End of the Month Post

Hello all!

I haven’t posted anything on this blog since August, I believe. This summer has been a rollercoaster for part of my life. I have been reading, but not writing or posting about the books I have read. Without going into details, I started working at a new location, which has changed how I read, write, and post. Also, I had this crazy idea to do a personal 30-day challenge. I tried to post 30 written posts on my other WordPress account, www.cheesehavecurves.com. Why? Earlier this year, I wanted to take publishing my personal essays and short stories seriously. I had an epiphany: if I die tomorrow, all the work I’ve done will die on my laptop and never be read or published. I decided this is not how I want to go out. So, I took August to set up to publish 30 posts in 30 days on www.cheesehavecurves.com. It was rough; I did not hit 30 days of posts consistently. I missed two days; one was because I thought I had a proper schedule, but I didn’t. The other missing blog, I just forgot. I kept persevering.

Over the summer, I started reading the Diahann Carroll final memoir, “The Legs Are the Last to Go.” I love the book. I love reading about old Hollywood glamour and juicy dramas. I thoroughly enjoy the book; it’s not super long, but you have to make dedicated time to read, listen, and digest. You will get to about 2/3 of the way done and be ready for your next book. I plan to go back to this book in November and finish reading it before the year’s end.

I also started “Heir of Prophecy” by Analeigh Sbrana. The Prologue was intriguing and kept my attention. I got to about chapter 4 before life demanded every ounce of my attention. My goal is to finish this book in October. I like the characters and the premise, and I need to reset and set aside dedicated reading time again.

Another book I started was Brittainy Cherry’s “If You Stayed.” This book is emotionally healing; that’s the best way I can describe it.  The layers of emotional trauma, and watching how each person attempts to heal their trauma or reenact their trauma.  I am in Chapter 14 and want to finish this book asap. I want Kierra to find her freedom, and that is all I can say until I finish this book.

The book I recently completed launched my desire to post the essays and rants I have stored on my laptop: “Stop Waiting for Perfect” by L’Oreal Thompson Payton.  Mrs. Payton’s book is perfect for anyone with analysis paralysis or who feels they can only go when everything is perfect. Payton strips away those misconceptions with gentle, loving care and big-sister energy to help you take a bet on yourself.  Yes, this is a self-help book, but it is perfect if you want to switch careers, go after a dream you have been putting off, or doubt your greatness. Stop, read this book, and get inspired to live the life you desire.

I have decided to do a challenge on this blog maybe not 30 days, but at the end of the week, every Saturday starting… I have not figured out when yet; I am going to try Short Story Saturday. I will finish a short story and publish it on www.chemichelletales.com. I am a little excited, but scared to publish these short stories.  This one will be a bit more lackadaisical;; I am not going to hold myself to the fire if I don’t post a short story.  The last time I posted a short story, it wasn’t my best work, and I pulled the story when I received a comment. Honestly, I know I want to submit short stories to contests or anthologies. I feel like all the stories I have are keeping me from writing new ones. I want to share those stories so I can create new stories.  I do believe you have to clean out a closet to add new clothes. I need to clear out these old stories to make space for new ones.

Anyway, the remainder of 2026 will be very interesting. You will see blogs return in October, along with some short stories, if you want to read them. One last thing: I have been toying with the idea of doing concept analysis. That last sentence said a whole lot of nothing.  I want to do specialty analysis of character or life lessons. For example, in one book I read, I wondered what the characters’ astrological signs were. It was fun to go back and read and see, “Here the clues provided made me think the heroine was an Aquarius, or the villain was a Cancer. Another essay I wanted to share was how Shakespeare pretty much taught everyone the 48 powers before Robert Greene’s book.  I want to expand into literary analysis, not just book reviews. The whole point of this blog was to learn to be a better writer, using book reviews to understand character development, and to encourage myself to launch my writing projects.

I have done a whole lot of writing, and I need to get back to other things like reading with a cup of coffee or sleeping.

Until Next Time,

Che Michelle

Do you want to buy me a cup of coffee? Ko-fi.com/chemichelletales

I have a misused word, but can’t find it so, charge to my fast fingers. I will correct it one day.

I might add some merch soon.