Top Shelf Librarians – August Episode OUT NOW!
This month we have a very special episode of Top Shelf Librarians. Not only did we launch our first ever poll (listen on Spotify to vote) but we’re also taking part in a bit of a challenge. September is The Trevor Project’s Back to School Reading Challenge fundraiser! Basically, Top Shelf Librarians have teamed up to take on the challenge to read 20 minutes a day, every day in September in order raise funds for the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organizations for LGBTQ+ youth. Now, as much as we love Trader Joe’s and Taco Bell, they aren’t ACTUALLY sponsors (sorry to burst your bubble). We don’t read ads and haven’t monetized the show in any way in almost two years! We make the show as a way to hang out and share a glimpse of the library life with anyone who will listen – we make absolutely…
The Recap – August 2022
Oh, Blogland… How is it September already? Surely that’s illegal? It ought to be illegal for summer to go by without my enjoying a single hike! I want to talk to time’s manager! August Goals Read + Revise Victoria Read 4 Books Survive this month How’d I Do? Read + Revise Victoria Yep! I have read it through (twice!) and finished the first round of revision! Read 4 Books Hahahahahahahaha. No. Survive this month I suppose that, since I am typing this, I am technically alive, which would suggest survival. Sanity is a separate matter… Total Word Count: 2,497 If July was lovely, then August was…. bustling. Between twitter pitch events, day-job responsibilities ramping up, a writing conference, a family reunion, and a pretty ambitious set of goals, it’s a miracle I’m upright! It’s also been hot as balls this month and when I tell you I am sick of sweating… Anyway.…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #34
Hello there, Bloggos. It’s Monday (Sunday for me right now) which means it’s time to talk goals! Let’s go! Last Week Finish Victoria Revision #1 Write Query Package Read a book Record Podcast Write Newsletter How’d I Do? Finish Victoria Revision #1 Write Query Package Lol. Nope. Not even at all. Read a book Yes! I technically read two of them, though only one of them is published. I spent a bit of time beta reading for one of my critique partners this week. But I still managed to finish reading Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse and I absolutely loved it! Record Podcast Yes! Write Newsletter Yes! Weekly Word Count: 444 So, not too shabby after all. I mean, the priority should really be Victoria, obviously, but some other things came up. And as usual with this manuscript… I hate working on it. Okay, hate is a strong word. But I do not find…
On Office Space (No, Not the Movie)
Let’s talk about office spaces. Home offices, in particular. I talked a bit about this on my various social media accounts, but I’ve thought about it more and figured I ought to put it all down in one place. For a lot of us, the pandemic made it painfully clear that our work-from-home setups were not ideal. We were not prepared. I felt that way and I was admittedly more prepared than most thanks to my writing habit. I had a desk and a laptop and all the equipment needed to run a Zoom call. And all of that was even in a room dedicated to the purpose. With a door and everything! My office is one of our two spare bedrooms (we have a three bedroom house and no children, so we both get offices!) and in the early days of homeownership, I had the brilliant idea to convert…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #33
I’m sitting at my “new” desk (twitter followers know what’s up) and feeling unreasonably good considering I have to get up and go to work tomorrow. Let’s ride this good vibe right into a Goals Conversation! Last Week Finish Victoria Revision #1 Read a book Clean/Organize my office How’d I Do? Finish Victoria Revision #1 No. BUT I got about 80% through the first revision. I have to add a chapter in the last act so I slowed down a touch to draft that. Read a book No. Reading has been very slow this week, but I did read for about an hour last night. Clean/Organize my office YES! I spent entirely too much time on this, and basically came up with a whole new layout for my office. And, once I decide on something, I HAVE to do it. Things are moved and though the remodel/makeover isn’t quite complete, I am LOVING it!…
Summer Thinky-Thoughts
This is it. The last Friday of my summer break. I go back to work on Monday… I have a lot of feelings about that. A lot of them are good. I’m excited to meet our new staff members and reunite with co-workers I haven’t seen since June. There will be tales of summer adventures, healing sunburns, and summer-bloomed freckles. And so many smiles. But I can’t deny a building sense of dread. It isn’t the work itself that I’m dreading, I genuinely like my job. Buying and processing books, helping teens find their next favorite book, and working with our Associated Student Body to make our school a place kids want to be. These are all amazing things I get to do for 198 days a year. But… Going back to work means I’m no longer just a writer. It means that I have to schedule writing time into…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #32
This weekend was a surprisingly good one. We had a family reunion in Eastern Oregon (my spouse’s maternal line) and spent a lot of time on the road in beautiful country. I met family members I’d only ever heard stories about (after being together for 14+ years!) and got to explore tiny rural towns and a whole new kind of wine country. There’s a lot of beauty out there folks, you just have to go find it! Last Week Read Victoria + make Revision Road Map Read a book Write something? How’d I Do? Read Victoria + make Revision Road Map YES! Not only did I read it through once, but I made the road map and STARTED the revision! Read a book Nope. I did make some good progress on Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse over the weekend, though. Write something? Not even a little. Weekly Word Count: 0 I’m in Revision Central,…
#WilWrite22
In some ways, it still feels like I’m processing the conference. It’s blurry, a mishmash of faces and conversations – most organic, some crafted during certain events. There’s a pocket in my backpack full of business cards and scribbled names and email addresses. All folks I want to keep in touch with. I have a lot of emails to write… The conference kicked off (unofficially) Thursday night with a Writer’s Fair, that was open and free to the public (w/proof of vaccination and masks). It was an extremely casual look at local writing organizations (Wordcrafters in Eugene, SFWA, Astoria Writers Guild, etc.,) with a little social hour complete with a full-service bar and appetizers. We also celebrated the release of The Timberline Review, and heard some WONDERFUL readers! I wore my best “Summer Speculative” look and got to meet my critique partners Nan C Ballard and Laura Cranehill IN PERSON!…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #31
I’m off to a slow start this morning. I’m back home after an amazing weekend at the Willamette Writers Conference, and though I’m happy, my brain is, well, mush. So let’s take a bleary look at last week’s goals and see if I can come up with something to shoot for this week. Last Week Prep elevator pitches for Something Sulfurous and Victoria Prep additional Something Sulfurous pitches for #DVpit Draft packing list/pack for #WilWrite22 Enjoy #WilWrite22 How’d I Do? Prep elevator pitches for Something Sulfurous and Victoria Prep additional Something Sulfurous pitches for #DVpit Yes and No. I didn’t really prep formal pitches/elevator pitches for Something Sulfurous or Victoria. I talked about them more organically with fellow writers than I expected, which I’ll talk more about in my Conference Wrap Up post later this week. However, I did participate in #DVpit and did get an agent like on one of them, which I’ll talk more about later in this…
Top Shelf Librarians – JULY EPISODE OUT NOW!
Well folks, it’s what it says on the tin. The new episode is out today! We brought on a lovely guest (and Library Boss Bitch) so I know you’re going to like this one. I’m at the Willamette Writers Conference, and having an awesome time getting to finally meet all these wonderful writers I’ve met virtually over the past two years. I’m sure I’ll have a full write up of the weekend out sometime next week. Until then, Blogland enjoy the show and have a great weekend! BZ