A Bright Clean Mind preorder bonus!
Oh, hello! I've had a knitting-and-sewing post sitting almost-finished in my draft folder for ages, and I will get to that soon—in the meantime here's an excerpt from and fun little preorder bonus for my next book, A Bright Clean Mind: Veganism for Creative Transformation:
Alec's Favorite Vegan Recipes
Readers of The Boy From Tomorrow will notice that Alec and his mother are newly vegan—as Mrs. Frost says, "if you have to make two major life changes, you may as well make three." So here's a recipe round-up! Some dishes are mentioned in the novel, and others are just recipes I imagine Alec and Danny would enjoy as much as I do.
Weekend Breakfast
Pumpkin pie pancakes from Robin Robertson's Vegan Planet
Fruit salad: banana, pineapple, mango, strawberries, blueberries, with whipped coconut cream (GF)
Chickpea-Flour Omelette (with tomato and red onion) with tempeh bacon and hash brown haystacks (GF)
Weekday Lunch
On a sandwich: "chuna" salad, tofu "egg" salad, peanut or almond butter and fig jam, or Tofurky deli slices with lettuce and tomato (to make GF, omit deli slices and use gluten-free bread)
Carrots with hummus; a banana or apple; and a leftover cookie! (see below) (GF)
Dinner
Tater-tot casserole (it's healthier than it sounds, especially with a side salad) (GF)
Pizza from scratch (with marinara, caramelized onions, pre-sauteéd mini-bella mushrooms and broccoli rabe, and tofu ricotta)
Macaroni 'n cheese (add peas, chopped tomatoes, and/or broccoli to make it healthier) (to make GF, use gluten-free pasta and breadcrumbs)
Classic chili with cashew sour cream and cornbread (GF if using gluten-free flour in the cornbread)
Snacks
Baba ganoush with pita chips (dip is GF)
Banana-peanut butter smoothie: frozen over-ripe bananas, peanut butter, cinnamon, vanilla powder, almond milk (GF)
Desserts
Lavender-chocolate cupcakes (using maple syrup instead of honey) (GF)
Gingerbread People (GF)
Mrs. Frost's Veggie Chili
Does the Internet need another recipe for veggie chili? NOPE! But I’m planning a kid-friendly vegan recipe round-up as part of my resources for The Boy From Tomorrow, and I figured it would be better to tell you exactly how I make it rather than linking to some recipe I’ve never actually tried. This chili is as minimalist as I can make it, mild while still flavorful; I don’t use a spice mix, just chili powder and cumin with a pinch of cayenne. It’s basically the chili of my childhood with soy crumbles instead of ground beef, and in this version, there’s enough salt in the (store-bought) veggie broth that you don’t have to add any. If you’re skipping the soy crumbles, add another tin of beans or a cup of green lentils (which will require extra water).
Serve with Gena Hamshaw’s no-fuss cornbread recipe. Simple cashew sour cream recipe to follow.
Vegan Chili
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 onions, diced
1 ½ tsp. chili pepper (or to taste)
2 tsp. ground cumin (or to taste)
pinch (or more) cayenne pepper
2 large potatoes, diced
4 cups veggie broth
2 bell peppers, diced
2 15.5-oz. cans of beans (black and kidney, but any kind will do)
1 large can (28 oz.) of crushed tomatoes
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 package soy mince crumbles (I use Light Life)
Sauté garlic and onions in olive oil until translucent, adding spices and stirring well. Add chopped potatoes and continue cooking. When potatoes have softened, add the veggie broth followed by the rest of the ingredients, and simmer for a good while. The more times you reheat the pot, the tastier the chili will be! Serves 8-10.
Cashew Sour Cream
This recipe is tweaked from DIY Vegan by Nicole Axworthy and Lisa Pitman (they offer the garlic and mustard as a suggestion for extra zing, but I say these ingredients are essential; add even more if you want!)
1 ½ cups raw cashew pieces, soaked in hot water (the longer they soak, the less you’ll need to process them)
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. mustard
½ tsp. salt
Drain soaked cashews, preserving ½ cup of the liquid, and blend well, adding remaining ingredients. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour to let the “cream” firm up, and the flavors mingle. Yields a full pint jar and is also delicious on baked potatoes.
Compassionate Creativity Beta Coaching FAQ
When I announced that I'd be offering a creativity coaching beta program early next year, several lovely people replied to communicate their interest. I'm going to keep this group small so I can give you more bandwidth, and so that you guys can actively learn from and inspire each other. Here's what you can expect from this six-week program beginning Monday, January 8th:
weekly presentations followed by Q&A and informal group discussion (75-90 minutes total; if you can't attend live, you can watch the replay any time)
fun assignments to integrate each module, usually a combination of journaling exercises, worksheets, and trying something new (in or outside the kitchen)
Recipe roundups based on you and your family's preferences and needs, meal planning resources, and personalized suggested reading lists
a private Facebook group to make it easy to share questions, experiences, and resources with your cohort
Now it's time to tell you "the catch"—it's the awesomest catch ever, though. In order to participate in this six-week program, I'll ask you to commit to a vegan diet (or as close to it as you possibly can) for the duration. I experienced the most amazing boost in productivity that has continued uninterrupted since the day I went vegan (going on seven years ago), so I can tell you that adopting a more compassionate diet will enhance your creative output and outlook big time.
Got questions?
What does my diet have to do with my creativity?
Apply to the program and find out! Seriously, though, I'll explain this in my first presentation. In the meantime, read this post and watch this video of slam poet Saul Williams explaining why he required his students at Stanford to eat vegetarian for the semester.
I'm really interested in trying out a plant-based diet, but what happens if I cave and eat a slice of my mother's meatloaf? Will you kick me out of the program?
I will not. Let me tell you about my friend Teri, who set a goal of eating vegan during the week we spent at Rockywold-Deephaven Camps on Squam Lake in New Hampshire, eating three meals a day in the dining hall. At one point she articulated that she was so tempted by the macaroons on the dessert table (which were made with egg whites) she didn't think she'd be able to resist, and I said, "If it's between eating the macaroon, feeling guilty, then going back to eating meat and dairy, and eating the macaroon and returning to eating vegan at breakfast tomorrow, then go for option #2." I haven't felt a single craving for non-vegan food since I stopped eating eggs and dairy almost seven years ago, but I do understand that for many people, "weaning" oneself off animal products is the more sustainable method. I simply ask that you make a good-faith effort. I'll provide you with all the resources and support you need (unless you need official nutritional or medical advice, which I am not qualified to give you, though I can refer you to someone who is.)
Can't I just try Meatless Mondays, to start with?
I totally acknowledge that going vegan won't be as seamless a transition for everyone as it was for me. That said, it is much too easy to bolster our current habits and worldview with a framework of self-reinforcing excuses. I'm looking for a six-week good-faith commitment from you. If you embarked on a new relationship, you probably wouldn't say, "but I can date other people while you're at your bowling league on Wednesday nights, right?" If you started an exercise regimen, you wouldn't work out once or twice a week and sit on the sofa eating junk food all the other nights, would you?
If you're feeling more stressed than excited at the prospect of going plant based, then it's probably safe to say you're not ready for this. Don't worry, I will offer some version of this program again, and in the meantime, remember that every resource you could ever need is literally at your fingertips. Google "vegan 101" or "easy vegan recipes." When you throw up your hands and say "this is just too complicated," notice how you are buying into one of the narratives of mainstream carnist culture. The livestock, dairy, and pharmaceutical industries profit from you eating the same foods you always have.
This program sounds like a lot of work for you. Why is it free?
I received a vegan lifestyle coach certification back in 2013, but for the past four-plus years I've been focused on book projects. Now I'm finally ready to move into this new phase of my professional life! By participating in this beta program, you're helping me hone my content for future (paid) programs as well as a book I'm writing about veganism and creativity. Some testimonials will be nice to have, too!
I'm already vegan. Can I still participate? Yes! While this program is geared toward making veganism feel do-able for (current) omnivores by exploring the creative benefits of compassionate eating, it'll still be helpful for current vegans in terms of moving through creative blocks, creating a solid foundation for a new artistic practice, or adding another dimension to your animal-rights advocacy work. And your knowledge and insight will prove invaluable to everyone else in the program.
Want in? Look for the application link in the email update I'll be sending on Monday morning (December 11th).
Email Marketing and "Authenticity"
The notion of marketing myself and my work really squicks me out. I regularly entertain fantasies of reverting to my dumbphone, dismantling my website, and living in a cabin in the woods with a kitchen garden and a 19th-century water pump. No more social media. If you find my work, great; if not, oh well, it wasn't meant to be. I don't need to be a bestselling author, somebody with "clout"—it only matters that I'm using what I've been given in a way that feels authentic....Right?
This mindset is problematic for several reasons. First, of course, it espouses a sort of reverse-snobbery, as if every person making a living using social media has had to "sell out" for the privilege of working at home in their pajamas whenever they feel like it. Sure, lots of people have sold out. But there are also plenty of people who are using new platforms and technologies to share a useful and inspiring message, and we discount their efforts when we point only to those who are using manipulative marketing techniques to sell and up-sell their coaching packages, online courses, et cetera.
Secondly, it is very possible to skip out on undertaking one's Scary-Big Work under the guise of humility. That is essentially what I am doing when I say I don't want to collect anybody's email addresses, I don't want to network, I don't want to promote or sell something people don't want or need. Not only am I "playing small," but I am preemptively dropping out on those who could actually benefit from my experience and insight—and that includes people who haven't been born yet.
I can talk about not hiding my light under a bushel, but I'm only one of many people I poop out on when I engage in cowardice-masquerading-as-modesty. This is not the same kind of pretension you see in Facebook and Instagram ads in which entrepreneurs brag about making a six- or seven-figure income online—creating an enviable persona to get people to sign up in hopes of getting what they think you've got—but it is a pretension nonetheless.
So enough of all that. I'm giving myself permission to state my desires, loud and clear:
I want to inspire people to grow into the most fulfilled, most vibrant, most loving versions of themselves.
I want to help my students expand their capabilities: their literacy, their creativity, their compassion for all creatures.
I want to cultivate joy in the hearts of everyone I meet, in person and online.
And yes, I want to make a comfortable* living doing it—every cent exceeding "comfortable" funneled directly into hands-on philanthropic projects. As artist and creative consultant Rachael Rice writes, "Can we imagine the impact of our work beyond those who can afford it?"**
That is my dream. And to live my way into it, I'll need to use the Internet with integrity (which I already know how to do!) and without false humility (which I shall continue to work on!) So—gulp!—I've started an email list. To sign up, just click here (although there is also a neat little link at the tippy-top left corner of this page). I'll send you updates roughly once a month—with new-book news, of course, but also scrummy vegan recipes and practical advice on rejuvenating your creativity. Over time there will be an expanding emphasis on social, animal, and environmental justice projects—and if that sounds heavy, well, you can choose not to look at it that way. I believe that everything we do in this life, we must do for one (or ideally both) of the following reasons:
To be happy [provided it's not at someone else's expense; eating bacon most definitely does not qualify.]
To grow into ever-more-loving versions of ourselves [see above!]***
To clarify, this isn't the same as subscribing to blog updates (but thank you very much for signing up for those!) Newsletter content is pretty fresh, meaning that you won't find much of it elsewhere on Comet Party. I won't be reposting the recipes I share in my emails, though some of them will appear in books (!!) later on. Even more exciting, next year when I start taking on beta coaching clients (probably five max), it's the list I'll be looking to—because if I'm going to work with someone for free in exchange for critical feedback (and hopefully a testimonial), those five have to be people who already appreciate and support my work! (And you'll hear all about the aforementioned philanthropic projects when the time is right.)
Thanks so much for reading this, everyone, and big love to my brilliant friends Dr. Giavanni Washington and Joelle Renstrom for helping me through this evolution (and to Elizabeth Johnston for lighting a fire under my desk chair).
A post shared by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Aug 25, 2017 at 4:30pm PDT
* I define "comfortable" as enough to cover basic living expenses, occasional domestic and (backpacker-style) international travel for work and adventure, and regular contributions to a retirement fund (not that I see myself retiring EVER, but you never know what might happen in the future. Gotta be prepared!)
** I had my ideas (and some very rough plans) in place years before reading that blog post—inspired by my experiences in India and Vermont and at Yaddo and Hawthornden—but Rachael distills my motivations more directly than I have yet been brave enough to do.
*** After writing out these two basic reasons-for-living, it occurred to me that I have simply reformulated the Golden Rule. Yessssssss!
Squam Fall 2017
I've been home from Squam for a week and a half, but I am still totally basking in the afterglow.
A post shared by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Sep 10, 2017 at 2:26pm PDT
I was on the support staff full time this go-around, but there was time each day to go for a swim. The weather was glorious. G-L-O-R-I-O-U-S. I have never gotten to spend this much time in the lake—swimming every single day apart from the Sunday we arrived—and I felt so very lucky for that. I did indeed sleep on that screened-in porch every night; I kept thinking the temperature would plummet (when I slept outside in Vermont at the end of September 2010 I remember shivering no matter how many layers I put on), but I was perfectly snug. From my pillow I could see the moon shining through the trees, and in the morning I opened my eyes to the rising sun glimmering on the water.Pine resin sticky in my crazy cropped hair; pond scum between my toes. Bliss, I tell you. BLISSSSSSSSSSSSS.
A post shared by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Sep 18, 2017 at 5:02am PDT
This was quite possibly the most special retreat since Elizabeth first started organizing them, because she announced after dinner on Friday evening that our friend Meg Fussell would be taking over as retreat director next year. You can read more on how that decision came about on the Squam Art Workshops blog. Meg is an utterly delightful human being. She has the magic combo of organizational prowess and social finesse one would need to rock this gig, and I'm so excited to watch her put her own stamp on the retreat and continue to expand our creative community. I expected to make myself useful (this was the first time I got to drive a golf cart, but it definitely won't be the last, heh!), celebrate with friends old (as in longstanding) and new, enjoy the lake and the woods and the loons and the stars like I always do—but I did not expect to feel quite so inspired or quite so loved by people I am only just getting to know. You're going to hear a lot about my new friend Dr. Giavanni Washington in the months to come: she is an intuitive percussive healer and coach who regularly hosts sacred circles and retreats for women of color in the LA area, but her work really is for everyone. I have no doubt that we have known each other many times before, but even so, it's kind of mind-boggling how quickly someone can become one of your dearest friends.
A post shared by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Sep 19, 2017 at 9:44pm PDT
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There's a good bit more I could write—isn't there always?—but I'll just leave you with this. On Saturday night, across the road from the art fair, our friend Em Falconbridge was doing her doTERRA "oil fairy" goodness while her daughter Yindi was offering hand massages using said oils, and Giavanni set up her space for oracle card readings, all in the same warm inviting room.Yindi didn't have any "customers" yet, so I went over and asked for a massage. I told her that I used to do the same for my grandfather, and that I was definitely going to cry while she did it, and she was so sweet and kind to me. I am getting quite comfortable with crying in public, let me tell you. Afterward I asked her if she was taking tips, and she gave me this incredulous look—imagine "nooo!" said by a ten-year-old girl in the most adorable Australian accent.
It was healing, and I was grateful.
A post shared by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Sep 17, 2017 at 3:05pm PDT
Spring Squam 2017
It'd been awhile since my last Squam Art Workshops retreat: I taught a writing class there in September 2014 and daydreamed about returning as a student again for printmaking and other yummy classes, but life conspired against it. And like everyone else, I was sad when I heard 2017 would be Elizabeth's last year running the retreats—though I know very well the desire to move on from what you've already proven you're good at. 
A few weeks ago Elizabeth seemed anxious to connect, and when we got on Skype she told me her writing teacher had pulled out and could I fill in. COULD I?So I got to go to Elizabeth's last June Squam after all. My iPhone is busted and I decided not to pack Aunt Kathy's Nikon, so this post is going to be 100% other people's photographs. It was lovely not to spend the energy documenting everything. I texted a few pictures of the cabin to Matt from my dumbphone and got on with the nature worship.
I drove up with Elizabeth on Sunday and helped decorate and organize registration stuff—the most relaxing and enjoyable "work" you can imagine. Check out Elizabeth's blog recap for a nice photo of Meg and Coop, a.k.a. Team Squam Mice (Meg arranged the table above)—and here's a photo of Terri and me taken by her partner Tom at the end of my last class on Saturday morning:
It's a wrap! Camille aka @cometparty and I taught for SAW again this week. It is always inspiring to have Squamies in the house. #squamlove #squamlove2017 A post shared by Terri Dautcher (@tldautcher) on
(You may recall I took Terri's woodworking class in June 2014. Elizabeth likes to say she is an angel passing for human and I wholeheartedly agree.) 
So many fabulous memories from #squamlove2017. Incredible to see so much creative energy in motion. I loved watching the delight in my students as their blankets came together. I adored catching up with old friends and meeting and getting to know new ones. Plus, the magic of the lake ✨the best! Thanks for having me @squamlove! A post shared by Anne Weil / Maker (@flaxandtwine) on
I hadn't seen my dear friend Anne in three years, so we really reveled in getting to be roomies again—talking about our families and creative aspirations on the sun-baked dock and late into the night.
Writing on this porch, enfolded in the magic of the trees..💖 #squamlove A post shared by Jane (@sepiaandglitter) on
Both my classes were full of smart, enthusiastic, open-hearted women of all ages, teens to seventies. In theory we were writing personal essays (for a clear definition of what constitutes a personal essay as opposed to memoir, read this), but in practice each student shaped those six hours to her own ends. The mind mapping was a big hit.
No one is making me breakfast this morning. #imisssquam #lovegroupdining #squam2017 #squamlove2017 #squamlove #ineedmaplesyrupA post shared by Sue Greene (@suegreene) on
I connected with mind-blowingly talented teachers (see if you can spot me above having our last breakfast with my cabin-mates Mary Jane Mucklestone and Karen Templer), caught up with friends I made way back at my first Squam in 2011, and got ideas for future projects that absolutely light me up. More on that...eventually.
Evening lights at my cabin Cragsmere. We are all cozy. #squamartworkshops #squamlove #squamlove2017 #rdcsquam A post shared by Cordula (@handherzseele) on
My block printing!! I only cried a little while drawing. #squamlove #saw2017 #squamartworkshops Class with the beautiful @penelope_dullaghan! A post shared by Jessica MF (@jessica.mf) on
I know I keep saying I'm going to get back into blogging more frequently and consistently, but after teaching this time around I do feel more motivated—I had several conversations with similarly ambivalent bloggers ("I feel silly writing and putting it out there when it feels like nobody's reading it"), and I figured we could just make a point of reading and responding to each other's work. Community is what we come for, after all! See plenty more pics where these came from using the Instagram hashtag #squamlove2017.
Sugaring Season
There is something inexpressibly sad in the thought of the children who crossed the ocean with the Pilgrims and the fathers of Jamestown, New Amsterdam, and Boston, and the infancy of those born in the first years of colonial life in this strange new world. It was hard for grown folk to live; conditions and surroundings offered even to strong men constant and many obstacles to the continuance of existence; how difficult was it then to rear children!
A few years back I read Alice Morse Earle's Child Life in Colonial Days as research for a project currently on the back burner. Here's my favorite passage, which I kept forgetting to post at the appropriate time of year (until now!):
The first thought of spring brought to the men of the New England household a hard work—maple-sugar making—which meant vast labor in preparation and in execution—all of which was cheerfully hailed, for it gave men and boys a chance to be as Charles Kingsley said, "a savage for a while." It meant several nights spent in the sugar-camp in the woods, a-gypsying. Think of the delight of that scene: the air clear but mild enough to make the sap run; patches of snow still shining pure in the moonlight and starlight; all the mystery of the voices of the night, when a startled rabbit or squirrel made a crackling sound in its stealthy retreat; the distant hoot of a wakeful owl; the snapping of pendent icicles and crackling of blazing brush, yet over all a great stillness, "all silence and all glisten." An exaltation of the spirit and senses came to the country boy which was transformed at midnight into keen thrills of imaginative fright at recollection of the stories told by his elders with rude acting and vivid wording during the early evening round the fire; of hunting and trapping, of Indians and bears, and those delights of country story-tellers in New England, catamounts, wolverines, and cats—this latter ever meaning in hunter's phrasing wild-cats. Think of "a wolverine with eyes like blazing coals, and every hair whistling like a bell," as he sprung with outspread claws from a high tree on the passing hunter—do you think the boy sat by the fire throughout the night without looking a score of times for the blazing eyeballs, and listening for the whistling fur, and hearing steps like that of the lion in Pilgrim's Progress, "a great soft padding paw."
What forest lore the boys learned, too: that more and sweeter sap came from a maple which stood alone than from any in a grove; that the shallow gouge flowed more freely, but the deep gouge was richest in sweet; and that many other forest trees besides the maple ran a sweet sap.
Marvelous News
For the past two and a half months, whenever anybody asks me how I'm doing I say "I'm great, apart from this insane political situation!" I am angry and depressed. It feels weird and wrong to promote my work at a time like this. But then, as Mexican refugee poet (and 2016 Writers' Room of Boston fellow) Ari Belathar remarked last week at Together We Rise, the purpose of an artist in times of oppression is to make art.
A photo posted by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Jan 29, 2017 at 6:36am PST
That said, my marvelous news has to do with art I made five years ago. Remember my children's novel? Well, my indefatigable agent finally found a home for it. I'm speaking with my new editor at Amberjack Publishing a little less than an hour after I hit "publish" on this post.
Here's the announcement in Publisher's Lunch today:
Alex Award winner Camille DeAngelis's THE BOY FROM TOMORROW, about two twelve-year-olds living in the same house one hundred years apart who form a deep and life-changing friendship using a spirit board, to Kayla Church at Amberjack, by Kate Garrick at The Karpfinger Agency (NA).
You can read more about The Boy from Tomorrow on Nova's blog, the Main Street Vegan blog, and on its own shiny new book page. (Still trying to figure out how to make the title appear in the drop-down menu up top.) Coming to a bookstore near you on May 8, 2018!A couple quick clarifications:
This book is for middle-grade readers (ages 9-12, approximately), but it is intended for children of all ages, which means you and everyone you know.
It is very much in keeping with my earlier novels—a pocket of magic inside the ordinary world, emotionally resonant (I hope!), bittersweet.
Four-plus years on submission, and now I'm hooked up with an indie press who have asked for my birthday so they can mail me a treat. Feeling very, very grateful!
What's News
Here's another quickie post—I've thrown myself into NaNoWriMo, so I won't be blogging again regularly for at least another month!
There is now a Youtube channel (with a million thanks to my friend M.A. Barrett for putting together such beautiful videos!) I'm planning to sit down in the next week or two and get a bunch more recorded. Like I said, this is going to be sort of like my video series from 2012, only much shorter—2-3 minutes long, and more generally creative. I'd love to hear your requests for future video topics!
Things I have written lately:
Why Success is a Crock (and What to Aim for Instead) on Medium
Bile and Begrudgery: How to Break Free of Your Own Bullshit on Medium
Creating a Life Without Envy (inspired by Hindu concepts of Oneness and Devotion) on Dead Darlings
Things that have been written lately about Life Without Envy:
Local Author offers 'Ego Management for Creative People', Philly Voice
"A Most Savage Plague": A Brief Encounter with Literary Envy, Kate Gilbert on Readers Unbound
Novelist Claire Hennessy transforms envy into pure admiration on Girls Heart Books
Podcast interviews:
Morning on the Dock #52 with my friend Elizabeth Duvivier of Squam Art Workshops
Tranquility du Jour #381: Life Without Envy with Kimberly Wilson
Another exciting thing:
I took a six-week illustration class at RISD and now I've committed to drawing (or just doodling—no pressure) every day for the next year.
A photo posted by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Nov 5, 2016 at 1:14pm PDT
Thank you to everyone who's come out to my events over the past month-and-change, thank you for buying the book, and thank you for reading!
Pub Day!
A photo posted by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Sep 27, 2016 at 5:54am PDT
Pub day sneaks up on me every time. I'm running around this week getting ready for the launch at Tres Gatos this weekend (special shout-out to Kelly B. for coming all the way from the state of Georgia!), but at some point I'm hoping to settle down to a bit of travel blogging. In the meantime, here are a few LWE-related links:
6 Ways to Manage Your Ego on Quick and Dirty Tips
Here's to Joy: 7 of the Best Books on Happiness on Signature Reads (thank you, Toby!)
Why Success is a Crock (and What to Aim for Instead) on Medium
Let me also draw your attention to my just-updated news and events page [UPDATE, 2024: unpublished since COVID, it’ll be back someday!], with the full details on my New York City event at the end of October, and huge thanks to Scott Korb for making this happen. I can't wait.
Thanks for your support, everyone—as always!
Home Again, and a Bunch of Updates
Home again, after the best trip yet. My friend Joelle and I were texting regularly all through our respective trips to Iceland and Asia, and after she got home she wrote,
I'm in that phase where it kind of feels like my trip didn't really happen. There's always a struggle to live just a little differently than I did before.
I've been turning those words over ever since. After this trip I am far less of a mystery to myself. I have finally begun to understand why I feel and react the way I do in difficult situations (and in truth, how I tend to create those difficult situations). I know I'm being vague here, but I may be remedying this soon (see next paragraph). For now, I'll just say that Joe Dispenza's book Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself has more than secured a place on my (not-yet-official) list of the Most Useful and Enlightening Books I Have Ever Read. I'm looking forward to writing about exactly how and why it's helping me!
Now for Getting Specific: because Life Without Envy is on sale at the end of the month (!!), I'm doing the usual promotional thing, albeit on a scale that makes sense to me. One of LWE's essential messages is about making oneself useful, and I've been pondering how to walk my talk in ways that feel authentic and effective. Admittedly, there is a part of me who would much rather hole up and get back to writing fiction, but how can I write a book like Life Without Envy and then run away from my own advice on community building and becoming as honest as possible about one's messiest feelings?
You may recall that I posted a virtual writing workshop series on Youtube back in 2012, and I'm thinking about starting up something similar again—only with shorter (2 to 3-minute), more-to-the-point videos with frank advice on practical topics related to the book. That is one immediate way in which I can make myself useful.
I brainstormed topics. I made a list. "Success" Versus Satisfaction. Impostor Syndrome. How to Think Your Way Out of Self Loathing. (The IRONY of Self Loathing.)
Then, of course, my ego piped up. What if you post a bunch of videos and NOBODY RESPONDS, you loser? (I will say this over and over again: I wrote the book I most needed to read.)
Then I remembered something one of my new internet pals Alexis Donkin wrote in a recent newsletter:
Someone could be on the edge and read something we wrote and it sends them over. On the other hand, someone could read what we wrote and find solace, comfort, and rejuvenation. It just depends on our words - on our small actions.
That's why it's so important to choose our words and small actions carefully. That's why it's so important to be gentle – to be loving to ourselves and others.
What we say, what we write, how we act—it DOES matter. If I post a video and it turns one person's day around, then that is mission accomplished. Nobody has to go viral on Youtube in order to make the world a little bit kinder. (I actually have a specific anecdote on this topic—about overhearing a conversation in a restaurant that helped me lift myself out of a frighteningly gloomy mood—and I will share it on video.)
So yeah. I think I'm going to start a new Youtube channel, and if you have any topics you'd like me to cover (or other tips/suggestions), please let me know!
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Now for some newsy things:
The wonderful Jamaica Plain restaurant-cum-bookstore Tres Gatos is hosting the Life Without Envy launch on Sunday, October 2nd starting at 3pm. Come early for brunch (alas, they aren't the most vegan-friendly place in town, but what options they do have are excellent). And do please RSVP on Facebook!
I'm also giving an hourlong Life Without Envy workshop at the Boston Book Festival on Saturday, October 15th, 2016. We'll have space for about thirty people. I can't imagine it'll be that crowded, but come early just in case!
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And here's a quick link round-up, ICYMI on social media:
Immaculate Heart write-up in the Improper Bostonian
Life Without Envy in 18 Must-Read Nonfiction Books of September 2016 in Bustle
Why Having My Book Go Out of Print Was a Pretty Great Thing, After All in Publishers Weekly
My Intentional Writer interview with Alexis Donkin
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More soon!
Life Without Envy at the "Vulnerability Museum"
I'm coming out of Moon Ireland-induced hibernation to post something really cool: thanks to Ashley Kirsner, whom I met at #whatimake, my Life Without Envy preparatory mind map is traveling to North Adams, MA as part of the CommuniT Boston "Vulnerability Museum."If you're in western Mass, check it out at FIGMENT North Adams this Saturday, April 30th, beginning at 3pm. The exhibit will also be traveling to NYC at some point; I'll post details when I get them.
(Now back to frenzied Googling of updated tour and accommodation prices!)
#whatimake Slide Show and Resources
I'm just home from the first-ever #whatimake conference, and it was AMAAAAAZING. Proper post to follow, but in the meantime I want to drop my slide show and resources links here for any attendees who are looking for it. Thank you for coming! <3
#Whatimake excitement at @aeronautbrewing!!!
A photo posted by Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) on Apr 16, 2016 at 7:25am PDT
Comet Party Yoga and Writing Retreat
[Update, 5/5/16: Alas, we haven't gotten the numbers we need to be able to run this retreat. If you're interested in participating the next time we try to run this thing, drop me a line!]
This is the last week to get the early-bird price ($300 instead of $350) on the first-ever Comet Party yoga and writing retreat with my dear teacher Anne Wichmann! Since I've been posting information about the retreat rather piecemeal, I thought I'd do one more post to gather all the info in one place.
When: Friday, May 20th (afternoon) to Sunday, May 22nd (afternoon), 2016
Where: Bethel Farm, Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Get psyched for long walks in the woods and the wood-fired sauna (maybe alternating with dips in the pond!)
What: Jivamukti yoga classes, meditation, and kirtan paired with intuitive writing sessions
Why: to relax, learn more about yourself, and meet lovely new people!
Meals: 100% vegan, baby! All allergies and dietary restrictions catered for (just let us know.)
Accommodation: small dorm-style with shared bath. (I know this set-up won't be for everyone, but I love the cozy summer-camp feel of the Bethel Farm guesthouse.)
Retreat schedule: here.
Transportation from Boston: we'll be organizing ride shares.
More about Jivamukti: it's an athletic yet well-rounded style of yoga, including chanting, breathwork, dharma talks, and meditation along with the asanas. I've found Jivamukti teachers to be the warmest and most giving yoga instructors I know. Oftentimes you'll get a quick warm-up shoulder massage with china gel (a menthol-based cream, very tingly and refreshing), and/or another little massage during savasana. Jivamukti teachers walk the talk when it comes to ahimsa, the principle of non-harming. Anne is a very chill and loving teacher.
More about Stephen Bethel (owner of Bethel Farm and another awesome Jivamukti teacher!) here.
What is "intuitive writing"? Good question! We'll be taking journaling to the next level with exercises designed to lift you out of your ordinary way of thinking, priming you for a transformative experience. Everything you write during this retreat is for your eyes only. You can get a sense of the type of writing exercises we'll be doing here. There's also a sneak preview of Life Without Envy in your retreat workbook!
You can register for this retreat either through Bethel Farm or by emailing me. Anne and I are so looking forward to it!
Lovefest
Last week several friends read Immaculate Heart and reached out by email, text, and social media to tell me just how much it affected them. (This is in addition to my sister and her in-laws forming a four-person book club on vacation!) I have wonderfully supportive family and friends, but I don't remember anyone calling me a "genius" before. Maybe this novel really is my best yet.
Man, @cometparty is such a genius. Holy shit. Go read Immaculate Heart right now! Go!https://t.co/Ea0kO4sPw2
— McCormick Templeman (@mtSpaceFace) April 1, 2016
I'm not posting the praise here to toot my own horn—I just want to acknowledge how much it all means to me, especially when there hasn't been much in terms of reviews or "buzz." I have smart friends and I value their opinions, and those opinions will continue to hearten me on days when I wonder how I can continue to make a sort-of-living in publishing.
How is the operative word, though—not if.
I can either reach for hitherto-unrecognized opportunities—making my own opportunities—logging even more time at the Writers' Room than I already do (and loving every minute), or I can think and act as if my disappointing sales figures will dictate my future career....Yeah, right.
Of all the gorgeous heartfelt praise I received last week, there was one piece I most needed to hear. My friend Keith texted me on Wednesday afternoon as soon as he finished the book, asking me to call him as soon as possible. We talked about who (plural) inspired my narrator, why I'd made certain narrative decisions, and his actual physical reactions as he read the closing pages. Keith said, I hope you know your own power.
And I got goosebumps.
So thank you, my friends—thank you Ailbhe, thank you Angela, thank you McCormick, thank you Susan, thank you Mackenzi, thank you Keith. Thank you, everyone, for buying my books, reading them, and talking them up to anyone who will listen. The writing may be its own reward, but the icing is the most delicious part of the cake.
Launch Night!
Well, it was another glorious whirlwind of a launch weekend! Porter Square Books did a great job, as always, and even though the crowd was a bit smaller than last year (lots of friends were out of town for Easter weekend) there were more unfamiliar faces in the audience, which was really neat. And Mackenzi, of course, gave me the sweetest introduction.
Launching @cometparty's Immaculate Heart.
A photo posted by Porter Square Books (@porter_square_books) on Mar 25, 2016 at 4:15pm PDT
I have a bunch of favorite moments, but here are a few. I decided to read the poitín passage on pages 152-158 (beginning with Síle's journal entry and ending with the nightmare at the end of the chapter), and since I always love hearing how a seed of an idea grows into completion, I started off by reading a text message Seanan sent me on December 22, 2007:
Had a poitín tasting tonight. 20 year old bottle and more recent vintage. One tasted like whiskey made from battery acid and the other tasted like vodka made from battery acid. We'll keep some for your next time.
I'm always a little surprised (delighted, but surprised!) when people tell me I'm funny. I got a lot of laughs throughout. (Credit for the funny text message goes to my friend, of course, but I did deliver with good comic timing, if I do say so myself.)
"she's probably my favorite person in the world" Congratulations Camille!!! @cometparty#immaculateheartpic.twitter.com/4R8waf2Pvp — Tina M Giarla (@tinamariegiarla) March 25, 2016
My other favorite moment came at the end, when I was signing stock—there was an internet order from my fourth-grade teacher on the top of the stack! I have such happy memories of her reading historical novels to us after recess each day. That was a sweet moment. And needless to say, there were no more cupcakes left by the end of the night.
@cometparty at her Immaculate Heart book launch with her disappearing gluten free vegan cupcakes. 🍀 A photo posted by spatialh (@spatialh) on Mar 25, 2016 at 4:21pm PDT
I've promised to post the cupcake recipes, so here they are:
Gingerbread cupcakes with lemon icing from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
Carrot with vanilla icing from the Babycakes cookbook (though the icing recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)
Chocolate lavender with coconut cream topping (using maple syrup instead of honey)
Vanilla with butterscotch icing and coconut bacon (but again, I used the basic frosting recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World with 3/4 tsp. butterscotch extract in lieu of vanilla extract; I tried the original recipe for Kelly's birthday picnic last summer and the frosting melted all over the place, so I'm sticking with what works best!)
I would have taken a picture of my cupcake at @cometparty's book launch but I ate it too fast. #priorities— annie cardi (@anniecardi) March 25, 2016
I made all the cupcakes gluten free this time—just subbing Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour plus one teaspoon of xanthan gum for regular flour in the gingerbread and vanilla recipes. (The other two were already gluten free.) I am super pleased with how the vanilla/butterscotch/coco-bacon cupcakes turned out—I'd tried a bunch of vanilla cupcake recipes and none of them were light and fluffy as promised until Kathy Patalsky's version. She is a genius!
Vegan cupcakes and lollipops and a great reading = a perfect book launch party @cometparty@PorterSqBookspic.twitter.com/V8BsdqoJL2— Barbara Rhodes (@librarygirl56) March 26, 2016
Details on the launch dress coming in a future post. ;)
Pub Day!
Immaculate Heart is on sale today! The fanfare this time around has been, shall we say, muted—but it is my best work so far, and I feel good about that. If you're in the Boston area, I really hope you can help me celebrate at Porter Square Books this Friday, March 25th, at 7pm. There'll be a (vegan, gluten-free) cupcake with your name on it.
Otherwise, if you wanted to pick up a copy of the book, well, that would be amazing. Thank you very much for your support!
Porter Square Books (order this way and you get the book signed along with a set of three original Ireland postcards—at least until I run out of them!)
Yesterday I was ruminating on the phrase the work is its own reward. It sounds pat on one hand and downright ludicrous on the other, if you're hoping (as I am) to make a living at this whole wacky business. It's true, though. I write to bring whole new worlds into being—to thrill and entertain and inspire and comfort myself, so that hopefully I'll end up thrilling and entertaining you too.
St. Patrick's Day, and other tidbits
A few fun things to report today: first, to celebrate St. Paddy's Day, I've written a round-up of my favorite haunted (or at least haunting) places in Ireland over at PopSugar.
In case you missed my post-apocalyptic library essay the first time around, the lovely folks over at Dead Darlings have reposted it today.
And best of all: the first review of Immaculate Heart, in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Next week is launch week, so expect more pictures of cupcake decorating!
Bookiversary!
Today feels quite shiny and special. I don't know that I've ever told this story on the blog, so here goes.
In January 2006 I went back to Ireland and rented a car (a series of them, actually, ha) to research the first edition of Moon Ireland. This was my second paid writing gig (after co-writing Hanging Out in Ireland the summer after my freshman year of college), but this time I was working on my own guidebook for proper money. My primary ambition had always been to publish a novel, but after my experience with the practice novel I was feeling more anxious than excited when Kate Garrick submitted Mary Modern to a bunch of editors that February.
This time, though, there were several nibbles. More than one editor wanted to make an offer, Kate said. I felt even more nervous. She set the closing date for Friday, March 14th at 3pm.
At the end of that week I was staying at a hostel in Leenane (in Connemara), and had fallen in with Kevin, a fellow writer from Dublin, and Tom, an American in his sixties who was working as a handyman at the hostel. The guys promised to help me celebrate in the event of good news (HA, of course you will!)
I gave Kate the hostel phone number, emailed my family and asked them to think good thoughts, and refreshed my inbox repeatedly on the hostel computer until I remembered that I'd only be receiving bad news that way. Good news always comes by phone. [I have since learned that certain kinds of bad news come by phone, too, but we won't dwell on that.]
I very vividly remember sitting on a dormitory floor early that evening, voicing my anxiety to Kevin, who was sympathetic. It's one o'clock in New York, I said. This isn't gonna happen. It's not going to sell and I don't know what I'm going to do.
After a little while we heard the phone ring downstairs. "It's Random House calling!" Kevin declared (and if he was mocking me he did so affectionately.)
Then we heard footsteps on the stairs. "No, really. I think it's for you!"
I crouched on the floor, my heart in my throat. The guy working the front desk called my name. HOLY S**T IT HAS TO BE KATE IT'S GOOD NEWS.
I ran to the door and grabbed the cordless, and when Kate told me we'd gotten an offer from Sally at Shaye Areheart/Crown I blubbered every single expletive in my vocabulary.
We drove into town. I bought all the Guinness Kevin asked for. We had a good night.