Month: November 2021

Do You Know What Doesn’t Suffer From Supply-Chain Problems?

On By angeliquejamailIn art, books, fiction, Finis., HOMECOMING, literature, poetry, poetry art cards, Small Business Saturday, Sonic Chihuahua, THE MILK OF FEMALE KINDNESS, THE SHARP EDGES OF WATER, writing, zines5 Comments

Happy Small Business Saturday!

I hope you’ve had a lovely Thanksgiving (for those of you celebrating it) or else just a very nice week. Here in the US we have launched ourselves full-force into the holiday season, and the day after Black Friday is Small Business Saturday, a day designated to encourage and buy from small businesses in an effort to shop local and indie. And something useful to remember is that authoring is a business, and therefore every author is a small business owner. (That includes me!)

I have several items that might be of interest to you and yours:

  • My books include Finis. and Homecoming in the Animal Affinities series (urban fantasy), and The Sharp Edges of Water (poetry). I also currently have the international anthology The Milk of Female Kindness–An Anthology of Honest Motherhood available; I was one of the lead contributors on that project, which includes fiction, poetry, essays, interviews, and art.
FINIS. (Book 1) – $5.99
HOMECOMING (Book 2) – $5.99
THE SHARP EDGES OF WATER – $13.00
(not pictured: THE MILK OF FEMALE KINDNESS – $15.00)

 

  • I have my zine, Sonic Chihuahua, issues 1-7 in stock. (Click on this link to see what’s in each issue.) These are $3 each and include poetry, essays, fiction, art, recipes, interviews, and fun-and-games. Rejoice in the 90stalgia that is this fabulous and popular zine!
Click on the link above to see the Table of Contents for each issue!

 

  • Poetry art cards, which include my handmade designs and often my poetry on them, are blank on the inside and — with your thoughtful note written in — make lovely gifts in themselves, suitable for framing. Click here to see all 19 designs in more detail. Cards are $8 each.
Click on the link in the description to see the individual cards.

 

You can order all of these items from me directly. You can also see all of these, plus my handmade jewelry and decorated blank journals, at the Sawyer Yards Market on December 11th.

Although you can buy my books Finis., Homecoming, and The Sharp Edges of Water in bookstores — and I hope you will! — you can also buy them directly from me. Just leave a note in the comments about it, and I’ll be in touch with you, or else email me (forest [dot] of [dot] diamonds [at] gmail [dot] com), and I’ll put your items in the mail to you right away. (I recommend you order from me before December 12th for the best chance of receiving your package in time for Christmas, if that’s what you’re aiming for.) Shipping costs will be as low as I can make them.

Of course you can also get my books from Amazon and Bookshop and other big online retailers. If you’d like to get them from local and indie bookstores — and I encourage you to do so! — I know they’re currently on the shelves at Blue Willow Bookshop (Houston) and The Twig Bookshop (San Antonio). And any bookstore can order it from Ingram if they don’t currently have any copies left in stock. (Interesting note about Amazon: they currently have Finis. and Homecoming on sale, though I don’t know how long that promotion will go for.)

So that’s it! I hope you’ll support your local and indie shops and authors and makers, not just now at the holiday season but all year round. Happy holidays to you! And thank you for your support.

All My Poetry Art Card Designs To Date

On By angeliquejamailIn Uncategorized6 Comments

Here is a handy index of all my poetry art card designs to date. All designs are handmade by me, one individual card at a time (so please allow for slight variations across multiple cards in the same design). Most of them include fragments of my own poetry, but some contain fragments inspired by other authors. All cards are blank on the inside and are suitable for framing. The black cards have a cream-colored space on the inside to write a short note using a regular pen. All cards are $8 each. Leave a note in the comments to order, or just email me at forest [dot] of [dot] diamonds [at] gmail [dot] com.

Poetry Art Card #1; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2004
Poetry Art Card #2; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2014
Poetry Art Card #3; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2016
Poetry Art Card #4; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2014
Poetry Art Card #5; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2016
Poetry Art Card #6; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2016
Poetry Art Card #7; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2003
Poetry Art Card #8; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2013
Poetry Art Card #9; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2014
Poetry Art Card #10; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2016
Poetry Art Card #11; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2016
Poetry Art Card #12; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2016
Poetry Art Card #13; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2016
Poetry Art Card #14; text copyright Angélique Jamail, 2019
Poetry Art Card #15; inspired by Emily Dickinson
Poetry Art Card #16; inspired by THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern
Poetry Art Card #17; inspired by Edgar Allen Poe
Poetry Art Card #18; inspired by ONCE TWO SISTERS by Sarah Warburton
Poetry Art Card #19; inspired by YOU CAN NEVER TELL by Sarah Warburton

 

The SONIC CHIHUAHUA: Volume 2, Issues 1-7

On By angeliquejamailIn art, fiction, literature, memoir, poetry, Sonic Chihuahua, writing, zines3 Comments

Many of you know that after a 29-year hiatus, I restarted my zine, the SONIC CHIHUAHUA, this spring. It has been one of the best decisions I made this year! I’m pleased to report the zine is thriving and growing far beyond my expectations, and that it feeds a part of my creative spirit I wasn’t aware I needed to be fed. It will continue.

For those of you who are not yet subscribers, here is a preview (i.e. a look at the Table of Contents) for each of the issues that has come out this year.

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1: * Why “SONIC CHIHUAHUA”? What Does That Even Mean??? * The Year of Living Pandemically * apple pie (seriously!) * convo with author Sarah Warburton * a Top 5 List not to be missed! * poetry and art

 

 

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2:
* A Graduation Message: The Fundamental Lies of Our Culture
* Chocolate Disaster Cake (seriously!)
* convo with Jamie Portwood of Writespace (wide-ranging, and it gets DEEP, yo)
* a Top 5 List not to be missed!
* poetry and art

 

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3:
* Vacationing in Purgatory: The Spice Lady of Maine
* fiction and bingo
* rainbow trout (seriously!)
* convo with author Adam Holt
* a Top 5 List not to be missed!
* poetry and art

 

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4:
* The Twi-Moms’ Lament
* yet more fiction
* chocolate chip cookies (seriously!)
* convo with Vali Reinhardt (frontwoman of Black Market Tragedy)
* a Top 5 List not to be missed!
* poetry and art

 

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 5:
* an essay about the day this country shifted
* kittens and fiction
* pasta sauce (seriously!)
* convo with Sean Fitzpatrick (executive director of The Jung Center)
* a Top 5 List not to be missed!
* poetry and art

 

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 6:
* Embracing My Inner Goth (part 1)
* NeriSiren’s Coffee Grotto
* zeitunes (seriously!)
* convo with renaissance woman Christa Forster
* a Top 5 List not to be missed!
* poetry and art

 

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7:
* Embracing My Inner Goth (part 2)
* NeriSiren’s Coffee Grotto
* turkey (seriously!)
* convo with Aaron Herrick
* a Top 5 List not to be missed!
* poetry, fiction, and art

Earworms on Hold for a Bit

On By angeliquejamailIn Uncategorized2 Comments

So this past Friday afternoon at 5:00 Sunny 99.1 FM here in Houston flipped their holiday switch and started playing Christmas music. I’ve tuned in now and then just to see if they’ve got anything new, but so far it’s been a bunch of very old and pasty standards that we’ve all heard eleventy billion times. Of course, this is my cue to begin curating this year’s 12 Days of Holiday Music That Doesn’t Suck, so I’m going to do that. If you have any requests or suggestions, please put them in the comments.

But also? I’m utterly drowning in work at the moment. My grading stack is the size of two Greater Houston Metro Area phone books from the 1980s, which means the stack is approximately as tall as my face is long, and I’m also trying to get the November zine out and, I don’t know, write a book? Yeah, I’m just a skosh busy at the moment. So Monday Earworms are taking a teensy hiatus. (And that’s not the only thing about to go on a break.) Terribly sorry about that.

I’ll try not to be a stranger around here, but right now, I need to spend more time on Other Things. I hope you’ll understand.

In the meantime, if you find a store that is still selling Chobani Pumpkin Spice creamer, please let me know. Kthxbye.

xoxo

Author Events Coming Up for This Fall and Winter

On By angeliquejamailIn author signing, books, events, writing3 Comments

You know, after the last year and a half of pandemic, I really didn’t know when I’d ever be able to promote any author events on this blog again. I mean, I just didn’t know when it would be safe to have in-person fun again.

Well, things are hopeful. So a veritable bevy of fun events has landed on my desk, and I’m gobbling them up! Rest assured, I will have a bottle of hand sanitizer on my table at each one, and even though I’m vaccinated, I’ll still be masked up, because this pandemic isn’t over yet. But also, my professional life must go on as much as possible, so here we go.

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November 7-9, 2021 — Kinkaid School Book Fair — Come find me at my author table on Sunday 5:00-7:00 p.m. and Monday 12:00-2:00 p.m. And a side note? This is always a super fun event because Book Fair is my favorite holiday and ours is one of the biggest of any school anywhere, but wow it’s the most awkward appearance I ever do, because my students are there and kind of look at me from across the room like I’m some kind of a cryptid, scared to come talk to me outside of the context of my classroom. But I promise, folks, you can bring your friendly and familiar faces over. It will all be okay, and I’ll be thrilled to see you!

November 13, 2021 — Zine Fest Houston — This is my first time at Zine Fest, and I’m super excited to introduce SONIC CHIHUAHUA to a larger audience! I will have all back issues available and hopefully even November’s issue as well! If you’re a regular subscriber/reader of SC you’ll be able to get your copy here without having to wait for the usual delivery methods. Find me (and Han) there from 12:00-4:30 p.m.; the location is The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art at 2334 Gulf Terminal Dr.; Houston, TX 77023. Learn more about the event here.

December 11, 2021 — Market at Sawyer Yards — Fellow author Adam Holt and I are headed back at the Sawyer Yards Arts Market! I’ll have books, zines, jewelry, journals, and handmade stationery. Come do some holiday shopping without the fear of supply chain or shipping delays! Come see us 11:00-5:00 that day. The location is 1502 Sawyer Street; Houston, TX 77007. Find more details here.

January 29, 2022 — BrazCon — Everyone’s favorite teen comics convention has returned! Join us in Freeport (very close to Houston) from 9:30-3:30 that Saturday for a family-friendly event loaded with panels, vendors, and special guest appearances. Even better — it’s free! This wonderful festival is put on by the Brazoria County Library System. I’ve been there numerous times and always have a wonderful experience. Click here for more details.

February 5, 2022 — The Twig Bookshop — I’m ecstatic to be doing my first author event in San Antonio, Texas! Come see me at The Twig Bookshop downtown in the Pearl Brewery complex during their weekend open-air market — which, by the way, has the best beignets I’ve ever eaten in my life, even better than Café du Monde (don’t @ me, just try them). I’ll be there Saturday 11:00-1:00 and so excited to see you! The Twig is located at 306 Pearl Parkway, Suite 106; San Antonio, Texas 78215. Click here to see their website.

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Wow, those are a lot of events! I really hope to see you at some or all of them. Have a great November!