Day 23 of 365 days. 342 days left to go.

Friends,

What would I do if I won the lottery? Now this is a serious question that requires serious thought. There needs to be charts, stastics, draw graphs, a financial advisor, and a new bank account established.

But off the top of my head, here’s my list:

Pay off the motorcycles, boat, truck, and car. Don’t get me wrong; I’m going to miss the pleasant woman who calls me once a month to tell me I’m 3 hours late on my truck payment. She and I have become good friends over the last year. She has two young children and a husband who lets her buy two new books a month. I think she was the first to buy a paperback of my new book. Such a nice lady.

The boat has become a lawn decoration since we moved to Washington. It just sits there and reminds us of a time when we could afford to fill it up with fuel and hit the waterways. If it’s paid off, we could afford to fill it once a month. That would be cool.

I would pay off my credit cards. I’m not sure if they will stop emailing about all the great ‘incentives’ to spend money. 10% off of Flower.com roses if I spend at least $1,200.00 in one month. Or $0.005 off gas if I go to the one gas station that doesn’t exist in Washington. Or the credit card that offers to let me fly first class, one way, between 25 September and 29 September if I spend $6,000 in one month. Great discounts! Well worth the 9.8% interest rate.

I would have paid off my parents’ house and cars – but they did that already. So I would get my mom a new bookshelf and my dad a bike lift. And a lifetime subscription to canned chicken. They eat it every night in salad, so I would save them at least $5.00 a week. You know, the gold star treatment.

I would pay off my sister’s car. And buy her a couch. Not that it would fit in her overpriced, outdated apartment that costs as much as all my car payments – but it’s the thought that counts.

I would buy a home that fits my husband’s reptiles, gaming systems, and tools. I would make sure that it had a ‘he-shed’ for my son’s gym that currently has taken over my garage and an art studio. I would have an office for my desk and all my books so I don’t have to search four different rooms for one book. I still have 15 books that I can’t find because I stored them somewhere ‘safe’.

Of course, I would donate. That’s a given. To a museum for me, an art museum for Kekoa, and a reptile zoo for Nick.

The rest? I would leave it in a high-interest savings account, and there it would sit until the IRS taxed me to ying-yang because no American should be wealthy or live comfortably these days. Maybe they can finally get out of debt. I’m sure they’ll use the money for something trivial like installing a swimming pool or tennis court. Maybe sleeper chairs in Congress because God knows they aren’t doing anything like approving budgets.

So there we go- my dreams if I win the lottery. It would be beautiful. I would finally be able to go to the gas station without playing Russian roulette with credit cards to pay for a tank of gas to drive to work to pay for a tank of gas.

When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.

Oscar Wilde

Until tomorrow my friends, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Limited edition copies are now available on my website (Shop – R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author (rlgeerrobbins.com) or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store websites!

Current sales as of today= 87/1500

 Day 22 of 365 days. 343 days left to go.

Friends,

Things I learned this weekend via social media:

There is a voyage underway that will travel the world for nine months, and the passengers are all social media creators. Each trying to outdo the other for the most sensational gossip and drama. Imagine being on a ship for nine months and knowing that every moment is filmed or talked about for millions to see.

On BookTok- every other day, readers are outdoing each other to ‘cancel’ one author or another because of perceived offenses. They mostly attack fantasy, which is ironic because it’s all made up. Publishing companies are the death of writers, but indie authors aren’t ‘ decent’ enough to read.

Speaking of big businesses- don’t buy from Amazon, but small businesses are too expensive. Don’t they know that everyone works 5.7 jobs and can’t afford gas anymore? Unless it’s the new Valentine Stanley tumbler- then you should absolutely get into a fight at Target over the $80.00 oversized cup with a reusable straw.

On the animal side of TicTok, animal breeders and small hobby farms are attacking one another under the preconceived notion that they are ‘in it just to make a buck’ and don’t really care about their animals. Now, I’m not sure how Benny the goat and Charlie the three-legged dog, whose best friend is Betsy the cow, are making money… but all the cool kids now have miniature pigs and monkeys who wear the latest Nike apparel.

On the small business side, tumbler makers are fighting over who stole who’s idea. And boy, are they nasty. Let’s not mention all their original ideas look a lot like Disney characters and NFL symbols, but who am I to judge artist creativity?

On the political side- do we even need to discuss this? One side are traitors to the consistution and should have their cars keyed. And the other side apparently supports the remake of District 1 from The Hunger Games.

Speaking of The Hunger Games- the movie, people are calling for the banning of The Hunger Games, Twilight, Maze Runner, and Harry Potter. I’m not sure if it’s because of racial insensitivity or because there are not enough LGTBQ+ characters in them. Or was it because they romanticized war? But it was something like that. Which, of course, meant that I had to spend the weekend rewatching them all while eating hotdogs and tacos.

This led me down a rabbit hole because, on the fitness side, we are back to diet pills, diet fads, and magic wands that erase wrinkles. Gone are the days of eating fish because fishing is bad. Don’t eat red meat because big business is ruining the planet, and eggs are a no-no because chickens are being abused. But don’t forget to consume healthy, non-processed foods like red meat, fish, and eggs because we are digging ourselves into an early grave.

Speaking of early graves, did you know life expectancy is higher than ever, and there is a proposal to move the retirement age to 70?

So anyway, you’re caught up. You are welcome!

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, plus a social media overreaction.

unknown

Until tomorrow my friends, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Limited edition copies are now available on my website (Shop – R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author (rlgeerrobbins.com) or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store websites!

Current sales as of today= 85/1500

 Day 21 of 365 days. 344 days left to go.

Friends,

Can’t believe I have to say this- but here we are. If you’re being chased by a police dog, try not to go through a tunnel, then on to a little seesaw, then climb up a slide. They’re trained for that.

Recipe for a long life: Only smoke while awake. Only run when being chased.

Mark Twain

Until tomorrow my friends, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Limited edition copies are now available on my website (Shop – R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author (rlgeerrobbins.com) or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store websites!

Current sales as of today= 80/1500

 Day 20 of 365 days. 345 days left to go.

Friends,

Saturdays have become another Monday for me. I wake up early and stay up late doing chores and working on our small businesses.

It made me realize how much I took for granted the small businesses that we visited on weekends- restaurants, bookstores, and gift shops.

So do me a favor- next time you are out and about and enjoying some much-needed quality downtime, take a moment to say thank you to the owner. They are probably exhausted and would appreciate hearing those two words.

The goal isn’t more money. The goal is living life on your own terms.

Will Rogers

Until tomorrow my friends, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Limited edition copies are now available on my website (Shop – R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author (rlgeerrobbins.com) or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store websites!

Current sales as of today= 77/1500

 Day 19 of 365 days. 346 days left to go.

Friends,

Yesterday, I stayed home because the weather outside was frightful, and the fire was so delightful. Since I had no place to go, it snowed, it snowed, it snowed.

Anyhoo, I had to run to the grocery store to get my bougie bearded dragons their greens and raspberries. And, of course, my youngest decided to tell me that he needed a new toothbrush on a snow day.

BUT when I got home, I had an unexpected package waiting for me on my counter. Without me knowing, my father braved the elements and got me a magic stick for my back. This is no ordinary magic stick- this is the magic stick of all magic sticks. Rub this horrible-smelling yellow goo onto your bo bo, and within 20 minutes, the pain is gone.

Did I know he would do this? Nope. I’m sure my mother mentioned that I was in pain like all good mothers do and he geared up and headed out to save the day.

It got me thinking about family. It’s not always pretty. There are arguments, disagreements, petty fights, frustrating holidays, and hurt feelings. But there are also phone calls, random game nights, family group texts filled with memes, and the knowledge that you have a tribe.

Now let me tell you what the problem is with this situation. My parents are setting the bar too high. They are making the standard unattainable. I was comfortable with sending my adult children money or door-dashing them McDonald’s. If they needed something, I would jump on Amazon and next day ship it to them.

There was no braving the elements to bring pain meds.

Now I have to step up my game. I have to buy plane tickets to head across the country to bother one and annoy the other. I am going to have to spend my Saturdays helping them move into their 123rd apartment because I’m the only one with a truck. I will have to be more intentional with my random texts and phone calls.

I’m going to have to ask them about their day!

Damn it.

Behind every great child is a parent pretty sure that they are screwing it up.

Unknown

Until tomorrow my friends, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Limited edition copies are now available on my website (Shop – R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author (rlgeerrobbins.com) or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store websites!

Current sales as of today= 77/1500

 Day 18 of 365 days. 347 days left to go.

Friends,

I’m getting old. I don’t feel old. My mind is not old. But my body screams at me. These are the days that make you wonder what it will be like in your twilight years.

Let me explain. My family is constantly moving. There is always a laundry list of things to do in our little world of art, writing, and reptiles. T-shirts to be made, animals to care for, chapters to edit, social media posts to create, and shows to prepare for.

And then there are those pesky day jobs and college courses that are mandatory.

So, days usually start between 3 am and 4 am and wind down around 8:30 pm. The fine balance between daily activities like cooking dinner, laundry, and cleaning the house sometimes interferes with the necessity of ‘hustling.’

But three days ago, I was feeding our various animals that live downstairs, and I tweaked my back. That’s it – I tweaked it by bending over.

A normal everyday movement.

I have been in pain ever since. The bed has become my enemy. Sitting on the toilet has become an inner dialog of ‘Do I really need to use the bathroom?’ The couch is about to be thrown away. Walking is dangerous. Sleeping is non-existent. Resting is annoying.

I can’t be more than four feet from a outlet so I can make sure that my heating pad is on standby. I have cold pads, medicine, rubs, stretches, that are in constant rotation. I have become accustomed to electrifying my back in hopes of tricking the nerves into calming the hell down. At this point, I have a separate purse to carry everything that I might need to get through the day. When I am out in public, I sound like a walking pharmacy.

Tyonlol? Motrin? Icy Hot? What do you need? I got you.

This is it friends. I can see the future written on the wall. I’m going to need a walker soon. And a mini-van. There is no way to be a cool old woman riding a Harley with a walker strapped to the back. 

Ughhhhhh…..

You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you’re down there.

George Burns

Until tomorrow my friends, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Limited edition copies are now available on my website (Shop – R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author (rlgeerrobbins.com) or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store websites!

Current sales as of today= 77/1500

 Day 17 of 365 days. 348 days left to go.

Did you know that today was the beginning of Prohibition? Here are some cool facts that I found:

1. Prohibition is the only amendment to the Constitution to have been repealed.
2. Drinking wasn’t prohibited. Just the manufacture, sale and transport.
3. President Wilson had a personal wine cellar in the White House, so when he left office- he had to get permission to ‘legally’ transport it. Funny, with rank does come privilege.
4. Utah is technically the state that ended the prohibition since they were the 36th state to ratify the Amendment. The first was Michigan on April 10, 1933.
5. Mississippi was digging its heels in on the subject. It wasn’t until 1966 that they overturned the ban on alcohol.

Now the real question is ‘why’. Well, according to Mark Thornton in his paper Cato Institute Policy Analysis No. 157: Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure (1991) said:

National prohibition of alcohol (1920-33)–the “noble experiment”–was undertaken to reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America.

But did it work?

Ironically no. There was a decline in amusement and entertainment, restaurants failed, thousands lost their jobs, and even more became ‘criminals.’ According to PBS:

Before Prohibition, many states relied heavily on excise taxes in liquor sales to fund their budgets. In New York, almost 75% of the state’s revenue was derived from liquor taxes. With Prohibition in effect, that revenue was immediately lost. At the national level, Prohibition cost the federal government a total of $11 billion in lost tax revenue, while costing over $300 million to enforce. 

Unintended Consequences of Prohibition- Michael Lerner, historian

But the most interesting consquence of Prohibition is the criminal justice system.

As the decade progressed, court rooms and jails overflowed, and the legal system failed to keep up. Many defendants in prohibition cases waited over a year to be brought to trial. As the backlog of cases increased, the judicial system turned to the “plea bargain” to clear hundreds of cases at a time, making a it common practice in American jurisprudence for the first time.

Unintended Consequences of Prohibition- Michael Lerner, historian

So there we have it. A moment in history that defines what happens when the government oversteps the line in the sand between personal freedoms vs. perceived social well-being.

For every prohibition you create, you also create an underground.

Jello Biafra

Until tomorrow my friends, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Limited edition copies are now available on my website (Shop – R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author (rlgeerrobbins.com) or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store websites!

Current sales as of today= 45/1500

 Day 16 of 365 days. 349 days left to go.

According to the Internet, it is National Nothing Day. And before you ask, yes, this is a thing.

In 1972, columnist Harold Pullman Coffin proposed a day that the calendar had NOTHING on it. No celebrations. No national holidays. No famous person’s birthday party.

Nothing.

Interestingly, this is not the first time a ‘nothing’ holiday has been proposed. In 1956, the Associated Press circulated the proclamation by Mayor James W. Morgan of Birmingham, Alabama, of a “National Nothing Week” to be celebrated Saturday, February 26 through Friday, March 3 that year.

And after the stress of the holidays, the realization that I have already failed at my New Year’s resolutions, and the daunting upcoming calendar… I need a nothing day.

What will I do? You got it. Nothing. I will drive to work and watch Netflix, bullshit with my co-workers, and play on the TickyTok. Then I will drive home, and it will be a ‘whatever’ night for dinner.

Unfortunately, that means tomorrow is going to be pretty busy playing catch-up.

Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.

L’ao Tzu

Until tomorrow my friends, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Limited edition copies are now available on my website (Shop – R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author (rlgeerrobbins.com) or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store websites!

Current sales as of today= 41/1500

 Day 15 of 365 days. 350 days left to go.

According to the web world, it is Motivational Monday. Strange, don’t you think? Collectively, we have all decided that Mondays are so horrific that we need to come together to convince ourselves to get ready for the week.

That’s sad, right?

Monday, for me right now, is a breath of fresh air. It’s eight hours I don’t have to worry about anything but the mundane chores of work. If it doesn’t get done in eight hours, see you Tuesday.

That doesn’t mean I don’t give my all to my job. It just means that not much thinking is required to do what I do. I have standard operating procedures, checklists, ‘how-to,’ and really annoying ‘higher-ups’ who like to do the work themselves.

So, I let them.

No, please be a micromanager. Let me turn on Netflix on the phone and pretend to do something.

But since it is Motivational Monday, I will leave you with the following:

There’s no secret about success. Did you ever know a successful man who didn’t tell you about it?

Kin Hubbard

Until tomorrow my friends, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Limited edition copies are now available on my website (Shop – R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author (rlgeerrobbins.com) or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store websites!

Current sales as of today= 31/1500

 Day 14 of 365 days. 351 days left to go.

I feel like I have lived a year in the last two weeks. 2024 has been exhausting.

But here is my big announcement. After a lot of self-reflection, I have decided to pursue the traditional publishing route.

Why, you ask if I am getting traction in the self-publishing world?

One has to acknowledge and accept their strengths and weaknesses.

I cannot be flawless in the publishing world because I don’t know the publishing world. It is a daunting beast with a multitude of arms. And I don’t have the experience or knowledge to do it all, along with writing, having a family, and promoting myself.

I want experts to make my books great.

So there we have it. The Raven Society will continue to be available. I will tweak it to make it better, but I’ll take my shot and try to find a publishing company and agent who will represent me.

Thoughts? Concerns? Encouragement?

Never regret taking a chance, even if you fall on your face; It’s better to know you tried and failed than to wonder the great ‘what if?’

Devin Frye

Until tomorrow my friends, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Limited edition copies are now available on my website (Shop – R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author (rlgeerrobbins.com) or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store websites!

Current sales as of today= 31/1500