I was itching to make another video. I hadn't made one in a long time. The only problem was that I didn't know what to make one about.

One day it hit me. I could do a screencast tutorial on how to make blog post graphics. I thought about it for a little bit longer. Yes, that's what I was going to do.

I sat down with my computer and microphone and began recording.

When I had finished recording, I edited my video and then I showed it to Mum. After some feedback, I edited it some more and then showed it to Mum again. Yet more feedback and then I edited it one last time. Finally, I uploaded it to YouTube and smiled, pleased with my work.

Would you like to learn how to make a blog post graphic? If so, please watch my video!

Title: Wildwood Dancing

Author: Juliet Marillier

Stars: 4 out of 5

Genre: Retold Fairytale

Blurb: High in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Draculi, live five daughters and their doting father. It's an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle's hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every Full Moon, they alone can pass through it into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom. There they dance through the night with the fey creatures of this magical realm.

But their peace is shattered when Father falls ill and must go to the southern parts to recover, for that is when cousin Cezar arrives. Though he's there to help the girls survive the brutal winter, Jena suspects he has darker motives in store. Meanwhile, Jena's sister has fallen in love with a dangerous creature of the Other Kingdom--an impossible union it's up to Jena to stop.
When Cezar's grip of power begins to tighten, at stake is everything Jena loves: her home, her family, and the Other Kingdom she has come to cherish. To save her world, Jena will be tested in ways she can't imagine--tests of trust, strength, and true love.

Favourite Quote: “If a man has to say trust me", Gogu conveyed, "it's a sure sign you cannot. Trust him, that is. Trust is a thing you know without words.”

Thoughts: I loved all the mystery and adventure in this book. It felt like danger was around every corner. I got really caught up in the story.

My favourite character was Gogo. He has a great personality, plus he has the added bonus of being a frog. I'm not normally a huge fan of talking animals in books, but Gogo is an exception.

Having a lot of sisters myself, I loved how close all the girls in the book were. They were all different and unique. I can't help but wish there was a book for each of the sisters.

I've bought my DSLR camera last September. Since then, I have devoted a lot of time to my photography. I'm nowhere near an expert, but today I'm going to share a few tips about teaching yourself photography.

Today, I decided to remedy that and post them.


At the start of the shoot, both Charlotte and I were a litttle nervous. I'd never done a photo shoot with Charlotte before.


After a while, we started to relax. We joked and giggled as I snapped away. I found myself having a lot of fun.


Charlotte didn't seem to mind any of the weird places I got her to pose. She just laughed and said, "I must suffer for your art!"


 By the time we set off for home, my card was almost full and we were both hungry. "Let's go see if anyone has made any afternoon tea," I suggested.

Which is your favourite photo? Do you like photography? Who is your model?

A little while ago, I twisted my ankle. I couldn't run for a long time and it was very discouraging. Just as I thought I could hit the track again, I came down with terrible cold. I spent days lying on the sofa, coughing and spluttering.

Finally, I'm back to running, but there is a lot of work ahead of me. After nearly a month off running, I've lost a lot of fitness.

Today, I thought I'd write a post on how to get back into running after a break.


Don't expect to be able to run as far and fast as you used to. Take it slowly and work your way up to it. Push yourself, but not so much that you collapse.


If you're not working towards something, it's easy to get lazy. Set yourself small goals to work towards. Once you've hit those goals, make yourself bigger goals. There is nothing like the pleasure of completing a goal and knowing you can do something you couldn't do a week ago.


Like many other things, the hardest part of getting fit is actually making yourself run. Set a certain amount of days a week you're going to exercise a week and stick to it. Don't let yourself be lazy and say, "I'll do extra tomorrow."


This may sound really weird, but it does help. I find having someone say motivational things to me really helps. If I have no one next to me to do this, the next best thing is to do it myself. Find something that motivates you and say it over and over again when you feel like giving up. For me I like to tell myself, "Just keep breathing, that's the key" and "the cow goes moo". It helps me a lot.

What is your advice? Can anyone guess where my motivational words come from (hint: they're not from the same place)?

A few days ago, Sophia from Someplace in the Midst wrote a post about 8 Inspiring Blogs You Should Be Reading.

When I asked her if I could borrow the idea, she agreed, so today I'm listing 4 of my favourite blogs.

For Mother's Day, I gave Mum a chapter of my novel. It was the first time I'd shown anyone my writing since I was little.

I was nervous as I passed my present over. "Happy Mothers' Day."

Mum smiled and looked down at the sheets of paper in her hands. "What's this?" she wondered.

"It's a chapter of my novel," I replied.

Mum's eyes went big. "Wow! Thank you."

That evening, she read my chapter. At the end she gave a little cry. "You left it on a cliff hanger! I want to know what happens next."

I smiled. Maybe I'll give Mum the next chapter some other time.

Today, I thought I'd share a couple of excerpts from my novel with you. I hope you enjoy this taste of my writing.