Gail Carriger's Blog: Hail the Victorious Parasol - Posts Tagged "writer"
10 Things Making Me Happy & Eating Purple Food – Starting 2024 Right
My dear Gentle Reader, how about a post featuring things I’m enjoying that are making me happy right now? I hope it cheers you up, and if you try any – that they make you happy too!
Someone told me about book fans & I’m so excited they belong at the top!
1. Spring at the office
My office is looking very pretty right now. Because my apartment is so small and crowded I have a separate remote office. That office is kept nice and tidy (as is my wont) but it is also very very VERY cold. I’m so glad the weather is finally turning warm again. The office is both more hospitable now and looking lovely with flowers (no flower at home… cat eats them).
2. Wearing Lip Masks
I’ve talked before about my perennial dry skin and the Eternal Quest for all things that fix that (without causing my equally sensitive skin to overreact in some way). I found this lip mask for evening use (fancy talk for a nice lip balm). The pot is adorable, it’s citrusy, and it works pretty good.
I’m also enjoying this lip oil mostly because it has a slight cocoa sent and my little heart enjoys anything food related.
3. Meeting the maker of The Tea
OK, it’s complicated. Not quite the maker of the tea, but the brother of the person behind the making of my beloved Deep Blue Abyss oolong tea.
He was at the last steampunk event I visited. And he brought me a bunch of individually wrapped samples of my tea. I’ll be including these in giveaways etc. via the Chirrup regularly for a while.
Just letting you know.
And for drinking tea I have also discovered a new travel tumbler I love.
4. Eating rum cake
Speaking of tea and things that go very well with it, I’ve been on a rum cake hunt recently. I know, rum cake is more of a fall/winter kind of thing, but really is it ever the wrong time of year to eat a rum cake? Rhetorical question.
I used to Love these little mini prepackaged ones that they had at the Dickens Fair way back in the day.
I’m convinced that they exist somewhere else (in reality) if I could just find them. So I ordered these ones, and they are good, but not exactly what I wanted. I worked my way, slowly, through all the flavors, just in case.
~I liked the taste of the Caribbean Mexican Vanilla flavor best but its consistency was more like a poundcake than a sponge cake, and I was hoping for something with a little bit of a lighter feel to it.
~The Kentucky Bourbon Butter Cake actually tasted the closest (whiskey versus rum notwithstanding) and had the best consistency, but it still wasn’t exactly right.
Quest continues.
5. Reading manga & graphic novels
For some reason I’ve been reaching for and reading manga and graphic novels again. I don’t know why, but my brain is really loving this style of story at the moment. And my motto with reading tends to be to lean into whatever is appealing to me at any given time.
Some of these were rereads, and some of them were new to me. Here’s a quick list of my current favorites:
Old-Fashioned Cupcake by Sagan Sagan – probably one of my favorite romances in a really long time, plus the live action adaptation was brilliant and beautifully shot & acted.
Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern – basically Jane Austen is given the sword and gets piratical. If you’re a fan of my Parasolverse stuff but you wanted a little bit more Our Flag Means Death in the mix then this is for you.
The Flower That Seems to Truly Dance by Saki Tsukahara – this historical romance is just stunning, the art is so beautiful. There’s some gender bending social commentary as part of the story structure.
I Cannot Reach You by Mika – I actually enjoyed the live action adaptation (on Netflix) of this yaoi better, but the graphic novel is still very good. It’s a sweet love story that genuinely explores the ramifications of falling in love with your best friend in a gentle and kind way. Friends to lovers is such a common trope but it’s rarely handled with such delicate authenticity.
The Bride was a Boy by Chii – I have mentioned this graphic novel before, because it is an almost memoir manga of love and transition that manages to be entertaining, happy, and sweet but ALSO extremely informative. Highly recommended for those who might be questioning their own gender, but also family and friends of anyone transitioning who need a window of understanding.
10 Graphic Novels You’ll Enjoy if You Loved Soulless the Manga
6. Watching Thai drama The Sign
This show is on YouTube, but I wouldn’t advise you to just click and go watch it. Please read the rest of my thoughts first:
It is a wild ride.
It’s truly unhinged in the most glorious possible way. It’s a bonkers mash up of a dozen different genres
~paranormal romance
~mythological fantasy
~police procedural
~suspense & slasher
~and, of course, BL
Was it good? Not really, but I had a raucous good time watching it.
Tropes included (but are not limited to)
~soulmates
~fated enemies
~band of brothers
~doomed lovers
~reincarnation cycles (red thread, gender bending)
~pre-cog & supernatural abilities
~shape shifting alter egos
~and it gets pretty darn sexy.
If you’re a fan of my San Andreas Shifters stuff, you might enjoy this, but if you can’t/don’t get the first episode, it’s not for you, I give you complete permission to just drop it and walk away.
In the meantime, if this sort of media interest you here’s a two-part series that I did on the subject:
BL Dramas Analyzed from a Writer’s Perspective: PART I>/a>
BL Dramas THE LIST: What to watch? PART II
This show, The Sign, is very much a BL of its time, in that I don’t think we would’ve gotten something like this if there wasn’t an established track record in Thailand of previous successful BLs. It’s so off kilter and experimental, and that’s for me part of its charm.
7. Traveling again!
I cannot articulate how exciting it is too once again be consistently traveling. After I got back from Thailand I had to go on hiatus for a while to deal with some pretty extreme family drama.
But now I’m back and in gear. I was in Colorado Springs for superstar writers, I turned right around and went to Wild Wild West Con in Tucson, and this month I am off to both Seattle and later Portland (Pendleton). I enjoy travel, for the sake of it and to be in motion and go new places, see new faces, and eat new things, but I also very much enjoyed going back to familiar territories and seeing old friends and readers again.
Upcoming Events
8. Receiving a Tippy Golden Teacup Award!
I am the proud winner of a Tippy Golden Teacup Award for Tea Maven of the Year.
I’d like to thank the Mum, Madame Askew, the Grand Arbiter, and all who have helped turn me into the tea sipping malcontent I am today.
9. Cosplay!
I honestly have no idea how long it has been since I did any kind of cosplay. I forgot how much fun it is. At Wild Wild West Con this year, I participated in an informal Star trek steampunk cosplay group. A couple of friends told me they were doing it, and I happen to have a dress and corset that would work perfectly for red steampunk Star Trek, specifically a sort of take on an officer in ST:TNG.
Here we all are:
10. Purple Food!
A little while ago I did this thing where I collected a bunch of purple food and then sampled it on video and relayed my unfiltered thoughts on the matter. Anyway my favorites of the ones I ate were these Hopia Purple Yam Cakes which reminded me a little of moon cakes and very fresh tasting roasted yammy, not too sweet, quite filling. Quite enjoyable. If they were a little easier to get hold of I could imagine snacking on them regularly.
I should say, I generally really like purple yam (ube) things. But because it is such a delicate flavor, I prefer this kind of execution to its use in baked goods or ice cream. It’s too often cut with vanilla or something else and it’s own natural sweetness doesn’t come through properly.
Case in point, I got this lovely (looking) ube cream filled croissant. But while it looked gorgeous, it tasted quite bland. And the pastry, which has to carry the day under such circumstances, was really disappointing (stodgy). So all in all, I was sad about the whole experience. And I probably won’t be going back to that bakery anytime soon.
Honestly, I didn’t mean to end this on any kind of a downer. The purple food experience was, in general, quite pleasant.
Also that Live in which I essentially did an accidental mukbang (Accidental Mukbang = the name of my Kpop cover band) was my most well attended video for the past year . Made me wonder if I should integrate eating strange snacks into EVERY live video (oh, woe is me).
No hardship, I’m always eating the strangest things I can get my mitts on.
I always joke that my tombstone is probably gonna read
And on that note, I’m off. Probably to go stuff my face with something inexplicable.
Yours,
Miss Gail
Someone told me about book fans & I’m so excited they belong at the top!
1. Spring at the office
My office is looking very pretty right now. Because my apartment is so small and crowded I have a separate remote office. That office is kept nice and tidy (as is my wont) but it is also very very VERY cold. I’m so glad the weather is finally turning warm again. The office is both more hospitable now and looking lovely with flowers (no flower at home… cat eats them).
2. Wearing Lip Masks
I’ve talked before about my perennial dry skin and the Eternal Quest for all things that fix that (without causing my equally sensitive skin to overreact in some way). I found this lip mask for evening use (fancy talk for a nice lip balm). The pot is adorable, it’s citrusy, and it works pretty good.
I’m also enjoying this lip oil mostly because it has a slight cocoa sent and my little heart enjoys anything food related.
3. Meeting the maker of The Tea
OK, it’s complicated. Not quite the maker of the tea, but the brother of the person behind the making of my beloved Deep Blue Abyss oolong tea.
He was at the last steampunk event I visited. And he brought me a bunch of individually wrapped samples of my tea. I’ll be including these in giveaways etc. via the Chirrup regularly for a while.
Just letting you know.
And for drinking tea I have also discovered a new travel tumbler I love.
4. Eating rum cake
Speaking of tea and things that go very well with it, I’ve been on a rum cake hunt recently. I know, rum cake is more of a fall/winter kind of thing, but really is it ever the wrong time of year to eat a rum cake? Rhetorical question.
I used to Love these little mini prepackaged ones that they had at the Dickens Fair way back in the day.
I’m convinced that they exist somewhere else (in reality) if I could just find them. So I ordered these ones, and they are good, but not exactly what I wanted. I worked my way, slowly, through all the flavors, just in case.
~I liked the taste of the Caribbean Mexican Vanilla flavor best but its consistency was more like a poundcake than a sponge cake, and I was hoping for something with a little bit of a lighter feel to it.
~The Kentucky Bourbon Butter Cake actually tasted the closest (whiskey versus rum notwithstanding) and had the best consistency, but it still wasn’t exactly right.
Quest continues.
5. Reading manga & graphic novels
For some reason I’ve been reaching for and reading manga and graphic novels again. I don’t know why, but my brain is really loving this style of story at the moment. And my motto with reading tends to be to lean into whatever is appealing to me at any given time.
Some of these were rereads, and some of them were new to me. Here’s a quick list of my current favorites:
Old-Fashioned Cupcake by Sagan Sagan – probably one of my favorite romances in a really long time, plus the live action adaptation was brilliant and beautifully shot & acted.
Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern – basically Jane Austen is given the sword and gets piratical. If you’re a fan of my Parasolverse stuff but you wanted a little bit more Our Flag Means Death in the mix then this is for you.
The Flower That Seems to Truly Dance by Saki Tsukahara – this historical romance is just stunning, the art is so beautiful. There’s some gender bending social commentary as part of the story structure.
I Cannot Reach You by Mika – I actually enjoyed the live action adaptation (on Netflix) of this yaoi better, but the graphic novel is still very good. It’s a sweet love story that genuinely explores the ramifications of falling in love with your best friend in a gentle and kind way. Friends to lovers is such a common trope but it’s rarely handled with such delicate authenticity.
The Bride was a Boy by Chii – I have mentioned this graphic novel before, because it is an almost memoir manga of love and transition that manages to be entertaining, happy, and sweet but ALSO extremely informative. Highly recommended for those who might be questioning their own gender, but also family and friends of anyone transitioning who need a window of understanding.
10 Graphic Novels You’ll Enjoy if You Loved Soulless the Manga
6. Watching Thai drama The Sign
This show is on YouTube, but I wouldn’t advise you to just click and go watch it. Please read the rest of my thoughts first:
It is a wild ride.
It’s truly unhinged in the most glorious possible way. It’s a bonkers mash up of a dozen different genres
~paranormal romance
~mythological fantasy
~police procedural
~suspense & slasher
~and, of course, BL
Was it good? Not really, but I had a raucous good time watching it.
Tropes included (but are not limited to)
~soulmates
~fated enemies
~band of brothers
~doomed lovers
~reincarnation cycles (red thread, gender bending)
~pre-cog & supernatural abilities
~shape shifting alter egos
~and it gets pretty darn sexy.
If you’re a fan of my San Andreas Shifters stuff, you might enjoy this, but if you can’t/don’t get the first episode, it’s not for you, I give you complete permission to just drop it and walk away.
FYI: A few if you have asked, and I am indeed planning a third installment in the epic series of blog posts I did a few years ago (during lockdown) on Asian dramas, and BL in particular. It’s just taking me a while to write up all of the reviews for the new spate of shows we’ve had (that I have watched, and want to recommend) since the last installment. Watch this space though, I promise it is coming.
In the meantime, if this sort of media interest you here’s a two-part series that I did on the subject:
BL Dramas Analyzed from a Writer’s Perspective: PART I>/a>
BL Dramas THE LIST: What to watch? PART II
This show, The Sign, is very much a BL of its time, in that I don’t think we would’ve gotten something like this if there wasn’t an established track record in Thailand of previous successful BLs. It’s so off kilter and experimental, and that’s for me part of its charm.
7. Traveling again!
I cannot articulate how exciting it is too once again be consistently traveling. After I got back from Thailand I had to go on hiatus for a while to deal with some pretty extreme family drama.
But now I’m back and in gear. I was in Colorado Springs for superstar writers, I turned right around and went to Wild Wild West Con in Tucson, and this month I am off to both Seattle and later Portland (Pendleton). I enjoy travel, for the sake of it and to be in motion and go new places, see new faces, and eat new things, but I also very much enjoyed going back to familiar territories and seeing old friends and readers again.
Upcoming Events
8. Receiving a Tippy Golden Teacup Award!
I am the proud winner of a Tippy Golden Teacup Award for Tea Maven of the Year.
I’d like to thank the Mum, Madame Askew, the Grand Arbiter, and all who have helped turn me into the tea sipping malcontent I am today.
9. Cosplay!
I honestly have no idea how long it has been since I did any kind of cosplay. I forgot how much fun it is. At Wild Wild West Con this year, I participated in an informal Star trek steampunk cosplay group. A couple of friends told me they were doing it, and I happen to have a dress and corset that would work perfectly for red steampunk Star Trek, specifically a sort of take on an officer in ST:TNG.
Here we all are:
10. Purple Food!
A little while ago I did this thing where I collected a bunch of purple food and then sampled it on video and relayed my unfiltered thoughts on the matter. Anyway my favorites of the ones I ate were these Hopia Purple Yam Cakes which reminded me a little of moon cakes and very fresh tasting roasted yammy, not too sweet, quite filling. Quite enjoyable. If they were a little easier to get hold of I could imagine snacking on them regularly.
I should say, I generally really like purple yam (ube) things. But because it is such a delicate flavor, I prefer this kind of execution to its use in baked goods or ice cream. It’s too often cut with vanilla or something else and it’s own natural sweetness doesn’t come through properly.
Case in point, I got this lovely (looking) ube cream filled croissant. But while it looked gorgeous, it tasted quite bland. And the pastry, which has to carry the day under such circumstances, was really disappointing (stodgy). So all in all, I was sad about the whole experience. And I probably won’t be going back to that bakery anytime soon.
Honestly, I didn’t mean to end this on any kind of a downer. The purple food experience was, in general, quite pleasant.
Also that Live in which I essentially did an accidental mukbang (Accidental Mukbang = the name of my Kpop cover band) was my most well attended video for the past year . Made me wonder if I should integrate eating strange snacks into EVERY live video (oh, woe is me).
No hardship, I’m always eating the strangest things I can get my mitts on.
I always joke that my tombstone is probably gonna read
“She only wanted to try it once.”
And on that note, I’m off. Probably to go stuff my face with something inexplicable.
Yours,
Miss Gail
I have a book in a Storybundle! June-July 2024
My darling Gentle Reader!
I’m participating in a most excellent Fantasy Steampunk Bundle, curated by the indomitable Kristine Kathryn Rusch right NOW.
One of my silliest books, Defy or Defend (in which our heroine must save a vampire hive with the power of interior decorating) is a bonus offering.
(One of the things that always amuses me with these bundles is how bright and cheerful my covers are compared to others. It’s very Gail of me.)
About Storybundle
With StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 you’ll get the basic bundle of four books in any ebook format ~ worldwide!
If you pay at least the bonus price of $20, you get all 4 of the regular books, plus bonus books!
Bundles are only available for a limited time.
StoryBundle allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub, .mobi) for all books!
It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.
Previous bundles?
How to Marry a Werewolf was offered as part of a gaslamp fantasy digital bundle in 2022 curated by Charlotte E. English
Yours (destined to be killed by a tumbling TBR pile),
Miss Gail
I’m participating in a most excellent Fantasy Steampunk Bundle, curated by the indomitable Kristine Kathryn Rusch right NOW.
One of my silliest books, Defy or Defend (in which our heroine must save a vampire hive with the power of interior decorating) is a bonus offering.
(One of the things that always amuses me with these bundles is how bright and cheerful my covers are compared to others. It’s very Gail of me.)
About Storybundle
With StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 you’ll get the basic bundle of four books in any ebook format ~ worldwide!
If you pay at least the bonus price of $20, you get all 4 of the regular books, plus bonus books!
Bundles are only available for a limited time.
StoryBundle allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub, .mobi) for all books!
It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.
Previous bundles?
How to Marry a Werewolf was offered as part of a gaslamp fantasy digital bundle in 2022 curated by Charlotte E. English
Yours (destined to be killed by a tumbling TBR pile),
Miss Gail
30 Authors by Whom I’ve Read at Least 5 Books
I have stuff for you today about my favorite authors, but in a round about way. Simply put, here are authors who I read a lot. In fact I’ve read over 5 of their books. But that’s partly because they’ve written over 5 books! I do have other favorite authors.
10 authors by whom I’ve read at least 5 books (the way back version)
So these are authors I read a lot in my youth. This is going date me. (But, frankly, you can find out how old I actually am if you try hard enough. This is the Internet Age, there are no secrets, only lies. Good luck finding my actual birth date. That’s under lock down.)
Garth Nix
Tanya Huff
Kate Elliott
Lee & Miller
Anne McCaffrey
Robin McKinley
Patricia Wrede
Jane Yolen
Sharon Green
Tamora Pierce
10 authors by whom I’ve read at least 5 books (the yes, really version)
Some of these authors may surprise you since, for various (probably not very valid) reasons, I don’t seem to talk about them much.
SL Viehl
Jean Johnson
Moira Moore
Eli Easton
Lyn Gala
Kim Fielding
Amy Lane
AE Via
Cat Sebastian
JD Macdonald
10 authors by whom I’ve read at least 5 books (the of course version)
Never say you’re surprised by any of these!
Douglas Adams
Terry Pratchett
Mercedes Lackey
Patricia Briggs
Alyssa Cole
Courtney Milan
KJ Charles
R Cooper
Alexis Hall
TJ Klune
Yours (destined to be killed by a tumbling TBR pile),
Miss Gail
10 authors by whom I’ve read at least 5 books (the way back version)
So these are authors I read a lot in my youth. This is going date me. (But, frankly, you can find out how old I actually am if you try hard enough. This is the Internet Age, there are no secrets, only lies. Good luck finding my actual birth date. That’s under lock down.)
Garth Nix
Tanya Huff
Kate Elliott
Lee & Miller
Anne McCaffrey
Robin McKinley
Patricia Wrede
Jane Yolen
Sharon Green
Tamora Pierce
10 authors by whom I’ve read at least 5 books (the yes, really version)
Some of these authors may surprise you since, for various (probably not very valid) reasons, I don’t seem to talk about them much.
SL Viehl
Jean Johnson
Moira Moore
Eli Easton
Lyn Gala
Kim Fielding
Amy Lane
AE Via
Cat Sebastian
JD Macdonald
10 authors by whom I’ve read at least 5 books (the of course version)
Never say you’re surprised by any of these!
Douglas Adams
Terry Pratchett
Mercedes Lackey
Patricia Briggs
Alyssa Cole
Courtney Milan
KJ Charles
R Cooper
Alexis Hall
TJ Klune
Yours (destined to be killed by a tumbling TBR pile),
Miss Gail
30 Habits That Have Improved My Life As A Full-Time Author
This one if for the authors at the back, Gentle Reader (Author?) Enjoy!
10 Habits That Improved My Author Life
1. Jealously guarded writing time and determining what time of day/system works best for me.
2. Writing dates with other authors that I get to via walking or biking = social time, sunshine, exercise, and productivity.
3. Writing retreats.
4. Joining local author groups/clubs.
5. Dedicated writing bag/backpack that includes noise cancelling headphones.
6. Blocking out time for painful tasks (e.g. taxes).
7. Blocking out monthly brain breaks, usually a weekday where I’m not allowed to schedule anything, just give myself time to be creative.
8. Understanding exactly how I value my time and how much my time is worth to me including what I must/should/enjoy doing most.
9. Consuming writing podcasts and YouTube videos.
10. Doing something small that makes me happy every single day.
10 Habits That Improved My Author Business
1. Weekly agenda plus time on Mondays set aside to review that agenda each week.
2. Systems and templates for everything (e.g. itinerary, invoices, newsletter) stored in the cloud.
3. Dictating into the Notes app on my phone for emails, blog posts, social media, story ideas.
4. Writing down goals: writing, business, life and then parsing each out into manageable tasks, so that they become SMART goals.
5. Scheduling time to achieve those goals (and to review them 4 times a year).
6. Scheduling, time boxing, and batching social media.
7. Refusing to engage with DMs on any platforms, instead using automated responses or redirects to email me about business or join my newsletter for fans.
8. Automated bill payments.
9. Tracking spreadsheet for all of my subscriptions and auto-pays (monthly, annual, or sporadic; on what credit cards; about how much they charge; and how to cancel them with links).
10. Jealously guarded weekends, when I have them and I’m not traveling, that are not for work.
10 Tiny Habits That Improved My Life
1. Creating traveling kits for myself inside zipper pouches of different textures that all live in a go bag.
2. Finding a sunscreen that I actually love wearing, and wearing it every day as part of a dedicated skin care routine (I may have to start buying these when in Thailand as the best filters are banned in the US).
3. Labeling and organizing my house accessories in clear plastic tubs.
4. Using a thermos (with built in tea strainer) for my tea in the mornings instead of a teapot.
5. Leveling up my compost bin, I mean literally, raising it up so it’s level with my countertop.
6. Cooking mainly with an electric tea kettle, toaster oven, wok, or rice cooker (and not my oven).
7. A digital shopping list on my phone.
8. Winding down in the evening with a scented candle.
9. Creating zones in my apartment so that all items of one type (like cleaning or repairing) are together in one place and easy to find.
10. Ensuring my entire house has conveniently placed charger, plug, extension cord combos and devices that work off of USB charging (e.g. speaker, lighter) rather than batteries
Yours,
Miss Gail
10 Habits That Improved My Author Life
1. Jealously guarded writing time and determining what time of day/system works best for me.
2. Writing dates with other authors that I get to via walking or biking = social time, sunshine, exercise, and productivity.
3. Writing retreats.
4. Joining local author groups/clubs.
5. Dedicated writing bag/backpack that includes noise cancelling headphones.
6. Blocking out time for painful tasks (e.g. taxes).
7. Blocking out monthly brain breaks, usually a weekday where I’m not allowed to schedule anything, just give myself time to be creative.
8. Understanding exactly how I value my time and how much my time is worth to me including what I must/should/enjoy doing most.
9. Consuming writing podcasts and YouTube videos.
10. Doing something small that makes me happy every single day.
10 Habits That Improved My Author Business
1. Weekly agenda plus time on Mondays set aside to review that agenda each week.
2. Systems and templates for everything (e.g. itinerary, invoices, newsletter) stored in the cloud.
3. Dictating into the Notes app on my phone for emails, blog posts, social media, story ideas.
4. Writing down goals: writing, business, life and then parsing each out into manageable tasks, so that they become SMART goals.
5. Scheduling time to achieve those goals (and to review them 4 times a year).
6. Scheduling, time boxing, and batching social media.
7. Refusing to engage with DMs on any platforms, instead using automated responses or redirects to email me about business or join my newsletter for fans.
8. Automated bill payments.
9. Tracking spreadsheet for all of my subscriptions and auto-pays (monthly, annual, or sporadic; on what credit cards; about how much they charge; and how to cancel them with links).
10. Jealously guarded weekends, when I have them and I’m not traveling, that are not for work.
10 Tiny Habits That Improved My Life
1. Creating traveling kits for myself inside zipper pouches of different textures that all live in a go bag.
2. Finding a sunscreen that I actually love wearing, and wearing it every day as part of a dedicated skin care routine (I may have to start buying these when in Thailand as the best filters are banned in the US).
3. Labeling and organizing my house accessories in clear plastic tubs.
4. Using a thermos (with built in tea strainer) for my tea in the mornings instead of a teapot.
5. Leveling up my compost bin, I mean literally, raising it up so it’s level with my countertop.
6. Cooking mainly with an electric tea kettle, toaster oven, wok, or rice cooker (and not my oven).
7. A digital shopping list on my phone.
8. Winding down in the evening with a scented candle.
9. Creating zones in my apartment so that all items of one type (like cleaning or repairing) are together in one place and easy to find.
10. Ensuring my entire house has conveniently placed charger, plug, extension cord combos and devices that work off of USB charging (e.g. speaker, lighter) rather than batteries
Yours,
Miss Gail
Ketchup – Mad Egg Love, Computer Catastrophe & More
Darling Gentle Reader,
It has been a while but I thought I might provide you with an update outside of the Chirrup at least once this year. I know I know.
Fun Book Releases
Dear Lord Akeldama & Parasolverse Ephemera
Dear Lord Akeldama and the Parasolverse Ephemera got a limited run cloth bound gilt inlay special edition from Subterranean. As of typing this there are about 100 left. As always with these editions there is only the one shot at them.
This compilation may be released in print in another form (or not, knowing me) but this style and fancy hard cover version will never exist again. It’s now or never.
My lovely author friend Lin Lustig drew the cutest Lord Akeldama chibi as a pirate that I am charmed by.
Lin writes fun silly queer uplifting pirate fantasy. If Lord A were a pirate, he would likely be in her books. The most recent one is Our Ship Must Sail. She describes it as “a cozy sapphic fantasy series about sky pirates.”
The Heroine’s Journey sold into Korean translation last year. I never announce these kinds of things, because even if they buy the right one never knows if the translation will happen.
This one did!
3 Kdrama’s that made me think of this narrative arc?
The Uncanny Counter | Hospital Playlist | W
This is my first Korean translation for any of my work. Some of you may know I am a big Kdrama and Kpop fan so this was a real delight for me to have happen.
Plus I think the Korean script is so stunning looking, kind of modern and mathematical. I adore the precision of it. It’s very tidy looking.
Where has Gail BEEN?
Mexico
I went to Mexico on a tiny writing retreat just after the Popster died. It was to try to get my head back in the game, not a resounding success. Still, it was nice to see a part of the world I haven’t ever before (in this case La Paz, I’ve been to Mexico proper quite a few times back in my Archaeology days).
La Paz is a boat kinda place full of boat kinda people. The Popster was just such, and so I found it a tad challenging since my feels around boats and his relationships to them (my string of inanimate siblings that all signs point to him loving more than me) are complicated, to say the least.
CONpossible
After that is was off to a steampunk event where I got to see some of my dearest friends.
These two were the best last good thing to happen to me before the hell year began.
Hell Year
Hell year = car total, concussion, moving Popster, caretaking Popster, terminal diagnose 1 & 2 of 3 (not me, people I love), breakup/divorce-ish (15 years counts, right?), Lilliput death, Popster death, terminal diagnose 3 of 3 (please world stop now) and so forth.
Atlanta Love (Matcha Shade)
I also got to spend a little time in Atlanta for the first time in my life, and I have to say I liked it a lot.
Mad respect for the size of your H-Mart (I wish we had one close SO BAD), the epic food scene, and general goodwill and kindness of the peeps.
I enjoyed the place, the food and the company. Can’t ask for more, can you? Shout out to the fact that multiple times the green thing I encountered was pandan flavored. I ADORE pandan and it’s really difficult to find. Green things tend to be macha flavored these days, and I am sad to say I am not a fan of the grassy side of tea.
New Book in Progress!
After that I had yet another writing retreat, I really was trying to get back into being able to write fiction after a year of crisis management.
This time it helped a bit and I got started on a new book. Code HTCAK it’s is in the How to Marry a Werewolf line and you can follow it’s progress in the Chirrup. I’m loving it so far, we are deep in (what was called then) Burma just after the Napoleonic Wars at the very edge of the British Empire, but I’m making no promises these days on deadlines because life has been so chaotic. I’m to scared to tell you a thing will be done when I may get derailed all over again my incommodious circumstances…
There were parasols in the sky at this retreat, which I took as a good sign, and for some reason I keep running into this style art installation (more to come on that).
Look, here’s the thing, after the Popster died I went a little stir crash and I said to Kelly, said I, Assistant please just say yes to stuff, I need to get away.
And so-eth, she doth say yes, and I might have bitten off a bit more than I could chew for the rest of this year as a result.
It’s been necessary, I think, but a LOT of travel.
Distractions are good, but also, perhaps, escaping one problems should not be undertaken in quite such a literal manner? Just Gail from the future talking to Gail in the past for when this happens again. Because that looks more and more likely.
France & Spain
After that is was off to France where I had an… interesting time. It was really nice to meet my French readers and see my translator again, but it was an odd not-bookish event.
One of them brought me hard boiled eggs, which was very very exciting to this weary traveler who had picked up a bit of a tummy bug. I love an egg on the road.
I bought some lovely jewelry and was reminded of my long gone days working the Ren Faire. But a book event it was… not.
I got to see my new French books covers and was pleased the Parasol Protectorate is still getting some love. But I suspect I should be getting more of my books translated into French in order to keep those readers happy, and it’s just very complicated and wicked expensive when I do not speak the language myself.
Speaking of speaking, I do have a little Spanish so after France I visited Barcelona.
This was a trip I had planned with my ex pre-covid, Also this is a place I visited and fell in love with in my 20s. I was great to be back, and I didn’t feel any of the anti-tourist sentiment.
First I didn’t stay or spend much time in the tourist parts of the city (they haven’t changed much since I was last there) and second I dress and act (and walk) like a local. This is a part of the world where it is relatively easy for me to blend in.
It was odd for me. I could see myself visiting again for a writing retreat, but I’m not sure I enjoy traveling to this part of the world alone. There’s a lot of things, like dining out, that are really long social activities and it felt surreal to do this by myself.
All that said, Barcelona’s filled croissant game is ON POINT.
Summer Fun
Back home and then off to a charity tea in Virginia. Another event that was in process for before the pandy and managed to reboot itself.
Because I wore a new cute thrifted dress I did a whole blog post of that event here. No need to rehash. Super chuffed to say someone on the socials said I looked like a teacup myself, and that is exactly the look I was going for so… yay!!!
Some of my best friends from high school and I went on a little trip to visit one of our number who recently relocated to the Chicago area.
I tapped the lovely Volumes Bookstore & Cafe to host an impromptu gathering.
So many of you turned out for that, I was quite touched. I haven’t done an event in Chicago in 9 years so it was so nice to be remembered. Many people drove many hours to come, and there were a ton of new faces as well.
Truly honored to those who made the effort to drive into (and PARK) in the city, I know it’s such a hassle.
Wore one of my favorite new vintage acquisitions this lavender 1940s organza dress with a cool neckline. I’m getting into these sorts of colors as I get older and also this one packs like a dream. I also had it on the France trip.
Someone made me these little dolls of Conall and Alexia.
Chicago was the next place I meet the parasols in the sky!
Lots more this time around.
Lately I have been to WorldCon in Seattle but that was such a bumper of an event I likely will do a whole other blog post on it. Outfit rounds ups and some notes from the panels and other exciting projects that have resulted.
Right now I am home(ish) for a few months. Still settling the last of Popster’s estate, it just goes on forever. I have a few more events in October and November, but I am looking forward to being in place for the next month or so.
Maybe I will even get some writing done?
Except…
One Should Not Bathe One’s Computer
Revelation, I know!
So during the Chicago trip I upended an entire glass of water on my main laptop.
I did all the things. I dried what I could. But the blinky blinky light of doom doth break. So I am down for the count while we see what can be salvaged.
Don’t worry about the work!
I write in Scrivener which does a cloud backup via dropbox, and I edit in gdocs which is in the cloud already.
I also back up my whole computer regularly, and always the day before a big trip. So the only bits I lost were what I did on the plane on the flight there, which wasn’t a whole lot.
So I’m ending this blog post with a reminder to run a backup, just in case.
Oh and don’t bathe your computer.
Yours (destined to run herself ragged),
Miss Gail
It has been a while but I thought I might provide you with an update outside of the Chirrup at least once this year. I know I know.
Fun Book Releases
Dear Lord Akeldama & Parasolverse Ephemera
Dear Lord Akeldama and the Parasolverse Ephemera got a limited run cloth bound gilt inlay special edition from Subterranean. As of typing this there are about 100 left. As always with these editions there is only the one shot at them.
This compilation may be released in print in another form (or not, knowing me) but this style and fancy hard cover version will never exist again. It’s now or never.
My lovely author friend Lin Lustig drew the cutest Lord Akeldama chibi as a pirate that I am charmed by.
Lin writes fun silly queer uplifting pirate fantasy. If Lord A were a pirate, he would likely be in her books. The most recent one is Our Ship Must Sail. She describes it as “a cozy sapphic fantasy series about sky pirates.”
The Heroine’s Journey sold into Korean translation last year. I never announce these kinds of things, because even if they buy the right one never knows if the translation will happen.
This one did!
3 Kdrama’s that made me think of this narrative arc?
The Uncanny Counter | Hospital Playlist | W
This is my first Korean translation for any of my work. Some of you may know I am a big Kdrama and Kpop fan so this was a real delight for me to have happen.
Plus I think the Korean script is so stunning looking, kind of modern and mathematical. I adore the precision of it. It’s very tidy looking.
Where has Gail BEEN?
Mexico
I went to Mexico on a tiny writing retreat just after the Popster died. It was to try to get my head back in the game, not a resounding success. Still, it was nice to see a part of the world I haven’t ever before (in this case La Paz, I’ve been to Mexico proper quite a few times back in my Archaeology days).
La Paz is a boat kinda place full of boat kinda people. The Popster was just such, and so I found it a tad challenging since my feels around boats and his relationships to them (my string of inanimate siblings that all signs point to him loving more than me) are complicated, to say the least.
CONpossible
After that is was off to a steampunk event where I got to see some of my dearest friends.
These two were the best last good thing to happen to me before the hell year began.
Hell Year
Hell year = car total, concussion, moving Popster, caretaking Popster, terminal diagnose 1 & 2 of 3 (not me, people I love), breakup/divorce-ish (15 years counts, right?), Lilliput death, Popster death, terminal diagnose 3 of 3 (please world stop now) and so forth.
Atlanta Love (Matcha Shade)
I also got to spend a little time in Atlanta for the first time in my life, and I have to say I liked it a lot.
Mad respect for the size of your H-Mart (I wish we had one close SO BAD), the epic food scene, and general goodwill and kindness of the peeps.
I enjoyed the place, the food and the company. Can’t ask for more, can you? Shout out to the fact that multiple times the green thing I encountered was pandan flavored. I ADORE pandan and it’s really difficult to find. Green things tend to be macha flavored these days, and I am sad to say I am not a fan of the grassy side of tea.
New Book in Progress!
After that I had yet another writing retreat, I really was trying to get back into being able to write fiction after a year of crisis management.
This time it helped a bit and I got started on a new book. Code HTCAK it’s is in the How to Marry a Werewolf line and you can follow it’s progress in the Chirrup. I’m loving it so far, we are deep in (what was called then) Burma just after the Napoleonic Wars at the very edge of the British Empire, but I’m making no promises these days on deadlines because life has been so chaotic. I’m to scared to tell you a thing will be done when I may get derailed all over again my incommodious circumstances…
There were parasols in the sky at this retreat, which I took as a good sign, and for some reason I keep running into this style art installation (more to come on that).
Look, here’s the thing, after the Popster died I went a little stir crash and I said to Kelly, said I, Assistant please just say yes to stuff, I need to get away.
And so-eth, she doth say yes, and I might have bitten off a bit more than I could chew for the rest of this year as a result.
It’s been necessary, I think, but a LOT of travel.
Distractions are good, but also, perhaps, escaping one problems should not be undertaken in quite such a literal manner? Just Gail from the future talking to Gail in the past for when this happens again. Because that looks more and more likely.
France & Spain
After that is was off to France where I had an… interesting time. It was really nice to meet my French readers and see my translator again, but it was an odd not-bookish event.
One of them brought me hard boiled eggs, which was very very exciting to this weary traveler who had picked up a bit of a tummy bug. I love an egg on the road.
I bought some lovely jewelry and was reminded of my long gone days working the Ren Faire. But a book event it was… not.
I got to see my new French books covers and was pleased the Parasol Protectorate is still getting some love. But I suspect I should be getting more of my books translated into French in order to keep those readers happy, and it’s just very complicated and wicked expensive when I do not speak the language myself.
Speaking of speaking, I do have a little Spanish so after France I visited Barcelona.
This was a trip I had planned with my ex pre-covid, Also this is a place I visited and fell in love with in my 20s. I was great to be back, and I didn’t feel any of the anti-tourist sentiment.
First I didn’t stay or spend much time in the tourist parts of the city (they haven’t changed much since I was last there) and second I dress and act (and walk) like a local. This is a part of the world where it is relatively easy for me to blend in.
It was odd for me. I could see myself visiting again for a writing retreat, but I’m not sure I enjoy traveling to this part of the world alone. There’s a lot of things, like dining out, that are really long social activities and it felt surreal to do this by myself.
All that said, Barcelona’s filled croissant game is ON POINT.
Summer Fun
Back home and then off to a charity tea in Virginia. Another event that was in process for before the pandy and managed to reboot itself.
Because I wore a new cute thrifted dress I did a whole blog post of that event here. No need to rehash. Super chuffed to say someone on the socials said I looked like a teacup myself, and that is exactly the look I was going for so… yay!!!
Some of my best friends from high school and I went on a little trip to visit one of our number who recently relocated to the Chicago area.
I tapped the lovely Volumes Bookstore & Cafe to host an impromptu gathering.
So many of you turned out for that, I was quite touched. I haven’t done an event in Chicago in 9 years so it was so nice to be remembered. Many people drove many hours to come, and there were a ton of new faces as well.
Truly honored to those who made the effort to drive into (and PARK) in the city, I know it’s such a hassle.
Wore one of my favorite new vintage acquisitions this lavender 1940s organza dress with a cool neckline. I’m getting into these sorts of colors as I get older and also this one packs like a dream. I also had it on the France trip.
Someone made me these little dolls of Conall and Alexia.
Chicago was the next place I meet the parasols in the sky!
Lots more this time around.
Lately I have been to WorldCon in Seattle but that was such a bumper of an event I likely will do a whole other blog post on it. Outfit rounds ups and some notes from the panels and other exciting projects that have resulted.
Right now I am home(ish) for a few months. Still settling the last of Popster’s estate, it just goes on forever. I have a few more events in October and November, but I am looking forward to being in place for the next month or so.
Maybe I will even get some writing done?
Except…
One Should Not Bathe One’s Computer
Revelation, I know!
So during the Chicago trip I upended an entire glass of water on my main laptop.
I did all the things. I dried what I could. But the blinky blinky light of doom doth break. So I am down for the count while we see what can be salvaged.
Don’t worry about the work!
I write in Scrivener which does a cloud backup via dropbox, and I edit in gdocs which is in the cloud already.
I also back up my whole computer regularly, and always the day before a big trip. So the only bits I lost were what I did on the plane on the flight there, which wasn’t a whole lot.
So I’m ending this blog post with a reminder to run a backup, just in case.
Oh and don’t bathe your computer.
Yours (destined to run herself ragged),
Miss Gail
Hail the Victorious Parasol
The blog here is now faded, but my Chirrup (newsletter) is LOADS of fun: GailCarriger.com/chirrup Updates & sillyness from NYT Bestseller Gail (G.L.) Carriger. Steampunk, sci-fi & YA author, fan of qu
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