Episode #290: Jealousy vs. Envy
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Grace and Alvina talk about the emotion of jealousy and how it differs from envy, and how both are normal emotions. They discuss how to better reframe feelings of jealousy. They also discuss the feeling of compersion, which is the opposite of jealousy.
For the Fortune Cookie segment, Grace shared some insights from a Winter Institute panel about the middle grade market.
And then Alvina asks Grace to tell her about her book DIM SUM FOR EVERYONE. They end by sharing what they're grateful for.
Info about Grace's new book "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon": https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor
THE GATE, THE GIRL AND THE DRAGON, pre-order now:
Grace has a new middle grade novel! THE GATE, THE GIRL AND THE DRAGON comes out in May 2025. The first printing (and only the first printing) of this book will have sprayed edges (see a video preview HERE). So pre-order now! You can pre-order from any bookstore, but Grace is working with her three local indies to offer autographed books and gifts! If you pre-order from one of them you can have your choice of gifts of an enamel pin, a free virtual visit (order by April 11) or exclusive stickers (while supplies last)!
Enamel pin (from Porter Square Books)
Free virtual school visit (from the Eric Carle Museum)
Exclusive stickers (from High Five Books
How have you been?
Alvina has been celebrating the twin birthdays and hosted a fun party! Grace has been busy selling Girl Scout cookies! The Kennedy Center announced that Grace’s play will continue there. There are signed contracts for “Chinese Menu” and “A Big Bed for Little Snow” to be produced as plays there.
Jealousy
Grace was inspired to talk about jealousy based on a “Chasing Life” podcast called “Relax, Jealousy is Normal” with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Jealousy and envy are normal but typically regarded as a negative emotion. The book friends discuss the difference between envy and jealousy. What does “compersion” mean?
Fortune Cookie Segment
Grace attended a panel on how Middle Grade is not selling well, why that is happening, and why it is important to change this. It was nice to hear this book seller perspective on the issue. The main thing that they discussed was giving kids the joy of reading and trying to meet them there. Dragons, mysteries, robots, and wilderness stories are really popular. Book sellers should stop having separate sections in terms of age-group and have more of a blend. The panel actually used the term cross-shelving by “vibe”. For authors, they were considering writign workshops or poetry slams as part of their book launches.
“Tell me about….”
“Grace, tell me about Dim Sum for Everyone which has been banned in some counties of Florida. They are afraid this book may cause kids to ask about race. Grace talks about one of her first books and why it is ridiculous that this book is banned. Grace loves children’s books because it “makes the everyday exotic and makes the exotic familiar.” Dim Sum is perhaps not a familiar food but by reading about it and having children eating it, readers my feel like the food is fine and safe. Dim Sum for Everyone won the Pheonix Award!
Gratefuls
Alvina has been using less social media in general but recently joined Reddit so that she could chime in on an article. There was a thread that she was reading about politics that made her feel a little more hopeful about things. It was a reminder that things happen in cycles and that we can come out OK. Alvina also discovered a new soup dumplings restaurant! Grace is grateful for book sellers who love books and eager to share books with everyone.
THANK YOU!
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 and Threads, @alvinaling on BlueSky
You can find Grace @Pacylin on Instagram and Threads, @authorgracelin on Facebook, @gracelinauthor on TikTok.
Please keep tagging and messaging us on social media using the hashtag #bookfriendsforever! OR message us on Instagram @bookfriendsforever_podcast or email us at bookfriendsforever@gmail.com! Please let us know if you have any topic ideas!
