Blockbusters and Bee Cups… Just Because!
Liz & Sarah from Happier In Hollywood
This email is for free subscribers. Thanks for being here! Blockbusters and Bee Cups… Just Because!HIH Spotlights: May 15, 2026
Need to answer some tricky emails? Write that wedding toast you’ve been putting off? Plan the agenda for an upcoming company retreat? Work on your novel? Join us for our weekly Killer Bee Work Hour on Zoom. Every Friday, Sarah posts a link on Substack, and we gather (video on, sound off) at 10:30AM PT to get shit done. It’s amazing how much more productive we are when people are watching. Plus… all those friendly faces make us feel just a little bit better about the world. Happier In Hollywood is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Liz’s Spotlight: Blockbuster BingeA few weeks ago I read the 1993 novel, The Client, by John Grisham. It was so fun to dive into a classic bestseller — I loved the characters, the muscular, straightforward writing, the page-turning plot. It made me want to foray into all the blockbuster books from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and beyond that I’ve never read. Think The Godfather, Hawaii, Lonesome Dove — or, more recently, The Women. I want to spend the summer surfing on wave after wave of sheer popular entertainment. My sister once called into work sick because she just HAD to finish The Stand. What blockbuster have you read and loved? Please, please put a title (or two or three) in the comments! Sarah’s Spotlight: Bee Cups, Just BecauseMy friend Karine recently gave me a gift “just because,” and I love it so much I have to share it with you:
The gift? A set of Bee Cups from Uncommon Goods. They’re a bit of a splurge (thank you, Karine!), but the set has five of the cutest little flower-shaped cups, specially designed to attract bees to your garden. When you water your plants, the cups collect some for the bees. So sweet. But this spotlight is actually a two-parter. Part One is the Bee Cups, but Part Two is: Be A Karine. Getting a gift “just because” felt amazing— especially such a thoughtful one. (Karine knows how into my garden I am.) Though I love giving gifts, I’ve never been a “just because” gift giver. That changes today! When I see something that I know a friend or family member would love— from now on (and within reason) I’m getting it! Just because. Quote of the Week:I write because to form a word with your lips and tongue or think a thing and then dare to write it down so you can never take it back is the most powerful thing I know. ~ Natalie Goldberg Coming Up Next Week:BTW Working Lunch: 5/20/26 @ 12:30 p.m. PT. Join us Live on Substack as we develop and break our WIP original pilot, Angry, Unlikable Women. Killer Bee Work Hour: 5/22/26 @ 10:30 a.m. PT. Join us on Zoom for a screen on/sound off power hour of getting sh*t done. We post the Zoom link & password on Substack and in the Happier In Hollywood FB Group. Slow Read: Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. A Live discussion for paid subscribers about the next five chapters. Last Week on the Podcast:In Episode 470 of the Happier In Hollywood podcast, we talk about why it’s helpful to prepare small talk topics before a Zoom meeting. Knowing how to fill that awkward time before everyone arrives will reduce your anxiety and improve meeting flow! In The Mailroom, we answer a listener question about reality TV lingo. Then, in Take Two, we revisit the topic of projects we once thought were dead coming suddenly back to life. This week’s Hollywood Hack can make life easier — try the weird tech thing that intimidates you. Finally, Sarah recommends some of her favorite Verticals on DramaBox, including All the Little Ways I Love You, Chained by Affection, and Like Roses, In Summer’s Tender Kiss.  (This video is longer than we usually share, but I went to see Indigo Girls last night and the guitar picking and violin playing is next level. Enjoy!) Happier In Hollywood is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You're currently a free subscriber to Happier In Hollywood. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
© 2026 Sarah Fain
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