Episode #184: Self-care!
Grace and Alvina are together in Northampton, and discuss Self-Care, in the wake of Grace finishing the art for CHINESE MENU! As usual, the book friends catch-up on each other’s lives and share what they’re grateful for.
You can pre-order Grace’s new book, Once Upon a Book! Grace and co-author Kate Messner are going out on a book tour. Everyone who comes to see them and buys a book, can get a super cute pin! If you can’t make it in-person to see them, you can Pre-order the book from Porter’s Square books and you’ll get a signed copy of the book and the pin!
Hope to see you out there and THANK YOU!
“How have you been?”
Alvina has been enjoying this road trip up to see Grace and friends in Northampton but also a visit with Stephen’s Dad in Vermont. They stayed at the cozy Waybury Inn in Middlebury, VT where the sitcom “Newhart” was featured.
Grace has been busy getting ready for Lunar New Year celebrations. Sometimes she feels a little embarrassed that her house is filled with clutter. The book friends discuss clutter pros and cons!
Self-Care!
As Grace finished the artwork and met her deadline for Chinese Menu, she felt physically and mentally awful. However, she noticed that she re-bounded quickly and wondered if it was from better self-care. Some forms of Grace’s self-care during this time:
10 mins of yoga/stretching each day
Running (although not to the point of pushing limits, enough to change the mood and get the endorphins flowing!)
Took 2 whole days to be completely lazy afterwards
Enjoying fresh flowers in the house! Grace’s husband Alex buys them once a week for her.
Having a “comfort read”. Grace’s comfort book was Greenglass House by Kate Milford.
Alvina’s self-care:
Manicures (Cheerful color!)
Going out to socialize with good friends, food, and drink if she’s feeling up for it
Exercising
Scrolling on Tik Tok and social media to just be entertained and turn the brain off
Comfort reading
Fortune Cookie Segment: “What is a hobby that you have always wanted to have but… haven’t?”
Alvina: Knitting and drawing! Doing something even though you may not be that great at, but you just enjoy doing it.
Grace: Quilting!
Gratefuls:
Grace is grateful for Alvina and Stephen’s visit to Northampton and Alvina is grateful for the efficiency of the trip! They have made a few stops to visit friends and family along the way.
Thank you for tuning in! Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Alex at Pacyworks Studio for producing and editing this podcast. Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and tell a friend about us. (Use the hashtag #bookfriendsforever.)
You can find Alvina @Planetalvina on Twitter and TikTok and @Alvinaling on Instagram
You can find Grace @Pacylin on Instagram and @gracelinauthor on TikTok and Hive
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If you’re a patron, don’t forget to check out this week’s Random Questions feed! Authors Nidhi Chanani and Grace Lin answer the random question, If you had to remove one color in the whole world, what would it be and why? Click here to listen! If you’re not a patron already, join today!
