grief. Jessica Kara’s portrayal of grief as a circular progression from dark to light and back to dark again (ad infinitum) is so incredibly accurate that I was vigorously nodding along as I read. When Gage says that death isn’t a one-time loss but rather a new loss every time you wake up in the morning, every time something good happens and you want to run and tell the person who’s no longer with you, only to remember they’re gone...ugh. I was pregnant with my first and only child when my sister was killed, and I distinctly remember the day I walked in the house after work and he kicked for the first time and my first thought was, “oh my god, I have to call Krissy!” -- only to remember that wasn’t possible and that she would never know her nephew. 

I say all this to say, this book GETS IT. Ms. Kara GETS GRIEF. If you have a family member or friend struggling with grief and you don’t know what that’s like, read this book. If you are struggling with grief and you want some help healing or some validation that your own feelings are normal, READ THIS BOOK. I cannot recommend this highly enough, I’m honored to have read it, and it will go down as The Special Book of 2023 for me. I hope you’ll pick this one up, and please do let me know your thoughts. And if you ever want to talk about grief, or depression, or pain, or whatever, please know my DMs are open. “Lone wolves die alone.”

RATING: 5 stars! (I know this is not technically a review, but I couldn’t leave this off!)

**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour.

Check out the Bookstagram tour too! You can find my post here, and the full schedule is here.

[st-agatha-city]

7 Months to Go!!

Short and to the point, as we are due for release in May, 2022!

November Goals

Finish Ross’ route

Finish No Name Girl’s route

November alpha test - get up to date on editing!

Plot CGs for Ross, Norman, and Denver

Finish Theater and Factory background art

Begin sketching remaining backgrounds

December Goals

Finish Ian’s route

Finish Mindy’s route

Continue work on Marjory’s route

Edits, of course

Finish Apartment (bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, Pixy’s room, and Norman’s room) background art - probably going to divide this one up to a room a week and start ASAP since it is both beefy and probably more important than other backgrounds

December alpha test <3 - edit Mindy and Ian’s routes, brainstorm how to tie up any loose ends in advance for January, especially with the side quest routes

January Goals

Finish Marjory’s route

Hopefully finish Tara’s route

Hopefully finish Baxter’s route

Finish all sprites

Plot remaining CGs

Focus on casting Voice Actors

Finish Caliber Coffee, Taco Hut, and Wildwood Park background art

January alpha test - if Baxter and Tara aren’t done, they will be the focus. If they are (oh my god) it’ll be edits and prep for release!

February Goals

Definitively wrap up Tara and Baxter’s routes

Final edits

Finalize sprites

Finish CGs

Secret routes should for be finished by now

Finish College (cafeteria and library) background art

February alpha test - topic of the month with my ‘team’ will probably be anxiety management.

March Goals

Wrap up background art and CGs

God willing if I have all VAs sorted I can begin placing voice lines ;-;

Begin beta testing????

March alpha test - going to be going over the whole game again with my volunteer devs. Finding any remaining continuity errors or grammar hitches or anything. Thanking the team, discussing final thots. Hhhhwjasklx.

April Goals

Hhhh???

Add skip button to Intro for replay value I keep forgetting to do this

May Goals

RELEASE 🎉🎊🎉

(But who am I kidding this is video game dev - final final edits)

[voxyldy]

04.16.1021

[INFO]

Translation:

After releasing ‘Butter’ as a digital single, a new album containing a variety of new songs, which will include ‘Butter’ is expected to be released in June.

Source: Daum / haruharu_w_bts / headlineplanet.com

[daesungindistress]

Oh yeah, by the way...

[fuckyeahkimwonpil]

[INFO] DAY6's "DANCE DANCE" ranked #1 on iTunes K-Pop Song Chart in 14 countries!!! Congratulations boys!