Category Archives: Rachel Barnard

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

All About the Donuts: Local Donut Shop Review – Steve’s Doughnuts

by in Foodie Fridays, For the Love of Donuts, Local Eats, Rachel Barnard and tagged , ,

Steve’s Doughnuts

Snoqualmie, WA

7730 Center Blvd SE, Snoqualmie, WA 98065

stevesdoughnuts.com

What I tried:

Sugar twist, classic glazed, Boston Creme, Butter Bar, Cinnamon Roll, Maple Bar

~$8.25. Buy 5 get, the 6th free!

What to expect:

The donuts are hearty. If you want a donut that is thick and delicious, this is the place to get it. The shop owners are friendly. The shop itself is small and homey. You can find their treats at some of the local coffee shops in the area. They have a different special type of donut they make every day.

My favorite:

The freshness of the donuts. They make them in batches and on a Saturday at 8 A.M. I was able to get donuts right from the cooling rack. My favorite donut that I tried was the butter bar. It was like eating an old fashioned and a glazed combined into one flaky pastry.

S.O.S.
Save Our Shop

We are announcing our plan to survive into the next year. This
post is our plan going forward. To read about the ongoing
struggles for business on the Ridge, read Here.

To overcome our challenges we need to leverage our existing skills
and boost sales. Snoqualmie is our home and we want to stay, but
we can’t sell enough doughnuts on the Ridge anymore to stay
afloat, so we want to take our show on the road! We want to start
a Food Truck! This will be a two part plan:

Part 1) Kickstarter: We need to generate cash, plain and simple.
As such we are going to launch a Kickstarter campaign soon. The
purpose of this will be to catch up on power bills, ingredients,
rent and the other odds and ends that fall behind when sales drop.
We’ve been able to recruit some local businesses to help provide
some amazing incentives. We’ll publish everything soon, but
examples include S.O.S. T-shirts, Doughnut Club membership
cards, Sponsorship Decals ON THE TRUCK, and even the
opportunity to host the truck at your office where you will be
worshipped by your co-workers!

Part 2) Investors: Opening the business to investors, combined
with debt leverage, will be how we acquire the actual truck. We
will provide a full valuation for the existing business, plus
projections for the truck portion. Once this portion of the
business is online we will be able to generate an exceptional cash
flow. We will use our existing production capability to supply a
mobile retail outlet, making our slow days great days, while being
able to stay in Snoqualmie, safe and sound. If you think you’ll be
interested in investing or loaning, contact Steve!

Link to their GoFundMe

Event Aftermath – Si View Holiday Bazaar and Juanita Elementary Holiday Bazaar

by in Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I had a blast at both events yesterday! I got some really nifty locally crafted Christmas gifts as well 😉 I can’t wait for next year. Thanks everyone who came out and bought our books and supported local businesses!

Upcoming Local WA events: Juanita and North Bend – Get Your Holiday Gifts and Books!

by in Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Juanita Craft Fair
December 2nd, 2017 10AM-4PM
Cost: Free 
More Info
I’ll be at the booth for the Writer’s Coop of the Pacific Northwest from 1pm -4pm. Come say hi and get all my books!

Si View Holiday Bazaar in North Bend, WA
December 2nd, 2017 9AM-3PM
Cost: Free 
More Info

The Si View Community Center is holding its annual Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, December 2nd, 2017 from 10am to 3pm. Si View Community Center, located in the center of North Bend, offers a quaint atmosphere that lends itself perfectly to this Holiday tradition. I’ll be at the booth for Free Valley Publishing from 10am-12pm. Come say hi and get all my books!

Events Schedule

9AM-3PM
Shopping for Gifts and Concessions
11-11:45am
Si View Youth Dance
12pm-1pm
Silverbells Carolers
1-1:45pm
Mount Si High School Carolers
2:45pm
Raffle Drawing (tickets $2 each, 3 for $5)

All About the Donuts: Local Donut Shop Review – Donut House – Anacortes, WA

by in Foodie Fridays, For the Love of Donuts, Local Eats, Rachel Barnard and tagged , ,

Donut House

Anacortes, WA

2719 Commercial Ave, Anacortes, WA 98221

(360) 293-4053

Review criteria:

Most popular donut at the shop: Fritter or Pumpkin Custard
Signature shop donut: Pumpkin Custard (seasonal)
Most popular US donut: glazed
2nd most popular US donut: Boston crème
Donut Hole: Yes

What I tried:

$12.40 plain cake, raised glazed, lemon fruit wrap, maple bigfoot, boston creme, pumpkin custard mousse bar.

What to expect:

The Boston Creme was very doughy in the middle. The dough on all the donuts was very fresh. Even the cake donut tasted fresh. The glazed was just as good, if not better, than my favorite at Henry’s Donuts. The fruit wrap was surprisingly delicious – like a crunchy crepe. On a Saturday morning, when I brought my crew, the shop had a steady stream of customers.

 

My favorite:

 Though the glazed donut was exceptional, my favorite was the fruit wrap. I also loved the fact that the Donut House had a variety of donuts and they were all delicious and fresh.

Local Event Alert! Renton, WA – Misfits in Motion Prohibition Aerial Show

by in Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , ,

My first performance on stage for the public! Come see Donetta perform live at the Misfits in Motion Prohibition show this Saturday.

For more information and to purchase tickets go to misfitsinmotion.com

Misfits In Motion: Prohibition

Take a step back in time with us as we revive the roaring 20’s at the Misfit Speakeasy! Sit back, relax, enjoy a drink or two and be entertained by our performers as they dazzle you on the forbidden apparatus. Come dressed to the 9’s in your best zoot suit, flapper dress, gangster attire or whatever makes you feel fabulous. Oh and don’t worry, there is no need to speak easy, we expect you to cheer, hoot and holler and of course, have a great time!

Get a discount on tickets when you purchase them in packs of 4!

Order your Prohibition tickets!

Prohibition Tickets!

Renton Civic Theatre

507 S Third St, Renton, Wa 98057
425-226-5529
http://rentoncivictheatre.org

Bard & Starlet Aftermath – Best Community Event of the Year

by in author platform, Local Authors, Local Eats, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Didn’t get a chance to come out? Here’s the video of the first scene and the one I wrote and starred in!

The Black Dog is one of my favorite local restaurants – they have the absolute best Fritata! I love the staff and the homey feel of the building. The stage and all the great community events are awesome! It’s great that there are enough actors/actresses in the North Bend/Snoqualmie area to lend their voices to this event every year (this is the third Bard & Starlet) and they did an awesome job!

 

Indie Author Day 2 Wrap-Up – Thanks KCLS, PNWA and Indie Authors!

by in author platform, Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

I love the library. They are such an invaluable resource in our community and KCLS (King County Library System) is the 13th largest in the nation! I’ve used them for books, audiobooks, CD’s, DVD’s, printing, research, community space, meetings, and more! Indie Author Day is another wonderful program put on by the library and I was happy to have a booth and the opportunity to speak about my experiences as an Indie Author in my own presentation!

Thanks to PNWA for sponsoring the snacks table and for all the wonderful information they provided for authors and participants.

At 11, Jenni Conner and D.V. Berkom discussed Conception without Deception: The Birth of Your Story Without the Pitfalls. At noon, Pam Stucky confronted a common challenge in Fear, Failure, and the Fallacy of Writer’s Block: Getting Out of Your Own Way. At 1, Rachel Barnard talked about how to celebrate a new book in New Book Release Checklist: Planning a Fun and Inviting Launch. Did you miss the panels? Here is the link to my downloadable pdf of the book release checklist.

In addition to the presentations, twenty authors were in attendance to share their books, their self-publishing or indie publishing experiences, and their tips and tricks for marketing and promotion. Authors and editors who attended included Kristin Alana, Rachel Barnard, D.V. Berkom, Pam Binder, Tom Blaschko, D.K. Cassidy, Jennifer Connor, Nicanor Garcia, Josephine Hao, Sara Lynn Hoyt, Sheleen Napar, M.E. Palmer, Deborah Schneider, Pam Stucky, Michel Visger, Marcus Ward, and David Workman.