I finally got my video edited and uploaded. Now I can properly introduce you to myself and my books!
Author: Jessica Baverstock
How to Become a Completion Addict
I came across this article I wrote several years back now and thought it was worth putting a link to it here. Its for all those creatives who love starting projects but struggle to continue or finish them (which is something I struggle with too!).
The issue is that we’re addicted to the high of new ideas. This article is about how to change that addiction so that we become addicted to finishing projects.
Here’s the link to Write to Done where the article was originally published. (There is a full-screen popup that appears within a couple of seconds of getting there. There’s a close button in the top right hand corner.)
Flower Amongst Pines Artist Book by Cherry Jeffs
Recently I made an effort to get back in touch with fellow creatives who have been supportive and helpful to me over the years. One of those people was Cherry Jeffs, a mixed media artist and creative coach. I got to catch up with some of the things she’s been working on.
She’s been making some really beautiful artists books. Here is one that just blew me away.
The Link Between Mistakes and Results
I was recently skimming through this article on the Guardian about physics when I came across this quote by Carlo Rovelli, the theoretical physicist being interviewed:
When I ask him what he thinks about the possibility that his loop quantum gravity work may be wrong, he gently explains that being wrong isn’t the point; being part of the conversation is the point. And anyway, “If you ask who had the longest and most striking list of results it’s Einstein without any doubt. But if you ask who is the scientist who made most mistakes, it’s still Einstein.”
I found that thought inspirational. As a writer, its impossible to write the perfect story. But then being perfect isn’t the point; telling a story is the point.
As with anything, those who make the most mistakes are also those who achieve the most as well. If you fear mistakes, you’ll never be brave enough to produce the wonderful things mistakes lead to.
Speaking of which, I really need to be off somewhere making me some fresh mistakes!
There *Will* Be Aliens!
Recently while out shopping I came across this relatively innocuous packet of googly eyes.
Innocuous that is until you start reading the fine print. Starting with the fact that the pack as 141 eyes.
Not 140 eyes, as would be expected since pretty much everything we encounter on earth has two eyes, leaving you to assume a product designed to mimic that in craft projects would provide an even number.
But it gets even better. This packet comes with three different sizes of googly eyes.
- 21 x 2cm eyes
- 75 x 1 cm eyes
- 45 x 1.5cm eyes
So no matter what size you choose, if you happen to be a completionist (which I am not) you will eventually end up with a cyclops.
It’s inevitable. Make your peace with it before purchasing the product.
Broken Crayon Art
I love Debbie Ridpath Ohi’s artwork. Have for many years now. But this artwork is a whole extra level of cute! Makes me grin every time I look at it!
You can find out more about her broken crayon artwork and all the other beautiful works of art Debbie has produced on her website.
Fourth Episode of Baverstock’s Allsorts is a Two-fer
In this episode I have a short childhood reminiscence called “Winter is Coming” and a poem called “I Love You, Mum.”
Baverstock’s Allsorts is now having a month’s hiatus and will be back with more episodes in June! If you’d like to be notified when the next episode is up, subscribe to the podcast by either going to the Podbean site or subscribing to this blog.
“Kidnapping with Scruples” Released
I’ve been getting behind with my promised short story releases! Here’s another one. You can find this story in Baverstock’s Allsorts Volume 1, but here it is as a stand-alone e-book too.
Financial downturns affect all walks of life. Even the criminal underworld. Gary and Horace believe they’ve come up with a way to make The problem is, Stephanie Monroe might be |
To get your own copy, in e-book or paperback, go to Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, or other stores.
If you’d like to be kept up-to-date on my releases, you’re welcome to sign up to my fan list.
Emergency Toilets
Okay, okay, after what I said in a previous post about Chinglish signs I am going to share a sign from China. But it’s not incorrect English. By my reckoning the English is exactly what the Chinese says. What I want to know is whether the sign is referring to some building that is not in shot, or whether it’s referring to the trees.
Whatever it’s describing, I think the description extremely accurate! That’s precisely the way I’d describe the situation…
This photo was taken by my brother, Cash Edison, and posted here with permission.
Science-Fiction This Week’s Baverstock’s Allsorts Podcast Story
In this week’s episode, I’m reading an amusing science-fiction story called “Dinner Plans.” The question is, whose dinner plans is the story about?
If you’d like to subscribe to the podcast, either go to the Podbean site or subscribe to this blog and get the episodes when I post them here.
An Antidote to Chinglish
We’ve all seen those funny photos of signs and labels written by someone whose first language is not English. I have a personal collection myself from my time in China as do other members of my family and we love to share them among ourselves when we’ve got a new one.
What I don’t think has been properly represented in the English sphere are all the times that we English-speaking people figuratively face-plant in languages we are attempting to learn.
And so, to do my part to right this inequity, here are my top language faux pas, all when speaking Chinese.
Example 1
What I meant to say: “Hi, I’m a teacher!”
What I actually said (multiple times over the years, apparently!): “Hi, I’m a mouse!”
The fact that I was nervous and relatively quiet spoken when saying this didn’t help to illuminate my mispronunciation. When it was finally pointed out to me, my friend began by saying, ‘You are a mouse. But what you need to say here is teacher.’
Example 2
What I meant to say: “I’ll come back at a time convenient to you.”
What I actually said: “I’ll come back when you’re in the bathroom.”
Turns out the phrase “when you’re convenient” is also the idiomatic expression in Mandarin for, ahem, answering the call of nature.
Example 3
What I meant to say: “Let me show you this short video on my tablet!”
What I actually said (again, for years!): “Let me show you this pornographic film on my tablet!”
Yeah, doesn’t that explain the weird looks I’ve been getting!
Got a language faux pas of your own? Do share! Don’t leave me hangin’!
Baverstock’s Allsorts Podcast, Episode 2 is Now Up!
This week’s story is called “Will You Help Me?” and features a lovely elderly lady who finds a way to be useful to a strapping young man who asks for her help.
If you’d like to subscribe to the podcast, either go to the Podbean site or subscribe to this blog and get the episodes when I post them here.
Zozoville Puzzles
I love jigsaw puzzles and so whenever I’m in a toy store I have to meander past the puzzle aisle. The other day I came across this cute range of puzzles.
I seem to be an a cute monster art phase at the moment, perhaps brought on by being exposed to the movie Monsters Inc. at an impressionable age (an age I’ve never grown out of!). Unfortunately, none of my family share my affection for these puzzles and so I didn’t end up with one (yet!). But I’m sharing here in the hopes some of you out there will love them too.
The puzzles come from Zozoville and the website is full of great artwork. (Not an affiliate link. Just something I wanted to share.)
My First Podcast Episode is Up!!!!
Baverstock’s Allsorts is now a podcast!
Each week for the next four weeks I’ll be reading one of my short stories, then I’ll have a month off and do it all again in June!
Here’s the first episode. Check it out!
You can see my podcast side over at Podbean. If you’d like to be notified when new episodes are up, you can either subscribe to the podcast over at Podbean or subscribe to this blog.
“Earnestine” Finally Released!
The day has finally arrived! “Earnestine,” a beloved short story which has taken far too long to find its way to print, is now available in e-book and a cute little 32 page paperback!
Earnestine is a dearly loved character in my family and I’m so thrilled she now gets to see the light of day and can become a part of your family too!
Earnestine is a consummate performer. She lives for the roar of the audience: the waves of applause crashing down upon her as she entertains them, the ebb and flow of crowds coming and going from the Las Vegas stage she calls her own. But as her audiences dwindle and her aching loneliness increases, Earnestine searches desperately for a solution to her problems. Only one thing stands in her way. One unavoidable fact. Earnestine… …is a walrus. |
To get your own copy, in e-book or paperback, go to Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, or other stores.
If you’d like to be kept up-to-date on my releases, you’re welcome to sign up to my fan list.
An Infallible Treatment for Man Flu
While my husband was in hospital last year I went for a meander looking for something to cheer him up. In the process, I came across this little beauty which is worth tucking away for future!
I believe they are available to purchase online if you too suffer the affects of this affliction. Follow the instructions rigorously.
“The Guardian of Sunday Afternoons” Released!
I am releasing some of the short stories in Baverstock’s Allsorts Volume 1 as stand-alone e-books. You’ll see a number of these over the coming weeks.
Helen Summers spends every Sunday afternoon caring for small children, like little 5-year-old Peter who is intent on defying his mother’s instructions. As Helen tries to inculcate a few life lessons in her little nephew, she’s reminded of the reasons why she has become the self-appointed guardian of Sunday afternoons. |
To get your own copy, in e-book or paperback, go to Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, or other stores.
This story is also available in Baverstock’s Allsorts Volume 1 which is available in e-book and paperback.
If you’d like to be kept up-to-date on my releases, you’re welcome to sign up to my fan list.
My Doctor’s Solution to Allergies
Since moving across the continent a couple of years ago, my allergies have been increasing to the point where I seem to be in perpetual allergy season. My nose is running like a tap and some days I feel as if I’m battling jet lag. Antihistamines are not very effective and so I went to my doctor for advice on what more I could do.
Here was her suggestion… The result of which is that the heat of my breath is redirected up behind my glasses, leaving me now in a perpetual literal fog to add to the figurative mental fog I was trying to rid myself of.
Scrabble Tiles for Sale
As a Scrabble player myself, I appreciated the attention to detail this store paid to it’s imitation Scrabble tiles.
As products go, all of these tiles are made from exactly the same wood printed with exactly the same ink. The only difference being, of course, the letters themselves. So while the more common letters (such as O and G and P) are reduced to a nifty $1, the V (score of 4 in Scrabble), X (score of 8 in Scrabble), and J (also score of 8 in Scrabble) are more than double the price.
One must notice though that the Z (score of 10) and Q (score of 10) which are on the top row are themselves reduced to $1, which I think it’s an absolute steal! I can now contemplate words like “buzz” and “fuzzy” and “quartz” without blowing my budget.
“Baverstock’s Allsorts Volume 1, Second Edition” Released!
I have finally managed to re-release the first volume of Baverstock’s Allsorts, this time with more than double the stories!
The first version only had nine short pieces in it and was really too short to be a respectable paperback for the beginning of a series. So I went back and gathered together all my early short stories and packaged them up in a second edition which is now also available as a 190 page paperback.
I’ll be releasing a number of the short stories in this volume as stand-alone e-books over the coming weeks and will announce each here on the blog.
A trader on a distant planet discovers an impossible stone, an entirely pleasant kidnapping goes awry, and a young woman learns what it means to be a world nomad. Now with more than double the stories, this second edition of Volume 1 contains an eclectic collection of twenty-one short-short pieces. Showcasing the versatility, imagination, comic wit, and pathos of author Jessica Baverstock, this perfect companion to an afternoon tea break or a morning commute will tickle your funny bone and tug at your heartstrings. Baverstock’s Allsorts Volume 1 draws together science-fiction, period fiction, comedy, poetry, romance, literary fiction, a children’s story, and even a newspaper article with a twist in a collection that has something for everyone. |
To get your own copy, in e-book or paperback, go to Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, or other stores.
If you’d like to be kept up-to-date on my releases, you’re welcome to sign up to my fan list.