Sarah Chorn♿️🏳️🌈
@BookwormBlues
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Editor. Author. Books on Amazon. They'll break your heart.
Utah, USA
Joined June 2010
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Hey all, gentle reminder that my editing slots fill up pretty fast at this time of year, so if you want something worked on, the sooner you slide into my email inbox, the better.
#amediting
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PRO TIP: Starting out the email to someone who you want to EDIT YOUR BOOK with the sentence, "I know you're a woman so you might not understand epic fantasy" IS NOT HOW YOU DO IT.
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Folks, I've been running across this issue in a lot of edits recently so I'm going to touch on a grammar thing that "everybody already knows" because I can 100% guarantee not everyone does. Also, sometimes a refresher course is nice.
Let's talk about DIALOGUE TAGS.
#amediting
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I usually keep these things on my Facebook, but I'm taking a screenshot of this one (so I don't have to type it up again because I'm lazy) and sharing it here because it's really, really special. The TL/DR of this is: Don't be this guy. Don't treat editors like this. Also, WTF.
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So this guy just informed me that he’s not going to go with me for his edit because I edit in Word and he requires the edit done in Scrivener which, on his planet, is “industry standard”.
A short 🧵
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Look at that big doggy smile.
This is Hubert. You're not going to believe what he found while playing today. Potentially one of his best discoveries to date. It was a puddle. 13/10
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Someone asked if I could edit their book, and then they'd pay me "based on how much I like your edits".
So uh... if anyone else is wondering if that's a thing, the answer is no.
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Just got an email with this delightful line in it: "I understand your child has been sick but I'm your future client and you need to put me first."
And reader, I literally stared at my screen for about ten minutes wondering if I actually saw that.
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One of my authors just sent this to me. I’ve never seen a more accurate meme in my life. 😂😂😂
#amediting
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Hot take: You don't need to qualify whether you're a fan of Brandon Sanderson or not to be upset about the Wired article. It's okay to be upset about another person being treated unfairly... just because they're a person and all people deserve respect.
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I don't even know but the entire world needs to see this.
he protec, he attac, he go to the market and barter for snaccs
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DIALOGUE TAGS include a "speaker verb" so, "Et tu, brute," Julius Caesar *said*.
ACTION BEATS are something a character does. "I need to call my guardian angel." Jane *picked up the phone.*
A DIALOGUE TAG is generally preceded by a comma.
ACTION BEATS are preceded by a period.
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I uh... I have been informed that my book has won an award.
And I don't think there's an award that could possibly mean more to me than this specific one. Wow.
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And yeah, there is room for em dashes and stuff in dialogue tags, a lot of grammar rules can change depending on specific cases, but here's the basics. Sometimes I think it's worth addressing them as a refresher.
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Today, I said goodbye.
I held her in my arms while I accepted her resignation from this, her last assignment, the very best editorial assistant and friend I could have ever asked for.
Fly high, Daisy. May you have endless tables full of food to scavenge from.
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Ran across this bit of prose today and it kind of hit me right in my soulparts. It's written by Aoko Matsuda.
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Hello, authors. I'm back into reading SFF (& reviewing). I'd like some suggestions. Here are some preferences:
1. SciFi/fantasy preferred
2. Fewer than 100 reviews on Amazon-I feel like my reviews do the most good here.
3. Kindle Unlimited is a bonus
4. Links are delightful.
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I just woke up and saw this and I’m so surprised I don’t even know what to say.
I’ve spent years feeling like no matter how hard I try, my writing will never be *enough*. And now, suddenly, it was exactly that.
This is hitting right in the soft part of my soul.
Thank you. ❤️❤️
And we have a
#SFINCS
winner!
Congratulations to at
@BookwormBlues
for becoming the first ever SFINCS champion!!
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This is in my evocative prose tool kit. Why? Because sometimes saying something like, "The marigold sky" (think sunset) is a lot more evocative than saying "yellow". This is an easy thing you can pull up, look up a color, and slam it into your manuscript, if the moment strikes.
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Hey, pro tip.
If a publisher says something like, "Hey, I'd love to publish your book" that's great! Congratulations!
If they then follow that up with, "It'll only cost you one low payment of $15,000, and we'll do the rest" it's a vanity press. Run away.
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I'm sick of everything on here being so nasty. I have to go edit for a while, but in the meantime, let's do a fun thing, yes?
Writing community, share a gif that has a vibe you are aiming for in your work in progress.
I'll go first:
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If a line of dialogue is followed by a dialogue tag but the dialogue ends with a question mark or exclamation mark, leave the punctuation in, but treat the dialogue tag the same, so:
“Stop!” she shouted.
“Isn't that the wizard's orb?” she asked.
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Action beats are separated from the dialogue using periods. So...
Correct: “This is weird.” She squinted down at her steak. “Does Hell have a tropical climate?”
Incorrect: “This is weird,” she squinted down at her steak. “Does Hell have a tropical climate?”
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If I continue to edit in word, he demands a 75% discount for the trouble of having to LEARN HOW TO USE THE PROGRAM.
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If the dialogue tag is in the middle of a sentence, use a comma before the first closing quotation mark and after the dialogue tag. Lowercase the dialogue tag.
Example: “I wouldn’t have forgotten to open the gates to Hell,” she said, “if you had reminded me in time.”
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If the dialogue tag precedes the line of dialogue, use a comma before the opening quotation mark.
Example: He smiled at the hellhound and said, "What a good boy."
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Tomorrow, my editorial assistant goes gently into that good night.
Today, I’m just sad. 💔💔💔
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If a line of dialogue is followed by a dialogue tag, use a comma before the closing quotation mark. If the first word of the dialogue tag is a pronoun such as he or she, lowercase it. If it's a name, capitalize it.
“I am a witch,” she said.
"I am a witch," Sally said.
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Hey, can we start a thread where we randomly shout out authors we love on this thing?
Who knows... someone might need a pick-me-up.
So, who's an author you love, and why do you love them?
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Hey folks, I’m already having people trying to schedule me for an edit on December 1… for their NaNo novels.
I don’t mean to burst any bubbles, but your NaNo novel won’t be ready for an edit on December 1.
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Readers/writers:
I'm going to kick off reviews on my website again. I'd like to give more focus to indie authors. So, if you (or you know of a book) fit these stipulations, please throw a link my way:
1. Kindle Unlimited please
2. Fantasy or SciFi
3. Fewer than 100 ratings
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Sometimes I feel like we pay too much to the negative in our bookish community and not enough on the positive, so I’m going to start this thread where I will randomly be calling out the good (people, events, books, etc.) all day.
In no particular order.
Feel free to join me.
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If the dialogue tag follows a complete sentence and the character continues speaking after the tag, use a period after the dialogue tag.
Example: “I can't make an effigy," she said. "I need more crepe paper."
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No lumps, no bumps, perfect blood tests, no cancer markers. I’m officially into my second year of remission. Huzzah!
Alright, well I’m off to go make sure I’m still in remission. Fingers crossed!
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He closed out the email by saying, “I hope someday you grow up enough to using industry standards in your work. I think you will do a lot better. Let me know about the discount. I’m amenable to a steeper one.”
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Unlike dialogue tags, ACTION BEATS are always separated from the dialogue by periods.
Verbs such as smiled, grinned, laughed, etc., are action beats, not dialogue tags. Don't use commas to separate them from a line of dialogue.
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Basically, if your character speaks and then DOES SOMETHING, that's generally an action beat. Whereas if your character speaks and then we get a SPEAKING VERB, like "he/she/they said", then that's a dialogue tag.
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We need to normalize representation in books. For example, a disabled character can be disabled without that disability being necessary to further the plot. Same goes with anything. My disability doesn't exist to serve as a moral or plot point in my life. It just IS.
Thread
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I kind of want to start a podcast wherein all I do is have an author on. I say “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever researched while writing?” and then we spend 30 minutes talking about it. 😂
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I firmly believe that telling an author when they are doing something well is just as important as finding plot holes and whatever else. We learn a lot when we understand our strengths.
#amediting
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I was just informed that this novella of mine just won a bronze Quill Award. The Quill is the highest award the League of Utah Writers gives out.
I am… stunned.
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HEY. ALL OF MY BOOKS ARE FREE. FREE. FREE. FREE. FREE.
TODAY ONLY.
FREEEEEEEEEEEE BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKS.
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I don’t even know what to say. I just...
Thank you.
Wow.
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Figuring out which is which involves asking yourself which kind of verb you're using right after the dialogue tag.
Doing verb = action beat
Speaking verb = dialogue tag
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Good hell, I *am* an editor. My books also get edited. And they *still* have typos.
Show me a book without a typo in it somewhere. I dare you.
Wow, so, nobody read Courting Fate! It has a typo in it, which has never before happened in any published book! The audacity of me! 😱
(FYI, I had an editor for this book, lol! This will happen with any book, as we are all humans working on them...)
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Anyway, the longer I'm in editing, the more I realize just HOW MANY of you fantasy and SciFi authors who are all hardcore and stuff write romance and/or erotica as a side hustle under a pen name.
And yeah. That's all I'll say about that. I keep your secrets.
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I am *so excited* to finally be able to talk about this.
Not too long ago, Rainbow Crate approached me about making a special edition of The Necessity of Rain. I still can't believe this is happening!
(Wait until you see the *gorgeous* artwork. SERIOUSLY. GORGEOUS.)
❤️❤️❤️
🍃Our indie book is The Necessity of Rain by
@BookwormBlues
! This haunting and wondrous tale comes with signed bookplates, new dust jacket, end page art, foiled hard case, and stenciled edges!
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As proof, he gave me some quote an “epic scope poet” (What does that mean, I wonder.) in his local writing group named Clide Johnston, about how amazing Scrivener is.
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So, I can say stuff.
I'm the new editor of...
It has been surreal. Just being part of something like this has been incredible. I'm learning so much, and I'm enjoying every minute of it. The stories are fantastic, the authors are amazing. It's a dream.
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I just realized I’ve had a book hit 100 ratings on Amazon for the first time.
I know, I know, it’s small potatoes. I’m not a big author and I *never* promote my stuff outside of the odd sale, but this is pretty freaking cool to see. Thanks to everyone who read & rated this.
❤️
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So I uh… I guess word is out! I have news!
With Mike standing down as editor after eight years of partnership, mateship, trials and tribulations, successes and failures, I have appointed a new editor for both Grimdark Magazine and The King Must Fall ||
@BookwormBlues
is our new editor ||
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I'm just writing this damn book praying that some of you people want to read a polyamorous sapphic fantasy set in an early 1900s-esque city-state wherein three pantheons are at war and the protagonist's magic is emotional manipulation via flowers.
Because uh... that's coming.
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1. I will not knowingly work on AI assisted books and I reserve the right to refuse to work on any book if I have reason to believe an AI played a significant role in the book’s development.
2. I. WILL. NOT. WORK. WITH. YOU. IF. YOU. SCREW. OVER. MY. AUTHORS.
#amediting
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PROOFS HAVE ARRIVED AND THEY LOOK AMAZING! I was worried about the chapter headers, but they print GORGEOUSLY. I just clicked the button for paperbacks to go live. I will let you know the moment they do!
Kind of surreal to hold three years of my creative life in my hands.
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Holy crap it’s finished and I’m so proud of how it turned out I think I could cry.
From Mythomorphia by Kerby Rosanes, using Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils.
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My author copies just showed up! If anyone wants a signed book, let me know! 😅
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I just saw a one-star historical nonfiction book review on Amazon that said, “Unbelievable plot, not enough dialogue.”
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Oh look, another day on Twitter. Another Dude™️ pontificating about how FaNtAsY iS fOr MeN.
Some intensely petty part of my brain wants a list of books they think are written for men so I can see how many of them I've edited. 🤣
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For some reason, I’m absolutely terrified to show this one off, but…
*deep breath*
Here it is. Finally.
From Romantic Country: The Third Tale by Eriy, using Polychromos.
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I love when authors pitch a book to me but get really nervous about the length. “It’s long… over 200k words. Are you sure you’ll want to work on something that long?”
I’ve edited a book that is well over 400k words and the things is a runaway hit.
Your 200k words are fine. ❤️
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Someone just asked me to edit their 1200 page book.
By Wednesday.
And then got mad when I said no.
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I’m finally finishing Nevernight. I’m about 70% in, and this book is all I want to do with my life. Holy shit, I am HOOKED.
#amreading
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I just put up a MASSIVE post about editing. I cover the different kinds of it, when they happen, what they do, what a style sheet is, and how to know it’s time for someone else to take a look at your manuscript, etc.
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I HAVE JUST UPLOADED THE FILE TO KDP, TWO DAYS AHEAD OF MY DEADLINE. HOLY SHIT MY BOOK PUBLISHES ONE WEEK FROM TODAY.
Pre-order:
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I'd like to start a *fun* discussion.
What is one book you've **read this year** (published anytime, and in any genre) that you think everyone should read and why?
Feel free to link/tag the author. They should know that you think they are amazing.
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I got the seed for this when I was scrolling through Wikipedia in 2020. It took me 3 years to find this story. I had to tap into the quick of my soul in so many unexpected ways.
This book is a terrifying exercise in vulnerability.
And now it’s… live.
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Hot take:
Reviewers give up their time and energy to write their reviews, often for nothing more than passion. The least authors can do is respect their right to have an opinion, and thank them for taking a chance on our books, no matter what they thought of it.
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I… might have just entered.
We’ve already got over 50 submissions so make sure to get yours in!
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REPRESENTATION MATTERS.
From an author whose book I just edited. He had some of the best disability rep I’ve ever seen:
A 🧵
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Okay folks, time for my semi-regular call out! Are you an indie SFF author? Is your book on Kindle Unlimited? Do you want me to read and review it? Leave your link here.
(Please keep in mind, I’m a *very* busy full-time editor & author, so I can’t promise how fast I will be.)
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“Hey Sarah! No one cares!”
I know, but here’s my progress anyway. 😂
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Do I have any Dragon Mage by
@MLSpencerAuthor
fans on here? I'm currently editing book 2 in that series. If you thought Dragon Mage was amazing, my big advice is to hold on. Just when I think an author can't get any better, they do just that.
I'm just... wow.
#amediting
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Hey twitter, my kid has to do a report on ANY animal of her choice. She wants to pick a weird, obscure one. Suggestions?
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Yes, hello. How do I get one of these and then convince the IRS it was for my business?
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Hey folks. I’m thinking of including artwork in my upcoming book, The Necessity of Rain. I’ve emailed a few artists, but I’m looking for recommendations.
Are you an artist, or do you know one who enjoys working with emotionally heavy fantasy?
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Apparently my wee little weird thing, A Sorrow Named Joy, is a semi-finalist? You could knock me over with a feather right now.
Thank you. ❤️
Congratulations to all the other semi-finalists.
‼️
#SFINCS
SEMI-FINALIST ANNOUNCEMENT‼️
is happy to announce our (5) semi-finalists to move on in the
@the_sfincs
competition. While we wish we could push everyone through, we made some of the toughest decisions ever in a competition. Check the thread 👇👇
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I don't know who needs to hear this, but don't throw your writing away. Create a folder and put all your trunked stuff there. You can likely cannibalize a lot of it in future works, or perhaps you want to work on it more again later, etc. Future you will thank you later.
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In case anyone missed it, my novella, A Sorrow Named Joy, won an award this weekend. I’m bragging because I’ve never won an award for anything in my life and I’m not expecting it to ever happen again. But look! It exists!
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It’s REAL. I think this is the first award I’ve ever won in my life.
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The thing about chronic pain is, we hurt ALL THE TIME. “But you don’t look like you’re in pain.” I am *always* in pain. Sometimes it’s low enough I can expend additional energy to not “look” like I hurt. It’s effort. Don’t mistake it to mean pain isn’t present.
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Shout out to the authors who don't write books that fit in any one genre. It's *hard* to not "fit". I know you may feel like you're slipping through the cracks or never "enough" of any one thing to be seen and valued...
I see you.
Solidarity from a fellow in-between author.
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I have this idea to spend today randomly complementing/telling you why some people are amazing. This is a kind of weird gift to them (everyone needs a complement) and a gift to YOU (some great people to follow).
I'll add to this thread all day.
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HELLO. Yes, I have put my *entire catalogue of books* on sale for $.99/ea. on Amazon until February 7.
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This entire thing is so overwhelming. This week I learned I have to start transitioning to a life where walking isn’t an option and it’s been… the news has been HARD.
This grant is the light that pulled me through.
The future is unpredictable, but it’s going to be awesome.❤️
Announcing the 2022 Indie Fantasy Fund grant winners!
145 Submissions
5 winners
...well, we couldn't help ourselves, so we chose 6...
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Started this last night. Absolutely sublime dark fantasy with a visceral emotional appeal, relentless plot, and prose you can just slide into. I can’t fathom where it’s going, but I trust the author to lead me along and inflict maximum damage as he does so.
#amreading
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Some dude just yelled at me for charging for my editing because his life is hard and he is offering me FAME which is BETTER THAN MONEY.
So, I found this meme. I feel like it deserves to be shared.
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I honestly don't even know what the hell this is. I randomly saw it on Pinterest and thought, "This looks like it belongs in someone's book" so I nabbed the image and decided to throw it down here in case that someone is YOU and this was the visual inspiration you needed.
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Well, here it is, my first portrait ever. I screwed up a bunch, freaked myself out and walked away from it twice. It’s imperfect, but I finally finished.
From Seasons by Hanna Karlzon, using Luminance and Polychromos pencils, a white gel pen, and pastels.
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You know, it’s never just one thing. When people lie about something, there’s a blast radius and I’ve been silently stewing for a few days about being caught in this one, even tangentially.
So I now have two new policies:
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I just left a discord server because it’s so unbelievably complicated to use you almost need a crash course to do so. Please know, accessibility matters for spaces online too. If people can’t figure out how the hell to use something because it’s so super techy, they won’t use it.
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Alright, folks. Today, to keep the good vibes rolling, I want us to throw some appreciation at BOOK REVIEWERS.
They never get the credit they deserve for all they do.
QT this and tag the book reviewers you appreciate so they know you think they are awesome.
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Ehem. *taps microphone* Is this thing on?
@RCahillAuthor
fans, The Ice has now been edited and is chilling in his inbox.
It’s really, really good. Might be my favorite book of his yet.
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Aside from everything else, we took Daisy to the vet today and we all decided it’s time to usher her off into that Good Night.
The appointment is set for Friday. 💔
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