Blueberry’s Listicle of the Week - Opinions from a Magical Papillon Who Has Seen Things

🫐 Blueberry’s Listicle of the Week

Opinions from a Magical Papillon Who Has Seen Things

Mommy has been muttering about “writer’s block” again. As if the words are hiding from her. Please. They’re simply waiting for better company.

Blueberry’s Official Ranking of Places to Nap in a House Full of Ghosts

1. The exact center of Mommy’s manuscript pages. Warm from the printer, faintly scented with ink and desperation. Prime real estate.

2. The sunbeam that crosses the kitchen table between 2:15 and 2:47 p.m. One must time it precisely. Ghosts respect punctuality.

3. Around the old grandfather clock. The ticking lulls lesser beings; I find it rhythmic. Also, excellent vantage point for judging everyone below.

4. The windowsill overlooking the garden. One can monitor squirrels, passing spirits, and Mommy’s questionable fashion choices with equal efficiency.

5. Buddy’s bed, but only when he’s not in it. (He claims this is theft. I call it quality control.)

6. The velvet armchair in the parlor. Acceptable energy—mostly. One particularly dramatic Victorian ghost lingers, but she has taste and keeps her distance.

7. The attic trunk. Cozy, yes, but the spectral energy is restless. I allow short visits. One mustn’t encourage squatters.

8. Anywhere near the front door. Far too much coming and going. Exhausting. Only amateurs nap in high-traffic zones.

I do not nap in basements. Ever. Some things are beneath even my standards.

— Blueberry 🫐💗

Comments

The Absolute Madness of Naming Characters

Let’s talk about one of the most ridiculous struggles of writing a book. No, I’m not talking about the part where you stare at the blinking cursor like it personally insulted your ancestors. I’m talking about naming characters. It should be easy, right? Just slap a name on them and move on? Oh, my sweet summer child. If only. See, naming a character is like naming your kid—except worse, because nobody is going to complain if your kid and their cousin both end up being named Liam. But if your main villain is named Liam and you accidentally give the quirky coffee shop owner in book three the same name? Cue the existential crisis. Let’s walk through the madness. The Overthinking Spiral of Doom You start writing, and there’s that moment: your brand-new character walks onto the page, full of potential. All they need is a name. A simple name. Something strong, something fitting, something— Oh no. Nothing sounds right. This one is too complicated. That one is too simple. ...

DIY Audiobook. A bit of equipment, good advice and lots of patience

I want to create an Audiobook - should I? Ever since the release of book one in the "Cannabis Preacher" series of thrillers, that question has been on my mind. The "Cannabis Preacher" books were quite long. To produce an audiobook from each of the four, including voice actors and audio production with a turn key service, I was looking at around $15,000 per book. Financially, that was a non-starter for me at the time. That amount represented a LOT of books and audiobooks to sell to recover the investment, and I shelved my plan again. With the popularity of the "Magical Papillon" cozy mystery series, I found myself coming back to the growing popularity of audiobooks. I knew that audiobooks could reach a wider audience and catered to busy readers who prefer listening while multitasking. The idea of bringing my characters to life through narration excited me, as it offered a new dimension to my storytelling. The cozy mysteries were only 60-65,000...

The Battle-Scarred ThinkPad and the Mountain of Notebooks: A Love Story

Let’s talk about favorite writing tools. Now, I know some authors might name drop fancy apps, sleek white minimalist keyboards, or those delicate fountain pens with gold nibs that require ceremonial ink rituals … But me? My tools are a little less... romantic. A little more indestructible . And, dare I say, a little more clunky with character . Once upon a time—cue flashback shimmer—I wrote all my stories by hand . Not just a page or two, either. I mean boxes and boxes of handwritten notebooks , full of scribbles, side notes, doodles in the margins, entire character backstories I forgot existed until ten years later. My early stories were a workout for my wrist. I had pens running dry faster than a coffee pot in a newsroom. It was chaotic. It was glorious. Typing those books up? A mission. A translation project. A cryptic decoding effort worthy of Indiana Jones. There were arrows. Stars. Entire paragraphs stuffed sideways in the margins like they were trying to escape the story. So...

Thinkingdog Publishing

Search This Blog