Does August have a Sunday vibe or what?
No work or school, but it’s looming. Everything’s burnt out and no fun anymore. There’s fricking Halloween stuff in the stores; it’s a zillion degrees. The parents have had enough of the kids’ shit and can’t wait to send everyone back to school. There are ZERO holidays, even though every other month gets something to celebrate. It’s just a whole resigned dread / fed-up energy.
But I have always liked August (I mean…I also like February, so take that as you will). I even gave one of the characters in my stalled-out novel an August birthday, and though I’m epically Paused, a little calendar reminder still pops up for him every year and makes me smile…and also feel gut-clenching guilt, but mostly smile.
So let’s do something fun to kick off the month!
Thanks to the subscribers who voted on the gift options and selected….Original 5x7ish paintings!
If you’re new, Subscribing to The Long Pause comes with some perks, including:
Free
entry in the seasonal gift lottery!
Paid (AKA, buy my bonus kid an ice cream🍦
Access to public posts + subscriber-only content!
Double entries in a seasonal gift lottery for 6-mo+ subscribers!
Additional lottery entries with verified purchases from my Bookshop page!
Founding
All the benefits of a paid subscription, plus the moral high ground. Priceless.
Since we’ve only been doing this dance for a couple of months, EVERYONE paying for their subscription (or enjoying a gift subscription) will get double entries in the gift lottery for this first round.
So… you have ten days to get extra entries by doing the following:
purchasing stuff on Bookshop (any % I make buys books for my bonus kid, Pinky!)
DMing your receipt to me by July 28th
If you’re heading to a vacation this August, this is the perfect time to buy some fresh titles for yourself, get some extra entries, and send your dollars to indie bookshops and not dick rockets.
If you need some suggestions:
The Good Mother Myth by Nancy Reddy—a wonderful friend of the Long Pause—is on pre-order now! (No, you won’t have it for the beach, but it’s coming and it’s gonna be WORTH it)
Wintering by Katherine May— it’s about a Long Pause! And how maybe, it’s good!
After I gather up all the entries, I will plug them into a random result generator and let it do its thing, and three of you will win! Announcement on August 1, to kick off the month!
NB:
I am going to mail you your painting if you win, so you have to be willing to send me your address. If you’re not, you can totally withdraw, no harm, no foul. This also means you’ll have to be patient, as I get my shit together to mail you stuff. Fair warning.
The timelapse video above is me working on paintings! There are a lot of layers involved. Lots of drying time, and then new layers and more drying. They will come with a note about materials and production and will be signed. They’re yours to frame, tack to a posterboard, or gift to a friend if they’re not your style.
August gift lottery!