April Happiness Sprinkles + Book Club ZOOM Link
Flower Walks, Librarian Comedy, and Inspiration from Space
Hello, Protagonists!
Welcome to April’s edition of Happiness Sprinkles—a vibrant, joyful roundup of small pieces worth smiling about and a few wonderful things you in this community have been creating.
In this post, you’ll find:
🌸 Happiness Sprinkles
🔦 Protagonist Spotlight - You’re the Hero of the Story
📖 Book Club Details + Zoom Link
Reminder! Our “Reading with Wonder” Book Club meeting is this Wednesday, April 22nd at 8pm ET / 5pm PT
Zoom Link at the bottom of this post
xo, Joanna & Evelyn
🌸 Happiness Sprinkles
A few quiet delights we’ve loved this month—and hope you will, too.
Flower Walks! We shared color hunting during the winter months, and now that spring has sprung, what about a flower walk? Check out Michelle Tirronen's simple, whimsical activity of filling a cardboard vase with fresh blooms.
Reading vs. Listening to a Book. While science has demonstrated that the brain processes words similarly, whether you are reading or listening to a book, audiobook listeners still get judged. The article argues that audiobooks can offer a more relaxed gateway to reading, and stigma against them is counterproductive to learning. Let’s celebrate reading in all its forms!
Librarians are the best. Please enjoy these fierce competitors from Lake Villa District Library in Lindenhurst, Illinois. Librarians’ work to create democratic access to information, and this humor does just that. They are reaching across a digital divide to make libraries vibrant and welcoming places for everyone.
Minions meet chocolate art. We love this intersection between the precision art of patisserie and the silly fun of the Minions. We want one of those bananas!
Easter in Space. The NASA pilot, Victor Glover, reminds us that we are all together on a spaceship called Earth in an inspiring share from the furthest humans have been in space. Did anyone else follow every broadcast from Artemis 2?
🔦 Protagonist Spotlight
Every month, we love highlighting what you are creating. Here are a few wonderful projects and milestones from our community:
Katrina Anne Willis’s memoir, Hurricane Lessons, came out April 7th! Wow.
Belle Gayer released her book, Are Relationships For Suckers? Go Belle!
Rachel Johnson, founder of ah.mi!, fed her creative juices doing a guest post with Favorite Daughter. We love some creative collaboration!
Christine Ahh just finished the polish edit of her novel and is ready for beta readers!
Jen Ratcliffe had some exciting opportunities for her new book podcast centred around water & the environment - the local paper & magazine want to write features. Go Jen!
Want to be featured in a future post?
Just reply to this email or leave a comment with a 1–2 sentence description of what you’ve been working on. Or, hang out in our community chat, where we share our recent smiles and successes.
📖 “Reading with Wonder” Book Club — This Wednesday!
You’re invited (even if you haven’t read the book):
🗓️ Wednesday, April 22nd at 8pm ET / 5pm PT - ZOOM link below
📚 Book: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet
The “Reading with Wonder” Book Club is for our community members who want to dive even deeper into how great books work. Come nerd out with us! 🤓
💬 During the book discussion, we’ll chat about:
Genre: Fantasy and Mystery
How did Bennett play with or subvert mystery and/or fantasy tropes?
What do you think of the term “biopunk” as a genre descriptor?
Character: The Balance
How did Bennet balance the strengths and flaws of the characters?
What are some foundational character qualities that make detective-assistant pairs work? How are these dynamics similar or different to character pairs in other genres?
World-building: What worked, what didn’t?
What did you think of the world of the Empire of Khanum? Which parts were the most intriguing?
How did Bennet establish the rules of magic in the novel?
What questions remain about the world?
Theme: Memory
What did the novel communicate about memory on a personal and societal level?
💬 During the Mini Creativity Coaching portion, we will talk about our own memories:
We’ll discuss the nature of our memory and how it enhances and impacts our creative life, including the negativity bias, where we may prioritize negative experiences, criticism, and failures over positive ones.
Guided Positive Memory Recall Exercise
Focusing on a small, ordinary, positive moment in your creative life
Recalling the sensory details of the moment
Writing down and sharing the moment
Zoom link is posted below the paywall to keep our gathering cozy and private.
(This also prevents any non-book-loving Zoom crashers!)
If you’d like to join us in the Book Club, you can upgrade to a paid membership here:
or:
Refer friends to receive complimentary months:
1 referral = 1 month free
2 referrals = 3 months free
3 referrals = 1 year free
✨ Note for fellow introverts:
You are welcome to come as you are—cameras on or off, display names changed or unchanged. No pressure, just presence.
📹 This session will be recorded for those who can’t attend live.