AmiMaxine

First Friday Rec: Binti

Title: BintiAuthor: Nnedi OkoraforGenre: science fiction, adventurousPages: 74Publication Date: 2015StoryGraph* Moods: adventure, emotional, hopefulHow I Stumbled Upon This Book: book clubOther Books by Okorafor: Death of the Author, She Who Knows, Noor, Who Fears Death, The Book of Phoenix, Lagoon, Kabu Kabu, *StoryGraph also offers content warnings. Description: Binti, of the Himba people, is theContinue reading “First Friday Rec: Binti”

Farmers’ Markets

Not gonna lie, I’m not a huge fan of the summer months. I don’t like hot, humid weather. I’m allergic to everything that blooms. And I have to douse myself in a gallon of sun block any time I’ll be outside. You’re probably thinking I’m joking, but let’s just say this comic by the talentedContinue reading “Farmers’ Markets”

Pushy Story Ideas

On a day near the end of March, I was driving, and an idea came to me (I have a long commute, so this is not unusual). “They” say (there was a study that I read that I can’t find – but I’m still looking – so thus the air quotes around ‘they’) that weContinue reading “Pushy Story Ideas”

Summer Teachin’

Like Summer Lovin’ but for teaching? Haha. What? Not funny? Yeah, Ok. This summer, I finally get to be that teacher – the ones people always throw in our faces when we ever dare to ask for a raise. The ones that get the ENTIRE summer off. *gasp* I just finished up my sixteenth yearContinue reading “Summer Teachin’”

Kavarna: Twenty Years

I’ve been hitting some milestones lately that have felt…unreal. Impossible? I’m in my sixteenth year of teaching – but I swear I’ve only been at my college for a few years. I’m also coming up on twenty years since I graduated from undergrad (the specific date is three days from now) – and given theContinue reading “Kavarna: Twenty Years”

First Friday Rec: Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns

Title: Pole Dancing to Gospel HymnsAuthor: Andrea GibsonGenre: poetry, nonfiction, reflectivePages: 92Publication Date: 2008StoryGraph* Moods: emotional, reflective, inspiringHow I Stumbled Upon This Book: Like many, I heard Gibson’s poetry before I read it. About a decade and a half ago, a friend told me I HAD to come with her to see Gibson perform –Continue reading “First Friday Rec: Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns”

Complicated Drink Orders

I remember when St@rbucks first became popular. I’ll admit, I was super judgy of folks who went there that had complicated drink orders. I didn’t even drink coffee at that point, so I had no clue what a bone dry cappuccino or a half-caff double-shot soy caramel macchiato even were. Honestly, most of the ordersContinue reading “Complicated Drink Orders”

What do I charge for my book?

I think one of the trickiest things about self-publishing is figuring out what to charge for your book. (Well, that and trying to summarize an 80,000-word novel into a couple-hundred-word blurb. And don’t even get me started on log lines…) A few years back, I wrote up a series of posts that went over everythingContinue reading “What do I charge for my book?”

Cave Point: Part…I don’t even know?

I know I’ve talked about Cave Point a few times overs the years I’ve been writing this blog, but given it’s my favorite place on Earth, I think we should all be surprised I don’t talk about it a whole lot more. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A bit ago, I wrote about how I took a drive upContinue reading “Cave Point: Part…I don’t even know?”

First Friday Rec: The Sing Sing Files

Title: The Sing Sing FilesAuthor: Dan SlepianGenre: nonfiction, true crime, sociologyPages: 224Publication Date: 2024StoryGraph* Moods: informative, reflective, tenseHow I Stumbled Upon This Book: Armchair Expert interviewOther Books by Slepian: none at the moment, though Slepian has a large body of work as a journalist and working on Dateline*StoryGraph also offers content warnings. Description: In hisContinue reading “First Friday Rec: The Sing Sing Files”