If you're here for the gift, scroll to the end of the News section :)

I came across a Thread (on Threads, naturally) earlier this year that said they bought themselves an ice-cream cake just because they were an adult and had the money, and instantly reposted it.

I have a thing with ice-cream cakes. First off I've only ever had some like twice in my life, and the last time we bought some I couldn't eat any because it contained chocolate (the employee's fault, not my family's). Secondly, we don't really have Dairy Queen in Québec, because « bars laitiers » (ice cream parlours, I guess?) are super popular here. So when my sister and I take our yearly trip to visit friends in Ontario we always stop to have a meal in a DQ somewhere.

But the real reason why I fixated on an ice-cream cake was because I was already decided to celebrate.

I'm not much of a celebration girl. By which I mean, I enjoy celebrating, but I never think to do it. Every achievement, once reached, becomes meaningless as I chase the next accomplishment that will definitely prove my worth. I don't do that on purpose, but it's definitely a toxic trait, and I decided I'd like to take time this year to celebrate things instead of rushing past.

I've never celebrated a single writing achievement. I didn't even celebrate the release of my debut novel. But last year, when I saw how one of my Fingerprints in Frost co-authors had a full-blown party to celebrate the launch of that anthology, I decided I should celebrate my next release. Then another author I know announced she got a bouquet of roses on the day of her book's release, and I jotted that down on my list of Celebration Ideas. And finally, a third author remarked she bought herself a crown to celebrate the launch of each book she released. I love crowns, so this is an excellent thought which made it on my list too.

But at some point in January, I decided I should celebrate the one-year anniversary of my debut novel. With a cake. (It was mostly a craving for cake that prompted the idea, but shhh). Because after all, this book has accomplished so much more than I ever expected, and I have no idea when I'll release next, so why wait?

To be honest, the one-year anniversary of A Noble Comfort was Wednesday. Came and went unnoticed by me. But that's okay. The point is to rejoice, even if it's a bit late.

So I'm trying to keep track of Things to Celebrate this year, and trying to remember to take time to give thanks, enjoy the moment, and celebrate.

Because it's not really about self-worth. It's about choosing to joy in good things.

Because God is a God of rejoicing. 💙

With love,

Katja

|| News ||

// I've decided to combine two things in the celebration for that cake: the 1-year anniversary of A Noble Comfort's release, and the Once Upon a Pen Awards nomination it received.

The third and final round of the awards opened last week, just days after ANC's birthday, and runs until Friday, February 20th. ANC is in the running for Best Debut of 2025, which is totally worth celebrating. If you've read the book and want to vote, you can do so here. Whether it wins or not, I'm incredibly honoured to have made it this far and I'm so thankful for every vote and nomination it received. 💙

// The TBR Love Blog Party just wrapped up, but you can still find all the posts linked in Kate's posts. It was great fun, and I loved the 3 categories: 5 TBR Books I’m Scared to Read; 5 TBR Books I Need to Buy; and 5 TBR Books I Want to Buddy Read. I sure hope this party comes around again next year, and I encourage you to check it out, because it's never too late for bookish fun. 😉

// This is the LAST MONTH to send in a story for my first writing contest! Submissions close February 28th. You can find all the rules and information here.

// Last week was Valentine's Day, which I don't really care about, but I know some do. 💙 I don't have any romantic tales to offer you, but I do have a present! It's technically a Mother's Day story, which is when I'll be releasing it, but y'all are getting early access as a thank-you for being newsletter subscribers :) This is a few years old, but apart from a few beta-readers and an anthology host, y'all are the first to see it, since the anthology it was written for never released. Download The Scent of Apple Blossoms here! (Navigate to the Free Stories folder, then scroll down to the Ts. 😉)

|| A Poll ||

I enjoy filling these out, so I decided to introduce them as a new feature: monthly polls!

Answer Here

|| A Thought ||

I came across a quote recently, which was attributed to Walt Whitman, but I can't find a source and heavily doubt he wrote it at all.

“If you want to know where your heart is,

look to where your mind goes when it wanders.”

Regardless of who said it, it's a weighty and powerful truth, echoing Christ's reminder that “for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” It struck me deeply and stayed with me for a long time.