Top Shelf Librarians January Episode – OUT NOW!
Welcome to Season 3, Dear Listener, where things are as unhinged and unplanned as ever! Heather has her bi-monthly existential crisis, this time over some required reading. Brittany acknowledges that she has a superpower, Heather struggles with the British accent, and we give thanks to Scientists. We explore the Four Corners of Fiction, Heather takes medical advice from TikTok, and Brittany desperately wants to be BFFs with Erin Morgenstern. Just a typical evening with the Library Pros™. LISTEN HERE
The Recap – January 2023
Well, a little late is better than never. Let’s get right to it, folks! Last Month Write 2x/week Social Media Routine Return of Outings! post series Get submissions/queries back on track How’d I Do? Write 2x/week Yes! Sometimes even more! Social Media Routine Yes? I’ll admit that this goal wasn’t super clear to me when I set it. Did I mean a posting schedule? Automated sharing? I’m not certain what I meant, but I know that I’ve built a little routine that seems to be working? So, a win! Return of Outings! post series Oh, yeah, babeyyyy! You can find them all here. Get submissions/queries back on track Yes! It took a pretty healthy chunk of time at the start of the month, but things are rocking steady now. Monthly Word Count: 12,043 Y’all… I’m good with this. Just like so many of the weeks, January felt good. Consistent. Like I was just chugging…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #4
It is a frigid 37º outside right now, and with the wind it feels like 29º. But the sun is shining and the skies are a crisp, bright blue. Not a cloud in sight. On our drive home from our walk this morning we saw Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens, which always feels like a special treat. What a lovely way to start the week! But before we can start looking forward, we gotta take a minute and look back on where we started… Last Week Write 3x this week Prep Newsletter Record Podcast Read a book How’d I Do? Write 3x this week Yes! I sat down to work on the novel exactly three times this week! Prep Newsletter Yep! There’s just a couple of finishing touches, but it will be out by Sunday afternoon, yesterday as of this reading – check your inbox! Record Podcast Yep! It’s…
Treatment – The Lost Months
This post is the third installment of the unofficial “Treatment” series, in which I discuss my experiences getting diagnosed with and then treating my Adult ADHD. You can read the first post – about getting diagnosed and starting meds – here. The second post was a very enthusiastic six month update, which you can find here. So what kind of post is this? It’s a continuation of sorts, of the post My Brain on Back Order, in which I was not coping well with being off my meds for six whole days. I went another seven days without any medication before I received my pharmacy’s alternative offering. I was prescribed a generic of Ritalin LA, which is usually only prescribed to children under the age of 12. Because of that, its dosages are lower – 10mg capsules as opposed to Concerta’s 18mg capsules. I was given no other directions than…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #3
I haven’t had any ADHD meds since Thursday and I am in full-blown inattentive mode, so let’s get to this while I can still (sorta) focus! Last Week Write 3x this week Edit and post podcast episode Read a book Queries How’d I Do? Write 3x this week No, but I did write twice. Which is nice. Edit and post podcast episode Yes! The new episode is out now, have you listened in yet? Read a book Yes. Actually I read three books this week… Queries Yep! I had submitted to some agents with quick turnaround times, so I had some housekeeping to keep up on this week. Weekly Word Count: 2,034 Looking at these bullet points, I’d say this was a productive week. I did a LOT of reading, finishing Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride from Hell, and then starting (and finishing) both The…
Top Shelf Librarians December Episode – OUT NOW!
This month the Top Shelf Librarians say sayonara to 2022 and gear up for what’s looking like… an interesting 2023. Things are getting wild in the Top Shelf Librarians recording studio, gang. Heather’s got 99 problems, and Bluetooth’s one. Brittany’s chock-a-block full of advice, from recommended social media (hint: it’s tumblr) to the best foods to eat when you know you’re just gonna barf it back up in fifteen minutes. We say goodbye to the Goodreads Challenge, discuss our 2022 faves, and Heather vows to Betty Crocker This Shit in the Cooking Corner Formerly Known as Matt’s. By now you know that things usually get weird on the show, but in 2023, we’re choosing violence. Buckle up. Listen Here!
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #2
Not only was this a holiday weekend, but we also had a school dance I had to chaperone, so my entire routine is off-kilter. Hence, the late post. Let’s just get right to it, shall we? Last Week Write 2x/week Queries Finish reading a book Apply for workshops How’d I Do? Write 2x/week Yes! This week I sat down and worked at the novel two times. Each session was wildly different in output, but that’s why I track hours as well as word counts. Queries Yep! It was a bit of a chore, but I launched seven new queries out into the void. Finish reading a book Yes! I finished listening to American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse. Apply for workshops No? Here’s the thing. I researched workshops and retreats, and I found a couple that I could apply for, but none of…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #1
Good morning Blogland! It’s another chilly, damp, and blustery day here in the Pacific Northwest. From my desk I can watch the bushes in our front yard shudder and shake in the wind, and it makes me grateful for my cozy office. Speaking of! I’ve made some updates to the space, slowly but surely bringing the vision to life. I’ve added another bookshelf, this one to display beloved knickknacks and keepsakes, and to display my growing collection of magazines and books that contain my writing. It is surreal to have them on display and it makes me smile every time I see it. I’ve also added a rug and a hanging Turkish style lamp to the converted closet. All that’s left is to get the decor up on that wall and then this room is officially DONE! It only took seven years… Last Week Write 2x/week Send Newsletter Writing Admin/Submissions…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #52
This post is late, as is the newsletter. Lemme tell you why. I just had the worst migraine I have had in almost 5 years. I know for a fact I have not had a migraine with vomiting in at least 4 years. This one had me either in bed, on the couch, or hunched around a toilet bowl. I haven’t been able to eat anything other than broth for the past 72 hours. I’ve barely kept water and gatorade down. I haven’t brushed my teeth because of the gag factor and because I couldn’t physically bend over the sink without wanting to cry/die. Today I’m doing much better. There’s still a twinge in the left side of my head as the migraine slowly makes its way out, and I am weak from all the puking and not eating. Putting a load of laundry in this morning had my heart…
The Recap – December 2022
It’s New Year’s Eve, as of this writing. A chilly, rain-showery day where the sun peeks out for just a wink before retreating behind clouds again. Yesterday was a busy one, spent working an event with the spouse’s business. Today I’m sore from lifting and moving furniture and decor. A perfect excuse to sit and do some of the blogging/writing admin I’d been procrastinating. Last Month Write 20k words on the novel Read a ton Get back into workout routine How’d I Do? Write 20k words on the novel No. Not even close. Read a ton No? I read three books, which was nowhere near the number I had in mind when I set this goal. That said… I’m really happy I read three books! Get back into workout routine Hahahahaha Monthly Word Count: 1,639 I learned a lot this December. I learned that November Brittany is riding the high…