Regenerating and Recovering

Or How I Survived My First Author Event

Happy Friday!

I’m attempting a bit of writing today while Davy “types” on his new keyboard and iPad app. Last week I attended NWA Book Fest… my first appearance as an author. Indeed my first gathering of any kind since COVID times. I wanted to take some time to share about that experience.

Luckily I was so busy the week before I didn’t have any time to be nervous. I practiced my reading a time or two, installed the Square Up app to take credit card payments, and put my books in a box.

There was a little bit of scheduling confusion and the event was running early so I was rushed right onto stage within minutes of showing up. (Not ideal for an autistic. I’m not gonna lie.)

I also expected to be introduced and had only prepared for a reading. Somehow I managed to introduce myself and my book without rehearsal. I think its down to how often I have talked about my book online. Maybe it does get easier with practice. I wouldn’t say I’m captivating, but I did it.

Right after my reading I had a group of blogger friends show up to hear me. They just missed me because of the schedule kerfuffle, but we took a photo anyway.

Then I did a short signing and sold 4 books. 🥳

(Shout out to my friend Lori Lynn who served as my “emotional support extrovert” and helped me make small talk at my signing table.)

It was really nice to see people respond to my book in real time. One woman immediately connected my book to The Artist’s Way which completely made my day. So thankful to everyone who dropped by to take a look.

Some lessons I learned and will be adding to my self publishing course:

• Print a QR code to purchase the ebook. (My hardcover is a deluxe edition and more people might have purchased the digital bundle for $20.)

• Print my Venmo code. (Spelling it out did not seem to work.)

• Have something to hold business cards / stickers so they don’t blow away.

• Probably bring a book holder as well. The books kept tumbling off the table and one or two may be damaged. (Hit reply if you’d like to buy a damaged book for $10 off.)

Here is actual footage of me after the event. 😂

(That’s Odo from Star Trek Deep Space Nine.) It took a lot out of me.

I realized that this simple brief appearance pushed me to the edge of my capacity and I definitely should NOT sign up for longer events any time soon. (After two hours I felt the way I normally do after a whole convention. ) I believe this is due to…

• More sensory overload on a daily basis from parenting.

• Diminished social capacity due to socializing with my toddler 24/7. (I’m just going to call him toddler till he turns 4, ok?)

• Not going to any events for 3-4 years during early motherhood / COVID times. I feel out of practice at masking and also no desire to return to that level of social performance.

Not only am I “re-entering” the world after COVID lockdowns, but I’m also learning how I want to show up as an autistic human. What does it mean to attend events without pressuring myself to mask (performing excitement, facial expressions, small talk, etc.)?

Even so I was pretty wiped out afterwards. Here is how I reset the next day:

• Time alone in the studio. I laid on the daybed and watched Netflix for an hour and then made a collage.

• Time with Davy in the backyard.

• A long walk with a podcast.

• Reading in the bath.

• Playing Cozy Grove with Davy. (More on that below.)

I’m still pretty tired, but I feel more or less human again. If I hadn’t been able to take that time I would have stayed in a perpetually burned out / shut down kind of state.

I still struggle with taking time for myself as a parent, but when I do I am reminded of how powerful and restorative it can be.

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Other bits and bobs I’d like to recommend this week.

Play

First off, I have rediscovered Cozy Grove. I played this a couple of years ago on my phone, but we just purchased it for the Nintendo Switch and I have been playing with Davy.

It’s a really cute and relaxing game.

You’re a scout marooned on an island haunted by (cute) bear ghosts. You run around the island finding things for them and helping them restore their memories. You can also fish and bake and craft and garden. The music and artistic style sets such an atmosphere. Have a peek.

I’ve heard it’s kind of like Animal Crossing, but in my opinion is cuter and more fun. (I tried Animal Crossing after finishing this game the first time and didn’t connect with it.)

If you’re a casual gamer and just looking for a way to relax would really recommend Cozy Grove. 🥰

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Read

The blog post of the week for me was How to Be a Good Assistant to Yourself by Austin Kleon.

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Muse

This post by @worry__lines on Instagram is really good food for thought.

worry__lines

A post shared by Worry Lines (@worry__lines)

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I’ve invented this section as inspiration to browse and close the tabs I keep open on Safari. I am always dangerously close to the 500 tab limit. Hopefully these creative breadcrumbs offer some inspiration.

Illustration

I absolutely love this 1970’s edition of The Sword in the Stone illustrated by Alan Lee. Merlin’s cottage has always been evocative for me and this is just how I’ve imagined it.

I made this discovery while looking for images of my teacher muses to post to @teachlikeafrizzle. A few weeks later I bought a copy from ABE Books so I really don’t need this tab open anymore.

Word Nerd

Etaoin shrdlu was used as a “red flag by typesetters to show an error in text, but sometimes it was overlooked and made it into print.” It is the approximate order of frequency of the 12 most commonly used letters in the English language.” via The Dusty Wheel

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Wait, this is real?

This tab was open because I saw this butterfly on Instagram and didn’t believe it was real. Fact check!

It is indeed an orange oak leaf. Perfectly camouflaged on the outside with brilliant colorful wings when open.

Image Credit: Niraj Mani Chourasia, Wiki Commons

Well that was effective! Maybe I’ll do this again. What do you think?

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Thanks for reading!

I’d love to hear what you connected with and have a chat in comments.

Cheers,