First Cup of Coffee - March 17, 2025

I was going to say something pithy about the time-consuming tricks we do for social media, but you'll have to extract that lesson yourself from my tale. Owl Crate tip-ins are done! Also: why something being your livelihood isn't reason enough.

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Transcript

00:01.50
Jeffe Kennedy
Good morning, everyone. This is Jeffe Kennedy, author of Epic Fantasy Romance. I'm here with my first cup of coffee.

00:13.83
Jeffe Kennedy
and It has been a morning, people. ah But first, it is Monday, ah March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. ah The day of my people.

00:26.42
Jeffe Kennedy
The luck of the Irish to be with you. Ah. I was thinking about that not long ago, this whole thing about the luck of the Irish and thinking that maybe a lot of people don't understand that, um, how ironically meant the luck of the Irish is, uh, because the Irish are terribly unlucky as a people. They've had a really kind of shitty history.

00:59.89
Jeffe Kennedy
And, You know, it's kind of like the Irish blessing. You know, may you live in interesting times. That's one thing you can count on from, you know, the Irish culture is really very interesting. You know, there's a fascinating book, How the Irish Saved Civilization, ah which, you know, we did because, well, basically we created civilization.

01:22.62
Jeffe Kennedy
Actually, I'm more Scott than Irish, but there's no St. Scott Wednesday.

01:31.93
Jeffe Kennedy
um

01:34.78
Jeffe Kennedy
I had a point. I know I did. Anyway, the the Irish have a way of of embracing...

01:45.95
Jeffe Kennedy
ill fortune and laughing at it. And so that's really, you know, we talked about the luck of the Irish and I think a lot of people do believe that the Irish are fundamentally lucky and yet it's this um making the best of a bad situation kind of thing.

02:05.03
Jeffe Kennedy
Anyway, um for most people, it's just an excuse to go out and party.

02:12.38
Jeffe Kennedy
I'm wearing a little bit of green today, but not a lot. ah

02:18.45
Jeffe Kennedy
So i've I've had kind of an annoying morning so far, and I'm recording this podcast late. so And if you're on video, you'll see that I got coffee shop coffee because I thought, well, I deserved it.

02:31.84
Jeffe Kennedy
So this is what happened is i was, i finished, let me not bury the lead. I pretty much finished signing the tip in sheets.

02:42.59
Jeffe Kennedy
Okay. My mom didn't remember what those were when I mentioned them. So in case you're or not paying attention, these are the tip in sheets for the owl crate edition of never the roses.

02:57.12
Jeffe Kennedy
Um, I signed a lot. Um, And they had sent me boxes and labels. And over the weekend, I thought, oh, well, I should look at the labels because Dianna, my assistant editor, the ever efficient ah had said something in her email to me about how um the three labels go on the bigger boxes and the fourth label goes on the smaller box. And I'm like, huh, I have four equal size boxes. I should have checked this before.

03:31.66
Jeffe Kennedy
So I took all of the sheets that I had already signed and I put them in the four boxes that I assembled and I had a lot of sheets left over and no, there is no smaller box.

03:49.48
Jeffe Kennedy
And so there was mass confusion. and of course I didn't do this until yesterday morning. So nobody's in the office. So we've been emailing this morning. But I thought, well, I'd wait to find out what I should do. Like should that smaller box, because it was already like pre-labeled for only five kilograms as opposed to 12 kilograms.

04:12.09
Jeffe Kennedy
I thought, well, you know what should i do But I wanted to take that photo for social media, right? Of the signed tip in sheets and,

04:25.82
Jeffe Kennedy
you know, like all stacked up and me standing next to them because they they were taller than I am. And admittedly, i am not super tall. um I'm 5'4", for the record.

04:37.02
Jeffe Kennedy
Someone the other day guessed that I was 5'3", and I was like, do not steal my extra inch. There was a time that people thought I was taller than I am, but I think it's because I don't wear heels as much as I used to. It's very sad.

04:52.30
Jeffe Kennedy
Anyway, I'm not a tall person. I'm not the super short person either, though. So I, you know, I know there are shorter people than me.

05:02.68
Jeffe Kennedy
Anyway, I had figured out a way i was going to stack them all up against the this wall to kind of stabilize them. And i thought about doing it yesterday, but yesterday I didn't have to go anywhere and i didn't put on makeup. And if I'm going to put a photo on social media, I have to put on makeup, right? This is like the whole thing. And

05:29.58
Jeffe Kennedy
so i got up this morning. i got very early and which was fine. I went to bed early um and I so did yoga, washed my hair.

05:41.43
Jeffe Kennedy
Although I noticed it's being kind of wonky this morning. That's why I keep fidgeting with it. It's looking a little unusually floofy. The luck of the Irish, right? Um,

05:53.37
Jeffe Kennedy
put on my makeup and that, and it was still dark. So I thought, okay, so before I do dog walk, I'm going to stack these all up and get them all ready and do the photo and then pack them all up back into the boxes.

06:07.83
Jeffe Kennedy
I wish I'd just left them in the fricking boxes, right? Cause they were all in there. So I got them all stacked up and I got it up to about the height of my head and I was going back for another batch and guess what happened? Yes.

06:22.81
Jeffe Kennedy
They fell. And, um, and I want you all to know that Killian thought that that was the best thing ever. And he had come racing in and try to do like the kitty. eight Oops. That's me hitting the wind chimes.

06:37.20
Jeffe Kennedy
Do the kitty scrabble about, but you know, in the, uh, pages, which I'm trying to keep them pristine and nice. Right. Fortunately, the, the fall didn't, it only messed up a few and I've got, believe me, plenty extra, um,

06:54.32
Jeffe Kennedy
If I didn't say this already, I am, my brain is gone. um So if I didn't say this already, i ended up signing a lot more than I needed to. ah With the whole like sending me more.

07:13.81
Jeffe Kennedy
Such is my life. So I didn't sign all the ones I had, but I signed more than I needed to. So I didn't really get that little moment of signing the very last blank page, but it is done.

07:27.15
Jeffe Kennedy
I am done. So, you know, for what that's, that's worth a lot. So I bought myself an almond croissant and two, two lattes. Cause I said, that's a two latte morning.

07:41.70
Jeffe Kennedy
So I'm really glad to have that particular deadline over with. The upshot for you completionists is that they rescheduled the UPS pickup.

07:52.38
Jeffe Kennedy
And this was a thing, too, because this pickup was for today. It's been for today for a long time. When they you know sent me the labels, they said they'd scheduled the pickup for the 17th. You know, be ready and all this. I'm like, yeah, okay, I'll be ready. You know, give me a deadline. I'm pretty good about that.

08:10.93
Jeffe Kennedy
So UPS calls me on Thursday morning and says, ah you know, we're just confirming that pickup time. And I'm like, no, no, no, it's not today. It's Monday.

08:24.08
Jeffe Kennedy
And the gal was like, oh, okay. And she was great. I mean, she was very friendly and, you know, efficient and all that kind of thing. She's like, okay, I'll mark that down on here that it's a Monday pickup.

08:34.81
Jeffe Kennedy
Okay, great. And so then Friday morning I'm working and this guy comes up and rings my doorbell and long time listeners will know there's like a constant stream of people going across my portal these days and knocking on my window and ringing my doorbell. And not that I am bitter about this.

08:56.49
Jeffe Kennedy
Casita is looking amazing though. You should see the shower. shower is gorgeous. Anyway, so doorbell rings. I look out and I didn't look very closely. I just assumed it was another worker guy, but it was UPS guy. And he's like, I'm here to pick up the boxes. And I'm like, no, Monday.

09:15.76
Jeffe Kennedy
And he said, oh, well, said, OK, I'll note that down. He said, but you might call them and make sure it stays in the computer just in case. I'm like, okay. So of course, when I called, you know, i go into voicemail hell and there's no way there was like schedule a pickup. There was no way for me to like affirm.

09:38.14
Jeffe Kennedy
And I tried calling back the gal that called me. And of course that's like a number you can't call. So I'm like, okay. So anyway, the resolution, 10 minutes of explanation later is that they're sending me a label for the fifth box.

09:53.29
Jeffe Kennedy
And rescheduling the pickup. So who knows? Who knows? But at least these will be out of my life. One thing off my plate.

10:06.21
Jeffe Kennedy
Let's see. And if yeah I talked about Friday podcast, I did set. I did get something else done this weekend. I was productive. ah I did set a rose in the mirror aside to simmer.

10:21.18
Jeffe Kennedy
I still to write those last few chapters, rewrite them. But I finished listening to the audio book of a Reluctant Wizard.

10:33.32
Jeffe Kennedy
So, and I have all of my notes and I've started the revision. started revising Strange Familiar from the beginning and i will finish that and hopefully have that done in time to upload 10 days.

10:48.47
Jeffe Kennedy
ten days So think I'm on track. um You know, if my, if my brains hold out and then my plan is, is, well, didn't even open my progress count yet today.

11:04.06
Jeffe Kennedy
ah picked up my phone. and I've got my phone on silent and I got a call from UPS. Should we listen to the voicemail? Do we even want to know? I don't think we want to know.

11:17.36
Jeffe Kennedy
So strange, familiar, um My friend is going to proof it. it says it failed to resume recording.

11:31.84
Jeffe Kennedy
Are we still? I think we're recording. We seem to be recording. Okay, let's hope. ah Although just go with this day if I'm not. um She's going to proof Strange Familiar as I write it and revise it. So that'll be good.

11:48.68
Jeffe Kennedy
And I just have to get it uploaded by end of day on the 27th. So um theoretically that can happen. I think it'll happen. And I know a lot of you are waiting on it very patiently.

12:03.17
Jeffe Kennedy
And then I will switch back to rose in the mirror. um I am going to, yeah, probably just transition right back to that and try to have that completely done by April 4th.

12:18.21
Jeffe Kennedy
And then I'm just going to take a couple weeks off. I really am.

12:24.01
Jeffe Kennedy
that but Next week I'll be at a PolyCon. I go to a PolyCon on like Wednesday. So that won't be a big deal to take all of that time off. So

12:36.02
Jeffe Kennedy
now I'm sort of looking at my phone here and seeing if, uh, they didn't leave me a voicemail. So and was probably two. I'm going to put my w ringer back on. So if it goes off, sorry.

12:50.58
Jeffe Kennedy
Um, yeah, yeah. Who knows? Who knows? so I imagine someone one will show up. So what, if someone does show up to pick up the boxes, do I give them the packed up boxes so far?

13:04.68
Jeffe Kennedy
I don't yet have that label, I don't even know. Um, let's see, let's talk about something else. How are you? but This is if we were having real coffee. This is where I would ask you enough about me. What do you think about me?

13:20.60
Jeffe Kennedy
Um, old joke, old joke, people. So yeah, it was a productive weekend. um I did work a lot.

13:32.12
Jeffe Kennedy
We had family come through town, saw them. of Yesterday afternoon I was revising and I got overwhelming sleepies and took like a two hour nap. So, but I think I'm doing fine. I'll be all right.

13:49.16
Jeffe Kennedy
We'll get this done strong like bull. So one thing I've been thinking about, ah

13:57.17
Jeffe Kennedy
and I'm trying to think of how to frame this since I have no brains, um is, you know, like sort of the stuff that I was talking about before with the Amazon boycott and people, people doing what's been called by some pity marketing or sympathy marketing where they kind of get on there and there'd be like, you know, Oh, woe is me. I'm not selling any books and my kids are sick. And,

14:26.15
Jeffe Kennedy
you know all this kind of thing, please buy my books because I need X, Y, z And I'm not saying that there aren't people that are, you know, struggling with things, but there is this one thing that really bothers me when people talk about, well, um, I understand why someone wants to boycott Amazon, but this is my livelihood.

14:50.51
Jeffe Kennedy
And, It's a refrain that I recall hearing. At least it really stuck with me at the time. oh Back when they were stopping logging in the old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest to protect spotted owl habitat.

15:12.08
Jeffe Kennedy
So this is a long time ago. This is probably 40 years ago. And I remember that one of the great arguments against doing this was that this was people's livelihoods and people were saying that, uh, you know, that it was their traditional livelihood too.

15:32.00
Jeffe Kennedy
ah you know, like that my father and grandfather were loggers and, you know, I should, I have the right to be a logger too. It's tradition. And I remember thinking at the time, you know, it's like, well, just because, you know, like that's maybe a hundred years, probably more like 50 or 60 years.

15:52.20
Jeffe Kennedy
Does that really count as a tradition? also Why is that more important than these other values? Because basically they were saying was that their right to to their livelihood and to their traditional livelihood, which I'm putting in air quotes, was more important than other value, was more important than protecting the old growth forest, more important than protecting the spotted owl habitat.

16:20.91
Jeffe Kennedy
which is basically how it comes down to um everything for human beings, right? I mean, I guess we didn't get to be the apex species by accident. ah We basically weaponized self-interest, right? You know, whatever we want is more important than anything.

16:39.81
Jeffe Kennedy
But I have a real problem with this, you know, like when people say, well, you know, yes, I believe in boycotting Amazon, which is what people will say. You know, they'll say, well, you know, yes, I think this is really important, but this is my livelihood. You know, this is how I make a living.

16:57.34
Jeffe Kennedy
And it's like, well, so as soon as it's your livelihood, does that mean that no other values matter that these other values go out the window? I mean, basically that's what it is, right?

17:13.20
Jeffe Kennedy
Uh, And the thing is, is we can make a living some other way. I, you know, I've had umpteen million jobs in my life.

17:23.98
Jeffe Kennedy
And I know some people will say things like, well, you know, that they're a writer because they're not good in anything else. And, you know, all of these different kinds of things. And yes, other kinds of jobs suck.

17:34.76
Jeffe Kennedy
I don't want a day job. I don't want to be doing any other job. Much as I spent over half of this podcast so far complaining about boxing up this stuff for my wonderful book that's coming out this summer.

17:46.75
Jeffe Kennedy
I'm incredibly grateful and appreciative that I get to do this. um But I think that just saying that something is your livelihood and therefore you get to can should be able to continue to do it.

18:03.82
Jeffe Kennedy
And people should suspend their values and respect that you're suspending your values. because you need to make money to buy eggs. Right? And the thing is, is we, every single one of us, every single last person on this planet needs money to buy food.

18:21.90
Jeffe Kennedy
Right? Some people have tons of money and that's not a problem. Uh, some people it's egg by egg, but you know, this is, this is a truth for all of us that we all need income in order to live.

18:37.83
Jeffe Kennedy
You know, for some people it's to live at a particular standard. to Others it's to keep your babies alive. But this is a truth for all of us. So saying that something is my livelihood isn't necessarily in the parlance of our era, ah the flex that you think it is, right?

19:00.73
Jeffe Kennedy
ah You know, like if your livelihood is being an assassin, right? You get to say, well, yeah, it's too bad that I'm murdering innocent people, but this is my livelihood.

19:14.62
Jeffe Kennedy
An extreme example. Anyway, I just, every time I see someone saying, excusing things, saying, well, yes, this is right or wrong, but this is my livelihood.

19:25.57
Jeffe Kennedy
I think, yeah, you know, and screw the spotted owls because this is the tradition and I should be able to get to do this thing that, I want to. And the thing is, this nobody's guaranteed that. None of us are guaranteed a livelihood.

19:39.86
Jeffe Kennedy
None of us are guaranteed getting to do the thing we want to do. Yeah. yeah So that's my that's my complaint. I've had a lot of complaining today. Sorry. Happy St.

19:52.23
Jeffe Kennedy
Patrick's Day. Go drink a green beer. Actually, don't because it's just food dye. of Have a glass of Jameson and the tip-in sheets are done. Woo-hoo.

20:02.93
Jeffe Kennedy
All right. You all have a great week and I will talk to you on Friday. Bye-bye.