BOOKCAST SERIES and a life update

Hi there!

Can I just acknowledge that I have been HORRID at keeping up with this blog? I had hoped to publish a new post every time I published a video on YouTube, but that has not happened.

Today I wanted to give yall an update on what's going on in life. I'd also like to shed some light on my Bookcast series on YouTube so that you all can get to know me, my website, and my YouTube channel a little bit better.

As a writer, I believe it is critical that I read in my spare time. Anyone can put words down on a page, but it takes a well-read person (along with practice, talent, and some luck) to craft those words into something beautiful.

That being said, as someone who worked 40 hours a week for a doctor's office, even if I was working from home, I found that I either (A) had no time to read during the day and/or (B) I was so mentally exhausted by the end of the day that I could not bring myself to pick up a book.

Well, I've got some good news. As of 5:00pm on June 14th, 2021, my employment of six years with the above mentioned office was terminated for no reason (told to me) other than I was "just not a good fit". For almost two weeks I have let this fester, wracking my brain for why the hell they would have fired me...what was the real reason? I recently got a decent raise, I'd been told I was doing well and though I had some issues work-wise to fix, I was on my way to fixing them.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't panic a bit, didn't cry a little, didn't fantasize about punching a wall. I did everything except really focus on moving forward. I neglected my blog (clearly), my mood in my videos is a bit lackluster...well...more than usual anyway. After discussing things with my husband, he told me to relax for a few months, not to worry too much about the money, and to figure out what I want to do with myself now.

The possibilities have opened up for me. I don't have to stick to medical billing and coding (even though I STILL owe on my student loans for that). Then I realized...I have time to read. I actually have time to read!! AND write! In the same day! What the heck?!

I've been in a "house wife" type situation before with my first husband. I was young, and I wasted those six years away playing video games when I could have been doing something constructive and worthwhile.

Today I decided that this time is going to be different. I will fill my days with learning something new (I'm aiming for self-taught guitar), wifely duties like cleaning and cooking/baking (and making luxury bar soap, which I'm super into right now), and creating content for my three YouTube channels. This means that I can actually READ again. When I have nothing else to do, no cleaning, no exercising...I can fill my time with reading the next book for the Bookcast series!

Ahhh...and here we are. What is the Bookcast series? It is a series of book review videos on YouTube. Simple as that.

Someday, when I network a bit more and know more people, I am hoping to go live with one, two...even three other fellow book nerds, possibly on a monthly basis, to discuss books that we have agreed to read. But my channel isn't quite there yet. With only 14 subscribers, and everyone I've met on YouTube strictly talking about writing, it's hard to find a bookworm that is willing to leave the comfort of their cozy blankets to join me on camera for a roundtable discussion. Six, seven years ago I would have been terrified to do anything of the sort.

So, really, I'm hoping that by reviewing books on YouTube with my Bookcast series, it will keep me accountable to keep reading which I'm further hoping will enrich my writing...or at least help me keep the creativity going.

If you or someone you know would like to read a book with me and be a guest on a once-a-month live bookcast with a VERY small-time YouTuber, please contact me via any social media platform, or the "contact me" section at the bottom of the home page.

Happy reading!

~Heather