Checking In with Yourself

By Sparkle Abbey

For us, it’s week seven of practicing social distancing and working from home. Or as we like to call it, doing our part. Basically, like everyone else, we’ve been hunkered down in the same living space for over fifty days. (Why do fifty days seem longer than seven weeks?) Sheltering in place or staying at home, depending on your community, has us all feeling some sort of emotion—anxiety, fear, worry, boredom, solidarity, gratitude or blessed. With this mixed bag of emotions emerges the need to support each other, and it only takes a quick scroll through social media to see or hear the reassuring phrase, “We’ll get through this together.”

While it’s true we’re in this together, each one of us is dealing with the pandemic crisis differently. Some of us are staying busy baking, learning a new language, or tackling those long-forgotten DIY lists. Others are just trying to make it through each day, putting one foot in front of the other. Even for us glass-half-full folks, it can be difficult to stay positive while the world is self-isolating.

We need to do more than just survive, we need to thrive. With that thought, it’s more important than ever to practice self-care. We wanted to share five questions to ask yourself daily.

1. Who am I connecting with today? – We may call it social distancing, but it’s really physical distancing. Humans are social beings. Pick one or two people to check in with each day.
2. What expectations of “normal” am I letting go of today? – This is the time to figure out what’s really important. We’re in the middle of a global pandemic. You don’t have to check off each item on your daily to-do list.
3. How am I getting outside today? – Getting outside can improve your mood and reduced anxiety. Take a walk. Do some yoga in your backyard. Sit in the sun.
4. How am I moving my body today? – Keep moving! An active lifestyle during quarantine is an important part of keeping both your body and your mind healthy.
5. What am I grateful for today? - Take two minutes and jot down what you're grateful for or what has brought you joy that day. The practice of being thankful can help you relax and improve your mental health.

Sheltering in place is our normal for now. The idea is to ask these questions to check in with ourselves, but not to stress about the answers. What you need might be different. If so what questions would you add to the list?

By the way - In honor of National Pet Week THE GIRL WITH THE DACHSHUND TATTOO is only $0.99 through the 15th at your favorite eBook retailer!

Where Do You Read?

by Sparkle Abbey

We just spotted a great article on the BookBub Blog about places to read. Check it out: How to Create the Perfect Reading Nook. 

 Aren’t those some gorgeous reading nooks?

But the truth is most of us don’t have the luxury of the “perfect” place to read. So we improvise.

We find places to read. Coffee shops, libraries, easy chairs. Some maybe slightly imperfect, but we make it work.

Some readers like the buzz of others around them and can read in the midst of a rambunctious family and a blaring television. Others prefer the quiet of some alone time with their reading.

There are those who read while they exercise and others curl up in a chair or snuggle under the covers with their book. Busy parents sometimes sneak in a few pages while waiting to pick up children at school.  Commuters take advantage of time on the train to immerse themselves in a story.

In fact there are so many unusual places to read that Goodreads did a poll: What are the most unusual positions (or places) you find yourself in while reading a book? You can see the wide variety of responses here.  Goodreads Poll Voting is over but it’s still. an interesting list.

The thing is, those of us with a love of the written will find a place to read. Check out our Pinterest board Books and Book Stuff for some other great book nooks. 

What about you? Where do you read? 

Leave a comment below to be entered in the #giveaway for a free Sparkle Abbey book and "mobile reading nook" care kit.  Would you like a second entry in the drawing? Sign up for updates on our website at www.sparkleabbey.com 

In our most recent book, The Girl with the Dachshund Tattoo, we revisit lovely Laguna Beach and some of the colorful characters readers have requested make return engagements. It features Melinda Langston and her quirky assistant, Betty Foxx, in the cutthroat world of Doxie racing. Cheating, doping, gambling. Controversy lies at every turn and it seems everyone has a secret – including Betty. 

Next up? Book 7: Downton Tabby  Tea, crumpets…and murder. 

It Was A Sign

by Sparkle Abbey

So last week, we were on our way to work and of course that means a trip through the Starbucks drive-thru. Our Starbucks is very popular, especially in the mornings and on the weekends. It’s not unusual for there to be a five or six car wait before you even reach the speaker to place your order. Why not go inside, you ask? Well, like most of the U.S., we've been hit with bone-chilling subzero weather and over ten inches of snow. So regardless of the line, you don’t get out of your vehicle unless you have to.

On this day, the drive-thru was almost deserted. There were only three cars in front of us. That’s a good thing, right? The lack of customers certainly didn't have anything to do with icy roads, a wind-chill of twenty below, or the fact that it was after 8:00 am and the morning rush had already passed though. It was a sign to proceed! So we did.

Just one example of our many Starbucks stops 

In what felt like seconds, but was probably more like five minutes, it was our turn to order our usual: grande non-fat no water chai, and a grande skinny hazelnut latte. The only problem was that the driver’s window wouldn't roll down. It was frozen shut. There was no way that window was moving.

You see where this is going.

Since there were cars behind us, keeping us from backing out and a making a clean getaway, we had only one choice—open the door to place the order. We looked rather silly, and felt a little foolish. And while we were hoping no one was paying attention to us, we weren't that lucky. We caught the driver behind us was smiling at us. Our barista also got a good chuckle at our predicament and casually mentioned we weren't the first customer with a frozen window.

Within a few minutes it was our turn to pay. Once again, we opened the door, allowing the freezing wind to slap us around for a few seconds and to steal our breath. As we reached for a Starbucks card to pay, the barista informed us there was no need-—our drinks had already been paid for. Turned out the driver in the car before us felt so bad about our window, he paid for our drinks! A true random act of kindness. It was completely unexpected and it totally made our day.

February 9^th - 15^th  is Random Act of Kindness week. The idea is to cheer up, inspire, or help a stranger. There are many simple acts you can do: a smile, let someone cut in front of you in line at the grocery store, or pay for someone’s drink at your favorite coffee shop. Most acts of kindness are free, you don’t have to spend money to “pay it forward.”

If you’re lacking inspiration and need some “kindness” ideas, check out the Random Acts of Kindness website. If you’re social media savvy, take part in helping #RAKWeek2015 trend by flooding your social media platforms with kindness. Look for us as we’ll be taking part in the fun.

What about you? Have you initiated a random act of kindness? Have you ever been the recipient of an act of kindness? Tell us about it! You never know who may read your comment and feel inspired by you!

**The Starbucks story is mostly true. It happened to only one of us. We’ll let you guess which one.

One last shout out! If you're in the Ames area this week, we'll be at the grand opening of Treats on a Leash for a book signing from 10:00 am- noon. Stop by and say hi! Click here for more details!

Are Book Signings Old Hat?

By Sparkle Abbey

In a couple of weeks we will have our last book signing for 2014. We always enjoy participating in signings. It’s a great way to connect with our readers, network with other writers, and to support local booksellers.  

Over the past three years, we’ve participated in local events, regional mystery reader festivals, and larger book signing at national conferences. Sometimes the events are planned for us, and some we’ve planned ourselves. There are a couple of things that all the books signings have had in common: we never know what’s going to happen or how many people, if any, will show up. That seems to depend on the venue, the advance publicity, and often what else is going on in the community and in people’s lives.

Our very first signing was for the launch of Desperate Housedogs, which our local Des Moines library organized for us. We sold more than 100 books! It felt like every person we knew had taken time to celebrate our success. It was a night we’ll never forget. 

Since that first book launch, we’ve had numerous signings. Every one of them we’ve enjoyed immensely. Sometimes we sell out of books, and other times we’ll only sell a handful of books. Regardless of the number of books we sell, we always enjoy talking to the folks who have taken the time to come and see us. At one recent event, there were five people at the signing, including the bookseller. Oh, and we can’t forget the three cats—especially the one who decided to lay on top of our books. There was a lot of laughter that night.  

Recently we’ve talked to many of our fellow writers who’ve decided not to participate in local or regional signings due to low turnout. A book signing can be lonely for an author. Sometimes the only conversation we'll have with someone is to answer the popular question, “Do you know where the bathroom is?”

As we sent our “Save the Date” email, it got us thinking. Since readers can easily engage with their favorite authors via social media, and with more ebooks being sold now more than ever before, are book signings a thing of the past?

We hope not. We enjoy getting out and talking to fellow book lovers about great authors, and discovering what everyone is reading. We’ve found many of our favorite writers that way. It also kicks us out of our writing caves and makes us interact with the real world.

What about you? Do you attend book signings? If so, who did you go see?

Oh, and in case you were wondering about that last book signing, here's the info:

  

Book signing in Des Moines for our newest release! 
Friday, December 19th, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Beaverdale Books - 2629 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines, IA

Maybe we'll see you there!

Bad to the Bone!

Is it November already?

This last week has been jammed packed with activity in Sparkle Abbey’s world. Besides the typical day job and normal family craziness, book six, The Girl with the Dachshund Tattoo hit the virtual bookshelves. We knew it was coming, but we didn’t realize it was coming so soon. Not that we’re complaining!

The Girl with the Dachshund Tattoo

We’re really excited about our latest cozy mystery. In The Girl with the Dachshund Tattoo, Mel is tracking a killer in the cutthroat world of dachshund racing. Cheating. Doping. Gambling. Who knew doxie dashes were surrounded by so much controversy? Certainly not us.

We had a ball researching this book. 

We even attended a couple of wiener races just to make sure we captured the enthusiasm and competitive nature of the racers. We can attest that these pooches may have short stubby legs, and long wiggly bodies, but they are all heart. 

If you’ve never seen a Dachshund Dash, check out this YouTube video. We dare you not to smile. Running of the Wieners at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

Next week we’ll be on a jet plane to Long Beach, California to attend the Bouchercon Mystery Conference! If you’re there and see us, make sure you say hi. 

If you're not familiar with Bouchercon, let us explain. Bouchercon is the Annual World Mystery Convention for anyone who loves mysteries. Readers, writers, authors, librarians, and booksellers all gather for a weekend of fun and conversation. And we like to hangout in the bar. Attendees can pick from a plethora of panels and attend author signings, along with other programs. There's even an awards ceremony. If you'd like to learn more about this wonderful mystery conference, here's a link. Bouchercon 2014, Murder at the Beach.

Our question to you is this: If you could hang out in the bar with any mystery author, who would you choose?