The Clock Is Ticking
June 2 is the release date!
June 2 is the official release date for Purple, Blame, Game in all formats.
That means tomorrow (May 30) is the last day to buy the paperback version for only $10—a savings of nearly $6.
And this isn’t just a book. The paperback includes bonus material:
Recipes
A bonus scene
Two crochet projects
A recycling project
So if you’ve been thinking about ordering, now’s the time.
This Monday at Joanna’s Readers
I’ll be hosting the Curators of Crime.
When: Monday, 7 p.m. (we usually start around 7 and wrap up around 8)
Guests: Lane Stone, Nina Wachsman, MA Monnin, and Connie Berry
It should be a terrific conversation, and I’d love to see you there.
Therapeutic Crafting?
Lately, I’ve been doing ridiculously simple crochet projects just to keep my hands busy. An AI summary explains why this matters…
“Crocheting offers a wide range of therapeutic benefits, primarily by inducing a ‘flow state’ that mirrors the effects of mindfulness meditation.”
Every meditation I’ve tried has failed spectacularly. I simply cannot stand to lie still! Or even sit still!
Crochet?
That I can do.
Here’s an excerpt from Purple, Blame, Game in which Kiki is teaching a group of newbies to crochet:
I truly love teaching. Really, I do. But beginners always behave as though the yarn is a slippery eel that might escape, rise up, and slap them in the face. The moment I say “loosen your hold,” they clutch harder.
I wanted to bang my head against the wall. I knew what was coming next. Beginners work tightly to the loops that form the foundation chain. Then, in turn, tight chains make it nearly impossible to add a second row. From there, the entire project becomes a frustrating exercise in which crafters stab at knots with their hooks.
My students needed to relax. Otherwise, they would never reach the point where crocheting becomes joyful.
“Loosen up,” I said gently, as I moved from chair to chair, stepping around tote bags. “Your yarn is not going anywhere.”
Of course, this snippet doesn’t include the part where the yarn actually does go somewhere.
I’ve had it roll away in the darnedest places:
Under occupied chairs
Into closets
Into and once into a trash can
(Don’t ask.)
Part II of How Clarity Helps Writers (and All of Us) Move Ahead in Troubled Times
Honesty: If the Same Thing Happens All the Time, Look for the Trap
If the same thing happens all the time, and the common denominator is me, myself, and I, it makes sense to consider that I might be the problem.
That sentence makes me uncomfortable.
And that’s probably why it matters.
When we keep encountering the same obstacles, conflicts, disappointments, or frustrations, it’s tempting to blame circumstances, timing, or other people. Sometimes that’s justified.
But if the pattern repeats often enough, it may be worth asking a harder question:
What role am I playing in creating this result?
Not because self-blame is productive.
Because self-awareness is.
The moment we recognize our part in a recurring problem, we gain something valuable: the ability to change it.
Deals and Steals
Jun 2- Jun 6, Love, Die, Neighbor, the prequel to the Kiki Lowenstein series will be free! Please tell a friend! Now, why would I give away a book? Because I know that once a reader meets Kiki, that reader will come back for more! https://amzn.to/4uzyqeZ
Closing Question
Have you ever discovered that a recurring frustration was actually connected to one habit, assumption, or behavior of your own?
And if you’re a crafter, tell me: What do you do with yarn that seems determined to escape?
Lots of love—Joanna