andrawatkins

[andrawatkins]

Shelter-In-Place Activities That Do Not Require Screens

70 creative things to fill the hours while you're stuck around the house. From games to geekery, there's something for everybody without all the screens!

As America awakens to the reality of being locked inside for weeks or months, we need effective outlets for our pent-up energy. I’m already sick-to-death of screens. Because let’s face it……..

We can only read the news so much.

Here’s a handy list of shelter-in-place activities that don’t necessarily require screens. (I added a few learning tools that use apps.) Please add to this list in…

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Covid19 Sequestration Day 2

Ah, sequestration. The chance to have those extra glasses of wine, sleep until 10, nap in the afternoon and pretend you're working online. Or something.

I want people to like me.

I travel to meet new people because it is a compelling way to connect with readers. At heart, I’ve always been a performer. My soul feeds from a room lit with my message of hope and memory-making. Sequestration is hard. I already miss the stage. Profoundly. I don’t know when I’ll be given another opportunity. And because I’ve never mastered the art of an online…

[andrawatkins]

How I Cope With Covid19 Plague Day 1 Update

A daily update on how MTM and I are dealing with isolation in a world of plague known as Covid19. How are you coping with isolation?

Hi. For those of you who find your way to this very hidden, not-algorithmic-friendly corner of the internet, I bring you my daily updates on how MTM and I are dealing with isolation in a world of the plague known as Covid19.

9am – Wake up

What? Don’t look at me like that. I have worked from home since 2004. If I want to lounge in bed until 9am, who are you to judge?

MTM: She was actually…

[andrawatkins]

Greetings from the Road!

Greetings from the road! This week: Atlanta. Next week: Washington DC. Plus all the ways I'm taking risks and flinging myself from my comfort zone.

Greetings from the road!

Specifically, I’m working at a Marietta, Georgia Starbucks. A Jonesboro, Georgia book club made this trip possible. They chose my memoir Not Without My Father as their monthly read!

Look at these happy readers!

Next week, I’m in greater Washington, DC.On Saturday (3.14), I’m speaking at the She Wins Unconference. Sunday (3.15) finds me entertaining volunteers at…

[andrawatkins]

Get Rage Baking TODAY

Rage Baking is THE hot new cookbook to add to your collection. I've already ordered several copies for myself and friends. Get yours HERE!

Rage Baking is THE hot new cookbook to add to your collection.

Links to purchase your copy HERE.

Rage Baking is garnering TONS of positive press. I’ve already ordered several copies for myself and friends. I’m proud to know Katherine and hope this installment is the start of a stellar series!

Links to purchase your copy HERE.

RAGE BAKING: The Transformative Power of Flour, Fury & Women’s…

[andrawatkins]

I Climbed Mt Scenery And I Can't Walk Now

My last day on Saba, MTM and I decided to climb Mt Scenery, the dormant volcano that formed the island. Read on to find out why I STILL cannot walk.

My last day on Saba, MTM and I decided to climb Mt Scenery, the dormant volcano that formed the island.

At just under 3,000 feet, it is the highest peak in the Netherlands. The volcano last erupted in 1640, spewing both ash and lava. Some volcanologists believe it to be overdue for an eruption.

During its history, the volcano has blown with enough force to cause part of the cone to collapse.

[andrawatkins]

Scarcity on Saba

Life on Saba is a constant struggle with scarcity. As an American, I expect so much. Read on to find out what it's like to grocery shop on Saba.

Life on Saba is a constant struggle with scarcity.

As an American, I expect water to flow from the tap. Power and internet are reliable. Grocery store shelves are always stocked-to-bursting.

I already wrote a post about water conservation on Saba. FIND IT HERE.

Today’s post is about the scarcity of food on Saba.

Because around ninety percent of Saba’s terrain is vertical, it is…

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Velvet Balls of Saba

I got velvet balls. (Not to be confused with the jade ball Gwyneth Paltrow suggests one put up her lady hole.) Learn about Saba jewelry artist Marie Petit.

On Saba, I got velvet balls.

Or velvet beads. (Not to be confused with the jade ball/bead/egg Gwyneth Paltrow suggests one put up her lady hole.)

Anyway, I have some new jewelry. All thanks to Saba jewelry artist Marie Petit.

My first day on Saba, Anne took me on a tour of Windwardside, one of four towns on the island. Nestled in a saddle, Windwardside benefits from enough flat-ish land…

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The Lace Ladies of Saba

I spent Thursday afternoon with the Lace Ladies of Saba. They create gorgeous pieces, but the Lace Ladies are true island treasures. Read on to learn more.

With my novel draft off to beta readers, I spent Thursday afternoon with the Lace Ladies of Saba.

For close to 150 years, Saba lace has been a principal island draw. It is crafted by pulling thread through linen and shaping designs. The Lace Ladies create doilies, table runners, napkins, bread warmers, aprons, bookmarks and ornaments that are sold in shops all over Saba.

In 2014, the Lace…

[andrawatkins]

It Is Finished

It is finished. My upcoming novel, that is. Well, not really finished exactly, but a complete draft goes to beta readers now.Read on for more.It Is Finished

It is finished.

My upcoming novel, that is. Well, not really finished exactly, but a complete draft goes to beta readers this week.

Since It is finished are purportedly Christ’s final words while hanging from the cross, here’s a brief explanation of what I’ve been writing. Started in Portugal. Beta draft completed on Saba.

Because seriously. Who couldn’t be inspired by this sky?

I am…

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People You Meet in a Bar

Meeting people in a bar is a tired cliche. Go in. Lubricate. Say stuff. Toddle home. Here are a few people I've met in bars on Saba.

Meeting people in a bar is a tired cliche.

Go in. Lubricate courage with adult beverages. Say stuff you might not otherwise say. Toddle home.

When in Charleston, I keep to myself when I go out. Maybe it’s because I’m still stunted by my father, who talks to every person in a place whether they want it or not.

But I don’t want to be like the woman I saw once.

She ventures into the same…

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Hard Times Can Fix Anything

Hard Times Can Fix Anything

Hard Times is coming.

No, that is not a typo. In case you missed it, I wrote a lengthy post HERE about water conditions on Saba.

As soon as the post went live, I ran out of water at my cottage. I haven’t showered since last Thursday, washed my hair since last Monday. You can probably smell me wherever you are.

Hard Times is the repairman’s name. He’s supposed to come today and fix leaks…

[andrawatkins]

The People Buried In The Backyard

There are people buried in my Saban backyard. Four of them in a row. Read on to discover more about land and water use on the island of Saba.

There are people buried in my Saban backyard. Four of them in a row.

Such burials are common on Saba, where the craggy landscape makes habitable land extremely rare. People are often buried wherever one can find a horizontal spot. Even if that means it’s in someone’s backyard.

These burials highlight an aspect of my travels I don’t often discuss here. Because in a way, it’s about politics,…

[andrawatkins]

Clinging to Hells Gate

Hells Gate. On my first full day on Saba, I'm clinging to Hells Gate. Read on to learn more about Saba, where I'm writing for the next two weeks.

Hells Gate. On my first full day on Saba, I’m clinging to Hells Gate. (It’s where my cottage is, silly.)

2017. I met Anne Becker in Duvall, Washington. She eclipses the thanklessness of creativity. Her friendship and support have become a balm and a salve.

She started coming to Saba twenty years ago when she worked in the viper pit of Washington DC. Paradise was a sea-locked volcano…

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Greetings from Saba

I'm not even to Saba yet, and she wakes me from a snooze. "Would you like a massage? I'll do a free demo." Did I take her up on her offer? Read on.

I’m not even to Saba yet, and she wakes me from a snooze. “Would you like a massage? I’ll do a free demo.”

“No, thank you,” I manage, still groggy from sun and sand and sky.

“I’m not voting in our next election,” she announces, committed to her hustle.

I sit up. Shield my eyes from the technicolor marriage of water and cloud. “Why not?” I query, always on the lookout for a decent story.

[andrawatkins]

Coming in 2020

Writing elsewhere means NOT writing here. I owe you a Coming in 2020 post because A LOT is happening. Click to read and tell me what you're up to!Coming in 2020

Writing elsewhere means NOT writing here. I owe you a Coming in 2020 post because A LOT is happening. Upcoming Appearances

27 – 31 January 2020 – SAVANNAH GA and JACKSONVILLE FL 10 – 14 February 2020 – AUSTIN TX 13 February 2020 @ 2:30pm – MEMOIR WORKSHOP AT LAKE TRAVIS LIBRARY (part of the Austin Public Library system) 2 – 6 March 2020 – ATLANTA GA 2 March 2020 @ 6pm – JONESBORO GA BOOK CLUB 9…

[andrawatkins]

I’m on Medium Talking About the Peloton Ad

I’m on Medium Talking About the Peloton Ad

Please head over to Medium to clap, comment and share.

Here’s the link: https://link.medium.com/jYC1cT7ph2

Or click on the photo of me suffering on our Peloton to read on Medium.