Nerd Church - My New Self-Care Strategy

(Warning: this post discusses low self-esteem and Depression)


I have a plan!


My plan is this: to treat myself BETTER than I think I deserve.


'Hang on Cee!' I hear you cry (well, I don't but it's a structural narrative device,) 'What the hell are you talking about?!'

Let's rewind.

Month in Review(s) - June 2019

June kind of flew by!

Partly because I was super-busy! Which is also why I (once again) posted less here than I wanted to.

I did manage to post a review though! Woo! I can still call myself a book blog! (Lol.) 😅

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: Turns Out, People Are Interested

I've never really had much confidence in my writing.

Like, objectively I know that people read this blog but... it always surprises (and delights,) me when someone comments, shares, etc. (Hint hint. Lol.)

Likewise, I'm always on edge about the fiction I write - it can't be something someone'd be interested in reading, right?

At the same time, not writing would be like not breathing. Unthinkable.

It's literally who I am - I breathe. I read. I write.

Friday Fics Fix - Fish Tanks and Music Boxes

'Usually when her parents send her out to play (she always has to be sent) she divides her time between flower-picking (or drawing) and observing the other kids, pretending to be Jane Goodall.'

I love Agents of SHIELD - in particular I love Fitz and Simmons (known as FitzSimmons).

This is partly because they're smart, partly because they're sweet, and partly because they're British but NOT the villains!

Nerd Church - Anxiety: Worrying About Sh** I Actually Don't Care About

(Warning: this post discusses Anxiety (which you probably figured out) and Depression)


If you're worried about paying the bills when you've got no money in the bank, that's logical.

Likewise, worrying about a friend who's been going through a tough time, or feeling anxious before you give a speech, is totally understandable.

Anxiety, though?

Anxiety blows the normal sh** out of proportion, while adding some completely illogical sh** t'boot.

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: Patchwork Writing and Whatever Works For You

Some people are 'plotters,' some people are 'pantsers' - and I write in patchwork.

For those who don't know, writing fiction is generally split into two camps by the people who split things (whoever they are - I'm not sure anyone's ever met them) - plotting and pantsing.

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Month in Review(s) - April 2019

April - well, April didn't have any work-related nose-bleeds, for a start!

Thanks to everyone for asking if I was ok, etc, last month - honestly I think you guys were a lot more worried about it than I was 😅

On the one hand, April had Easter and chocolate and spring flowers, and all that awesome stuff!

Y'know, lots of fun stuff to enjoy and smile about! 😊

Friday Fics Fix - They Didn't Teach Us This At the Academy

"I swear, all the doors in this damn house are going to be destroyed by the end of tonight," Diego muttered.

Yes, we are Umbrella Academy-ing again dearest nerdlets!

(Not least because it's a safe place to hide from Endgame spoilers! Lol.)

Friday Fics Fix - Is This A Family Or A War-Zone?

'Maybe, if he ran for long enough, he would get so hopelessly lost that he couldn’t go back to his siblings if he tried. After all, every time Klaus returned home, thought that they might become a family, he only set himself up for rejection.'

Fanfiction is brave, it's bold, and it's not scared to tackle the tough subjects.

This Umbrella Academy fic is about Klaus (big surprise, lol) - who you may or may not realise is my total fave character, and a Queer Queen with mental health issues. (Basically: he rocks.)

This fic also really refuses to back down when it comes to the tough stuff!

Friday Fics Fix - Shelter From the Rain and Snow

'Diego can hear his own voice, somewhere between tired and terse, and he scrubs a hand over his eyes, feels the dryness of his palm catch on his stubble.'

I love this fic. It's excellent.

Like, dudes, this is good. Y'know?

I love it when fanfiction is well-written! 😃

Comics Wrap-Up - From the Fading Light I Fly

I don't know whether there's just a lot of superhero/comics stuff this week, or if I've just rambled on more than usual... maybe both! 😎

Friday Fics Fix - Yer a Wizard ...Ianto?

'“Ianto?” Jack was looking down from his office.  He slowly descended the steps.  “One of your friends is the Minister for Magic.”'

I'm starting to come to the conclusion that literally everything has been mixed with Harry Potter in fanfiction-form.

Kind of like the magical PG version of Rule 34

...Well, mostly PG.

...Well, some of it's PG.

...Well, this fic doesn't have any sex, ok?!

(If you don't know what rule 34 is, I advise protecting your innocence and not looking it up. You can't unknow it!)

Nerd Church - Responsible Reporting Required: How Media Outlets Are Failing To Follow Suicide Prevention Guidelines

(Warning: this post discusses suicide and self-harm. It also discusses poor reporting of these issues, and the danger of 'copycat' incidents.)

(For helplines, see details at the bottom of this post.)


There's been a lot of buzz in the UK over the last week or two over the prevalence of self-harm imagery on the Internet, and its link to suicide.

Now, there's def. issues with that, but there's also more issues than you'd think with the actual god-damned reporting of this issue.

The UK's leading suicide prevention charity, The Samaritans, provides Media Guidelines [PDF] for reporting on suicide.

These guidelines contain advice based on academic research on the affects of different types of news coverage.

I check them whenever I'm talking about this issue, and when I make a conscious decision to bend them, as I did when talking about the death of Chester Bennington, I'm very clear about my reasons for this, and exceptionally careful with every single word I use.

Friday Fics Fix - After the Storm

'“Errgh” Harry groaned, “Is there something wrong with me?”

“Yes, but it’s the same thing that’s wrong with all of us.”'

Ahhhh, how I love Hogwarts eighth-year fanfiction!

Because let's face it, I think that we'd all like to see the immediate aftermath of the Wizarding War, instead of just zooming straight to '20 years later.'

(...Or whatever length of time it was ...I honestly can't remember.)

Like, dude, you missed the hard bits! Recovery isn't something you just skip over!

Friday Fics Fix - Digging For Victory

Hello 2019! We got fanfiction, we got Bucky Bear, let's get down to it!

'Theoretically, she knew he must go other places sometimes, but it didn't seem to happen often, and from his overall air of nervousness, he seemed to be uncomfortable with it too.'

One of my favourite things on this planet is fanfiction which uses self-care and general mental-health recovery as its focus.

When the character involved just so happens to be my Bucky-bear, aka Bucky Barnes, aka The Winter Soldier, it's like icing on the cake.

(In related news, I'm hungry and would very much like some cake, with or without icing.)

The Bookish Diversity Link List 2019

Let's get moving my dearest nerdlets!

I didn't manage to make 2018's list all that I wanted it to be - not least because 2018 was stressful and hard as hell.

2019 though? Let's kick some butt!

Month in Review(s) - November 2018

Maybe you should all just assume that it wasn't a good month, unless I tell you differently? 😅

It'll save a lot of time and make me feel like I'm whining a lot less!

'It's A Superpower!' - A Discussion On Synaesthesia With Evelina From Avalinah's Books

Synaesthetes are basically superheroes. (I’ve decided. #DealWithIt.)


We have two or more senses linked together - for example, some of us see music, or feel colours - and we each generally view the world in our unique way!

So what happens when one Synnie comes across another?

And what happens if they both happen to be book bloggers?

Will they write the longest post either of them has ever written in a random ramble of awesomeness?



Welp, we’re about to find out! 😉

On Dora Reads today we have the amazing-ful Evelina from Avalinah’s Books - a fellow Synnie and all around awesome-sauce person! 😆

Friday Fics Fix - A Different Kind of Poison

(Warning: this post is basically about Depression.)

'Today, however, all Venom can discern is what could be considered the cerebral equivalent of static. Everything is fuzzy and the thoughts that are trying to surface keep coming up blurry, with no real impulse behind them.'

I love Venom.

I love Venom to the end of the Earth. Cos I'm just that kind of weird sassy nerd.

So I've been reading Venom fanfiction.

Friday Fics Fix - Am I More Than You Bargained For, Yeah?

'She comes back with a hiker’s backpack, out of which she pulls a pair of jersey shorts, black leggings, a red bandana and a bunch of colorful string bracelets.

"Jesus," Sam says, looking it over. "Is there some naked hippie grad student knocked out somewhere in the hotel right now?"

"None of these items will be traced back to us," Natasha says soothingly, which doesn't answer his question.'

Oh man, this fic! This fic is EVERYTHING.

Honestly, the dedication it takes to write over 500 pages of the Winter Soldier, aka Bucky Barnes, prioritising self-care and dealing with seventy years worth of trauma is freaking amazing!