This was a difficult one this week, because I was thinking of stuff I didn’t like to do, and I couldn’t really think of anything. Oh, sure, you couldn’t pay me to go to an enemy’s funeral or give my biological father a kidney, but that stuff is pretty much a given. And it’s so negative, when so much positive stuff is happening in my life right now.
Positive stuff like getting a new office set up! So I guess you couldn’t pay me to trade my office for a different set up!
Let me show you some pictures:
That is my old desk, waiting for the rain to stop so it can go in the yard with a “free to good home” sign on it. Getting rid of it is bitter sweet. This is, to date, the desk where I’ve written every single one of my books. And that’s a lot of books. I sat at this desk to write Blood Ties book one: The Turning, right up through The Bride. But it was time for a change.
Once we moved the desk out, the dogs discovered the window:
As you can see, Sammy is not interested in sharing the view. Also, check out the Medusa head of cords over there. Those were all under my desk. And I detangled them, but I am supernaturally good at that.
I chose to go with IKEA’s Kallax series of shelves with an attachable desk. Putting the shelves together was super easy, but easily the most time consuming.
After the desk was assembled and attached, I added two cupboard inserts and one double drawer insert.
Oh, and my books and some goofy shit:
In an attempt to continue my mental health journey, I actually put my books on these shelves, right where I can see them.
Just because things didn’t go exactly the way I wanted them to in the past ten years, I still deserve to be proud of myself. Hopefully just seeing them there will condition me to be proud of the work I’ve done!
As for the drawers, one of them is full of office supplies. The other one is full of candy and pills.
As it should be.
So now that I sit down to work, this where I’m doing it. Under the stern gazes of three Doctors who think I should definitely be writing
Yes. That is a wooden stake next to my computer. Because you never know.
So, that’s where I’m working now. I can’t show you the rest of the place, because it’s still a total shit show. But the important thing is, I’ve got a much better groove going on here, and (so far) you couldn’t pay me to change it around.
Wanna see what you couldn’t pay the other Wednesday bloggers to do?
Bronwyn Green • Jessica Jarman • Gwendolyn Cease • Kellie St. James • Kris Norris
“Just because things didn’t go exactly the way I wanted them to in the past ten years, I still deserve to be proud of myself. Hopefully just seeing them there will condition me to be proud of the work I’ve done!”
This is exactly the lesson I need to learn about my writing career. Thanks for putting it into words for me!
Those shelves are awesome, I might have to get a set of those to go in the closet where all of my craft crap is! Good job 🙂 I bet your old desk is gone in a flash too, wish I lived closer.
One of the problems with the old desk is that in order for it to be comfortable at all, you needed the specific chair that went with it. Whoever picks that thing up is doomed.
I need that Doctor Who poster in my life. May I share my personal Doctor Who geeky creations? Dalek Soaps: http://maitribathbody.com/wp/?product=dalek-soap-3-pack and Tardis Soaps: http://maitribathbody.com/wp/?product=tardis-soap-3-pack. They’re my little personal squee.
I love that desk! I wish we had an IKEA here = When I go cross-country this summer for vacay, I intend to pass by an IKEA to get some shit.
I love your new office! And if your old desk would fit in my car I’d totally take it. 🙂
Oh, we’ve got several sets of those shelves in our house, but they’re called EXPEDIT over here. Love all the Doctor Who stuff!
Expedit is the one I wanted! When I went into the store, they were like, “Oh, we discontinued that,” and I was like, heart-crushed, and then they go, “But we have a new line, Kallax,” and I go and look and they’re almost identical! Just that instead of the biggest piece being 5 x 5 blocks, it’s 4 x 4.
WTF.
The pink door inserts are from the Expedit line, even. They didn’t even bother to change the names on the inserts!
Now I’m flipping hooked and I wish I had an IKEA closer.
Aaaah, I see! I thought it was just a name change for America or something. Yes, IKEA is horribly addictive, I now want to go again and see if they’ve got Kallan here too and if it’s cheaper or more expensive.
Your new set up is fantastic and spectacularly you. I can’t wait to see what you write next under the watchful eyes of Hodor and the Doctors.
It’s going to be amazing, whatever it is.
Is that a Danny Trejo poster? Well, who doesn’t like him? He’s the coolest.
Anyhow, I really love the IKEA shelves and all the stuff you put in it. (female geeks of the world: unite) But your old desk is beautiful too. Basically what I’m saying is that everything looks awesome.
I can’t wait for the next installment of Jenny reads After, by the way. It’s like the-not-really-that-long-ago old times when you were mocking 50 Shades and I so needed that. I’m pretty psyched.
It was a Danny Trejo poster! He’s chillin’ in the closet until I redo the other side of my office. He was up for a long time, I figured it was time to give the Doctor a chance.
Yep, Danny Trejo is a bad ass. He’s one of those guys who been there done that and has had a chance to clean up and give back to society.
The dude is almost 70 years old now, and is 5′ 7″
I love your new office!!!! It’s amazing! The desk is drool-worthy and the shelves . . . wow. Just looking at your office inspires me to write. LOL
So your new set up looks all kinds of awesome. So yay to you and wishing you lots of productivity at your new work space. Also I love the drawer filled with pills and candy. That’s how my work bag/purse looks by the way.
BTW, do you write anything else besides romance? cause that’s not really my bag and I really want to support you. I’ll read contemporary romance though.
I apologize for the rambliness, I need food.
The Boss series is contemporary romance, but it’s erotic romance, so if that’s not your bag it won’t work. I recently wrote a YA fantasy called Such Sweet Sorrow as Jenny Trout, and I’ve got a backlist of urban fantasy/fantasy/horror under my actual name, Jennifer Armintrout (with an i, no middle initial, that’s a different author). But my earlier books have some questionable themes that I avoid now that I’ve learned more stuff in life. American Vampire is pretty cool, though. It’s stand alone vampire horror. 🙂
Love your new office set up. Totally jealous. And I’m coveting your dragon yelling Merlin. Want. One. Now.
A good office setup is all it takes to make a difference! So much so that since I moved six months ago, the only room that I’ve actually taken time to finish so far is my office – and I love it! Everything else still needs art on the walls or knick knacks or furniture.
There’s a reason IKEA is as popular as it is, lol.
Nice set. May it bring many inspirations for you…though I’d probably need a Hell on Wheels poster or maybe a Matrix one, lol.
Is that a bong? :-p
Sure is!
HA! I totally came on here to say the same. You’ve got easy access to it, Jenny.
LOL. I use weed to treat my fibromyalgia and epilepsy, so it helps to have it near by. It’s also responsible for like 70% of my tweets about the universe.
It looks great! 🙂
It looks great! I wonder if the family would be mad if I ditched our dining room table for a setup like that?
Yep, total BAMF.
Whenever I see him in something (e.g. Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy) it’s always a pleasant surprise. No matter what storyline he’s stranded in the initial recognition stays the same. ‘Hey, Danny Trejo, my old friend (not really). It’s nice to see you.’
Also, though he looks super scary and tough, he seems like a really friendly guy. Kind of like Vinnie Jones. The bad stuff’s behind them.
I love your new set up! A new office set up is so great to get the creative juices flowing again! I did that a few years ago and my office is still my favourite room in the house 🙂