Waste Not - Want Not?

I know a very talented artist. Won awards. Got scholarships for his talent. Sadly, he turned them down and studied Criminal Justice. And then worked in the food industry. He never seriously picked up a pencil or brush after high school.

Photo courtesy of Alicia Zinn, Pexels. 

And I think, 'what a waste.'

If I had that talent, I'd do so much... Besides writing, I would illustrate books. I'd make art not only for books, but for my house, heck, maybe even sell some next to my books.

But I understand why someone would not want to use their talent. It's draining. You're constantly bombarded with ideas and possibilities, and it drives you crazy when you can't bring those ideas to fruition. You spend so much time in your head; characters won't shut up, demanding to have their story told or drawn. Life demands a lot and there's only so much time, motivation, and opportunity. I'm reminded of artists who suffer for their art; little or no recognition or appreciation during their lifetime so they face not only frustration but economic hardship.

So be kind when you think someone is 'wasting' their talent/skills by not using them. There are many reasons why they don't. And, keep in mind when you're looking at someone's work, what went into creating it. Don't begrudge them the price of their hard earned work. Whether painting, novel, jewelry, or other craft, much time and effort went into it. Give artists their due.

They deserve it.

Char

Tech Update...

Okay, I was ranting about Amazon and the VAT (value added tax) certificate, which is just another form of taxation. Connecticut has it in that they tax your car every year.

Turns out, it was a spoof- made to look like Amazon Britain was sending this, along with Amazon Germany. (Those countries have even more taxes than we do- so not like it looked suspicious right away).

Being so-so on tech savvy (ok, maybe a little less than so-so), I knew enough not to give out any personal info or passwords. From now on, whenever I get anything that asks me to do something, I'm going to double check with the company directly.

Lesson learned.

Now, I'm busy with getting ready for a party for the hub's work associates, working on my YA revisions, doing physical therapy, and so much other stuff. But here's a nice picture of a squirrel. Because I love squirrels...

Photo courtesy of Pixabay, Pexels Inc.

Enjoy the rest of summer.

Winter is coming...

Char

It's The Little Things...

That drive you the craziest. Like, "Fill out this form." Okay, sounds simple enough.

Except when it's in German. Okay, Translate function!

Except when Amazon.UK (Britain) is sending you the message about a tax certificate in Germany. Okay, contact Amazon and talk to them.

Except when you go to fill the forms, Amazon won't recognize the email that you've been using for sooooo long (like forever) for your books, but wants to use the family email that you use for Amazon Prime when you BUY things, not when you SELL your books. Okay, Amazon tells you to clear out your cookies.

Except even though you know what cookies are, where they hell are they? Okay, get son to help clear out cookies.

Except thanks to Amazon for that stupid advice, now I can't access ANYTHING- like Twitter, Facebook, Author Central on Amazon... OKAY, so son helps me load in ALL NEW FREAKING PASSWORDS.

Except I STILL CAN'T ACCESS THE DAMN TAX FORM TO FILL OUT BECAUSE AMAZON GERMANY WON'T RECOGNIZE IT ME.

Honestly, I don't think I've sold any books to Germany, so F it.

Take that, stupid European Union.

Photo courtesy of Pexels

Some days, I need something stronger than chai lattes to deal with this stuff.

And Amazon wonders why authors hate it (besides the fact that they squeeze every last penny out of us that they can).

Onto revisions while I wait for someone who may/may not show up to buy a bed I listed on Letgo, and then want to chew the price down to like $5 and pay with a check that could bounce and then I get stuck with $35 in bank fees like ten other people previously, because I haven't SUFFERED enough.

Char

Rutgers, Here I Come!

I am excited, thrilled, joyous, flipping out happy that I have been selected to be a mentor at the Oct 2019 Rutgers One on One Conference! This conference, which is put together by the Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature, is celebrating its 50th anniversary! Not only is that special by itself, but I attended two of these conferences at the beginning of my writing journey, and I'm a Rutgers alumna! It's almost like giving back.

So if you're an aspiring writer, I'm sorry you've missed this year's deadline, but I will be taking notes and pics, so stayed tuned. I'll pass on news and helpful hints from the conference.

For now, I've got to go shopping- I have NOTHING TO WEAR!  JK. But I've gotta start thinking now about getting ready.

*Sings:  I'm so excited....

So stay tuned, and I can't wait to meet all those fresh-faced, energetic attendees! (I think I'll bask in their aura of hope and determination to give myself another kick in the butt to get through these revision blues.)