Carrie Bailey Allen's Blog, page 8

20 Reasons to Drink MORE COFFEE

1. It pleases Pan, the goat god. 

It's a blessing!Yep, this is true. Legend says that coffee was discovered by African shepherds when their goats were awake until mid-afternoon despite staying up the previous night plotting to eat an entire load of freshly washed shepherd linens.

2. It won't kill you. Well, less than 100 cups won't kill you.


Teddy drank a gallon a day!

3. Together, we can make it the world's biggest industry.

Currently, it's number two...behind oil. We all need to drink more....

How I gained 50 lbs while writing a novel and lost 50 lbs editing it

WARNING! - This is not a pretty story, but it does have a happy ending, but the happy ending was a long time coming. 

First and foremost, I would like to say that no one - absolutely no one is responsible for the fact that I gained nearly 5 lbs per month for almost a year in 2012. Even if I had moved in with a boyfriend who turned out to be a controlling emotionally abusive alcoholic, it is not his fault.

I repeat. It is only a HUGE coincidence that started rapidly gaining weight when I mo...

Painting an Aspen Forest and Not Writing

A lot has happened in the last month. I finished a job contract in New Zealand. Moved to North Carolina to spend time with my son. Started working in a bookstore. What I haven't been doing? Writing. No writing. No editing.

But, I have been painting. Acrylics were my original creative outlet and I've had a set of paints and brushes tucked away in a fishing tackle box since college. At some point, painting became laborious and slow. I couldn't finish what I started. I had too many ideas rumbling...

Let Them Eat Dirt: Carrie "Antoinette" Bailey's Advice to Mothers Who Have Children Who Have ADHD

I've never been known as a good mother. The fact that I'm barely 17 years older than my adult son has and always will be a dead giveaway, but he is alive and therefore, I am a successful parent worthy of giving advice to mothers of young children repeatedly diagnosed with ADHD by desperate educators. Nothing. Nothing in my life compared to the agony of sitting through parent teacher conferences. But, I have a few helpful hints for working the system.

First of all, consider your options. The ...

Writers: Why should we listen to what you have to say?

People want attention. Writers have a pathological need for it. We tend to listen to people we see as successful or authoritative, but that isn't the only reason. Simple messages are easier to hear. And the better you understand your audience, they more they are inclined to listen to what you have to say. 

A software developer tweeted me this question earlier in the week while I was searching for a topic. And not being one to resist an interesting challenge from a stranger on social...

Why should we listen to what you have to say?

People want attention. Writers have a pathological need for it. People often listen to those they view as successful or authoritative, but that isn't the only reason. 

Keep your messages simple and you will be heard. Understand your audience and they will listen.

A software developer tweeted me this question earlier in the week while I was searching for a topic. He threw down the gauntlet and not being one to resist an interesting challenge from a stranger on social media, I accepted and s...

8 Reasons I Became a Writer

Money - Let's face it. Most people are voracious readers who can't get enough of aspiring authors. And considering the average eBook retails for 99 dollars a copy...wait a minute. I think I forgot the decimal. Right. Sorry. Not money. Sure it seems like a plan at first. You own a computer. You have an imagination. But, becoming an author means putting yourself through an informal education more intense than therapy with Ayn Rand, starting your own business starting with only a toothpick on yo...

Map of Auck

Map of the Auck
This is the map I've started for the book series I am working on. It's not a final version. It lacks mountains and there are some obvious typos. 
The map is based on the ice age sea levels of New Zealand. It's assuming 500 years have passed after a meteor knocked the planet into a different rotation. Other than that, it's pretty easy to see what's happening.

Just One Traveling Salesman Trying to Save the Environment and Reduce the Human Population

I worked for Greenpeace last week. No, I'm not a hippie though I am from Oregon. Yes, pretty much everyone else at the organization was and there were dreadlocks aplenty But hey, I got to knock on doors. Tiny doors. Big doors. There were expensive cars outside. Broken down cars in the lot. I saw a wide range of lifestyles and learned a lot about kiwis, because I was walking around Auckland, New Zealand - in the pouring rain.
How can you not want to save the wilderness for little guys like San...

The Smell of Wellington Campfire in My Hair

For the first time in my life, I abandoned a campfire. I got the first layer of sticks burning and a bit of coals against the sand, but as it went darker and darker, I realized I was out of practice and my best coat was starting to smell of burning wood. The fire stung my eyes. It was raining. 
Campfire is a blissful smell. It reminds me of childhood. I took it back with me, in my hair and clothes, to my apartment along with one of my son's friends that I've been getting to know since I a...