What’s Up Wednesday? Reading, listening, writing and more…

I haven’t done a “What’s Up Wednesday” in years. Literally. Since 2015 based on my post. And Jaime and Erin no longer blog, but I remember how fun those posts were and also how cute their designs were. I’ve added a few catergories…

What I’m reading

I am trying to carve time for the amazing book that is WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES by Denny S. Bryce. It is really oh so good.

In a stirring and impeccably researched novel of Jazz-age Chicago in all its vibrant life, two stories intertwine nearly a hundred years apart, as a chorus girl and a film student deal with loss, forgiveness, and love…in all its joy, sadness, and imperfections.

“Why would I talk to you about my life? I don’t know you, and even if I did, I don’t tell my story to just any boy with long hair, who probably smokes weed.You wanna hear about me. You gotta tell me something about you. To make this worth my while.”

1925: Chicago is the jazz capital of the world, and the Dreamland Café is the ritziest black-and-tan club in town. Honoree Dalcour is a sharecropper’s daughter, willing to work hard and dance every night on her way to the top. Dreamland offers a path to the good life, socializing with celebrities like Louis Armstrong and filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. But Chicago is also awash in bootleg whiskey, gambling, and gangsters. And a young woman driven by ambition might risk more than she can stand to lose.

2015: Film student Sawyer Hayes arrives at the bedside of 110-year-old Honoree Dalcour, still reeling from a devastating loss that has taken him right to the brink. Sawyer has rested all his hope on this frail but formidable woman, the only living link to the legendary Oscar Micheaux. If he’s right—if she can fill in the blanks in his research, perhaps he can complete his thesis and begin a new chapter in his life. But the links Honoree makes are not ones he’s expecting . . .

Piece by piece, Honoree reveals her past and her secrets, while Sawyer fights tooth and nail to keep his. It’s a story of courage and ambition, hot jazz and illicit passions. And as past meets present, for Honoree, it’s a final chance to be truly heard and seen before it’s too late. No matter the cost . . .

What I’m watching

The Chemical Engineer and I are currently watching FOR ALL MANKIND.

In an alternative version of 1969, the Soviet Union beats the United States to the Moon, and the space race continues on for decades with still grander challenges and goals.

We are on the last episode of Season 2, I think. Below if the trailer for season 1.

And we are also watching The Lost Pirate Kingdom on Netflix: The Lost Pirate Kingdom is a 2021 docuseries released by Netflix. This historical drama portrays the rise and fall of the eponymous early-18th century pirate republic based in Nassau, Bahamas. The series begins in 1715, shortly after the close of the War of the Spanish Succession, which pitted England against Spain. England had waged the war on the cheap, resorting to the use of privateers rather than incurring the expense of fully funding the Royal Navy. (Source: Wikipedia)

What I’m listening to:

I’m currently listening to several podcasts pretty regularly. Here are three of them.

1. My Imaginary Friends with L. Penelope: The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. 
   
2. True Crime Obsessed: True Crime Obsessed Recapping True Crime Documentaries with Humor, Sass, and a well timed Garbage Bell!
   
3. The Murder Squad: Jensen & Holes: EACH WEEK RIDE SHOTGUN with retired cold case investigator Paul Holes and investigative journalist Billy Jensen as they attempt to solve an unsolved murder case using a variety of methods, from routine shoe-leather work to advanced technologies like familial DNA searches and social media geotargeting.

What I’m writing

Revising #TheLeftoverBride…Part of this revision is adding 2 chapters of a Christmas Tree Lightning…And let me tell you: Sorcha and Ryan are pretty cute and those chapters are going to be very fun and Christmas-y. 🙂 And I’m getting some of my inspiration for those scenes from having gone to the Chincoteague Christmas Parade years ago…And some of the vendors on the way to the parade may be inspired by all the delicious food at the Christmas markets in Germany.

You can already pre-order #TheLeftoverBride for only $0.99. Choose your favorite e-retailer here: https://books2read.com/TheLeftoverBride!

And/or add it on Goodreads to be the first to know when there’s a Goodreads giveaway available for a signed paperback copy.

What I’m working on:

In addition to #TheLeftoverBride, quite a few things. You can hear details on my podcast: “A Self-Published Author’s Diary“. For example, I added the first almost 40 minutes of the A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER audiobook on YouTube…

Would love to hear what you’re waching, listening to, reading or writing these days! Let me know in the comments!

Thank you so much!

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Listen to my podcast: A Self-Published Author’s Diary

My EU VAT Saga As A Self-Published Author: What I Learned (and Got Wrong Info About) from Amazon KDP Support – A self-published author's diary: The Ups and Downs of Self-Publishing (and everything in-between)

If you're an indie author self-publishing wide, or specifically on Amazon KDP, and you're based in the EU, this episode is for you (or at least, it's for you to commiserate with me). I walk through my ongoing, unresolved, and occasionally maddening experience trying to figure out EU VAT reporting for my Amazon royalties as a Belgian-registered sole proprietor and US citizen self-employed author.Topics covered in this episode:Amazon KDP's EU VAT Invoices requirement and the self-billing agreement, and why that option isn't showing up in my accountWhat actually happened during a two-hour Amazon KDP support chat, including an agent who left mid-conversation and wrong information about my tax formsWhy a US citizen living abroad still has to file a W-9, not a W-8BEN, no matter where they liveWhat I found digging through KDP's own (and partly outdated) VAT help pagesThe next step I've identified but haven't tackled yet: submitting VAT invoices to Amazon manuallyA Patreon update: three new paid tiers now live (Emotional Support Crew, Spicy Pickles, and Raccoon Author), and what free members and newsletter subscribers can still expectAn early audiobook release for # Sweets For Love, going out chapter by chapter on PatreonA Barnes & Noble payment update and a quick note on my ongoing TikTok experimentDisclaimer: This episode is not tax, VAT, or legal advice. It's a personal account of one indie author's experience. Please consult a qualified tax advisor, VAT specialist, or your local tax authority for guidance specific to your situation.Stick around for the blooper reel. I still cannot say "EU VAT" cleanly.Links mentioned:Patreon (with the Raccoon Author tier): https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook/membershipFAQ VAT (old document I think): https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GZJMEVQJPYBGJ8Z7FAQ VAT (newer FAQ): https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GZU8XMCDUGR6PM7FContact: elodie AT elodienow.com

1. My EU VAT Saga As A Self-Published Author: What I Learned (and Got Wrong Info About) from Amazon KDP Support 26:03
2. Numbers: A TikTok Experiment As an Indie Author (the yay, the nay, and what it costs), pre-order numbers and more 29:12
3. Writing and revising, Author Taxes & the Emergency Room: 3 Days in My Self-Published Life 29:48
4. Numbers: Amazon blocked one of my e-books (one that had been live for ten years) 18:33
5. ROMO Or My Reality (Realities) Of Missing Out In the Self-Publishing World… 25:59