Where to find me ....

Hello, Friends!

If you’re looking for me here, I’ve moved on. Currently, I can’t say if it’s temporary or if it’s for good.

I’m still out there, however, and if you’re interested, you can find me at the following sites:

SUBSTACK
You DO NOT need a subscription or account to access Substack. All of my content is currently free. When you click on the link, it will ask you to register, but you can click the NO THANKS button and be taken to the content page. The only difference subscribing makes is you’ll get an email when I post. That’s it!
BOOKSANDBALDERDASH.SUBSTACK.COM

INSTAGRAM
I’m not sure if you can access Instagram without an account or not. I know FBk made it impossible to see posts on their platform if you don’t have an account (which is fine by me); not sure if Insta has done the same. BUT if you’re over there (or want to see if you can wander about without being able to comment) I’m there!
JEN CHANDLER WAS HERE

OH! I also have a nifty little thing called a Link Tree. It’s one address to remember that will link you to everything I’m doing. Currently it’s pretty bland but that will change:

linktr.ee/jenniferchandler

EMAIL
You can always shoot me a good, old fashioned email if you like! It’s nice to get something that’s not promotional :D
jstantonchandler (at) gmail (dot) com

________________________________

That’s it! I’d love to see you at any of those sites. If not, no worries. Believe me, I totally understand! I’m working on a few good things right now and keeping up a website just wasn’t helping my creativity. However, if and when the time comes to reboot a place in cyberspace, I’ll announce it on one of those platforms.

And if I may be so bold as to borrow from Garrison Keillor:

“Be well, do good work and keep in touch!”

I wish you all the best,
Jen x

Rethinking, Reconfiguring

Hi there! Not sure if anyone’s still reading this but if so, I hope all is well.

I took a break simply because no one was visiting. If they were, I didn’t know it. I understand it can be a bit frustrating to enter a name and email each time you have comment but, I have to do that with every Wordpress blog I read. It’s annoying but not unmanageable. That's one of the things I’ve got on my “let’s rethink the website” list.

There might be a way around that and if so, I’ll definitely implementing the change!

I’m writing this at 6:30 on a late April evening because I’ve spent the past few weeks doing a LOT of thinking. Not just about the website but also the content of the website, the direction of my own work, and the actual domain name associated with the site.

Boring, right?

Yes, but necessary. I’ve spent an awful lot of time trying to “perfect” whatever site I was currently invested in. I’ve always thought that I had to find something that would connect EVERYTHING with what I do. That’s just not feasible and, quite frankly, has robbed me of a lot of time and energy.

Some of you may be aware that I spent the past 20 years dealing with chronic health issues, anxiety disorders and nervous system challenges. Lemme tell ya; it ain’t been fun. BUT I’ve been healing these past 3 years and I’m so, so, so, so, so ready to get myself and my work in gear.

This time, however, I’m doing things a bit differently.

In the past, I’ve jumped on the wagon and just ran myself ragged trying to do things that weren’t really what I wanted but what I thought I should want. For my writing. For my art. For myself. And each time I stressed myself, burnt myself out, and ended up sicker than I was before I started.

Genius!

This time around, I’m taking my time. Going slow. I’m gathering up loose ends between now and 31 May, crafting some submissions and sending some written work out into the wild, wide world.

Then, come 01 June, it’s Summertime.

Yeah, yeah. Summer doesn’t officially start until 21 June. But for me, the first of June has always been SUMMER to me, just as the first of September has always been AUTUMN. Besides, I grew up in the blissful, blessed 80s when we actually had 3 whole months off from school and - as far as I know - not one single person ever suffered from being away from The Establishment for that many weeks in a row.

This year, I’ve decided to take a Summer for myself. For my work and for my health. There will be a LOT of construction on this site. In fact, the domain name will more than likely be changing. I’m excited and I hope that somehow, someway others will be excited as well.

I’m going to be brutally honest with you here : blogging has never really worked for me. I was very active back in the early 2000s during bloggings heyday and it was wonderful. I made some wonderful connections and met some wonderful people. But for some reason, sometime around 2014, things just fizzled. Yes. I know. It’s still out there. I’ve popped back in from time to time. I’m guessing the rise of social media is to blame. It just seems like folks don’t really want to read that much anymore. They want videos and filters and something quick and easy and short and to the point.

Well, that’s not how I work.

While I am contemplating videos (yipe!) I have no intention to get rid of my long form posts. I enjoy writing them and I always enjoy reading them when I find someone posting one. I don’t need a bunch of links for flashy ads (I’ll click off a site if there’s too many pop ups or things moving in the margins. True story.) What I need is community and connection.

That’s what I intend to put forth on this platform again.

Along with some - I’m just gonna say it - videos.

Again, yipe!

Anywho, that’s about it for now. If you’re reading this, thank you! Let me know. Leave me a comment or pop over to my Instagram @jenchandlerwashere or, even better, drop me an email : jstantonchandler (at) gmail (dot) com. Also, quick reminder, I do a weekly newsletter on all things bookish and writing over at booksandbalderdash.substack.com. I’d love to see you over there as well.

I really do want to hear from you. Even if it’s just to say, “Hey!”

With Love and Creativity,
Jen <3

In which the Author Gives an Alternative

Hi there!

I’m honestly not sure if anyone even reads this anymore BUT if you are, I thank you! And I wanted you to know that I’m getting ready to shut this website down. It’s been up for three years and it’s just not doing what I’d hoped it would. It’s kinda become more of a headache than anything I enjoy.

Instead of screaming randomly into ANOTHER void, I’ve started a newsletter up on Substack. All you have to do, is click on THIS LINK —> Books and Balderdash <— and enter in your email address. Then, every Thursday, you’ll get an email letting you know when I’ve posted a new post!

What am I writing about? Oh, you know, the same old thing : books, reading, writing, the creative life in general. I really think you’ll like it! Give it a shot! And, hey, if for some reason you DON’T, you can always unsubscribe! It’s really that simple!

I’d love to see you over there! If you haven’t used Substack yet, it’s very easy. You click on the newsletter you’re interested in, enter you email and you’ll get a welcome email which will give you access to all the posts for that particular newsletter.

And the best part? No annoying algorithms to try and pacify. No Internet Overlords to appease. You search for the newsletters that interest you, subscribe to them, get the posts in your inbox and read what you want, when you want it. You can comment and converse via replying to the email or on the original post. It’s easy and peaceful and, in a way, reminds me a little of blogging in days gone by.

I love it.

This website will go away in a month or so. Thanks to everyone who’s stopped by and read and commented. I really do appreciate every single comment that I receive. Each one lets this writer know she’s been heard, even if just for a moment.

Take care,
Jen x

In which the Author Learns Better Ways of Reacting to Inevitable Change than a Full-Blown Nuclear Reactor Melt-Down

It’s Tuesday again. Right? It’s funny how most days, the time seems to wander aimlessly, going from hour to hour with slight ticks. I’m mostly nonplussed. I write. I drink tea. I watch the random episode of Murder, She Wrote. Each day stretches like a cat, unencumbered.

Then, suddenly, I find myself writing a weekly update post and think, “Didn’t I just do this?” Well, yes, yes you did! Last week!

Hmmm…says I. Chronos and Kairos are having a row and I’m caught betwixt the two.

How are you? How was your week? Whether it went by fast, slow, inside out or in between, I certainly hope it was a good one.

I’ve noticed how each week I learn something new about how I work. What makes me tick. What helps and what hinders the momentum of creativity. Mostly I’m unsurprised but with each passing moment, if I remember to stay awake, I catch subtlties that amaze.

For example : I decided to start going out, writing in different places, getting a new view. Perspective shift is, after all, enlightening and enables me to see with enhanced vision. Last week I made it out once. The other two days allocated for such “writing in the wild adventures” saw me docked snugly at home. And I completed a novella.

That’s a piece of writing between 17,500 and 40,000 words. If you’re curious, a novel is approximately 50,000 words long and short stories can be anywhere from 3 words to 17,000. Technical, yes. Necessary? Meh…I suppose so.

Anywho, I did it. Hooray.

This week looks to be shaping up much the same way though I suspect I’ll get out two days a week instead of just the one.

And you know what? I’m totally OK with that.

Years ago, that would have upset me greatly. I had PLANS. I’d created a whole SCHEDULE! WHY was it falling apart around me after just one week?

Could I fight harder and make these three days happen? Sure.

Could I have taken my husband to the courthouse for jury duty, gone out to the library, waited to hear from him just two hours later that he’d be dismissed to go his merry way, packed everything up, carted m’self back across town to pick him up, drop him back off at work and then go pick him up 8 hours later?

Sure. But, how hectic would that have been? Instead, I stayed home and finished at 20,000 word document.

What I’m getting at is this: we plan our days. We mean well. We write things in PEN and determine that they will happen THAT WAY (or else).

Seldom does life cooperate in such an easy-going fashion. That’s when you have to take a step back, listen to what your body and mind are telling you, pay attention to life going on around you and learn to think on your feet.

Would you like another example?

For the past month and a half I’ve been working on submission. I did four different versions of it and was pretty pleased with the final result. Then I asked my husband to help me out with one aspect of it and we found out that it wasn’t the best it could be.

What did I do?

Did I say, “Ah, well, that’s fine. I’ll send it anyway.”

No. I didn’t. I decided to put it on the shelf and revisit it for another publication whose deadline was further out and would allow me the time I need in order to get it to it’s best possible state of being before I send it off to those who make final decisions on things like articles published in nationally syndicated magazines.

And that’s OK. It takes a lot of guts to put your work out into the world. It also takes a lot of guts to know when your work isn’t your best and to put it on hold until it is.

And I’m fine with that. In fact, I’m so fine with it, I’m kind of scared. Seriously. Two years ago I would have freaked the freak out at missing a self-imposed deadline and felt like a failure when the truth of the matter is the layout of the project just isn’t conducive to the structure of the submission guidelines. Therefore, I pivot, I change, I edit and reconfigure and by August, I’ll have this thing all primed and polished and it will be the best version I can present.

Many of us are bothered by change. I’d say, in some capacity, we all are. Even good change can cause stress and anxiety. When seasons change, we mostly know what to expect. When our health changes, we get knocked backwards. When we get bad news we may react poorly. When we get an answer we’ve been praying for, we may freeze up wondering just how on earth we’re actually going to be able to handle it.

But change is inevitable. It’s the one constant in this life. Well, I suppose that could go in the list of “death and taxes” but I’ll beg Ol’ Ben’s pardon if I stick with my example. One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned in the past ten years is to make peace with change. The good. The bad. The weird. I’ve had all of those come at me in this past decade and I’ve reacted with anger, fear, resentment, panic, genuine disinterest and careful acquiescence. I can assure you, the latter is by far the best way to go.

For me, retreating into anger is a desperate cry for safety. Change means I have to get out of the boat. I’m no longer able to stay where I’m sure of dry land. Even if the situation isn’t ideal, it’s familiar and for humans, familiarity equals safety or at least perceived safety.

Safety is a wonderful thing, but it can hold you back. When you choose to remain in a situation simply because unexpected change requires you to adapt and perhaps even begin again, that’s an example of a dangerous type of safety. Anger and fear become our shields and we use them often as a way of self-defense.

Anger and fear make us lash out, drains us of energy, messes up our health and our ability to reason. Disinterest makes us apathetic, causes us to look to others to do what is necessary and just leave us out of it until absolutely necessary. But to take the news with caution, to seek the truth in every situation, to understand (even when the change is completely and totally off the wall) and to accept is not defeat. It’s not even a way of settling. No, it’s a simple acknowledgement of “This is the way things are at the present. I can fight it, exhaust myself and possibly make things worse OR I can learn what I can, understand what I can, do what I can, work with what I’ve been given and do my best until I can do better.”

Now maybe that sounds to you like giving up. It’s not. My biggest fear has always been having to settle for some hum drum existence rather than do the things I crave. And I fought change tooth and nail only to make myself physically, emotionally and mentally sick.

BUT, when I took in the information given me, acknowledged that it was, at this time, the truth of the situation, and then began to take steps to making things work within those parameters, I began to see things happen.

Things will never be perfect. If you wait for perfect before you start anything you’ll wait forever and never begin. However, if you take things as you find them and begin to make something beautiful from it, you’ll find poetry in the most mundane and the extraordinary hidden within the most ordinary of days.

This week, look for opportunities to learn, about yourself and the way you react to the world around you. When things begin to unravel from your carefully laid plans, take a few steps back and ask yourself, “What can I do about this situation? How can I still pursue my goals and advance in the direction of my dreams despite this shift?” Take your time and you’ll find the answers. Then, rearrange your thoughts on the subject, pivot, and move on.

Just getting angry will only waist valuable time and energy and heaven knows we all need as much of those as we can get!

No matter how fast or slowly that time wanders by.

Have a lovely week, my Friends. Let me know what’s going on in your life in the comments. I really do want to hear from you.

xo Jen

In which we discuss Learning to Love February, Reading for Pleasure & Insecure Writers

(adorable little Badger picture found via Pinterest xo)

Hello and Welcome! I’m happy to see you here on this lovely Tuesday or Wednesday if you’re here for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. For all you IWSGers, feel free to curl up and read along OR scroll on down until you see the familiar logo :)

How are you? How was your week? Did January feel like it lasted forever or was it more of a soft sigh? I ADORE January. It’s that lovely splash of quiet at the end of the holidays, a blessed silence after the happy hooplah of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I know a lot of people who aren’t as enamored with the first month of the year as I am. They complain that it’s too long, too cold, too dreary. But those reasons, my friend, are EXACTLY why I love it so!

That last bite of creeping cold. Days that glimmer with frost or dappled clouds over a white sky. Zero expectations for anything other than the ordinary. Aaaahhh. I love it.

But February? Ah…I’ve had to bring myself to love it over the years. February just seems like January Chapter Two if I’m honest. Except for all the pink and red for Valentine’s Day OR the - wait for it! - EASTER DECOR!!!! I mean, come ON, ya’ll!!!! It’s FEBRUARY!!! I don’t want to see Peter Cottontail until AFTER chocolate hearts and leprechauns.

I have come to, if not love, tolerate February. Somethings you learn real quick when you move to a swamp are : 1) It is HOTTER than you’d like it to be during all seasons, 2) The humidity will grow mold on your walls and books no matter the temperature outside and 3) Winter is just kind of a ‘meh’ shrug of shoulder until you get inundated by the pollen blast of Spring. And to be fair, those are the exact reasons why I’m learning to love February. I know that as soon as we hit St. Pat’s Day, it’s nothing but an uphill climb to HOT days and HUMID nights.

But February is a lingering reprieve. It’s still cold (mostly). It’s still dreary (kinda). And I do love chocolate so nothing to complain about there! I try and ease into each month with a reminder that there is something to enjoy in all twelve, not just the five that I hold dearest. February is, however, my most challenging month but so far this year, it’s been lovely. We had our first REAL thunder shower the other evening and it might actually feel like Winter should for the next several days. I’m looking forward to the first snowdrops which should bloom in the next week or so and the green of the small patch of daffodils has just been unearthed from a crowd of oak leaves.

I’m also really excited about an excuse to buy/consume/enjoy more chocolate!

TALKING POINTS : What about YOU? How are YOU doing? Was January good to you? How about these firs few days of February? Do you enjoy the lingering Winter after the glitter of the holidays or are you more “Get on with SPRING!”?

Just curious :)

Over on my weekly book newsletter, Books & Balderdash, I talked about reading my first Jane Austen novel. I was never required to read her novels in high school or college. And yes, I actually DO have an English degree! I wrote about how I felt a little odd making that confession. I mean, Jane Austen is English Lit 101, right? An Instagram friends mentioned something to me just the other day, however, that made me rethink my woe. She said that she loves that I was able to introduce myself to Austen’s work on my own time without it having to be required reading. She said that it’s lovely that I was able to just enjoy her way with words on my own time, for my own pleasure.

And you know what? She is RIGHT!

So many people complain about the Classics. WHY do we have to read stuff by a bunch of dead folks? My complaint was always, WHY do we have to read stuff that is so down and depressing? And let’s face it, there are a LOT of depressing Classics out there. There are a LOT of depressing MODERN novels out there. I don’t care how realistic a story is (or even if it’s based on a true story), if your description goes something like, “Oh it’s SO GOOD, but it’s SO SAD!” I’m probably not going to read it.

Oh and if I hate the characters within the first ten pages, I’m not reading it. Period. Except for that one book that WAS required. Yeah…THAT book. Oh don’t worry. I’ll talk about that one soon, over on the newsletter. Big Grin.

All that to say, I don’t want to take reading for granted. I don’t want to just grab a book and read it without remembering what it was like to HAVE to read something, whether I liked it or not (for the second and third time….). I want to enjoy the freedom of, “Oh hey, this book looks interesting” and pick it up and give it a go. And I am a firm believer that if you just aren’t enjoying a book, you shouldn’t feel obligated to finish it. Unless you’re reading a draft for an author or to give a review, put it down and find you something else. Life is too darn short to read books you don’t like.

Give ‘em at least half a dozen chapters before you close it lamenting. I mean, don’t just read the first page and go, nope, don’t like it! Have I done that? Of COURSE NOT. NEVER have I EVER….

…that’s another story for another time as well.

TALKING POINTS : How do you feel about the Classics? Are you a fan or do you prefer modern works, preferably those on the NY Times Best Seller list? There’s no right or wrong answer. If you’ve been around here for any amount of time, or venture over to Books & Balderdash, you’ll learn real quick the books I prefer. Quirky ones that fly under the radar that, when mentioned, most people look at me sideways and go, “Huh?” Or the books that came out a while ago that someone says, “Oh. Hn. Yeah. I think I remember that one.” Or the Classics. Yeah.

I’m a Shakespeare lover too!

Now then. Insecure Writers. How are you? How’s the New Year treating you and your work? I’ve been busy on some essays, a couple of short stories AND finishing up the draft of a novel I started for NaNoWriMo. January was pretty much me figuring out a writing schedule that will WORK for me and, by JOVE, I think I’ve found it!

I’ve discovered that I have to go someplace ELSE to work. While I love being at home and working from my wobbly desk, I am also very much aware that the temptations are great. I mean, I have the Internet and access is automatic. I can scroll Pinterest at my leisure and tell myself it’s for “research”. I can get up and go make a snack ANYTIME I WANT TO! Oh, and the coffee and the tea are already bought and paid for. I just gotta make them.

And while coffee shops and book stores do have free WiFi, I’m very happily ignorant of how to get onto those offered where frequent. Three days a week I venture forth to write in the wild with narry a WiFi password in sight! And you know what? I’m getting stuff DONE! I wrote an entire short story/novella last week in two days. Yep. I’ve been working on a collection for over a year and have written drafts for almost half of them but last week. One story. TWO DAYS. I mean, if that’s not a sign of productivity, I don’t know what is. It’s also a sign that says in bold all CAPS : YOU NEED TO GET OUT MORE AND FOCUS ON YOUR WORK!

I’ve cut back on my Instagram posting for that very reason as well. I deleted my Tumblr account and I removed Pinterest from my Bookmark Tab on my laptop. I even took the app off my phone. Gasp!

Instead of spending my days creating content, I’m doing actual work. And that, my Friends, is a good thing.

Oh, and if you’re one of those who can do all the social media, all the marketing, all the posting and all the experimenting with new technology, apps and platforms and STILL manage to crank out published work, that’s AMAZING! Truly. I’m in awe of your productivity. I am not wired that way. My brain literally fries after three/four consecutive hours on a computer and I’d much rather have submittable words produced during that time than content for platforms. And yes, I have tried creating tons of content. It did me no good whatsoever except to give me a nasty case of burn out.

TALKING POINTS : What about you, fellow writers? What have you been up to these first few weeks of 2024? Plugging away at projects from last year like me? Getting the reigns tighter on a workable schedule that allows you to crank our quality work (also like me)? Or are you one of those amazing individuals who are able to pick up any new platform, media or app and own it? You have my respect, truly.

Have a wonderful day, my Friends! I hope your week goes smoothly and that your days are filled with peace, health and whatever brings you JOY!

Go pour yourself another cup of happiness,
Jen x