Six Ways to Spark Joy in a Tough Season 💖⚙️📚
Plus a request for help 💖
Hello!
I hope you’re having a wonderful week! Winter has settled into my area, and while I’m not thrilled about being cold1, the snow was gorgeous to look at while it lasted. It’s the perfect weather for settling in and getting back into my WIPs. I’m trying to make the best of the colder weather by making cozy plans like cooking lots of soup and reading or playing video games by the fire. (If we get enough snow, I’ll go sledding with my boys again and likely go down the hill with them, too. 😂)
Thank you so much to everyone who either bought or shared the 99c eBook sale of Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast! I truly appreciate it. The sale officially ends for the US at 10 am Central time today, so depending on when and where you’re reading this letter, you might have time to pick up a discounted copy, too.
After the busyness of last month between attending TeslaCon, traveling for a friend’s birthday, meeting deadlines, and Thanksgiving, I’m more than ready to spend this month recharging while finishing up a draft. Unfortunately, this time of year is rough on me once Daylight Saving Time hits in November and the days feel so much shorter. I always thought that it was strange how much I miss the sun when I’m such a night owl. On the positive side, over the years I’ve figured out ways to make this season a little easier.
Here’s a short list of ways I’m going to find joy and recharge this winter:
Catch up on my TBR
I’m planning to get a head start on next year’s reading list for Temporal Textual Talks so that when I’m inevitably busy with my projects, I’m still caught up for book club. (If I do fall behind in my reading, I still attend virtual book club because I always get something out of the discussion anyway.)
I’m also reading a lot of non-fiction for research and fun. Currently, I’m working through Making the Monster: The Science Behind Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by Kathryn Harkup and The Monster and the Mirror: Mental Illness, Magic, and the Stories We Tell by K.J. Aiello. Both are fascinating reads, but please check your triggers before diving into the latter. The memoir is deeply personal and touches on heavy subjects.
Get moving
I’m the sort of person who doesn’t necessarily love exercising but I desperately need movement when I need to think. If it’s too cold outside for going on a walk to clear my head, I used to end up pacing in my house…which is a bit of a hazard with two cats and two boys who love action figures and LEGOs.
Now I have a walking pad set up with a stand for my Kindle so that I can read and get my steps in at the same time. (For someone as accident-prone as I am, this took practice, but it was worth it!) If I truly need to stop thinking for a bit because I'm over thinking again, I’ll turn on a YouTube video like Walking Through Skyrim or rewatch a series (my current obsession is Midnight at the Pera Palace on Netflix. It’s so good!!)
When it snows more, I’ll also be outside (as long as the temps aren’t negative) to build snowmen and sled with my boys. You won’t find me skiing2, though. 😅😂
(I realize this one is very dependent on physical ability. If you’re planning on using my list for your purposes, please interpret movement as whatever is comfortable for your situation. 💖)
Cooking all the comfort food
I love cooking! (Meal planning, grocery shopping, and doing the dishes… not so much.) But this winter I’ll be making all the soup and teaching my boys a few recipes I learned from my mom.
On the days I don’t feel like cooking, I’ll order some of my favorite comfort food, like curry, bibimbap, and teriyaki.
Playing videogames
There’s a reason I mention videogames so much in many of my panels. Aside from loving the escapism of a good videogame, I love the storytelling possibilities they provide. My list of games to play (and finish) isn’t quite as long as my TBR list, but it’s getting there.
Currently, I’m cycling between Baldur’s Gate 3, Dragon Age: The Veil Guard, and Stardew Valley. (The latter is not as relaxing as I hoped. The ticking clock as the day goes on in game kinda stresses me out, but I still love the game.)
Get crafty
I’ve missed my art supplies. Almost all of November went by in a blur with everything going on, but attending my friend’s birthday gathering at an art studio to make stained glass was a wonderful chance to slow down and make art for the joy of it. I’m hoping to spend more time with my sketchbook and paper crafting supplies this winter!
Spending time in community
One of the hard parts post-convention season for me is missing my long-distance friends in the between times. However, I’ve been lucky in that I’ve met several wonderful people that live in my area that also attend TeslaCon and the Chicago Steampunk Expo. I’m hoping to attend the Chrononaut Cotillion hosted by the BrassGears Adventurers Society next month and get more use out of my ballgown from last TeslaCon.
I’m also planning on catching up with local friends on a coffee date, maybe go throw axes again (I’m still terrible at it but it’s fun!), and attend a friend’s book event at Beaverdale Books for her debut book.
Virtual book club starts up in January, which will help with missing some of my long-distance friends (and it’s a fun option when the weather turns too cold for me to want to drive anywhere!)
If you struggle through seasonal changes or with post-con blues, I see you. I hope my list can be helpful for anyone looking to recharge at the end of the year. If you have a favorite way to make winter better, I’d love to hear about it in the comments! 💖
A Request for Help
I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has picked up my books and left reviews! This really helps with visibility and helping new-to-me readers discover my books, too. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness!
Especially when you love a book, one of the best things you can do to help an author is to leave a review on websites like Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and Barnes and Noble. This is true for all authors: reviews are everything.
Unfortunately, sometimes reviews disappear for whatever reason. (A glitch? A ghost in the machine? An overly zealous AI? Who knows!) I’ve personally had this happen on Amazon a few times. It helps to have plenty of reviews in case of such an event.
Anyway, whether you’re a Kindle Unlimited reader, you picked up a physical book from my table at an event like TeslaCon, or you found a copy at your favorite bookstore, I have a favor to ask. If you’ve read my books, I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take the time to leave a review on a website like Amazon, Goodreads, or BookBub!
Don’t know what to write in a review? No worries. Reviews can be as simple as “I loved this book!” or “This character was my favorite.” If you want to help readers find a book by trope, you could mention tropes or (spoiler-free) scenes you loved in the book, too.
Again, thank you so much to everyone who has already left reviews! It means the world to me and helps me to continue to write what I love. 💖
Happy reading!
Kelsey
I’m almost ALWAYS cold and wear fingerless gloves year-round when I’m writing, but winter can still be rough for me. I’m not a fan of opening the front door just to have an artic blast freeze my face. One upon a time, I lived in Alaska, but I don’t remember much from my time there as I was a toddler. I don’t think I would have been happy if my dad would have been stationed at the Air Force base any longer than he was 😂
The first and last time I ever went skiing is a tiny bit embarrassing but mostly hilarious story that I’ll have to tell another time. If you see me at an event, feel free to ask me about it! 😂