Back at work this week and, while I missed the tranquility of my staycation, it wasn’t too bad. Still, I’m happy it’s Friday! My husband is off this week and since this is one of my usual work-free days, we are having ourselves a little date day – the second one this week! [I also have Wednesdays off.] Taking advantage of alone time before the kids get out of school for the summer next week. Don’t worry, we have some fun stuff planned out for them, too.

With my husband on hand to chauffeur me, I finally managed to hit up the City of Edmonton Re-Use store, which I’ve been meaning to check out for a while. It’s a great place to pick up craft stuff (and other things) for free. Yes, free.We were both chuffed to find a bunch of magazines for our hobbies – scrapbooking for me, woodworking for him. Then we hit up The Upper Crust, which is one of our nostalgic hangouts; we went there on the day when we got engaged (and many times since). Speaking of which, our wedding anniversary is coming up very soon. Hard to believe it’s gonna be 16 years. So much has happened and, yet, it still feels like the blink of an eye.

I’m trying very hard this week to avoid the post-publication doldrums. In some ways, this is the most difficult time for a write: you’ve put your book – the product of much sweat and tears, if not blood – out into the world and now you wait to see what happens. Will readers find it? Will they like it? The waiting is killing me slowly, lol! But I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when I checked my KDP dashboard and saw that The Mysterious Affair at Gaunt Hall had 1100 KENP (pages read in Kindle Unlimited) in a week. That’s equivalent to about 3 books’ worth! Yay! And it’s got its first rating on Amazon, too: 5 stars. Double yay!

Here’s hoping it’s a sign of more good things to come.

In the meantime, I am keeping myself busy with scrapbooking (natch) and editing on my latest WIP. This project is something of a departure from my usual style/genre, so I honestly don’t know if it will ever see the light of day. But it’s something to do, while I decide on my next steps. I have one more book planned for publication later in the fall, and after that … what comes next is what I need to figure out. I have a lot of complicated feelings about my writing journey that I still need to sort out first. Next week, I’m going to share some of the things I’ve learned along the way.

My TBR is begging for some attention, so I have promised myself to devote some time to reading this weekend. Buuuuut … there’s an equally good chance that I’ll be spending that time on the couch, re-watching old episodes of Poirot (or Marple!) again for some good old comfort food (for the mind). Sometimes, that’s just what giving oneself grace looks like *shrug*

Have a great weekend!

I had an idea for a new series where I share the last three things in various life categories – things I did, bought, read, saw, etc. I was inspired by one of my old guided journal, which included blank lists for recording the, shall we say, ephemera of life. I found it an interesting way to approach journaling. And what is this blog if not a journal, too?

So, let’s get into it!

Last Three Things I Bought on Poshmark

I got this vintage-ish Liz Claiborne jacket a few months ago now, on a tip from an Instagram follower. It’s from the same collection (circa 2009, I think) as my beloved rainbow plaid dress. I’ve been low-key collecting pieces from that collection for a while now, so of course I had to get this jacket. It came in pristine condition, basically unworn, and it’s absolutely gorgeous IRL. Bright and vibrant and joyful. I paid $65CAD, which I consider a good deal given its condition, quality, and relative rarity.

Sourcing magazines for my scrapbooking continues to be a struggle. I’ve tried FB Marketplace, only to be ghosted by sellers on several occasions (even though I was offering to pay their asking price). On Poshmark, people tend to sell one-off magazines for $25 and up, plus shipping, which isn’t feasible for my needs and budget. So, I was happy to find this lot of 5 Harper’s Bazaars from 2022 for $28CAD (shipping included). Still kinda pricey but your girl is running out of options …

This was another lucky find bundle; the seller didn’t have them listed by brand, but I’m pretty sure these earrings are from Indi City, one of my fave indigenous designers. I was looking for something else entirely when I stumbled onto another of the seller’s listing, which led me to finding these. Both were designs I had previously coveted but was unable to get before they sold out. The last time I checked, Indi City was on a hiatus/not selling anymore, which is a shame. I hope they return. For now, I’m happy to have the chance to enjoy some of the old designs. I paid $50CAD for the bundle (shipping included).

Last Three Books I Read

I picked this up at the thrift store on a whim, but the truth is that I have a mild obsession with secret societies thanks to reading The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail as a teenager, and then Umberto Eco’s Foucault’s Pendulum in my early 20s. At this point in my life, I have no patience for conspiracy theories (unless they’re written as straight fiction and even then, barely), but I do enjoy reading about the history of humankind’s obsession with esotericism and related conspiracies. This book seemed like a safe bet in terms of being serious non-fiction grounded in research rather than speculation, so I decided to give it a try. It was an enjoyable read and well-balanced – discussing the available scholarship in an accessible way.

Between this and the Frances Yates book on the history of the Rosicrucians that I read last year, I have some ideas for a potential book percolating in my mind. Always fun!

I loved Sarah Bakewell’s book on humanism, and this one on existential philosophy has been on the TBR for months. I’m glad I finally got to it – it was great! She writes in a such a beautiful and accessible way about a subject that can, at times, feel quite daunting for someone who’s almost 30 years removed from her university philosophy classes.

I grew up with Terry Pratchett’s books. To this day, he is one of the biggest influences on my writing and, in particular, my writer’s voice. I admire his humanism and his humour, which are reflected in his characters and his story-telling. It’s been years since my last re-read of his books, and I decided that it was time to revisit them all – or as many as I can manage this summer. I started with this one, randomly, because the Wyrd Sisters books are some of my fave Discworld novels, and I realized that I didn’t own this particular one. I ordered it and then, when it arrived, promptly started to read it because I have no chill or patience. Oh well. The beauty of most of the Discworld books is that you can read them out of order without dire consequences. Anyway, this one was a brilliant banger.

Last Three Collages I Made

“Chaos in colour” – 9+ layers. This started with the background, which appealed to me because I love mixing classical art with modern images. Then came the figure in the middle, which covered one in the background image that I didn’t like as much. Everything else was chosen as part of a colour story, which is why it’s pretty chaotic – hence the text, apposite.

“Take me anywhere” – 6 layers. This started with the central image, which was a Gucci ad, I believe. The rest was just … vibes, lol!

“Leaping bloom” – 6 layers. This started with that gorgeous, kinetic image of the leaping woman. I chose the background to complement the colour of her dress.

And that’s it: a glimpse at my life, lately. Let me know if you enjoyed this post, and I’ll do another 3×3 soon (with new categories!).

To whom do I need to talk to get a do-over of this week? Is there a manager or … ok, just kidding. And not kidding. Being on vacation this week was wonderful and I would love to do it all over again. This time around, I had the house all to myself during the day, which was perfect for what I wanted to do with my time off – mostly unstructured ‘play’, aka reading, listening to podcasts, crafting, etc. I’ve been doing a lot of deep work in therapy lately, and came to realize that I need to give myself more room to experience the joy of play/experimentation that I had as a child, free from the constraints of external expectations and validation. Anyhoo … it was great!

And I stuck to my word and did absolutely no work on my books.

As you know if you read my last post, the clothing swap was a success. I found some great pieces to add to my wardrobe, and got the chance to catch up with friends. I also had a friend stop in for a visit and chat later in the week, which filled my cup some more. Something else I need to make more room for in my life this summer, even if it means making adjustments to my writing plans.

Speaking of which: The Mysterious Affair at Gaunt Hall is now out! Thank you to everyone who’s bought a copy! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it – and if you do, please help me spread the word. Tell your bookish friends, looking for their next, fun, cozy summer read. Word of mouth is extremely important for indie authors, and one of the most effective ways for their books to find their audience.

This week being all about comfort, most of my reading and watching was confined to old favourites. I re-read The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (and re-watched the movie with Sean Connery and Christina Slater, what a blast from the past!) and got through the first couple of seasons of Poirot (the OG version with David Suchet). Which proved timely, because news just came out that Poirot is being rebooted, sorta, with a prequel series featuring the character at the start of his career as a private detective in London between the Wars. Poirot is going to be played by Edward Bluemel, who has starred in A Discovery of Witches and My Lady Jane. I like the actor so, while I am generally on the fence about most recent Christie adaptations, I am cautiously optimistic for this series.

My son is having his birthday party (early) this weekend, so I have to look forward to a horde of teenage boys taking over my basement. I’ll be picking out chip crumbs out of my couch cushions for the next month. But since being informed that we are the “cool house” because of all the snacks and food we threw at them last time, there is now pressure to live up to our own hype, lol! I’m hoping the rest of the weekend is pretty chill – and I’ll get a chance to squeeze in some thrifting with my daughter – because I need to prepare myself for getting back to the grind next week. Wish me luck, haha!

Have a great weekend!