Category Archives: Miscellaneous Mondays

Goals and Accomplishments from 2018 and Future Goals for 2019

by in For the Love of Donuts, Local Authors, Local Events, Miscellaneous Mondays, Rachel Barnard and tagged , ,

Goals list of 2014
Goals list of 2015
Goals list of 2016
Goals list of 2017

Goals list of 2018:

Writing:

  • Finish one novel writing project – I stopped writing this year and haven’t finished any other writing-related projects.
  • Plan and execute my children’s picture book I’ve put on hold for years – Again, haven’t worked on any writing-related projects
  • Submit to the PNWA contest – I did and I won second place in the short story contest!
  • Send Flora’s Last Chance for Magic to 20 publishers/agents/editors – I didn’t do this, but I did send it to one agent I know
  • Create Rachel’s guide to donuts in and around Seattle – haha not

Physical:

  • Handspring to Ayesha – I can do this with a spot
  • Create a demo reel – never got around to this
  • Learn a breakdance party move – I still want to do this!
  • Level up inversions at Divine – I never went consistently enough for this to happen

2019 Goals!!!

Describe yourself in 3 words: Driven, Efficient, Restless

Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Calm, Accomplished, Considerate

Theme for 2019: Minimize

 

2019 Goals:

  1. Nail the Divine intermediate inversions combo
  2. Learn hand balancing moves (specifically a hand stand)
  3. Take more acro yoga classes
  4. Learn to make fluffy gluten free bread
  5. Finish my scrapbook
  6. Finish my health book through 2018
  7. Management/Kanban training
  8. Learn massage techniques
  9. Dog sit/walk a corgi
  10. Goat/cat yoga
  11. Volunteer at Thrill the World and perform for the 5th year!
  12. Learn Turkish (get through the 12 modules on my Rosetta Stone app)

 

Travel Dreams:

  1. Corgi Con
  2. Pole expo
  3. Blind Café
  4. Herb Farm or a Michelin-starred restaurant

Author Goals and Accomplishments from 2017 and Future Goals for 2018

by in For the Love of Donuts, Local Authors, Local Events, Miscellaneous Mondays, Rachel Barnard and tagged , ,

Goals list of 2014

Goals list of 2015

Goals list of 2016

Goals list of 2017:

  1. Publish Seize the Donut (for the Love of Donuts Book 2) on National Donut Day – June 2nd, 2017
    1. Nailed it! 
  2. Edit my short stories – Celebrity Dreamscapes, Smart Fraud, The Man Who Never Slept
    1. I submitted these stories to Norwescon’s Fairwood Writer’s Workshops and then only actually edited one of them…
  3. Send out my short stories for publication!
    1. Nope. Not at all
  4. Version 2 of At One’s Beast (edit, revise, re-release)
    1. Didn’t even look at this
  5. Find an agent for Flora’s Last Chance for Magic
    1. I sent Flora out to three agents… And all of them said no.
  6. Find a publisher or artist for my children’s picture book
    1. Nope.
  7. Write and art for children’s picture book about pole dance
    1. This was an idea I had?
  8. Write a children’s picture book about dad catch phrases or dad puns
    1. You can see where this is going… Nope.
  9. Revise Aster & Tilde
    1. I want to collaborate with someone on this (hey sister!)
  10. Write Aster & Tilde book 2 and plan out the series
    1. Nope.
  11. Review 1 Indie book a week
    1. Almost! I reviewed 49 books this year 🙂
  12. Go to Emerald City Writer’s Conference again
    1. I decided to save my money for a vacation outside the country instead.
  13. Start editing Dollars to Donuts (for the Love of Donuts book 3)
    1. I decided that I might not even publish this book and focus on my romance series instead
  14. Publish Nichole’s Book of Awesome Things (for the Love of Donuts accompaniment 2) for release with Seize the Donut
    1. Yes! And it was done. Practically Done.
  15. Create a coloring book of donuts (for the Love of Donuts accompaniment 3) for release in the winter
    1. Woohoo I did this too!
  16. Create an audio book of my poetry book
    1. Nope. Didn’t even try.
  17. YouTube video 1x/month
    1. Yeah… I don’t care for video editing – but I am posting on social media more.
  18. Get 500 Instagram followers
    1. Nope.
  19. Reach 250 Facebook likes on author page
    1. I’m at 189 likes
  20. Reach 250 Facebook friends
    1. I did this!
  21. Mile in 10 minutes
    1. Fastest mile time was 9:26
  22. 50 push-ups in one go
    1. Yes!
  23. Inversions other side solid
    1. Done!
  24. Shoulder mount
    1. Oh yeah!
  25. Level up inversions at Divine
    1. I’m now in intermediate inversions and almost ready to pass to advanced inversions
  26. Dance performance
    1. I performed three times!
  27. 200 pole classes lifetime
    1. I’m up to 279 pole classes lifteime
  28. 10 pull ups
    1. I never tested this, but I’m probably only able to do 5-7 on a good day

2018 Goals!!! Writing and Beyond:

Writing:

  • Finish one novel writing project
  • Plan and execute my children’s picture book I’ve put on hold for years
  • Submit to the PNWA contest
  • Send Flora’s Last Chance for Magic to 20 publishers/agents/editors
  • Create Rachel’s guide to donuts in and around Seattle

Physical:

  • Handspring to Ayesha
  • Create a demo reel
  • Learn a breakdance party move
  • Level up inversions at Divine

Superior Donuts Valley Center Stage, North Bend

by in Local Events, Miscellaneous Mondays, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

After a visit to Georgia’s Bakery – where I snacked on the delicious cronut – I went upstairs to the Village Theatre to see the Superior Donuts production!

My last experience with community theater wasn’t that great, so I didn’t have high expectations going in, however, just seeing the set I could tell that this show was going to be good. Care and detail had been put into the set. The walls of the donut ‘shop’ were made to look old and outdated. They even had a fake view to the outside with an open sign and everything!

 

If you get a chance, I would highly recommend this play!

Full of laughs and catch you by surprise contemporary phrasing (aka adult language), Superior Donuts was highly entertaining. The play itself contained great dialogue and character interaction and while some scenes were a bit unusual, the play as a whole was very well written. The Valley Center Stage was a delightful little theater. No seat was a bad seat and the actors’ voices carried all the way to the back. The actors themselves carried the play from delightful to amazing. Their delivery and timing were impeccable. They even ate donuts and drank coffee during the scenes! My favorite parts of the play were the fast quips making fun of everything from Starbucks to donuts to the way the main character, Arthur, dresses. Grab yourself a donut from the concession stand (courtesy of Georgia’s) and settle in for a night (or afternoon) of laughs and entertainment with this comedy drama.

Description from the website: Superior Donuts takes place in the historic Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, one of Chicago’s most racially diverse communities. Arthur Przybyszewski, a despondent, aging 1960s radical owns a run-down, dated donut shop that has been in his family for sixty years. New employee Franco Wicks, a young, enthusiastic black man, inspires to infuse new energy into the shop while Arthur remains detached from investing in his business and life. Arthur grapples with his past while Franco, trying to find footing in his own life, has his own serious challenges.  This provocative comedy drama explores the challenges of embracing the past while celebrating the redemptive power of friendship.

 

Author Goals and Accomplishments from 2016 and Future Goals for 2017

by in For the Love of Donuts, Local Authors, Local Events, Miscellaneous Mondays, Rachel Barnard and tagged , ,

Goals list of 2014

Goals list of 2015

 

Goals list of 2016:

  1. At One’s Beast available in King County Libraries
    1. I didn’t submit this book to the library becuase I decided to revise and republish version 2!
  2. Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1) published
    1. Yes!!! Check it out HERE
  3. Start my retirement fund
    1. Yes! I started an IRA and put money in it!
  4. Create a food/board game
    1. No, totally forgot about this one….
  5. Watch a roller derby
    1. Yess!! I even got to dress up, see it here
  6. Finish Flora’s Last Chance for Magic and submit to publishers
    1. Yes and no. I finished writing, editing, proofing, and getting a cover, but I’ve only submitted the book to one agent
  7. Re-revise My Dad the Prepper and send it out to new publishers
    1. Yes! I revised this book and sent it out to new publishers and I’ve already received several rejections (I’m up to 11 so far on this project)
  8. Make a box set case for upcoming series For the Love of Donuts using this website
    1. Forgot about this one too because I only have one book so far in the series!
  9. Publish the anthology “Stories from Seattle” with all proceeds to go to my favorite goat rescue PSGR
    1. Tabled this because nobody knew about submissions, but I did submit to a Hot MC biker chick anthology 😉
  10. Finish my brother’s recipe book so he can publish it
    1. Tabled this one as he lost interest in completing this project
  11. Publish Cafe Connections (Aster & Tilde book 1) on 10/31/16
    1. HA ha ha. I have so far to go on editing for this! I want Aster & Tilde books 1 and 2 (editing and rewrites) to be my project for Nano 2017
  12. Get professional author photos
    1. Nope. I have enough amateur photos for now…
  13. Learn a special dance or solo
    1. Sigh. Tabled. But I did choose the perfect song to learn once I get around to it!
  14. Bask in a sea of donuts
    1. No. Tabled this one as well because I haven’t sourced these donuts yet.

2017 Goals!!! Writing and Beyond:

Writing:

  • Publish Seize the Donut (for the Love of Donuts Book 2) on National Donut Day – June 2nd, 2017
  • Edit my short stories – Celebrity Dreamscapes, Smart Fraud, The Man Who Never Slept
  • Send out my short stories for publication!
  • Version 2 of At One’s Beast (edit, revise, re-release)
  • Find an agent for Flora’s Last Chance for Magic
  • Find a publisher or artist for my children’s picture book
  • Write and art for children’s picture book about pole dance
  • Write a children’s picture book about dad catch phrases or dad puns
  • Revise Aster & Tilde
  • Write Aster & Tilde book 2 and plan out the series
  • Review 1 Indie book a week
  • Go to Emerald City Writer’s Conference again
  • Start editing Dollars to Donuts (for the Love of Donuts book 3)
  • Publish Nichole’s Book of Awesome Things (for the Love of Donuts accompaniment 2) for release with Seize the Donut
  • Create a coloring book of donuts (for the Love of Donuts accompaniment 3) for release in the winter
  • Create an audio book of my poetry book
  • YouTube video 1x/month
  • Get 500 Instagram followers
  • Reach 250 Facebook likes on author page
  • Reach 250 Facebook friends
  • Reach 250 Twitter followers
  • Get to 2000 newsletter subscribers

Physical:

  • Mile in 10 minutes
  • 50 push-ups in one go
  • Inversions other side solid
  • Shoulder mount
  • Level up inversions at Divine
  • Dance performance
  • 200 pole classes lifetime
  • 10 pull ups

 

 

Thunderclap It – Indie Marketing – Donuts in an Empty Field Upcoming Release

by in author platform, For the Love of Donuts, Local Authors, Miscellaneous Mondays, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , ,

Feel the thunder of thousands of people posting the same thing at once!

Definition of Thunderclap as Rachel sees it: A marketing technique wherein authors fill out a campaign on thunderclap to have a simultaneous posting release to Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr. Thunderclap is much like Kickstarter in that you HAVE to have the minimum amount of supporters for the thunderclap to release.

I’m not to my minimum yet and would kindly ask my blog readers to check out my campaign and pledge their support.

Thunderclap!!

Miscellaneous Mondays – Author Platform – Newsletter!

by in author platform, Miscellaneous Mondays, Rachel Barnard and tagged

Hello dear readers!

Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to receive important updates and promotions, if you haven’t already. Signup HERE

What my will newsletter contain:
  • Upcoming events
  • All about the donuts section featuring something super cool about my upcoming release Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1)
  • All about the donuts local donut shop review
  • Summary of the month’s book reviews
  • Important updates about Rachel Barnard and her books

Check out my previous newsletters:

February newsletter here,

March newsletter here,

April newsletter here.

Let me know if you want to see anything else in my newsletter! I love getting all your comments.