I Heart This Thursday

I Heart This Thursday | June is Bustin’ Out All Over 2023

Welcome to IHTT, a discussion thread for sharing stuff you love because IT’S JUNE! JUNE JUNE JUNE

You know what’s coming…

Bustin’ Out All Oah-veeerrrrrrrrrr

Now it’s your turn: Please talk about or post a link, or two links, or even 5 links to things that bring you joy. Can be something cute your kid or pet did, a piece of art, a song, a book, a short story, an article, a video, posts from social media, anything.

And if these discussions are a source of joy for you, please do share this link with others who might need a space for talking about what we love.

The Nebula Award Ceremony Is Tonight! | May 2023 Tea Time with Tempest

clears throat daintily THE NEBULAS ARE TONIGHT AND I AM ALL ABUZZ!

The ceremony will be livestreamed starting at 8PM Pacific on YouTube and Facebook and available to view after if you can’t watch live.

YouTube Link | Facebook Link


Aside form this amazingness I have a few other important things to tell you about below. Then we can all go back to going OMG AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

Continue reading “The Nebula Award Ceremony Is Tonight! | May 2023 Tea Time with Tempest”

header image showing a Black woman with her face on the desk in front of a computer looking defeated and bombarded by social media icons

Webinar: Authors and Social Media… What the HECK do we do NOW??

Registration just opened for my new webinar and you are all invited to join!

When: Sunday, June 18 · 8am – 2pm Pacific (check to see when this is in your time zone)
Where: Online in Zoom
Live Webinar Registration: $40
Can’t Attend? Recording Only Registration: $30
Scholarships Are Available

Click here to register

 

The current social media landscape is quicksand right now. Every week someone at Twitter makes a change that impacts how the site works, the tools we all use to stay safe and manage how we interact, who sees (or, truly, who doesn’t see) our posts, and dozens of other important functionalities.

This has a ripple effect across all social networks. Some are now more desirable, others are experiencing a resurgence, and some seem determined to follow Twitter’s bad example right down into the lake of fire. Plus, there are new Twitter clones popping up all the time and sometimes dying as quickly as they came to everyone’s attention.

And then there’s you, an author who just wants to write their books and do what they can to help readers find said books. An author who might have been told that they have to have a social media presence and they have to post and post to sell the book and have to get the attention of Bookstagram or BookTok or BookTube or Book[insert truncated social network name yet to be discovered but will surely be the next big thing here]. Don’t forget to buy a ring light!

In this webinar, author K. Tempest Bradford (that’s me!) will help you sort through this mess by offering advice on deciding which social networks to use or ignore based on your goals, tips for setting up a system of auto posting and scheduling that will allow you to maintain an appropriate presence on them, focus on meaningful engagements (if that’s what you want), ignore the aspects of social media that have a negative impact on mental health, and reclaim your writing time.

Learn More and Register or Apply for a Scholarship

I Heart This Thursday

I Heart This Thursday | May The Fourth Be With You! 2023

It’s May the Fourth This Thursday, a discussion thread for sharing stuff and Star Wars stuff you love because we need more of that in life.

This is one of my favorite Star Wars things ever:

Link to the source. Follow this guy on TikTok!

Now it’s your turn: Please talk about or post a link, or two links, or even 5 links to things that bring you joy (even if they don’t involve Star Wars). Can be something cute your kid or pet did, a piece of art, a song, a book, a short story, an article, a video, posts from social media, anything.

And if these discussions are a source of joy for you, please do share this link with others who might need a space for talking about what we love.

I Heart This Thursday

I Heart This Thursday | April 2023

Welcome to I❤TT, a discussion thread for sharing stuff you love because we need more of that in life.

By the time this post goes live I’ll be in Egypt! That fact right there is a huge source of joy for me. This is my third trip and I’m so looking forward to seeing new tings this time around as well as revisiting my favorite places. I’ll share pictures via Tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook!

Now it’s your turn: Please talk about or post a link, or two links, or even 5 links to things that bring you joy. Can be something cute your kid or pet did, a piece of art, a song, a book, a short story, an article, a video, posts from social media, anything.

And if these discussions are a source of joy for you, please do share this link with others who might need a space for talking about what we love.

Ruby Finley is a Nebula Finalist | March 2023 Tea Time With Tempest

Nebula Award Finalist

Ever since I found out about this I’ve been vibrating with joy. Ruby Finley vs. the Interstellar Invasion is a finalist for the Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction. This is my first ever Nebula nomination and I’m beyond honored. Squeeeeee!

I’m up against some tough competition. The whole ballot is stuffed with great books and media and games. I’m in the best company.

This seems like a good time to point to this blog post I wrote on how the book came to be and this podcast episode where I talk about the publication process in more detail.

I hadn’t planned to attend Nebula Weekend this year. Problem is, with my Egypt trip coming up, I’m low on discretionary funds and can’t afford it. When I told my friend Alethea this she said I had to go then set up this GoFundMe to make it possible. (Have I mentioned lately that I have the BEST friends?) If it reaches the goal, I can go.
Continue reading “Ruby Finley is a Nebula Finalist | March 2023 Tea Time With Tempest”

I Heart This Thursday

I Heart This Thursday | March 2023

Welcome to I❤TT, a discussion thread for sharing stuff you love because we need more of that in life.

I haven’t been on TikTok for several months now and I mostly don’t miss it. There are a few accounts I missed enough to seek out on YouTube. One of them was the 3 Southern Cats and Momma. It’s still called that even though there’s now a fourth cat! I love them all so much. Here’s a random video for a taste.

LOVE

Please talk about or post a link, or two links, or even 5 links to things that bring you joy. Can be something cute your kid or pet did, a piece of art, a song, a book, a short story, an article, a video, posts from social media, anything.

And if these discussions are a source of joy for you, please do share this link with others who might need a space for talking about what we love.

Originality 39 header image

ORIGINality Podcast Episode 39: Do Not Put All Your Eggs in Twitter’s Basket

Twitter is (still) going down in a blaze of…well, not glory. Its demise has been a blow to many creative people. They’re rightfully worried about the future.
In this episode Aleen and I talk about what writers and artists and other creatives can do in the wake of this and any other social media platform’s decline. Spoiler: It’s about diversification.

»»» Click here to listen to episode 39 «««

Image of two drawings by Tempest, one a scarab beetle, the other a sun with sunrays that end in hands. Also shown are the markers used.

Daily Creative Challenge: Days 1 and 2

It’s a new year (according to some calendars, at least) and a good time to reset, refresh, and start anew. I gave up doing resolutions several years ago, though I still try to use the energy around this time of year as impetus to get back to things I need and want to do. Such as filling up my internal creative well by engaging in wild acts of creativity.

Okay, maybe not wild ones.

Last year I came across the Daily Project Deck by Molly McLeod and immediately fell in love. As you might know, I’m a big fan of fun practice activities such as writing exercises and games, so I knew this deck would tick all my boxes. I decided to start with it in February. I got sidetracked yesterday, so officially we’re starting on the second!

Here are the cards I picked from the deck:

I Heart This Thursday | February 2023

Welcome to I❤TT, a discussion thread for sharing stuff you love because we need more of that in life.

The new year celebrations are all over! Lunar New Year usually comes in February, but happened early this time. Guess that means I finally need to start my year. It does bring me a measure of joy to have a reason to reset and start anew on things I know I should be doing. I try not to think of it as making resolutions, only recommitting myself to self care.

Now it’s your turn: Please talk about or post a link, or two links, or even 5 links to things that bring you joy. Can be something cute your kid or pet did, a piece of art, a song, a book, a short story, an article, a video, posts from social media, anything.

And if these discussions are a source of joy for you, please do share this link with others who might need a space for talking about what we love.