Randye Kaye’s latest book is called Happier Made Simple: Choose Your Words. Change Your Life, and it’s as good as its word. She describes it as being for those of us who are too antsy to meditate, dropped out of yoga, and failed Daily-Gratitude-Lists 101.  I loved this very user-friendly book about making one’s life happier, a little at a time. The book is easy to dip in and out of, and because it isn’t too long, it’s not intimidating. She’s also terrific about revealing examples from her own life, so that you feel you’re having a conversation with a friend, rather than some guru who claims to have all the answers. Honestly, just reading it made me feel happier! You can get it as a paperback, on Kindle, and (soon) as an audiobook on Amazon. More information (and a shop, too) at Happiermadesimple.com. I asked her about her writing space, and found that she’s more than an author. Read on…

I was so tempted to clean up my writing space and make it look more like a cover shot for Better Homes & Gardens – or at least Real Simple. But the truth is that here is where I wrote the bulk of both my books, Happier Made Simple (2002) and Ben Behind His Voices (2011), and so truth wins. And Marie Kondo, my apologies.

What you see in the photo:

Many screens. I write more and more on the Microsoft Surface, but the old laptop (complete with labels pasted on the keyboard for the letters that wore off) and iPad are handy in case I want to look something up without switching tabs.

Post-it notes of inspiration: (two favorites: Action is the antidote to fear and I love you Grandma – with happy stick-figure drawing)

A pink cube timer: essential for me to create a needed boundary. I flip it to “30” and make myself sit there and do whatever project I’ve been putting off – this often involves writing.

The view – my deck, currently quite snowy.

Comfortable chair – a must.

The one copy I have of my latest book – finalizing the cover before I order more.

Ring light – for zoom.

Drama Queen plaque – since I’m an actor too, and…you know.

Water, coffee, and a dusty landline (yeah, I know…)

And then there’s my voiceover booth. I’m also an audiobook narrator (166 titles on Audible and counting), so I narrate my own books there as well. The booth cuts out most extraneous sound (except leaf blowers, lawnmowers, airplanes, yikes) – and really, really holds in the heat in the summertime. (So it doubles as a sauna too. Not that I ever wanted one.)

The coffee can? It holds my script (on iPad) where I can see it. I sometimes stand, sometimes sit on a drafting stool (perfect height for breathing better).

You can connect with Randye on Facebook, (book on Facebook), Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and via her websites: https://randyekaye.com/ and https://happiermadesimple.com/