5.22.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Hello, dear chickens!

How are you this fine Sunday? I'm riding high this weekend because I finished my editing on the next Nicholas Drummond book!!!!!!!!! 

This is how I feel now that the book is in Catherine's capable hands. It's a fun, epic adventure I think you guys are going to dig. 

On I go to write Sam #5!

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Fulfill your kitty's wildest dreams, and let them become a tiny astronaut.

This is how to order wine like you know how to order wine. Impress all your dining mates!

Oh, my fellow book nerds, LOOK at this Etsy shop! Literary candles and original fiction? I am so there.
 

Y'all know that I basically worship the ground Diana Gabaldon walks on. So imagine my sqee when I read this article she wrote about her process—because this is very near to how I write.
 

This is the stuff introvert dreams are made of: How to Host a Silent Reading Party.

For those of you who have or are thinking of selling your creative efforts, this piece on non-compete clauses by Kris Rusch is a must-read.

There's so much to love about Brainpickings every week. Maria Popova knows how to scour the zeitgeist and find some interesting food for thought. This week, she shared her commencement address to her alma mater, the school of communication at the University of Pennsylvania. There are so many stand-up-and-shout, "YES!" truths in here, it's so worth your time. Here's one especially good bit:

You are the creators of tomorrow’s ideas and ideals, the sculptors of public opinion and of culture. As long as we feed people buzz, we cannot expect their minds to produce symphonies. Never let the temptation of marketable mediocrity and easy cynicism rob you of the chance to ennoble public life and enlarge the human spirit — because we need that badly today, and because you need it badly for the survival of your soul.
 

Seriously, go read the rest.

 

And closer to home:

This week, Amy the Wine Vixen brought us a zingy white wine you're gonna take on all your beach trips this year (mark my words).

I continued my perfection series on the Tao this week, giving a positive spin on striving for perfection. Because striving for excellence isn't all bad, y'all!
 

That's all I have for you, my darlings. Be well, and we'll talk again soon!

Xoxo,
J.T.