childrensbookauthor

February 14 2022

Switcharoo

Lin Hawthorne Level Up, Mom's Not, Real Talk, Wipin' Your Bum careerswitch, childrensbookauthor, childrensbookillustration, graphicdesign, kickstartercampaign, kickstartmomsnot, momsnot, momsnotbook, momsnotbookkickstarter, picturebook, picturebookillustration, selfpublishing

Here I am.

Mid-40’s and I completely changed careers.

Well…

*not completely*.

As a writer (my new job) I’m pulling from years of content writing and reading books like it was my actual job. Turns out, that was the most helpful thing I could have done to carve a path into finding my voice and rhythm… and also some creative writing courses in college (I’m looking at you, prof. Johnny Wink).

And I found a motivation.

For years, I felt the voice inside of me, but didn’t have the life experience to say anything of true depth or value.

That is, until our kids came along and suddenly, the voice bubbled over. In real time, that voice in my head will not stop as I play back each slack-jawed parenting spectacle and add my own commentary.

I’m sure there’s some medication for that, but all the “Greats” are a little crazy and I’m going to run with it. Call it therapy, call it a purging… but I am called to write.

Which is where the *kind of* switching careers comes in.

I was a graphic designer. I still am. And you know where design comes in really handy? In book layout and design.

This writer just wrote her first children’s book and branded the whole kit and kaboodle, with five others in the series just waiting their turn in line.

My intrepid illustrator (Stevie Mahardhika) brilliantly brought the characters and story to life and our styles mesh well together.

Next move in this new career is “venture capital” in the form of Kickstarter. Deep breath… here we go.

March 1, we’re raising funds for an amount that makes my eyes pop, but to create the kind of beautiful hardback book that I KNOW I can produce, it’s going to take some coin. And I’m not talking about the bitcoin.

So wish me luck. This writer/designer is on her way to publishing for the first time and we’re going for glory.

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May 13 2021

Introducing… Abacus!

Lin Hawthorne Mom's Not, Wipin' Your Bum authorsofinstagram, buddeisforlife, childrensbookauthor, childrensbookseries, creativewriting, hotoffthepress, levelup, levelupkids, momlifewins, momsnot, raisingboystomen, raisingindependentkids

Guys- this is my best friend, Abacus. We go everywhere together. My mom says he’s my “Emotional Support Rabbit.” Then she laughs.

Abacus doesn’t think it’s funny. Right Ab?

WHAT’S A RABBIT TO DO TO GET SOME *RESPECT* AROUND HERE? I’m a very busy rabbit, you know.

I don’t go to sleep until THE BOY goes to sleep because he’s usually squeezing me so tight my little lungs cannot inflate.

When he falls asleep, “Tada!,” he relaxes his grip and I can finally drift off… that us, until he rolls over and smashes my fur. It’s like he does gymnastics in his bed!

So there. I’m automatically getting less sleep. Sheesh. It’s like I’m a parent, or something.

Then, after I get up first and have my morning coffee, Zeke shows up around 6:30 and we must get started on our busy day. Some days are a variation on a theme, but this is the general schedule:

6:30 AM- See what we can pull out of the pantry in the kitchen before mother wakes up. We definitely leave the wrappers on the floor so she doesn’t have to think too hard about what it was we ate.

7:00 AM- Protest loudly about whatever mother has decided to fix us for breakfast. Then switch gears midstream and complain about something entirely different.

7:30 AM- Claim we don’t know how to put on our own socks, but we actually do. This is my favorite because it makes mother mad and that makes us laugh.

8:00 AM- Wander around in circles looking for our shoes that are usually sitting right at our feet.

8:30 AM- Hop in the car to take brothers to school, but when we get in the car, we don’t get in our seatbelts like we’re supposed to and we fight with our brothers or sit on our sister. Or both.

9:00 AM- Come back home and ask for multiple unhealthy snacks even though we never finished our breakfast. I think Zeke goes overboard, but my FAVORITE thing is carrot cake and I always hope Zeke asks for one. But he never does.

9:30 AM- We play outside for about a half hour. Then Zeke wanders inside. Then mother yells in the door, “Hey Zeke, what are you up to?” It’s usually something naughty and I have to hide my smirk of him getting in trouble. Again. And rabbit smirks are not easy to hide.

10AM-12PM– We work VERY hard at wearing mother down so that by the time the baby’s nap rolls around, mother will let us watch TV during her nap and mother will have to take a nap also.

3:30 PM- We pick up brothers from school and then ALL FOUR of us get in trouble until daddy comes home. Then we’re perfect. Getting in trouble all day is hard work. We’re tired by then.

So you see? This schedule is jam-packed and I HAVE to make sure Zeke makes every appointment on time. Sometimes he likes to daydream… like that time he was sitting on the toilet and pretended to surf around the rim.

THAT is why my fur is looking a little dingy. If mother had half a brain, she’d do a quick fur sniff and do us all a huge favor and let me go for a swim in the washing machine instead.

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