Becoming an indie publishing house is effing amazing, and not as hard as it looks
Did you work on your novel this NaNoWriMo? Wondering what to do with your masterpiece now? I teamed up with my author-husband as his editor and publisher on his first novel and I’m ready to share everything we learned along the way with my fellow Offbeat Homies. Whether you’ve just finished your opus or just got a really good start, here’s how to take the next steps and publish your own novel.
Dinner is coming: My Game of Thrones-themed 29th birthday feast
I got this fancy idea in my head that I should throw myself a Game of Thrones birthday party, simply because I love the show and have been listening to the books NON STOP for weeks and weeks now. The endless descriptions of all the succulent food featured in the novels was driving me nuts. So I made a fire, invited over the masses, and had a feast. Here’s how I pulled it off…
Who? What? How? Seeking advice on holiday-time tipping
Growing up in New York City, I was vaguely aware that my parents “tipped” the doormen and the superintendent of my apartment building sometime around the end of December. Now as an adult newly living in a city in Texas, in a rental apartment complex, and I have no idea what I should do about holiday tipping… Who are these people we should be tipping? Should we be giving cash or gift cards? If so, how much? Should we be giving cookies? Should we just give a thank you/happy holidays card?
How do you Adult?
I was thinking about this all last night because I’d just signed up for dental and life insurance through my work, and that sort of thing feels really grown-up. Responsibility! Future planning! Insurance! But it also cast into sharp relief the fact that I really don’t know what I’m doing and I’m scared as hell. How do Other People do it?
STFU: How can I deal with one family member who always ruins holiday parties?
I’m slated to host Christmas Eve at my home again, and last year it was fun… except for one uncle ruined it with snarky comments and flat-out negativity. He bitched about the food, the tackiness of the decorations, and the gifts people gave.
At the time, I was more concerned about hosting duties and making sure my family was having a good time, so I just tried to roll with it. Nobody in the family had the guts to say anything, except to talk about it after he left.
This year though… fuck that, I don’t want any of that shit in my house.
How do I keep his horrible attitude in line in my own home?
What happens when your personal photos go viral and you get attacked online?
We’ve talked about what happens when your wedding goes viral and people hate it. But what happens when your personal photos go viral and people seemingly hate YOU. Offbeat Empire reader Barbara Reggio left this insightful comment on our Offbeat Bride post…
Why you should try busking: Yes, even you!
Earlier this year, I took a singer-songwriter course at a local cultural institute, to improve my songwriting. Our tutor encouraged us to play in public as much as possible. Go to open mics, play family parties, play for your friends until they beg you to stop, and also: busk. I’m not here to give you busking tips though; I haven’t got nearly enough experience for that yet. I just want to explain to you why busking is AWESOME, and why you should consider doing it if you play an instrument (or have other performance skills).
5 British comedies and soaps you should watch when you need a break from zombies, meth, and fantasy
I don’t own a TV, but I’m the queen bee of streaming the shows I love to watch online, either via Netflix, Hulu, or some kind of third party. I’m not a fan of some of the bigger shows that are either on TV right now or recently ended (Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones), so when Parenthood skips a week (heeeey network TV) or I’m all Grey’s Anatomy-ed out, I head over to Netflix and start watching funny British comedies instead.