Dissonant Self-Promotion
Well, that was longer than I meant to take before sending another one of these out. What can I say? Sicknesses and copy edits and a continuing genocide carried out supposedly in my name have made this winter something of a blur.
I'm far from the only person noting how dissonant it feels to do self-promotion right now, but the world grinds on.
And yes, the copy edits for Kalyna the Cutthroat have been turned in! Meaning the book is, essentially, done. That's exciting and terrifying.
So, hey, consider pre-ordering a copy if you haven't yet. Then get one for a friend. And get another for your mom, if she's cool.
Soothsayer Paperback, Plus Giveaway
If you're reading this, I certainly hope you already own Kalyna the Soothsayer in some form. But if you don't (or want a lighter copy), it comes out in paperback on March 26!
And right now, until March 22, Goodreads is giving away 100 copies!
Events
If you're in NYC, I'll be doing a reading in Brooklyn next month! Will I read from Soothsayer, or give a preview of Kalyna the Cutthroat? Show up to learn the answer in real time when I inevitably make a last minute decision!
April 16, Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Books & Booze Reading
What I've Been Reading
One major way I've kept my sanity in this... everything has been to find journalism that doesn't use passive voice and dehumanization to elide deliberate atrocities. This is why I started paying for Spencer Ackerman's newsletter Forever Wars. Ackerman has been reporting on the War on Terror pretty much since its inception, which makes him great at putting the west's constant violent destabilization of the Middle East into (infuriating) perspective.
Because I have no chill, I also just started Rashid Khalidi's The Hundred Years' War on Palestine. So, uh, look forward to hearing my thoughts on that. (My thoughts on the intro are: "I already hated Theodor Herzl, but seriously, fuck Theodor Herzl.")
And if I'm being honest, most of my free time in the last month or two was spent playing Yakuza: Like a Dragon and its sequel, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Turn-based Japanese role-playing games are among the most comforting things in the world to me.
Besides, the series' turn toward becoming a full RPG has led to some incredible weapon options.
A Few Manicures
So, I brought Stella this:
And just look what she did with it!
But it's been so long since my last newsletter that I've already gone back for another manicure. This time, my only idea was: can leopard print somehow be made... gayer?
