When a holiday break drops, I tend to go to war with myself. On one hand, I finally have the time to catch up on everything I need to do—well, not EVERYthing. But my hope-to-do list is long. And long overdue.

On the other hand, I’m so ragged and winded and breathless from the sprinting required to just get to this point that I just. Want. To stop. 

Kenny Rogers once sang, “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.” 

Sure, these lyrics were likely about a poker game (okay, sure…the song is literally called “The Gambler”). But I also wondered if it could apply to my holiday conundrum: “holding” space and energy for others versus “folding” into a place of rest for myself. 

For someone as restless as I am—someone with “zero chill,” as my kids and husband would say—doing nothing is HARD, fam. I’m the type of person who needs to move constantly. I’m the type of person who’d rather play the sport than watch it on TV. I’m that person during vacation who’d rather swim in the ocean or go on a hike instead of sitting on the sand with a drink.

While I have to be true to who I am, I know I also need a chance to recharge. So I decided to meet myself in the middle. A compromise. 

I’d spend the mornings of my holiday break doing: working on house projects, cooking, going places with the family, and catching up on appointments. 

And then I’d spend the afternoons just being: resting, reading, watching movies I’ve been wanting to watch (or rewatch). 

​While it feels good to cross things off our to-do lists, we need to make space to fill our cups. And if we want to be creative, it’s especially important. It’s where we’ll find a creative wellspring: not in the midst of the grind, but in the awe-inspiring moments discovered when we look up from our own lives.
​
I often compare myself to a worker bee. But even bees need to rest. Even they shut down the grind during the winter season. And for good reason, as this comic illustrates:

Like Claire, Abi, and Hannah, we all need to recharge and stay inspired to tackle the next chapter of our journey and whatever is in store in the months to come.

Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean we can stop everything and hibernate until spring. Nevertheless, I hope you’re able to carve out space during this season for warmth, coziness, and rest. 

Writing Updates: 
We had a great time at the Walnut Winter Wonderland and saw lots of familiar faces. Here’s a video recap of our time there. 

Also, we’ve booked the following appearances:
1/31: A Special School Visit/Workshop for 2nd-3rd graders

3/28-3/30: WonderCon in Anaheim 

Although we have a limited supply left, you can still get your copy of Three Bee Honey on our website. 

Find us on our socials:
IG: @st.amantstories
TikTok: @stamantstories 

Recent Reads: How to Think When You Write, by the Etherington Brothers

Jon has these amazing-looking books called How to Think When You Draw, by the Etherington Brothers, with a colorfully illustrated cover that caught my eye. When I discovered that there was another book, How to Think When You Write, I had to read it. 

This book has dozens of short and easy to understand tutorials that help with narrative storytelling. Each tutorial is broken down with visuals, examples, and exercises to try (like the one below). What I loved most was how it made me think about writing projects I’m currently working on, giving me multiple ways into the story or strategies for making the plot more interesting. This book is great for both beginner and experienced writers alike!

Sanity Corner:
I enjoy game nights, especially the tried and true favorites. If a game is new to me, the best way I learn is just by doing: jumping in and trying to keep up with the group. During the holiday, we played Plunder with the kids and other family members. It’s very similar to Catan—another family favorite—but with a pirate theme. Plus, you can attack other players’ ships, so things get real. They say blood is thicker than water. But what if that blood is shed in the precarious waters of a board game? 

Sorry about those ships, kiddos! 

That’s all for this year. Thank you so much for reading and being part of my journey! :) 

If you haven’t subscribed, make sure you click below to get the next newsletter in your inbox.

Take care,
Desi

To commemorate this event, I thought I’d try a different angle in summarizing our experience preparing for a Crowdfundr. We are so excited to get Three Bee Honey out into the world, but it’s definitely been a LOT of work. But we’re making progress, and that alone is worth celebrating.

The ABCs of Crowdfunding

Anticipation building as you countdown the days 
Believing in yourself when the doubts get loud
Cross the Rubicon and announce your campaign
D​on’t forget to take a shower!
Endless edits on the story and the website
Fall, but then get back up
Go get some sleep, kiddo
Have to complete way too much math to figure out a budget 
Infinite to-do lists
Just keep swimming, even when life gets in the way
Know that you’ll be okay, regardless
Learning how to make TikToks, Reels, and Stories
Manifest your daily goals #bossbabes
Noticing that one mistake after it’s posted-gah! 
Optimize your network and make the ask
Parent the kids and be generous with screens 
Quality videos take time--learn how to edit
Remember to draft a few newsletters along the way
Scrambling the week before launch 
Take breaks and laugh or watch a show
Update your fans--even if it’s just your best friend
Visit other campaigns to learn and offer support
Whenever you can, update your subscribers
Xtra rewards are always a good idea for your big spenders
You can do it ALL--sike! Just kidding!
Zen feeling that hits after it’s all done.
​
The campaign hasn’t even launched yet, but I’m stoked at the level of encouragement and support we’ve gotten. Here are some cool things we have in store for you: 

• A free print for early bird contributors who commit within the first 48 hours. This offer expires on Sunday, 7/23 at 9am PST. ​

In addition, we have: 

• Back matter with fan art by some amazing, talented artists.
• Five reward packages, including stickers, prints, and opportunities for custom art.

Subscribe to our campaign for updates. Thank you so much for joining us on this journey! ​

​It’s Thursday, so I thought I’d throw in a few throwback pictures of our four-legged friends. Aren’t they the cutest?? *Squeeee!*

Sanity Corner:
Since the kids are on summer break, we have a chance to spend more time together, which has its pluses and minuses, for sure. To break up the long summer days, we have family game nights. One of our favorite games is Catan. It is a game of strategy, and the object is to use your resources to build as many settlements and cities as possible. 

That’s all for today, but I will get in touch again soon when the campaign goes live. We truly appreciate your support through this process! :)

Take care,
Desi 

Game nights are underrated. And maybe….just maybe…they are the antidote to the distractions and disconnect we’ve been struggling with during these past few years. 

Plus, I love board games with family and friends. But it’s not for the reasons you may suspect. 

I couldn’t care less about which game we’re playing.

In truth, it’s all about the experience we have as a group. We ditch the small talk and get into teams (or play for ourselves). It is a change in the predictable routines and long-established roles. We avoid safe topics and get real, really fast. Some of our favorite games lately have been Telestrations, Catan, and our newest one, Klask from Denmark (my husband and 12 year old son are tough to beat in this one). We also enjoy the classics: Uno, Poker, Spoons, and Scrabble. 

​This holiday season, I had the chance to play multiple games with people, and I learned so much about them in such a short span of time. I learned who is extra competitive and well….extra. 

​But I also learned who is pensive, who is quiet and sneaky, who is quick to make jokes, who likes to troll, who is earnest and honest. In the game, children and adults are equals. We lovingly roast each other, practice cooperation, and develop strategies. We laugh (a lot), we express our honest emotions, we encourage each other, and best of all, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We create memories and inside jokes and leave us smiling long after the games are put away. 

Can it get a bit chaotic and a little dicey? Sure. But it’s real. It disrupts the tendency to stay comfortable. Plus, I think more authenticity is good in our world. 

So next time you are at a gathering or just home with your family, take a break from your devices and play together. The box you open will also come with great times and golden memories to feed your spirit. 

Inspirational Quote:
“Every day is a new life to a wise man.”-Dale Carnegie

We all have bad days. We stumble, we get hurt, we make mistakes, we get rejected, and we fail. But it’s never the end. I love this quote because it reminds me that each new day brings new possibilities, and new paths to meet our potential, as long as we don’t give up. 

Pet Pics:

​Recent Read: Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson

This book is deceptively simple, using the allegory of mice looking for cheese to illustrate humanity’s aversion to change. It’s a quick read--I read it in one day. However, it applies to all aspects of our lives and resonated with me. It cautions against sticking with what is familiar due to fear of the unknown. We never have everything figured out. No matter how old we are, our “cheese” will be moved by forces outside of our control, and we must adapt. There is so much out there, so many possibilities for our lives. We just have to be willing to take risks to discover them. Even if we fail, we learn. So our efforts are never in vain. 

Writing Update: 
My husband (and creative partner) submitted our THREE BEE HONEY Graphic Novel project to Pitchfest, hosted by Kids Comics Unite. Some time had passed between our submission and the awards announcements (plus I’ve been super busy), so I kinda forgot about it. When I saw the runner-up winners, I was in awe of the talent behind all of the entries. To my shock, we won third place! It was definitely an exciting surprise. You can see our pitch here, if you're curious. We get so few wins as writers and creatives, so we have to celebrate them whenever we can.

Garden Update: 
After years with no fruit or a few tiny offerings, our blood orange tree came through this year with TONS of fruits! I’ve been making fresh orange juice, and Jon made marmalade for our close family and friends. It is delicious. There’s nothing like fresh fruit from a tree! 

​That's a wrap for 2022, but stay tuned for some updates in January. In the meantime, feel free to reach out and say “hello!” :)

Have a Happy New Year! 
Take care,
Desi