Summer Wrap-up
- Jerrica Black
- Aug 27
- 7 min read
Updated: Sep 22
Some General Life Summer Wrap-Up
So, usually summer would be June, July and August, (if we're going by month vibe and not solstice to equinox) but I’m throwing in May since this is our first wrap up, and I started this whole thing on May 1st.
That’s the first big thing! I started a business! I created this here website, started posting regularly on Instagram, Facebook and X (if Bluesky had a built-in schedule feature, I'd have so much more stuff posted over there!) and I’ve been writing bi-weekly (bi-monthly? Why do both these things mean two things!?) blog posts and went very quickly from twice-a-week posting to once-a-week posting on YouTube.
It does mean I’ve let the Chickadee side of my internet presence wane, but I think I’m okay with that. Perhaps Twitch will switch over to Jerrica soon and those co-working streams will become more prevalent. While I love making video game reviews and playing games with chat to discuss them, this new adventure into the world of word-ish YouTube has been fulfilling. And maybe it means I’ll go back to playing games for fun and relaxation! This of course doesn’t mean I’ll never play a game on stream again, just a new focus. I still haven’t actually decided yet though!
For Ben’s birthday we did our first escape room, just the two of us. It was an absolute blast! We did not escape, but we were on the last puzzle when the lights went out and the serial killer got us! Of course, I can’t talk too much about the puzzles for fear of spoiling anyone, but I will say there were a few that stumped us for way too long! One was an amazing red herring clue, but the other was kinda just embarrassing. In both cases I’d basically said the solution out loud without realizing it! 🤦
We started playing disc golf. We’ve gone out only a few times but it’s been an absolute blast. I’m not very good… I used to be kinda decent at ultimate Frisbee, but it’s been a while and these discs are quite different to handle! I think it’s very cool that there are actually different discs like there are different clubs in golf (not that I've ever golfed before! lolol)
And last, but certainly not least, we got a second cat! Meet Monsieur Canby Featherbottom!
Writing & Editing
Personal Writing:
It’s been slow going… I do need to take my own advice and schedule time for personal writing. I have three works-in-progress going and have worked on outlining each of them, but I think I need to pick one and just write it! Not that I can’t work on the others, because I know I'll have random thoughts and need to write them down, but choosing a focus and scheduling time will really help me get some stuff done.
That being said, I did submit a short story in mid-July after working on it in school. I should here back by the middle of September if it’s to be published, so everyone cross their fingers for me! 🤞
I'm sure you know by now but ICYMI I'm officially published! The book launch was so much fun to plan and co-host! It was a lovely way to send off my time in school and it’s very cool to be able to say I’m published in an anthology. If interested you can find Shattered Reflections in print and e-book on a variety of platforms including Barnes & Nobel and Amazon.
Client Projects (that I can talk about):
I had the pleasure of working with Rhonda Douglas at Resilient Writers again and have two new blogs going up over there on outlining and getting your first draft written. When they’re live I will of course add some links!
That’s the only client project I am able to really talk about though 😉
Reading
This season I read:
Prince of Chaos by Roger Zelazny
Coming Through Slaughter by Michael Ondaatje
Confessions of an Igloo Dweller by James Houston
Feed by Mira Grant
Black No More by George Schuyler
The Troop by Nick Cutter
Nostalgia by M. G. Vassanji
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoevsky (Currently Reading)
selections from Wilderness Tips by Maragraet Atwood
selections from Dubliners by James Joyce
My Top Three:
Feed by Mira Grant - An absolutely fantastic read. I love the structure and concept and have not stopped thinking about this book. Certainly a fresh take (from what I’ve consumed anyway) on the zombie genre. I enjoyed the familial and platonic relationship focus (as opposed to a romantic relationship taking the forefront.)
Coming Through Slaughter by Michael Ondaatje - Another super interesting concept. From what I understand the novel is constructed around a few true facts and fleshed out to imagine what this musician's life looked like because the facts don’t actually exist. Ondaatje conducted interviews, visited locations and conducted what little research was available. Very cool stuff.
Confessions of an Igloo Dweller by James Houston - My only non-fiction read of the summer ( I would like to fix this, I have so many on my list I just need to acquire them!) While the focus of the memoir was Inuit art, there was a lot more in the book. Of course, art is a product of the overall culture of a place and Houston does a really good job showing the connection.
Other Hobbies
Crochet:
The crochet bug has hit again. I made this cute little “woodland tiger” for one of the many great little children in my life. I was so excited to see how much she enjoyed it when I gave it to her. I now have a few more projects that I'd like to do. Firstly, I want to make some more of these woodland loveys. I have two niblings on the way and one nephew without a lovey, so I have my work cut out for me.
I also have a few garments to try. Since it’s still relatively warm, I want to make a crochet tank top, but I’m sure the cool weather will be here any time so I have two warmer garments in mind as well. A fair isle pattern sweater (yes it’s usually knit, but I found a crochet pattern!) and a granny square sweater with stained glass granny squares.
I'm still deciding on colour schemes for these projects; I have a large yarn stash that I inherited from my granny to choose from. I'll need a variegated yarn for the stained glass project, and I’m leaning toward something in the blue-green family for the tank.
I’m also considering a retro daisy granny square tank top pattern; probably do white base colour with pink (or blue-green?) flowers if I go that route.
I will share these projects when they are done of course!
Hiking:
I am by no means an expert hiker, but I love to get out in nature and clamber up a rock and root ladder now and again. We did some great trails this summer (and will hopefully get a few more done during autumn) from our May trip to Algonquin Park hitting the Lookout Trail and the Spruce Bog Boardwalk, to a few around the city like Mud Lake and Mer Bleue Boardwalk, and most recently we took a bit of a drive out to Calabogie and meandered our way up to the Eagle's Nest. Enjoy the sites!
Other Favourite Media Consumed
Fave Movie: Incantation. This might be recency bias (I’m going to have to start tracking and rating my movies I think…) but it was super good. Very scary. Great, immersive concept for how the narrative was told. And of course, as with a lot of horror, there was definitely a story here that had nothing to do with the curse which touched on fear in motherhood and mental illness remission and relapse (for lack of a better descriptor.)
Fave Game: Two Falls. I’ve only played the demo but it was so good I grabbed the whole game and it’s waiting to be played. It takes place in 17th century Canada (Northern Quebec) and follows a French fur trader and a Innu hunter. I have a demo review over on the Chickadee side of the internet for those interested!
Fave TV show: It’s a toss up between Adolescence and The Rookie. But we haven’t finished The Rookie yet, so I’m going to say Adolescence. The subject matter is very heavy, but that's something I kind of look for in media. The cinematography was really interesting with its continuous shots.
[Okay, I’m going to start tracking my watches… Letterboxd here I come!]
Favourite Media Created
My Fave Blog: While I loved the So You Want to Hire an Editor series, I think Achievable Goals Don’t Have to Be Daily was a great switch up. Excited to continue exploring new blog topics now! Don’t forget to ask your editor hiring questions for my FAQ blog/video.
My Fave Video: July TBR Canadian Authors hands down was my favourite to make, and I think it is a great video to watch. Though y’all loved my real-time revising video, so I guess I’ll need to do more of those!
Looking forward to in the next season:
I’m not sure what I'm looking forward to; the summer has been pretty busy so I'm kinda of looking forward to the gentle slow down into the cooler months. I’m definitely looking forward to the weather changing, but I don’t know if we’ll actually get any fall weather this year or if it will actually happen during fall. Ottawa’s weather is extra topsy-turvy, but I’m sure I'll get a few comfy sweater days. 😛
I’m looking forward to actually taking some time to work on my personal writing. I'm making that a priority! I will schedule time AND I will schedule out of the house time: a little library, a little coffee shop, maybe even a pub. To hold myself accountable, I will be posting about these writing expeditions. So make sure you're following Instagram and/or Facebook for the stories, X for writing musings and frustrations, and maybe YouTube will get a vlog out of it.
And of course, I’m going to be consuming a bunch of horror media during October. We’re hoping to do one of the haunted walks in and around the city (after over a decade of me continually saying to myself I want to do one…) Maybe writing it down will make me actually do it!
Thanks for reading through my seasonal wrap-up. I hope you found some interesting tidbits. I’d love to know what your biggest achievements and favourite activities of the summer were as well as what you’re looking forward to in the autumn!
Jerrica is a writer and editor who inspires up-and-coming writers to create compelling fiction and creative nonfiction works while providing them with the confidence to do it themselves or ask for a helping hand when they need it. She enjoys speculative fiction, horror and gut-wrenching emotion with a side of food & drink and the cozier things in life.
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