I’ve seen several postings referring to the past week as
“Week Four,” as if we’ve begun a new calendar. And it’s quite possible we have.
Will we think of the future as AC (After Covid)? Seems to me there’s a good
science fiction story there somewhere. Only it wouldn’t be fiction.
By my reckoning, however, last week was Week Five, since the
colleges went to remote learning (a fancy way of saying all classes are now
online classes) the week of March 9th. My first post
on the matter was dated March 13th
But that’s here in New York. Other parts of the world, heck
– other parts of the country – have a different timeline. And are we only
referring to when the state went into lockdown or do we go all the way back to
the first reported case? Glad the history books are going to fight this battle.
For us currently living it, our start times are staggered.
I visited my Dad two weeks ago. From afar. As in, through a
window. I took him some things to help him pass the time and a loaf of bread my
husband had just made. Dropped it at the front desk and then went around and we
talked on the phone while looking at each other through his window. Thankfully,
he has a place on the first floor and we could do that. The upstairs apartments
of the assisted living facility all have balconies, but it was too cold for him
to stand outside for long. Still, I got to put eyes on him, as it were, and
that made both of us feel better.
My kids are doing well. Didn’t take long for my daughter to
find a way to do theatre over the Internet. Wallbyrd Theatre Company, based in
Rochester, NY, is doing a live reading of Alice
in Wonderland, complete with costume pieces and special effects every
Sunday night at 8:00 on Facebook. Shameless plug here – my daughter is
production manager and takes everyone’s Skype calls, pulls them together and
creates magic we can all watch – and does it live. Look for it tonight – they’re on
chapter three (and the narrator tonight is well-known in this household as both
a theatre director and stage actor. Tonight he makes his Internet debut!).
My son works in buildings and grounds at a local church.
You’d think he’d have gotten laid off by now, since the churches are all closed
(well, their physical presence is closed), but you’d be wrong. Because so many
places have shut down, the American Red Cross was planning to cancel blood
drives, and at a time when the need is critical (and it still is – if you can
manage it, find a blood drive and volunteer. You’re needed!). The church where
my son works said, “Come on over here. We’ll open the building as you need it.”
So that’s what he’s doing. He’s not working every day, but
when there’s a blood drive (about one a week), he goes in and cleans before
they arrive, then disinfects and sterilizes after they leave. He’s one of the
front line support workers – and Mama gets a little worry mixed in with her
pride sometimes.
And what am I doing? Yesterday I attended a webinar given by
Jim Azevedo of Smashwords
on ebook publishing. Yes, I know. I’ve been self-pubbing my books since just
before EC’s demise. My first self-published book was a collection of stories
from The Ramayana, a Hindu epic,
quickly followed by Table for Four,
which had gone out of print at Ellora’s Cave. What’s cool about ebook
publishing, is that nothing is ever “out of print” because it’s all digital, so
always available!
Anyway, the webinar was in four parts and kudos to Jim for
keeping it interesting and informative. Even as an experienced self-pubber I
learned a lot. Once I take some time to process it all, watch for some cool,
new developments in the months ahead.
In the meantime, Smashwords has offered authors a chance to
extend their Readers Give Back sale. Originally slated to end tomorrow, it now
extends all the way to May 20th. I’ve set all my books there for 60%
off – including The Ramayana (which
the discount makes free!) and Table for Four
(which comes in at a whopping $2.00!).
SIDENOTE: I went to post links to both books mentioned
above, only to discover some formatting issues with the Ramayana. Decided to
add back matter with links to it while I was fixing and…needless to say, I went
down the rabbit hole (to borrow from Alice). Two hours later, I now have a list
of stuff to fix on my website, which I have shamefully neglected over the
years. Titles that are no longer available, covers that need MAJOR overhauls,
links that go nowhere…yeah. I have some work to do. In the meantime, know that
all is forthcoming. J
So watch Alice in Wonderland on Wallbyrd’s Facebook page tonight,
check out the sales at Smashwords, and
donate blood (if you can). In the meantime, stay safe and know I’m thinking of
you all!
Play safe,
Diana
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