burn, reflect, dispel
darkness be gone; circles drawn,
rings, orbits of light
orbit
by Angie Quantrell
Welcome to Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: orbit. Enjoy mid-week frivolities by sharing a haiku poem. Happy day!
Tag Archives: writing
10 Gift Giving Ideas that Support Writers & Authors
Do you have a writer in the family? A friend who is a writer? Or maybe you love to read books?
Writers work hard, most don’t make enough to pay the bills, and many need to build their readership (so in the future perhaps they CAN make enough to pay the bills and not hold down a full-time job AND write at the same time). Christmas is the perfect time to support the writers you know and love. Anytime is the perfect time to show support and help writers on their journey.
Here are some GIFT GIVING IDEAS that Support Writers & Authors.
1. Purchase the book. Paperback, hardback, digital. Spring for a REAL copy. This will financially support your writer and encourage him or her to continue writing.
2. Join Goodreads. Look up titles you read. Write a review, rate the book, follow the author. Goodreads is a great community of writers, readers, and professionals dedicated to the world of books. My kind of community. P.S. You can discover new authors and books by reading reviews and suggestions!
3. Post book titles you are reading on your social media accounts. I love to include a snapshot of the cover so other readers will remember the title, author, and cover. Facebook, Twitter, Google, Instagram, and more are great social media ways to show and tell.
4. Check out the book from the library. Even if you’ve purchased a copy. Tell the librarians how much you enjoyed such and such author. Check out other books by the same author.
5. Not in the library? Most libraries have a way to suggest titles for purchase. I’m fortunate that my library system has a very up-to-date web site. I can go right in and suggest titles. I love it when I get a confirmation email for an approved purchase. I’m also the first in line to check it out! Pretty cool.
6. Write a review on Amazon. The more reviews a book has, the higher it ranks in importance. Don’t ask me to explain more, because that’s all I’ve got. Somehow, reviews help drive the benefits authors receive from Amazon (benefits=promotions=sales=income for authors). Even ONE sentence helps!
7. Tell someone why you like the book. Share your copy. Tell others about your favorite authors. Don’t keep it a secret.
8. Suggest books for book chats, book discussion groups, or book gifts. Give books as gifts. Include book titles on your wish list.
9. Make book giving a tradition in your family or circle of friends. I love to give a new book to my grandchildren each year. Some families (granted, with only one or two children) have a book pile for Christmas Advent, each book individually wrapped. One is opened and read every day leading up to Christmas. This could be a shared advent project for families with more than one child. OR if you are independently wealthy, each child could have his or her own advent stack of books.
10. Send a note to an author. Tell what their books or writing means to you. Give the gift of encouragement. Now that’s a jolly gift!
Extra Gift Idea: Follow authors on your social media platforms. Look for their web sites and follow those. Sign up for newsletters to receive notices of new book releases. Read their blogs. Join discussions by commenting. All efforts will be appreciated.
How about you? Can you think of any other cool gifts to give to writers? Share below in the comments. Thanks! Happy Gift Giving!
Smashing Pumpkins (2nd Annual)
The pumpkins were frozen solid, as was our turkey, on Thanksgiving Day. This made for an invigorating hunt for fresh turkey to cook for the main event. It also made for challenging smashing of the pumpkins.
Overall, smashing pumpkins this year was a bust. 😉 Only 2 large carving pumpkins were hollow enough to smash when tossed. One rotten butternut succumbed to smashing by foot. All other squash, regardless of variety, bounced upon re-entry to gravity-meets-earth. Add to this recipe of disappointment, drenching buckets of rain descended on this, the 2nd Annual Smashing Pumpkins event. Rain and icy cold temperatures. Bah-humbug.
Still, there is hope. The next warm day (will there be one before spring?), more attempts will be made to roll, toss, and smash the pumpkin stash. In hopes that next summer, the pumpkin fairy will deliver bounties of new beauties.
Until next Thanksgiving Day, have a wonderful winter, dreaming of sugar pie pumpkins and dancing jack-ô-lanterns.
Toasty warm wishes to you!
Book Report: The Three Rules of Everyday Magic by Amanda Rawson Hill
The Three Rules of Everyday Magic
Written by Amanda Rawson Hill
Boyds Mills Press, An Imprint of Highlights, 2018
Believe. Give. Trust.
Those three rules of everyday magic are what give Kate hope over difficult life circumstances. From her Grammy, who is sinking into loss of memory, these rules are passed to Kate to help her deal with a fading best friend, missing father, and stressful home and school life. Though Kate doesn’t believe in magic, she clings to the three rules to seek help with her struggles.
The Three Rules of Everyday Magic is a well-written, interesting chapter book by Amanda Rawson Hill. I loved the characters, situation, and real-life stresses faced by Kate and her family. Tough issues, like mental illness, memory loss, school, and friendship give this book a current world flavor. The music theme ties the components of the story together in a refreshing and believable way.
I recommend The Three Rules of Everyday Magic for upper elementary and middle school students, especially those who are struggling with home life and need someone with whom to identify.
Thanks for a copy of The Three Rules of Everyday Magic from Literary Rambles, Natalie Aguirre, and Amanda Rawson Hill. Thank you for sharing good literature for young readers.
Sewing in an RV
The RV life. Let’s just agree that certain jobs, chores, and hobbies require flexibility, working in tiny spaces, and unimaginable chaos.
For instance, for my birthday I thought I’d sew my new flannel nightgown. I used to wear flannel nightgowns all the time, compliments of my mommy. I loved those gowns and wore them to rags. Once I could sew, I made a nightshirt version of nightgown, easy to sew, roomy, comfy. And I wore those to rags. I haven’t had a flannel nightgown for at least a decade, as menopause negated any desire for cozy pajamas.
But now, sensing the end is in sight (of hot flashes and general always-hot flashes), I found a very cute woodland animal flannel when shopping for my soon-to-be-born nephew and decided I needed a matching (to his quilt) flannel nightshirt.
The fun begins when one makes the choice to sew. In an RV. Steps for me included:
-clear the table (dining room, office, rec room, living room)
-clear counters for work space
-wash the fabric (next door in the Quantrell community laundry room)
-dig out the sewing machine, mini ironing board, iron, tub of sewing supplies (stored beneath the bed)
-set up sewing machine and accoutrements on table
-use TV tray for extra work space
-postpone any plans for cooking, relaxing, or doing any other sort of work until completion of project
Of course, this is just setting up. As I worked on my new jammies, I had to creatively fight my foot around the table leg to work the foot pedal. I had to iron carefully, as the top of the board plus the iron totaled more than available space before hitting the stove hood. The table is not wide enough to contain all the fabric, so slippage from the table made me use all hands to control, hold fabric, and press controls. Putting in snaps required a trip to the shop for a hammer and working on the floor with the wooden cutting board. I only broke one snap and put one on backwards. Haha! Besides ironing something that was not supposed to be ironed (thereby melting it to the iron), everything went pretty smoothly.
The news is not all dire. In such a tiny space, the TV and Hallmark Channel are a mere 5 feet away. Normally, I’d be watching my Seahawks, but since they won Thursday night, they had the day off. So Christmas frivolity and cozy romance played as background to my stitching adventures. The kitchen is at my back, so snacks and drinks are literally within arms’ reach. Benefits are to be had when living in an RV.
Et voila! New jammies!
Takeaway: You can do anything you want in an RV. Just know creativity, perseverance, and patience are key.
What challenging hobbies (chores, tasks, work) have you done in an RV or small space? Not in an RV? What fun hobbies to you enjoy?
Throwback Thursday: Disney with Hot Flashes
Four years ago, my honey and I took a trip to Disneyland.
We drove. I was smack in the middle of horrid hot flashes. The AC quit just when we hit LA traffic. Record temps for October visited the area. Sweat was my constant companion.
Why this photo? I look slim! And mostly happy. And tall. Though I’m holding my shoulder weird, no idea why. There’s probably a build-up of sweat on the opposite shoulder or my shirt is soggy and I’m trying to make it not touch my body. I can’t remember if this is Minnie’s or Mickey’s house. Mickey’s I think, on the way to the cartoon room where we watch oldies while waiting our turn to see Mickey. If you look close, you can see my red, sweaty face. This was taken while inside an air-conditioned attraction. Sad.
Despite miserable menopause (M&M, but not the good chocolately kind), well, Disneyland! Disneyland is always fun, though this trip I had to learn new coping skills for heat, salty sweat, despair, damp clothing, and general crankiness. But…Disneyland!
If you happen to need special tips for visiting the Big D during the Big M, I’m reblogging my favorite tips on Friday. Best wishes to you if you need these tips. My sympathies go with you.
Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: frost
delicate layers
frozen silk, icicle strands
spider roost hoar frost
frost
by Angie Quantrell
I LOVE hoar frost! Magical frozen icing drapes every day scenes with cold lace. I also realize hoar frost drops the temperatures to triple cold. But take pictures, I will, frozen fingers or not.
How about you? Write a haiku about cold weather and share with us. Happy Hump Day!
Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: oil change
My car in a place I’d rather be than sitting waiting for an oil change
waiting, oil change task;
quick time promise dashed to bits
time unproductive
by Angie Quantrell
I ALWAYS have something on hand to do if I have extra wait time. Except for today. When, through a fluke of the nature of the beast (cars and things that can go wrong), I ended up with over an hour of wait time. This business requires customers to stay inside car. Keys are placed in a safety box. No radio. No book on CD. No steno pad. No newspaper or magazine.
What? How can that be true? Alas, I was sure it was a 20 minute stop and I’d be back home writing away.
After one hour 10 minutes, I was still waiting for a replacement plug. My honey came and got me and dropped me off for a quick lunch. I wrote tiny notes on my pocket-sized pad of paper as I (again) waited for food. I took off with his truck to get home while he waited for the car. Probably 2.5 hours? That was one LONG oil change. If they rate efficiency, my visit tanked their numbers.
But rest assured, they say I am good to go. No leaking oil, no stripped plug, no engine burning up. At least for now.
How about you? What do you do with unexpected wait time? I’d love to read your comments. Bonus points for writing a response in haiku!
Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: 31 October
autumn’s pumpkin king!
here today, cooked tomorrow;
commence with slaughter
by Angie Quantrell
good-bye 31 of October, hello 1 November!
Besides pumpkin delicacies, what are you looking forward to in November? We’d love to read your haiku! Or just your comment. But you could write your comment in 5-7-5 syllable format! That would be fun. 😉 Also, it would be haiku.
via One Writer’s Journey: Organization Optimization
This post by Beth Anderson gives excellent organizational tips for researching and writing for children. I’ve found myself stuck and constantly searching for that ONE piece of paper hosting important story information, so I definitely could use organization tips. Spiral notebooks just might be the trick.
Thanks, Beth!
*Beth’s book is pictured above. Can’t wait to read it!
Love, Laughter, and Life 