Archive for the ‘Musings’ Category
It’s that time of year again: Time to find the perfect gift for the writer in your life.
I’m one of those writers that’s easy to shop for: A nice, fat Starbucks gift card will keep me in lattes and pastries for months. Anything that enables my Starbucks habit is good enough for me.
However, some folks might want to give a gift that lasts. For those people, I present some of the goodies I wouldn’t mind finding under my Christmas tree. (Note these are affiliate links, so if you decide to buy one using my link, I get a small kickback—but it doesn’t cost you any extra.)
• One can never have too many tote bags, right? This one simply says “Romance Writer. Where Love Prevails.” The heavyweight canvas tote measures 15-by-18-by-6 inches and boasts a 22-inch reinforced fabric handle. The product description insists it’s sure to meet all your reusable shopping bag needs.
• Writers drink tons of coffee—and sometimes other beverages. Why not give them a cool new mug to drink from? My tastes tend toward sarcastic, funny or motivational mugs. A few of my favorites:
I write. What’s your superpower?
This Banned Book mug, featuring the best books once thought too scandalous or subversive to read.
This mug highlighting some of the best Shakespearean insults. (It’d be the perfect gift for Will Behr, from my JUST RIGHT. He’s the hero’s older brother, a contractor and Shakespeare scholar.)
I’m a writer. Therefore I am not sane.
And this one: English major. YOU do the math.
Another thing writers can never have too many of? NOTEBOOKS. I’m rather fond of this one, with its cover declaring “Some of my best friends are fictional” and this one saying “my voices are telling me to write.” But some might prefer one with a plain leather cover or this beauty.
• As a writer struggling to balance the day job with the writing life, this book sounds mighty appealing.
“Writer with a Day Job: Inspiration and exercises to help you craft a writing life alongside your career” by Aine Greaney promises “advice, skill-building techniques, prompts, and exercises in every chapter, and strategies on how to get and keep writing while also working the 9 to 5 grind.” It’s a paperback, and sells for $12.49.
• This water bottle speaks to both my copy editor side and the (small, stunted) part of me that wants to get healthier in 2017. The Keep Calm and Proofread water bottle is made of stainless steel, holds 20 ounces and comes with two lids — one standard cap and an “easy-flow” drinking cap. Only $8.99 (+ $1.01 shipping).
• With dozens of designs, there’s likely a pendant that’ll fit your favorite writer’s personality. The one at left is one of my favorites. There’s also Born to Write and Girls who read are dangerous.
If none of those ideas hit a home run with you, the gals at Ruby Slippered Sisterhood served up 8 handmade gifts for writers and other book lovers.
Still stumped? This list from The Write Life has 22 more awesome ideas.
It’s a big release week around here. I re-released SLIDING INTO HOME—and along with it, BARING IT ALL.
BARING is a free short story giving a glimpse into the secret life of Jenn’s twin sister, Jess (the exotic dancer).
Sliding into Home
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes
Baring It All
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes
Talk about manic weeks… When I’m not at work, I’ll be running around getting ready for the first-ever Payson Book Festival.
The festival is Saturday, July 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gila Community College, 201 N. Mud Springs Road, Payson, Arizona. All kinds of authors will be there. I’m sharing a table with RWA chapter mate Susan Haught.
Activities will include:
- Book readings by authors
- Storytelling for kids
- Book signings
- Author exhibit tables
- Local food vendors
- Musical entertainment
I’m looking forward to interacting with readers, for sure! If you’re in Arizona, plan on stopping by. It’s a beautiful time of year for a road trip to Payson!
Speaking of getting ready, I had to unearth my box of bookmarks and business cards. I hadn’t seen it since my move, and I had a moment of sheer panic last Thursday when I couldn’t find it immediately.
It’s my own fault, really. I snagged boxes from the Daily Sun office for my move. They were the perfect size — big enough to hold books and/or videos without being too heavy to move once filled. And they’re all stamped “Sedona Visitor’s Guide.” So I have a couple dozen boxes all with the same label … with no idea what’s actually in them. (Yeah, that’s a solid argument for labeling boxes as I pack them. I did that at first. Alas, when moving day came and we were still throwing stuff in boxes, the labels went by the wayside.)
Finally, I found my author promo items. Some other crap from my computer desk had been dumped on top of the precious stuff I sought.
If you stop by to see me Saturday, I’ll autograph a bookmark for you. I’ll also have copies of BLIND DATE BRIDE and HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS for sale.
So much for those regular “Manic Monday” posts. Ah well — you live and learn, right?
What on earth have I been up to since my last update? A whole lot of writing, with a little bit of fun tossed in here and there.
You might have read last week’s Writer Wednesday post with Roni and Carla, the authors of What You Can, When You Can: Healthy Living on Your Terms. Well, I’m still thinking about #wycwyc, and trying to figure out who’s with me.
Is anyone interested in creating a #wycwyc support group? I know I could use a little extra motivation to get healthier, but without all the pressure of a “perfect” plan. The older I get, the less excited I am about cutting entire food groups from my plate. Even though I’ve had success doing a low-carb diet in the past, I can’t seem to bring myself to give up all the pasta, bread and potatoes.
I made this little reminder to forget perfection and focus instead on good enough. It’s fine to be just “okay” at things. Having a mostly okay diet is better than not even trying because I can’t follow a “perfect” eating plan.
Leave a comment on this post if you want to join me. I can create a Facebook group for us to “meet” in.
In other news:
— I lost a lot of sleep last Wednesday morning, thanks to a radio interview in Flagstaff. I used to live right down the street from the KAFF studio where the interview was scheduled. But now that I’m in Prescott, I had to be up before 6 a.m. to make it to FLG for an 8:30 interview. No easy feat considering I usually sleep until at least 9!
Anyway, I got to visit Flagstaff Country to talk about the upcoming Payson Book Festival, which is on July 25 … less than a month away now. Eeep! I’d better round up some books, bookmarks and postcards for the event, eh?
The interview lasts about six minutes, and I talked about the festival as well as a little about my books. Check it out here.
The weather was lovely in Flagstaff, and being up there gave me a chance to get my Dunkin’ Donuts fix. That’s what was left of my iced coffee with two Splendas and coconut by the time I made it back to Prescott. (Although I’m pretty sure they left out the Splenda, because it didn’t seem as sweet as normal.)
Do you like to sleep in? I come by my schedule honestly because of my work hours. I’d rather work days, but someone has to put the latest news in tomorrow’s newspaper—and that means working in the evenings and into the night.
— I can’t remember if I ever shared the link to my Writer Groupie podcast. Way back in April, Kim Smith and I chatted about writing and her “author unplugged” sessions, which I still need to try out for myself. It sounds like a blast.
— Now that I’m reporting part-time, the day job gives me a chance to go out and meet people. I’d forgotten how much I liked that part of newspaper work.
On Sunday, I got to hang out downtown with area firefighters for the annual Fire Hose Cart Races. It was a lot of fun…and inspiring. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if one of my next novels ends up with a firefighter hero.
Here’s a link to my story on The Daily Courier’s website. (I even shot a video of the hose cart races. Our photographer on the scene took a video of the Bucket Brigade.)
And, just for fun, here are a couple of the photos I snapped with my iPhone during the races.
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