Book Friends Forever Podcast

Grace and Alvina take on two topics. They talk about sabbaticals, and a recent Happiness Lab podcast episode about how life changing sabbaticals are. Grace talks about the challenges of taking a sabbatical as a freelancer, and Alvina shares how life-changing her sabbatical was, even though it was just four weeks. They talk about the different types of sabbaticals you could take: as an achiever, an explorer, or a healer. And, how to plan a sabbatical. They also touch on the different ways to be retired as discussed on a recent Gretchen Rubin podcast: a relaxer, a reinventor, or a reinvigorator. For the second topic, Grace talks about how she was asked to contribute a life lesson to her alma mater for a publication. She is supposed to reflect on one true thing she has learned from life. They talk about the different things they've learned over the years, including that you need to be your authentic self, that everything will turn out okay in the end, and more. They end, as always, with what they're grateful for--old friends who feel like family!  Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1 Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/

Grace's audio/microphone is finally fixed!! Grace and Alvina have an odd-and-ends Chop Suey episode where they discuss various topics. Since Grace is just back from the Boyd's Mills Asian American Voices retreat, they talk about retreats in general, the community benefits that come from attending retreats, and different kind of retreats. Then they discuss procrastination--Alvina is a somewhat "recovered procrastinator" and Grace talks about procrastinating on chores that she isn't good at doing. They talk about tips for not procrastinating, including "temptation bundling" and gamifying tasks. Then they talk about the Fall season in publishing and why it feels so busy, and they discuss whether editors acquire more in the Fall. For the final segment, children's literature specialist Alison Morris joins to share some book recommendations. And, they end as always with what they're grateful for.  Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1 Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/

Grace and Alvina discuss how publishing and writing is hard, and why it should or shouldn't be. They talk about the stereotype of the tortured artist, and while the act of creating art doesn't have to be hard, but that the publishing part perhaps does need to be in order for it to be a true accomplishment. They talk about how if things are hard now, things may be easier later, while other things may be easy now, but make things harder later. They talk about what things should be hard, and what things should be easier (like taxes and healthcare). They talk about how the sense of accomplishment comes from doing hard things. And, how balance in your life is important. For the Fortune Cookie segment, they talk about how they currently use (or don't use) AI in their own lives, and what is ethical vs unethical usage. They talk about a recent article about AI usage amongst Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists. And they end as always with what they're grateful for.  Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1   Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast   Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/

Grace Lin and Alvina Ling are joined by Danielle Render Turmaud, host of the podcast You, Me, and the Writing Journey podcast to do a crossover episode! Danielle is a therapist and a kidlit author, and You, Me, and the Writing Journey meets at the intersection of all thing literary + mental health, so they discuss anxiety and stress in the writing industry. The distinguish between the anxiety and stress involved with the actual writing vs publishing. They talk about the potential joy of the doing/writing, but the stress and anxiety that's introduced once you share your work with others, try to get published, and then actually get published! Danielle talks about how your writing can change, and your relationship to writing can change, once you decide that publishing your writing is your goal. They talk about how publishing brings the market and capitalist element into your art. They also talk about how uncertainty in publishing contributes to anxiety, as well as the personal nature of writing, and the danger of comparison.  Danielle shares a few factors that research has found that are highly likely to contribute to stress: lack of control, suddenness, and ambiguity. They discuss how these three factors are intrinsic in the industry. They also talk about how stress and anxiety manifest in their lives and bodies (like insomnia, rumination, and "stress eating"), and what things they've done to help alleviate their work stress and anxiety. Danielle talks about how to "Feel, release, and accept."   For the Fortune Cookie segment, they each share what they're obsessed with right now. Grace is obsessed with seeing the Dambo Trolls, Alvina talks about her recent TV and book obsessions, and Danielle is obsessed with their new firepit. And they end with what they're grateful for.   Check out the You, Me, and the Writing Journey podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you-me-and-the-writing-journey-podcast/id1791701688   Follow Danielle and You, Me, and the Writing Journey podcast on Instagram: @Drenderturmaud and @YMWJPodcast   Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1   Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast   Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/

Grace and Alvina discuss interviews--both conducting good interviews and being a good interviewee--Grace had recently had an interview for a surprise opportunity, and Alvina has been interviewing for her new assistant. They talk about what elements make for being a good interviewer, including how all candidates, including rejected ones, should feel like they were fairly assessed. All of the interviews should be conducted with the same list of questions for all candidates, and questions should be crafted to evaluate the specifics of the role requirements. They talk about bias in interviews and when to take that into account. Then they talk about how to be a good interviewee, and how some questions can be misleading in terms of what the interviewer is looking for. If you're interviewing for a position, make sure to do some research about the company you're interviewing for, and use the "STAR" method when answering questions. And, always send a thank-you note after your interview! For the Fortune Cookie segment they talk about what they both think is worth waiting in line for. And they end as always with what they're grateful for.  Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1 Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/