A Guide to Helping Philadelphia Indie Bookstores

As we tuck ourselves away, hiding inside during this strange time, it’s impossible to avoid seeing the social media feeds billowing over with news about small businesses closing up shop, laying off staff, and just having a horrible go of things.

And while there are a few places labeled as essential businesses and staying open, like grocery stores and pharmacies and other life sustaining places… bookstores are shuttered. One could argue those are essential life sustaining businesses too, because books, hello. But I digress. 

I want our local booksellers to have a home to come back to, and to stay safe and healthy, so instead of a Twitter thread, here’s a roundup of some of my favorite local indies here in town, and how you can support them.

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Harriett’s Bookshop

My local indie here in Fishtown, Harriett’s opened just a month ago. Launched by Jeannine A. Cook, the shop has a beautifully curated collection of new books, and even a small shelf of used titles. It’s a stunning gem here in Fishtown and has already become a staple of mine. 

Jeannine has a few really lovely offers put together for folks buying up books during the quarantine, including free canvas totebags stuffed with goodies (while supplies last of course, be sure to tweet their way to see if they still have more), and a newly built online shop.

That expert eye of Jeannine’s has resulted in an online store that includes books by authors like N.K. Jemisin, Colson Whitehead, Morgan Jerkins, Celeste Ng, Emily St. John Mandel, and Philadelphia’s own Liz Moore and Kiley Reid… and tons more, of course. Miss browsing your local indie’s bookshelves? Enjoy this virtual one. 

They’re hosting an online discussion with Minista Jazz this week, with a deep dive into Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, and if you register, the bookstore will send you a copy of the book.

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Uncle Bobbie’s

When I moved back to Philadelphia last year, the very first event I did back in my beloved home city, was a talk with Brittney Morris, whose book Slay is just a must-read in the world of YA. 

Right now the Germantown shop has a GoFundMe live, and according to the shop, “these donations will go towards providing financial relief to staff, paying our vendors, and paying our other bills.” 

They’ve also got IndieLite and Libro.fm accounts so you can shop for books and audiobooks online.

You can check out the GoFundMe here. They’re at a little over half their goal, so let’s keep it going.

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A Novel Idea

Fun fact, the owners of this bookshop went to graduate school with me! Christina and Alex are an absolute joy, and I adore this South Philadelphia bookshop, located over on the bustling street of Passyunk. Right now that street isn’t as bustling as it used to be, so be sure to shop online and support this beloved new spot.

You can shop A Novel Idea on websites like IndieBound and Bookshop, and they’ve launched an online webstore that has their entire inventory. They sell new and used books, and also have some really lovely merch. T-shirts! Totes! Gift cards! If you can’t make up your mind what to pick up, get a gift card. Treat yourself later.

Head over to the order section of their website and click “current inventory” to see what they have in stock.

The shop just celebrated their one year anniversary. Let’s make sure they stick around.

And also, Christina’s collection of feminist fairy tales is out and about. Expect a release party at the bookshop when things cool off, but order one here!

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Brickbat Books

Located in Queen Village, this super charming little shop hosted plenty of memorable events that I adored, including a launch of a book by Doogie Horner. Their website on Blogspot doesn’t have much to dish, but if you follow them on Instagram, you can get information on books they’ve got available for shipping, or neighborhood pickup and delivery.

They’ve got a $4 flat shipping fee for all book orders, and you can email them for inquires. Details on their website.

And here’s their Instagram.

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Headhouse Books

When I did my little tour for Welcome Home, I had the most wonderful event in this bookshop, which you can find tucked away in Old City near… well, Headhouse Square.

They are currently offering free shipping on all orders over $35, sent via media mail. Details here on their website. It’s also worth noting that Headhouse offers up a monthly book subscription of curated titles. Learn more about that here, and maybe sign up!

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Giovanni’s Room

A historic landmark here in Philadelphia and one of the first queer bookstores in the country, Giovanni’s Room is an absolute favorite of mine, offering up a fantastic selection of used books and new titles… as well as odds and ends due to also being a thrift shop. Clothes and a new paperback? Boom. This is your stop.

I’ve raided their used bins more than I can count, and if you want to support them during this time, you can order a gift card from the bookshop. Details on that here, via their Twitter.

You can also order books from them online, via their website!

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 People’s Books and Culture

The newly relaunched Penn Book Center is a place of total joy. I went here just a few weeks back, while Brandon Taylor (pictured above, taken while I was fanboying in my seat) was on tour, and goodness, it was amazing being in that new space.

While you can’t order from them at the moment, I’m making sure I shout them out, and that you head right here once things quiet down. This place absolutely deserves your support.

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Big Blue Marble

There are a lot of ways to support this lovely indie bookstore. In a recent newsletter they brought up shopping via Bookshop.org, which will let you buy books off them still, as well as Libro.fm… who are donating 100% of new memberships and gifts memberships to indie bookstores this month.

There are all kinds of delivery and curbside pickup options, which they dished in this newsletter. Click through, and see how you can help.

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The Head & the Hand

An indie publisher slash indie bookstore slash vending machine chapbook machine, the folks at The Head & the Hand are a nonprofit who… well, they just do amazing things. I’m such a fan, and their pop up shop in Kensington is great.

Since they’re a press, you can absolutely support them by treating yourself to one of their many books.

You can also request direct orders from the shop, via their website and this form.

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Brave New Worlds

My favorite comic book shop in Philadelphia, they are regularly updating people via informative (and also very charming) videos across social media. Be sure to follow along to find out what Brian, Rob, and the rest of their knowledgable staff have planned.

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If you’re a bookseller following along, and your shop has plans, please email me and I’ll share! ericsmithrocks@gmail.com

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Book Deals: Olivia Chadha's RISE OF THE RED HAND to Erewhon

Oh, this book.

During Beth Phelan’s annual #DVpit event, I stumbled on Olivia Chadha’s stunning pitch, and I liked the post so hard my mouse shattered. I snuck off to a cafe the following day, inhaled the book, and offered immediately.

Giant robots. Cyborg teens. Robot aunties. It’s everything I love about YA, blended into one beautifully diverse sci-fi novel, and I’m so excited it’s going to be a SERIES. What!

Here’s the blip from Publisher’s Marketplace:

Olivia Chadha's debut RISE OF THE RED HAND, the first of a duology in which a smuggler and the hacker son of a politician take down the technocratic government of a futuristic South Asia ravaged by climate change, to Sarah Guan at Erewhon, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, by Eric Smith at P.S. Literary Agency (World).

And you can read the official fancy announcement over on Tor, which honestly, that’s an agent bucket list item right there.

Be sure to follow Olivia on Twitter. She’s a star on the rise. And say hi to Sarah! She’s awesome.

Book Deals: Amy Ratcliff's KID'S GUIDE TO FANDOM Acquired by Running Press Kids!

Amy Ratcliff is one of those writers I’ve wanted to work with since I became an agent. Heck, BEFORE I became an agent, during my time at a publishing house, I crossed my fingers a project of her’s would float across the acquisitions table.

Well, a project of her’s hit my agent inbox, and now here we are. And considering this is the fourth Middle Grade non-fiction project I’ve worked on, yes, I am open for submissions when it comes to MG non-fiction.

And I’m so thrilled about this project.

Here’s a blip about it from Publisher’s Marketplace:

STAR WARS: WOMEN OF THE GALAXY co-author Amy Ratcliff's KID'S GUIDE TO FANDOM, a guide to exploring the ins-and-outs of celebrating geek and pop culture, offering practical advice about starting a safe, supportive fan space; writing fanfic or comics; attending a con; creating a cosplay ensemble; and more, with interviews and tips from popular creators, to Britny Brooks at Running Press Kids, for publication in spring 2021, by Eric Smith at P.S. Literary Agency (World).

Also, I’m just so hyped to have a second project with the Running Press team, a wonderful publisher based here in Philadelphia who work on some truly outstanding kid-lit projects.

Be sure to send your congrats to Amy and Britny on the ol’ Twitter, and watch for this delightfully geeky book in 2021!

Book News: YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WAY, Publishing in 2021 with Inkyard Press

Hey, time for some fun news!

If you read Don’t Read the Comments (please read it!), you might have noticed all the love for Philadelphia in that geeky story of video games, love, and fighting against cyber harassment. It turns out, Philly, that I really love setting my novels here. The Girl and the Grove was set here, my story in Sangu Mandanna’s beautiful anthology, Color Outside the Lines, was set here.

And well, let’s keep this trend going.

I’m so pleased to announce my next geeky Philadelphia YA novel… YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WAY.

And if you heard that title as sung by Fleetwood Mac… good.

Meet Adam, a 70’s rock obsessed teen who is (poorly) managing his family’s failing pinball arcade in Old City, Philadelphia. And then there’s Whitney, the daughter of a virtual reality tech mogul. Her father’s hip VR cafes have started popping up all around Philadelphia, and he has his eyes set on Adam’s arcade… and is being really aggressive with his takeover plans.

But Adam’s got his own plan. To save the arcade, he’s going to sell one of the wildly rare pinball machines from his father’s collection. When the two find themselves snowed inside the pinball arcade during the worst snowstorm in Philadelphia’s recent history, they’ll have to determine what’s really worth saving. New friendships, or clinging to the past.

It’s a nerdy YA rivals-to-lovers rom-com set around pinball, classic rock, virtual reality, and social media.

And best of all… you might see some familiar faces make a return. *wink*

Here’s the blip from Publisher’s Marketplace:

Author of DON’T READ THE COMMENTS Eric Smith’s YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WAY, a YA romantic comedy about a boy trying to save his family’s aging pinball arcade, and a girl whose tech giant dad wants to buy it.  When the two get stuck there during the biggest snowstorm Philadelphia has ever seen, they’ll have to work together to make it out, to Rebecca Kuss at Inkyard Press, represented by Dawn Frederick of Red Sofa Literary (World). 

Massive thank you to my agent Dawn Frederick, my editor Rebecca Kuss, and the entire Inkyard Press team for having me back for another book, and for another story of being a geek in Philadelphia.

Stay tuned.

Manuscript Wishlist for 2020: What I'm Looking for this Year!

It begins.

I'm open to queries again! I'm so excited to read new work, and to find some bold new voices this year! Here's what I'm looking for in 2020.

Please remember, to send a pitch my way, please use P.S. Literary’s submission guidelines and query email, found here.

Genre Blending Literary & Adult Commercial Fiction

If you love novels like Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson, The Last One by Alexandra Olivia, The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffeneggerand, The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters, The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff, and every book by Colson Whitehead... then your work is a good fit for me.

I'm looking for genre-blending fiction... books that pull a bit of genre into the literary.

When it comes to my clients, Mike Chen's Here & Now & Then and A Beginning at the End, and Alison Stine's The Grower’s Tale and Trashlands, are the perfect example of this. Literary fiction with splashes of time travel, secret societies, cults, and the apocalypse? Yes. Please.

I also really love literary fiction that takes you into small worlds and communities where I'm an outsider. A glimpse inside a complex family, or a workplace. Like my client Erica Boyce’s The Fifteen Wonders of Daniel Green or Lost at Sea. Both are family sagas, one set on a failing farm and another in a small fishing town.

So… give me literary fiction that genre blends, and commercial fiction that takes me somewhere unknown. It helps if you can break my heart in the process.

Select Science Fiction & Fantasy

I'm a bit picky when it comes to sci-fi and fantasy novels. I love them. I read a ton of them. But they have to be accessible. What does that mean? It means that readers who don't traditionally pick up much sci-fi or fantasy, can pick up one of these novels, and enjoy it. I feel like Mike Chen’s work does a good job of balancing this.

Some of my favorite recent sci-fi and fantasy reads include The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty, Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller, The Book of M by Peng Shepherd, Steel Crow Saga by Paul Kreuger, and the Sleeping Giants series by Sylvain Neuvel. I also love anything Chuck Wendig, Kat Howard, and Delilah S. Dawson writes.

Non-Fiction of All Kinds!

I’m looking for all kinds of non-fiction, especially cookbooks, memoirs, essay collections, wellness, and pop-culture history books.

When it comes to cookbooks, I love unique projects from platformed authors that explore topics that are hard to find in the bookstore, or haven't been explored at all. Standout single subject books tend to grab me really quickly. If you think your project is too niche, I might be right for you.

Recent projects of mine in this category include Eat to Feed by Eliza Larson and Kristy Kohler, a cookbook for breastfeeding mothers, Are You Afraid of the Dark Rum? by Sam Slaughter, a cocktail book full of 90's inspired drinks, and Lindsey Smith's Eat Your Feelings, a mental health focus cookbook about pairing food with emotions. Wildly different, right? But each of them are very specific.

And when it comes to pop-history, I love books that introduce readers to untold stories. My author Alex Rubens' 8-Bit Apocalypse is the perfect example, telling the untold story of the creation of the game Missile Command.

In the wellness space, see some of the work I’ve been doing with Sophie Saint Thomas, specifically her books Finding Your Higher Self and The Little Book of CBD Self Care.

I've loved every single book written by Mary Roach, and would love to find a non-fiction book along those lines. One of my favorite non-fiction titles ever is The Secret Life of Lobsters by Trevor Corson.

Young Adult Fiction + Non-Fiction

I'm always hungry to find bright new voices in YA. As for what I'm specifically looking for, that's a hard thing to pin down. I read widely in YA, and enjoy just about every genre in it. I love moving contemporary reads, thrilling sci-fi, and lush fantasy.

To get a sense of my taste in YA, my favorite novels of last year were I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi, Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thorr, The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf, Slay by Brittney Morris, Jackpot by Nic Stone, and Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan.

My favorite YA novel of all time is Hero by Perry Moore.

When it comes to my favorite YA authors, I've read every book by Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera, Nova Ren Suma, Mindy McGinnis, Jeff Zentner, Zoraida Cordova, Meg Medina, Bryan Bliss, Nic Stone, and Nina LaCour.

Specifically, I’d also really love to get more YA horror in my inbox. Smart horror. I don’t want gore, I want a story that creeps me out, and asks questions I don’t want answers to. See authors Kim Liggett’s Blood & Salt for a flawless example. Very hungry to work on more LGBTQ+ YA novels and diverse, inclusive reads.

I'd also love to see more YA non-fiction hit my inbox. Memoir, essay collections, you name it. Queer There & Everywhere is probably my favorite YA non-fic title in recent memory, and a great example of what I’d like to see.

Middle Grade Nonfiction

While I’m not necessarily looking for MG fiction, I am on the hunt for non-fiction in MG. Show me glimpses of history that haven’t been taught to younger students before, collections of pieces, anthologies. See Robin Stevenson’s Kid Activists and Kid Innovators for perfect examples of this.

What I'm Not Looking For

And now, a quick rundown of what I'm not looking for, to save everyone's time. This isn’t meant to be harsh, just a list of what I don’t really enjoy, and would be a bad fit for.

• Middle Grade Fiction or Picture Books (pitch my colleague Maria!)

• Angel & demon love stories, Heaven / Hell stories.

• Adult epic fantasy (pitch my colleague Kurestin!).

• Military sci-fi.

• Douglas-Adams-esque sci-fi.

• Non-fiction about sports or politics.

• Your thriller about some white guy fighting terrorists.

• Portals.

• Main character is Death.

• Novellas.

• Main character is a bigot and learns a lesson at the expense of marginalized people.

• Redemptive story arcs for abusers. Nope.

• New Adult books.

• Anything comped as "Lovecraftian" (he was racist, not interested)

• Anything comped to Orson Scott Card (if I have to explain this, we can't work together)

• Commercial fiction about sports (exceptions made for sports YA, I love sports YA!)

Free Conference Passes for Marginalized Writers in 2020

Updated: February 2020, the Minneapolis event has been claimed and taken off the list. See you there!

Hey friends!

Every year, when I get asked to go to workshops and conferences with my agent hat on, I do my best to wrangle up free passes for marginalized writers at each of them.

When I was trying to figure things out in publishing and as an author, I didn’t have as much help as I’d have liked. And there was no way I could have afforded to attend a conference. Publishing isn’t super accessible, and these workshops can be expensive. This is my little way of trying to help out.

Here are the workshops I’ll be attending in 2020, that you can request a pass for. Please note, these passes do not include transportation or a hotel stay, so please, only request one if you’re in the area.

Hopefully I’ll have a few more to offer up in the coming months, but for now, I have events in Nashville, Philadelphia, and Boise.

April 24th - 25th, 2020
Idaho Writers Conference
Boise, ID
https://idahowritersguild.wildapricot.org/Idaho-Writers-Conference

June 12th, 2020
Nashville Writers Workshop
Nashville, TN
https://tennesseewritingworkshop.com/

November 14th, 2020
Philadelphia Writers Workshop
Philadelphia, PA
philadelphiawritingworkshop.com

How do you request a pass? Easy! Just email me with:

• Name: You know, your name.

• Who Are You?: A bit about you. Why you write.

• Your WIP: What are you currently writing?

• Twitter: What's your Twitter handle?

To ericsmithrocks at gmail dot com, with what conference you'd like to attend. I'll pick someone a month or so before the conference, so you’ll have time to make the time.

Huge thank you to the conference organizers for donating the passes.

Book Deals: Sophie Saint Thomas' The Little Book of CBD Self Care Acquired by Adams

Well, here we are at the end of 2019, with publishing getting ready to hibernate for the winter… with one last piece of bookish news.

Sophie Saint Thomas’ next book, THE LITTLE BOOK OF CBD SELF-CARE, has been acquired by Adams Media! Her first book, Finding Your Higher Self, was published through them just this month, and the book launch party was just out of this world (I mean, look at this cake!).

Working with Sophie has been such a joy, and I really can’t get over the fact that we are announcing her third book deal in ONE YEAR. Her second book, Sex Witch, was announced this year too.

Here’s the blip from Publisher’s Marketplace:

Sex and cannabis writer and regular contributor to GQ, Playboy, and Allure Sophie Saint Thomas's, LITTLE BOOK OF CBD SELF-CARE, a guide to using CBD for self-care, with instructions for meditations, rituals, yoga poses, and other activities which make use of CBD’s benefits to improve the reader’s wellbeing, to Rebecca Tarr Thomas at Adams Media, for publication in Fall 2020, by Eric Smith at P.S. Literary (World)

Congrats Sophie! Here’s to getting book FOUR ready in 2020!

Lessons From an Agent & Author in 2019

2019 was a strange year for me.

My wife and I moved back to Philadelphia after several years away, our squirmy baby was suddenly a wildly energetic toddler, and we learned how to navigate this whole parenting thing.

The agent life has had some wild highs and some painful low points, as is the way of publishing. I’ve found myself refocusing how I work, thanks to my wonderfully supportive colleagues. In my writing life, I ended the year seeing ARCs for Don’t Read the Comments (out next month!), found myself with two new books publishing in 2021, a story in an anthology publishing next year, and one that’s in bookstores this year, in Color Outside the Lines by Sangu Mandanna.

It’s been busy and a ride. And along the way, there have been some interesting lessons that make up a lot of what this year was all about.

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If You’re Going to Thrive, Close Your Laptop

Over the summer, I published this little piece on Publishing Crawl about trying to figure out what having “discipline” even meant to me anymore. I was wildly unhappy, something I seldom admit to anyone. I was raised to take whatever I’m feeling and just ball it up nice and tight, and shove it down inside my chest someplace. Which is great for social media, where you can perform, but not great for in real life, when the stage comes crashing down.

I’d been fighting with a novel draft and nothing was happening. The well was dry. I wasn’t really going out, and I was super busy with work, staying up late into the evening battling with the page. And that was a problem.

I was surprised to see that the blog resonated with so many people. If you’re going to thrive creatively, take a break. A breather. Remember that there is more out there than the book you’re working on. Sometimes it can genuinely feel like there isn’t anything else. Push right by that. There is. It’s waiting for you, and it’ll inspire your craft.

And it’ll make you happy.

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Send the Elevator Down (Even When it Skips Your Floor on the Way Back Up)

One of my favorite people in the publishing industry, Dongwon Song, had a great newsletter about the importance of sending the elevator back down. How once you’ve “made it” (whatever your definition of making it might be), how important it is to remember to give back and help other people get to where you are.

It’s something I’ve tried to do a lot in my author and agent life. I give a lot. I host brain pick meetups. I leave my DMs open. I offer up critiques frequently and love introducing people to the right people.

But one thing no one really preps you for, is when you’ve sent that elevator down, and you watch people soar right by you on the way up… never to talk to you again. They’ve got what they wanted from you, and well, that’s the end of that. It happens. It’s happened to me plenty, and I’ve seen it happen to a few author friends, as it’s a frequent topic of conversation on book social media, and it hurts a lot.

Look. I want to tell you that this can make you bitter, and it’ll make you think twice about reaching out to send that elevator down. Don’t let it. There’s always going to be someone who sees you as a stepping stone, instead of a friend or a colleague, and unfortunately, you might not see those warning signs right away.

Keep helping. For every one person who uses you, there are a dozen who desperately need you. Don’t give up on them.

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You Can’t Grow Covered in Salt

Another lesson in being bitter here. Publishing is an industry, whether you’re on the creative or the business side (or both!), that it’s easy to get salty in. So easy. A burn from an editor, an author, a colleague… it is easy to let frustrations like those fester, and subsequently make you jaded.

There’s this great old episode of the Simpsons, where Homer is working on a homecoming float and takes flowers from Flanders. Ned points out that Homer has picked all the flowers in his garden, and Homer shrugs it off. “Can’t make a float without flowers.” He says.

Ned replies back with “but did you have to salt the Earth so nothing would ever grow again?”

I think it’s easy to let something negative leave you wanting to salt your world. But in the end, how do you grow, if you don’t let go what’s hurt you?

Be hurt. Feel the pain. But then put the salt away.

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Work Life Balance Isn’t Just About You

I feel like I joke a lot about my terrible work life balance, but the truth of it, was that this year was pretty rough trying to navigate it. And it was entirely my fault. I kept thinking I could do the work-at-home-Dad thing, while simultaneously getting all the work done that I needed to for my agent and author life, as well as the students I teach.

And while I was getting the work done… it came at a cost. Where I was up until midnight or 1AM most days, and just getting WILDLY cranky about it.

My amazing wife called me out on it in the Fall, pointing out how grumpy I’d gotten and told me it was time to get a full time office at the coworking space I hit up once a week or so. Get out of the house. And now that I’m here, starting my day at 7AM and wrapping it up around 4PM… oh my God.

There’s that Twitter joke, where a movie or a quote or a moment makes your skin clearer. Waters your crops. Gives your hair luster. That’s how it feels lately. I come home, I chill out. I make a nice dinner, we watch bad TV, I snuggle with my toddler.

In books, we talk a lot about self care and personal mental health while balancing the demands of the publishing life, but it’s less about self care for me, and more about caring for the people around me. Making sure they get the best version of myself. And it turns out, I can’t really do that with a computer in the house.

The computer stays at my office now. I don’t have one at home.

It’s something I’m carrying with me into the New Year.

-#-

So, the TL;DR of it all?

• Take a break, refill the well. You can’t drink when there’s nothing in it.

• Don’t give up on helping people, just because you’ve been burned.

• Work life balance isn’t just about you, but the people who you care about.

Have a good New Year, friends. I’ll be here, trying my best.