Things have been such a whirlwind of busy-ness in the last month. It’s a good thing, although the chaotic schedule has made me feel a little bit disorganized. Mostly I’ve been active in sharing and promoting my new book, Crochet Saved My Life, which is going really well. But I’ve also spent some time with friends, done a little bit of pet-sitting and kept myself active with creative stuff at home.
Update on Crochet Saved My Life
I did a pre-release sale of Crochet Saved My Life in July but it was officially released on August 1st. I set a goal of selling at least 100 copies of the book in August and between both print and eBook versions I succeeded in meeting that goal, which I am really happy about.
More importantly, I’ve received extremely positive feedback about the book from readers. They are reaching out to say that they really connected with the book, that they are glad this title has been written and that something really resonated with them and inspired them when reading it. That’s really important to me and makes me feel like the book has been a true success irrelevant of sales.
I’ve also been really happy with the press I’ve been able to garner in the online world. Crochet Saved My Life has been reviewed by:
And I’ve guest posted about topics related to the book on:
I’ve also made a huge effort lately to start geting people to do author interviews with me. Three have been published so far and more are in the works:
Additionally, the following blogs have posted about Crochet Saved My Life:
Spending time with Friends
In addition to spending a lot of time spreading the word about the book, I’ve done some fun social things as well. A friend of mine was in town visiting for a few weeks so we went and did a few things. We got cocktails at a really cute bar that I’d never been to. We got Chinese food at a great place way out by the ocean that I realized after we went I’d been to once before. We got pizza in a cute neighborhood I rarely make it over to. Yeah, I guess we ate a lot! We also had a dinner party with our other friends, which was themed around black and white foods. I did chili three ways that was totally delicious and made me want to make chili every day! I also made black and white rice, a platter of black and white snack foods (black olives, jicama, etc.) and a pasta salad using black and white bowtie pasta.
Other that that I’ve just gone out a few times. I saw the Katy Perry 3D movie, which was a little cheesy but so fun. I love anything in 3D. And I’ve discovered that I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for the kind of music documentaries that are really meant for teenage girls and not women in their thirties. We all have sweet indulgences, right?
Pet-Sitting
I’m getting ready to petsit at a house with five great pets so I’ve been going out there to get all of the final stuff figured out so that I’m all set for the week. The best thing about this is seeing the truly unique, vibrant, sometimes ridiculous personalities of these pets. There are two dogs and they both are so unique and fun and silly. My favorite pet is probably the Burmese cat, though, just because he is seriously so amazingly loving. If I ever get a cat I’m going to definitely consider this breed.
Activities at Home
I seem to be pretty busy at home as well. I’m in this decluttering phase, which happens all of the time. I physically clean out my space to psychically clean out my head. I’m still cluttered, though, physically and psychically. It’s an ongoing process, which I know means I’m in transition.
I also seem to be cluttered in my reading – starting a book and then putting it down and starting something else even though I’m interested in what I’m reading. Right now I’m reading Lip Service, a book about the power of a smile. I just started Breakthrough, a creative non-fiction piece about the discovery and development of insulin as a treatment for diabetes. I started a book about an FDLS leader in Utah but it kind of lost my interest after the first half or so. I am working my way through the chapters in Richard Polsky’s Art Prophets; it’s about the movers and shakers of the art world but each chapter stands on its own pretty well.
I did start and finish one book recenty: The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok. I had mentioned to my dad awhile ago that I was reading a book about memory and he mentioned a book written by an author he’d met at an MFA conference, which was this book by Bartok. I happened to see the book recently when browsing at the library so I got it and really enjoyed it. It’s her true story of living with a schizophrenic mother but it’s told through a unique lens. As an adult Bartok was in an accident that affected her memory so memory is really important to her; she retrieves it using the tool of The Memory Palace (placing pictures in spaces visually in her mind). After her mother’s death, she gets her mom’s journals that she kept throughout her lifetime. The book incorporates memories told through The Memory Palace with snippets of writing from her mother’s journals. It’s unique and moving.
