This is super fucked up stressful terrifying weird right? Many of us are trapped inside, some with hobgoblins children, some not but feeling a bit lonely. I was trying to think of something to do to help you all break the monotony of being home and saw some of my teacher friends offering to do online classes with school-aged children, friends wanting to Skype board games or movie nights, anything we can do to not feel so hemmed in by our walls and maybe take a break from the anxiety of it all.
So, what can I do to help? The idea of kids watching how-to videos and having virtual classes made me think of my favorite part of school: reading time. I didn’t care if it was free-reading where I got to spend 10 mins with my own books, or we read as a class where a student read a page or so and then another kid took over, or when the teacher just read to us, I loved it all. Hell, I was a super nerd in HS and took honors and AP classes and we friggen loved it when teachers read to us. It really gave us a break from it all.
Well, that I can do.
I’m gonna read to you. Even if it’s just one or two people who sign in or if I’m just reading so the stars can hear me, I’m gonna do it. A chapter a day (maybe 2 if a chapter is particularly short). And what better than my own weird post-apocalyptic story, World of Ash? If you have a copy you can read along as I read aloud, if you haven’t been able to get a copy now’s your chance to find out what it’s all about!
I’m trying to decide when is the right time to do this. Obviously my book is Young Adult, so it’s up to you if your kiddos are mature enough to listen, but it’s not a kids book, that’s for sure. I would say it’s 13 years old and up, but your kid’s maturity levels may vary and you can decide if it’s appropriate for them. And I’m in California so I need to plan this well. I was thinking 11am my time, that’s mid-afternoon for much of the county and just before lunch over here. English class was never my first or last class of the day, so that feels right.
But maybe late afternoon is better? I just know as the day becomes evening and night I like to curl up on the couch with the telly and the later in the afternoon I do it Pacific Standard Time, the later it is for most and we’re edging into dinner time.
I just practice read chapter 1 and it took about 14 minutes to get through. I’m a fast talker thanks to living in SoCal, so I have to make a conscious effort not to speak too fast as I read.
Now WOA has 34 chapters, so I can always try out 11am and see how it works for people and change it to a different time if people would prefer. Obviously you can replay the videos later, but I am going to live stream so if people want to ask questions or whatever, I’m actually there for it. If you ask questions after the broadcast, I’ll answer them in the coming days (no spoilers please).
What do you think? Fun? Morbid? I saw a lot of people on Twitter and Reddit asking for end-of-the-world book recs, so I know some people are in the mood. Maybe because the books often have some message of hope? And we could all use that right now?
Anyway. I’m gonna do it.
Starting tomorrow.
You can follow me on Instagram or on Facebook. I’ll set up the livestream for both so you can watch how you like. I’m either going to use my iPad or steal my hubby’s phone so I can use my phone for Instagram and one of those for Facebook. Who knows, if it goes well and is popular enough, maybe I’ll keep reading.
P.S.
I’m not gonna lie, guys, I am a little nervous for us right now. My husband is a private personal trainer, so if we lose clients to quarantine we’ll be in danger of not paying our bills like so many others. I’m not doing this for money, I’m doing it for the fun of it, but if you do want to drop a dollar or two, I’ll put links for that too. And you can always become a patron for exclusive content and continued support. And of course, buying books is always helpful and leaving reviews helps sell them to others, so please feel free to show your support that way!
The Musings of an Author in Progress 