Happiness Sprinkles + Book Club ZOOM Link
Toothpick pagodas, Leigh Bardugo, literary sponges & more
Hello, Protagonists!
Welcome to this month’s edition of Happiness Sprinkles—a soft, joyful roundup of small things worth smiling about and a few wonderful things you in this community have been reading and writing.
In this post, you’ll find:
🌸 Happiness Sprinkles
🔦 Protagonist Spotlight - You’re the Hero of the Story
📖 Book Club Details + Zoom Link
Reminder! Our “Read Like a Writer” Book Club meeting is this Sunday, October 26th at 8pm ET / 5pm PT
Zoom Link at the bottom of this post
xo,
Joanna & Evelyn
🌸 Happiness Sprinkles
A few quiet delights we’ve loved this month—and hope you will, too.
Coffee stirrer pagoda - A few months ago, Tom decided on a whim that he wanted to make a pagoda out of coffee stirrers and toothpicks. His creative curiosity and enthusiasm was so inspiring to me, because he dove in without any blueprints, just building and figuring things out along the way. Here are the beautiful results:
Leigh Bardugo on the Art of Discomfort - a great TedX talk about what the artist’s job is, and four myths that stop us from writing the books or creating the art we want to make. “Resist the urge to skip to the good part.”
Pasta, but make it fashion - This was so creative! Pasta dough made into tiny articles of clothing. It’s almost too pretty to eat, but let’s be realistic—I will always eat pasta. Give me allll the carbs!
What in Tarnation is “Tarnation”? - Did you grow up thinking that Yosemite Sam always said, “What in tarnation?” And did you wonder what that word meant? This was a fun little piece about faulty collective memory, as well as the etymology of a word that does not mean what I thought it did!
Literary Sponges - Finally, a cute and clever birthday gift that Joanna received from a friend:
🔦 Protagonist Spotlight
Every month, we love highlighting what you are creating. Here are a few wonderful projects from our community:
👏🏼 Aimee Lucido has combined her passions—she’s a children’s book writer and a professional crossword and puzzle writer for outlets like The New York Times and Bloomberg—in her latest middle grade book, Words Apart, which features two sisters, comics, and poems in crossword form.
She also recently wrote this essay about writer’s block in Publishers Weekly. Congrats on the book and the PW essay, Aimee!
👏🏼 Barb Natividad says, “My micro memoir was accepted for publication in January!” Barb was one of our Creative. Inspired. Happy scholarship recipients. Not saying her publication success was because of that—it’s because of Barb’s belief in herself and dedication to the craft of writing—but still, we are super proud. Congrats, Barb!
👏🏼 Neal Lipshutz says, “After a long career in journalism, my debut suspense novel, No Write Way to Die, was recently published. Kirkus Reviews called it “A tidy whodunit with a New York state of mind.” Congratulations on your first book, Neal!
🙌🏼 hallie m. bertling says, “i met an art director at an scbwi conference who really liked my portfolio… & she’s at my dream publisher, so….!!! 😳😬🫣🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽🥰🥰🥰🥰🖍️❣️🎨📝😆🥳” Way to go, hallie! (We also love your generous use of emojis.)
Want to be featured in a future post?
Just reply to this email or leave a comment with a 1–2 sentence description of what you’ve been working on. Or, hang out in our community chat, where we share our recent smiles and successes every Monday.
📖 “Read Like a Writer” Book Club — This Sunday!
You’re invited (even if you haven’t read the book):
🗓️ Sunday, October 26th at 8pm ET / 5pm PT - ZOOM link below
📚 Book: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
“Read Like a Writer” Book Club is for our community members who want to dive even deeper into how great books work. Come nerd out with us! 🤓
💬 During the book discussion, we’ll chat about:
One of my favorite things about this author is her skill in writing not just setting, but ambience. Did you notice the difference?
Setting vs Ambience: Here’s a piece I wrote a couple years ago on the topic, in which I highlighted a different Natasha Pulley book.
The book mixes historical realism with magical elements.
Did you feel the pacing shift between those modes?
Did the historical and magical element feel cohesive?
Thaniel is often described as ordinary, while Mori is eccentric and enigmatic.
How does the author balance those contrasts in their characterization?
Fate versus free will
How does the author use Mori’s foresight and Thaniel’s choices to complicate that theme?
What do Grace’s chapters reveal about agency, gender roles, and independence in Victorian society?
How does the watch itself—and the act of watchmaking—function symbolically in the novel?
💬 During the “behind the scenes of writing” portion, we will talk about:
Share any creativity coaching wishlist topics that you’d like to learn from Joanna next year
Plus, any publishing questions you have; we’ll do an Ask Me Anything-style chat.
We think this is going to be a wonderful conversation!
Zoom link is posted below the paywall to keep our gathering cozy and private.
(This also prevents any non-book-loving Zoom crashers!)
If you’d like to join us in the Book Club, you can upgrade to a paid membership here:
or:
Refer friends to receive complimentary months:
1 referral = 1 month free
2 referrals = 3 months free
3 referrals = 1 year free
✨ Note for fellow introverts:
You are welcome to come as you are—cameras on or off, display names changed or unchanged. No pressure, just presence.
📹 This session will be recorded for those who can’t attend live.