#Amwatching My viewing obsession up until Saturday night was Schitt’s Creek. I tried to watch it a few months ago but didn’t get past what I thought was the first episode. It turns out that I was about 20 eps in and now I know why it made little sense. I actually thought I would go into mourning when it was done. I want an Alexis spin off. I want to see her bootstrap a PR company in NYC. I think Annie Murphy who plays Alexis Rose would be a perfect Alia…but then she might not want to be typecast.
The character arcs of Alexis, David and Johnny Rose sucked me right in. I love that they all learned to trust others and how to be a friend. I did love the total train wreck that was Moira but even she learned how to let people in eventually. They would have had so much fun making the show.
Spoiler alert for anyone who understands Spiral Dynamics, it was a very Stage 5 or Orange (Achiever) show in many ways, with touches of Green, stage 6 (Post-Modern/Sensitive). The ‘Happily Ever After’ ensured everyone, including a surprising twist for Twyla, had ‘achieved’ their goals or had the ability to, especially those of financial nature. While everyone learned that family and friends were more important than money, the ending reaffirmed that money makes the world go ’round.
#Amreading I’m deep, deep, deep into Kate Morton’s The Clockmaker’s Daughter. I’ve read a few of her books but that was a few years ago and I don’t recall anything about them! But this one has so many things I love – so much from my Id List! There’s an old house, my favourite setting, an art-related mystery, and there’s a little bit of the supernatural…

Most indie writers will agree that the first time you sell a book to a ‘random’ (aka someone you don’t know) is something of a watershed moment. You log on to your dashboard and see that someone in England or Norway or India has bought a copy of your book and you get a little buzz. Or maybe someone you don’t know leaves a nice review, or an amazing one, and it makes it all worthwhile somehow. A stranger in Calgary or Cairo bought your book and read it, liking it enough to go out of their way to write a splendid review.
It’s a great feeling because it’s seriously one of the nicest things anyone can do for a creative. Everyone says it’s not supposed to be about the sales and the reviews but let’s face facts, it really, really helps.
You know what else feels great? When friends and family show interest in our work. On Monday a friend messaged me a photo of her computer screen showing my novel Alia Henry and the Ghost Writer in her ‘Holds’ for the local Gold Coast Library. And I’ve just realised that because it is in her ‘Holds’ that probably means that someone else has it already! My husband just finished reading Alia and really enjoyed it (although he was a little confused by some of the slang that one of the characters used.)
And wow… that feeling when a close friend or family member buys our books. I’m a big believer in not pushing my work on people I know. Everyone who knows me knows I’m a writer (and occasional painter) and most of my friends follow me on some form of social media so they know what I do, but when someone asks to buy a book or two it’s a great compliment. Especially when they are buying books as a birthday present for someone they love. It’s no small thing to buy a book for someone. Some of us are quite predictable in our tastes; you can pretty much buy me any novel set in Paris and I will like it, but others aren’t always as transparent as I am.
So yeah, I’m still at that place in my ‘career’ where I do a happy dance when someone buys a book but there are myriad ways of helping an Indie author without spending money.

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