Peachy Keen for the Weekend
Some sunshine to start the weekend off right
Hello and happy Friday, friends! I hope you’ve had a fabulous week. We are preparing for school to start soon and while I am dreading it a bit as our youngest heads off to school for the first time, I’m also very much looking forward to having a real schedule again.
Memesy Memes
Featured Writer: Jeni Conrad
YA fantasy and paranormal author Jeni Conrad has published eight books since 2020. Her ninth, Alice in Neverland, is the second book in a mixed fairytale retelling series and will be out September 10th. “I love laughing, being weird, and cute, spooky things,” she says. “Hopefully, you’ll find all of that in my stories and more.” You can check out her books here.
What’s the best comedy of all time?
Well, that has to be Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's old but gosh darn it, it's amazing, with The Princess Bride coming in at a CLOSE second.
Where is your happy place?
Outside in a shady spot with a lovely cooling breeze pulling through the not-too-hot-but-still-sunny-day while reading the latest great book and listening to a bubbling fountain and people passing by not close enough to annoy but so I don't feel too alone in the universe (a college campus usually suits this perfectly).
What’s the book that made you laugh the hardest?
Kings of the Wyld - it's not for everyone because the language is coarse, but it's HILARIOUS.
What makes you grateful to exist?
Simple pleasures. Eating after being hungry for a little while, a cool breeze on a hot day, the purr of my snuggly kitty, the laughter of my kids, settling down with a yummy snack and a good book, snuggling into a nap without a time limit, preferably in a quiet room with soft sunlight dancing through the leafy shadows of a tree outside and landing somewhere on the floor nearby, the part AFTER you exercise where your neck is cooling off with sweat and endorphins ripple through your body on a good job well done.
Do you have any tricks for cheering yourself up if you’re having a rough day?
Take a breath. Eat (follow up with chocolate if possible). Reorient yourself to the happy things of your life, remember to be grateful, and keep in mind that bad days happen, but when the sun comes up tomorrow, there's a new chance for a better one.
You can follow Jeni on Facebook and Instagram, and her books are available here.
Seven Happy Things
1. I’m not really a reader of mysteries or listener of murder podcasts, save the years I spent as a kid obsessed with Nancy Drew classics and the one time I used the first season of Serial to keep me awake during an all-night drive back from a music festival, so I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai was not my typical read, but I completely devoured it in just a few days. What a joy to be consumed with a piece of art like that! (Even when the topic of the book was, well, less than joyful.) I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished it.
2. Author Michael Chabon recreated the SF section from the bookstore of his childhood in this pandemic project: https://www.threads.net/@michael.chabon/post/CvVrj-TLIK7 There is such love and nostalgia in this endeavor, it’s impossible for me not to love it.
3. One of my followers shared this story about Richard Harris getting some stage revenge and it CRACKED me up:
This is older but it was the first time I’d seen it: a SHIRE charcuterie board! https://thestarvingchefblog.com/lord-of-the-rings-inspired-shirecuterie-board/
5. Instagram introduced subscriber channels and I finally gave in to its badgering to make one this week, and it has been such a lovely experience so far! <3
6. Sir Terry and his beloved Discworld characters are getting well-deserved stamps over in the UK:
7. I paired up with the Pittsburgh candlemaker North Avenue Candles (“clever candles for literature lovers”) to celebrate some fantastically book-themed candles and goodies and look forward to future collaborations. (Check out this Required Reading Candle Sampler! Swoon.)
Before I Go
I’ve been looking into Kickstarter campaigns for my book of personal essays and would love your feedback on what good perks/incentives might be. I’ve collected a few of them and put them as possibilities in this poll here that I hope you’ll participate in! These are just some ideas - I would LOVE to hear your other thoughts in the comments or via email. I’m open to all kinds of perks, but I’m uncertain at this point what would be most appealing to people. For example, the book isn’t going to be social media related, but would something to do with social media be most appealing to potential investors? Let me know?
Have a beautiful weekend, friends!
<3
Tara
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I never knew I needed a shirecuterie board in my life until now!
Ahhh that SHIRE charcuterie board!!! 😍