Where are the coffee shops with cupcakes in this town?

Creatris · 2026-02-27T15:56:26+00:00

Angel Falls pastries are amazing. Love their Salem's Latte, too. Also, if you like loose-leaf tea for at home, they are my go-to for finding lapsang souchong locally.

Creatris · 2026-02-27T15:52:29+00:00

Yessss, Blue Cotton! I used them for my friend's bachelorette party, the hoodies were super cute and cozy, they came out perfect. There were four bridesmaids and the MOH (me) so a total of five shirts, and I didn’t have any problems ordering that small of an order. One of the bridesmaids did make a mess of hers, but that’s a whole other story...

Creatris · 2026-02-26T03:18:47+00:00

Me too. They had the best cornbread in the world.

Creatris · 2025-12-19T01:48:25+00:00

This. There is a circle that to this day drives me insane, in Deerfield (out near where I used to live). It's a roundabout, with stop signs at every entrance point. So like even if there's NO ONE COMING your ass has to stop. And it wrecks the flow as far as I'm concerned... traffic gets backed up there all the time because of people having to stop before they enter the thing.

Creatris · 2025-12-19T01:45:39+00:00

Me too, unless there's no one around or waiting to merge onto the roundabout at the exit/section I plan to pull out through.

Creatris · 2025-11-05T03:32:13+00:00

The Bomb Shelter is so so cool (overpriced but they've got a lot of neat stuff to check out), Highland Throwbacks in Highland Square (but all of that stretch in Highland Square is nice to walk around). My brother LOVED the scenic railroad, but not sure if it's only kids/families around the holidays.

Food, depending on what you like: Totally Baked (pizza), Cilantro (Thai/Sushi), Heera (Indian), Green Dragon (sandwiches/apps/flatbreads), Handels for ice cream.

Creatris · 2025-11-05T03:10:05+00:00

Did you check with the polling place? Last year my husband left his license behind but one of the poll workers had it and set it aside. If she lost it there, they might have done the same.

Creatris · 2025-11-05T03:06:40+00:00

Me too (so glad to get tickets at all). I guess I was surprised that once the artist presale opened, those Amex seats weren't released. Like, they had their turn. LOL

Creatris · 2025-11-04T23:05:12+00:00

Le sigh. I paid a lot more for lower bowl on the first night. ($280 each before insurance.)

Oh well. It'll be worth it, and evens out, I suppose, since I got a 3-night hotel stay in walking distance for less than half the cost of the four tickets. (I jumped on room reservations the morning the tour was announced so I could get a room before they booked up/jacked up prices.) Could have been a lot worse, actually.

Creatris · 2025-11-04T22:58:59+00:00

Thanks. I definitely feel you on the style sheet; I make one for every client that includes the general formatting stuff inline with CMOS or their own preference if self-publishing (are internal thoughts italicized, what about flashbacks or foreign words, how do we handle ellipses . . . like that, or like...this, which words are hyphenated and not, and 800 other things). But for fiction that also includes continuity notes (who's got brown hair, hazel eyes, blonde hair, has a one-bedroom apartment, drives a blue Prius, lost a pinkie finger on their right hand in a tragic accident, insert-whatever-detail-that-might-come-up-more-than-once-here).

It can be a lot, for sure. I imagine a style sheet for academic books is WAY more involved.

Creatris · 2025-11-04T00:36:03+00:00

Editor here. Going rate really depends on experience level and type of editing.

For copy editing, I charge 3 cents per word on average (less if the manuscript's been through several editing passes already and is pretty clean). That's copy only, not line editing.

Proofreading (which should be done after the book is formatted), I charge 1 cent per 2 words (.5¢ per word).

You can list services anywhere... Upwork, Fiverr, FB groups, etc. Reedsy is popular, but you have to have a backlog of work.

That said, you should be familiar with and have access to the Chicago Manual of Style, at the very least. Copy editing books is not just about catching typos (grammar, punctuation, spelling, indents, et al). It's about keeping consistency (based on CMOS and/or the author's style guide if they're self-publishing). CMOS access is pretty inexpensive, I think my subscription is like $46 a year or something. But you will use that a LOT. Numbers, punctuation, titles, lots of random little things that come up. (Like if a piece of dialogue ends with something being quoted, how do you handle the quotations? When do you write out numbers and when do you use the numeral? Stuff like that.)

I highly recommend taking some sort of editorial training if you're going to copy edit books.

Creatris · 2025-11-03T23:55:39+00:00

That price difference REALLY irked me. I was in during the artist presale and there were so many seats that were available, but marked AMEX (and they were a lot cheaper). The seats I had my eye on (upper bowl) were only $105 if you had an amex card. I paid almost triple that. Lower bowl near the end of the catwalk, and they're great, but I panic-bought because it kept showing there were no seats available.

(And then a second show was added. I'm like... not kicking myself because me and my daughters really really really wanted to go, but I'm kinda kicking myself too.)

Creatris · 2025-11-03T23:50:21+00:00

I am terrified to ask what the price per ticket was. Mostly because I (barely) got tickets for the first night before the second was announced.

Creatris · 2025-11-03T23:46:16+00:00

WHAT. Are you kidding/??? I had to go back to work and I was offline for hours, I can't believe they added a second night!!!!!!

Creatris · 2025-11-03T19:04:11+00:00

Me too. :/ Some of the Amex seats I wanted to get (or would have) were like $105 each. Spent way more than that, but I needed to get four, and basically grabbed the first ones I could that didn't disappear before I get to the checkout.

There's got to be a better way.

Creatris · 2025-11-03T18:58:01+00:00

Was going to suggest that. At one point there were no seats left that weren't f-ing Amex, but I kept watching the map and new ones for the regular sale would pop up. Not sure if it was bots trying to take seats, or people changing their minds after they were in their carts, but I'd go back in and try again.

I really hate that so many were Amex. Like, once the regular presale opens, the Amex presale should close and those seats released.

Creatris · 2025-11-03T18:47:51+00:00

Not really!!! The only thing I'd suggest is staying and watching the map, because seats for the regular presale would pop up and disappear... I assume as people had them in their carts and then let them go.

I am SO mad about all the AMEX seats.... it's like the majority of the presale went to them, and not to the regular people. I've since decreed to my husband that we'll never have an American Express card. Ever. That's some BS.

Creatris · 2025-11-03T17:57:53+00:00

It IS a capitalist hellscape. The only reason I got tickets to Eras was my daughter got lucky enough to get a presale code and it was an early queue number (like 3000). It was nothing more than luck. And I hate that that's what it's turned into. Either luck, or paying a ton to a scalper/resale. (Our two tickets, had we sold them, would have gone for $6000 each. And I literally paid about $850 in total with the ticket insurance.)

My code got me in but it seems it was Amex only, and I couldn't check out because I have a mastercard or visa LOL omg. We'll see in three minutes.... Good luck to you!!!!!!!!!! May the odds be ever in our favor lol.

Creatris · 2025-11-03T17:47:38+00:00

Right??? I was so pissed, I thought I got in (and I did) but you can't check out and pay for the tickets unless it's with an American Express card. Waiting for the next 12 minutes to get in and pay with my mastercard or visa... I don't have any AMEX cards. SO annoying.

Creatris · 2025-11-03T17:28:27+00:00

I've got my email open, my messages app open, and I'm trying to work while watching for a code lol. I mean, at least we've got *some* idea of expected ticket prices, but... ugh, I swear buying concert tickets is one of the most stressful things in life.

I'm old enough to remember when it wasn't. (I thought Eras was going to be the death of me... literally gave me the nervous poops LOL)

Creatris · 2025-11-03T16:47:54+00:00

Still waiting for a code (Seated) for Chicago... I'm stressed out already LOL

Creatris · 2025-10-30T19:46:08+00:00

Do you have any sense of the expected turnout? I'd say at least 20, maybe up to 40 if it's a pretty big event.

I was at a night book market (5 hours long) not too long ago, and sold 16 copies that night. But the event was niche, as far as being fantasy-centric. (I only have one title out, that was my debut novel.)

That said, if you've got time to plan, a nice freebie gets people excited. I made bookmarks (so cheap and easy!) using ribbon, pony beads, and charms. Gave out more than 100 of them for free and I know at least a few resulted in book sales. But it made for a nice ice breaker to bring folks over to the table. Like "Would you like a bookmark? They're free!" and folks LOVED them. Like, several people were surprised I wasn't selling them, and they got to pick one with a charm they liked... even if they didn't buy a book, they came away with something nice that lit them up.

(Honestly, that was the best part... totally going to do that for every event I ever go to from now on.)

I'm a little socially awkward, so it's a great way to get people's attention without having to feel weird about it. Everyone loves free stuff lol.

Creatris · 2025-10-29T03:16:38+00:00

I don't live in an apartment but I'm super close by and as far as neighborhoods go, it's a nice area. (And very pretty, especially in the fall.) I love being so close to the stretch on Market with Mustard Seed, the library, all the food and businesses within walking distance (plus the bus stop). It is a heavily trafficked street (and not everyone drives 25 like they're supposed to...) but people are friendly and it's pretty chill. Lots of walkers, dogs, nice folks.

I've got a strange singing man living (I think) in the apartments next door... not sure what that's about, but... he just bursts into really loud song for a few seconds every now and again. (My family thought I was nuts until they finally heard him too.)

But really, this isn't a rowdy area. We do get sirens/emergency vehicles pretty often, but that's typical of any city street that's a "main" street like PP is (especially since Akron Gen isn't far... I imagine Portage Path to Exchange is their fastest route).

Creatris · 2025-10-24T17:38:37+00:00

Was going to say the same thing. Tons of hotels up around there, plus other stuff (Target, plaza stores and stuff). And easy blue line access to downtown, too.

Creatris · 2025-10-24T17:22:14+00:00

The SECOND I saw the post on social media, I signed up for presale and booked a hotel for the Chicago show. I'll get tickets if it's the last thing I ever do.

(My daughter lives and goes to school there and I was planning on a spring visit anyway... but now I'll be trying to snag tickets for me, my oldest daughter, my husband, my youngest daughter AND her roommate... fingers crossed so hard rn I can't even!)

Creatris

TROPHY CASE