A Time of Terror, A Time for Thrills
The Cat and the Comma Issue #19
It’s October once again. A time of haunts and thrills, as Halloween will soon be upon us. And, most importantly, the month of the release of my debut novel. As the autumnal chill settles upon us once again, let’s discuss what I’ve got going on.
Misc. Professional Update
As of writing this, A Sharper, More Lasting Pain comes out in 9 days! Everything has been uploaded into the respective carriers. If you haven’t pre-ordered yet, it’s not too late to do so! It’s available on most retail carriers here!
If you’re new here, ASMLP is my sapphic fantasy dark academia novel about three Casters at a magic college and the tragedy that befalls them. You can add it on Goodreads as well. It will also, upon release, be available on itch.io and I will soon be adding signed copies to my Patreon and Ko-Fi shops which include some extra goodies alongside it.
I’m continuing to cement myself in more public spaces and doing more author events. Here’s a current list of what I’ve got going on.
I’m going to be at Barnes & Noble! My event is during a larger Local Author Event in Bellingham, Washington. I’ll be there October 5th from 2PM to 4PM, and October 6th from 4:30PM to 6:30PM.
I have an ASMLP book launch scheduled at a local bookstore on October 12th!
I have a book signing at my mother’s antique store scheduled for October 19th!
I have another author signing scheduled for November 2nd!
I am also looking to do an author event at yet another book store by the end of the year… but nothing official yet. I do have an in for how to contact them, though.
Additionally, I have another anthology compilation coming up! REVERENT: AN ANTHOLOGY OF DIVINITY is a collection of poems, essays, and short stories from various authors discussing the Divine across a variety of cultures. I still can’t say too much yet, but here’s what I can say: my inclusion is a short story about a witch who, after a bad breakup, learns the value in being alone and reconnects with the Hellenic gods she used to worship. I am GREATLY excited to get to speak more about this… but all in good time.
On a… less-fun note: I am currently jobless. For those who are new, I am a Boeing factory worker from Washington state and fall under the International Association of Machinists and Aersospace Workers (IAM) union, district 751. Our district, as well as IAM district W24, are currrently on strike against Boeing. As it stands, I am hoping to make some income at the author events I will be attending, but nothing is ever certain. Additionally, there are not many workplaces around me willing to hire workers for a temporary and indeterminate amount of time… especially when there’s over 30,000 of us. As such, if you have the means to do so, I highly encourage you to check out my Ko-Fi or my Patreon, where I post behind-the-scenes looks at projects, bonus art (like the bookmarks I commissioned!), ebook copies of my works, and more. The $1 tier acts mostly like a tip jar, but there’s still some additional things available there regardless.
Speaking of, if you’re a member of my Patreon, you can see some secret ASMLP bookmark art before everyone else! This are is available for the $3 tier and above at this current time. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait to see it. And starting this month, I’m going to be doing once-a-month tarot writing prompts for the $5 tier!
Writing Update
Some things have changed since last month. I’ve been trying to trudge through working on Across This Hollow Distance, my gothic fantasy novella inspired by the myth of Eros and Psyche about a woman married off as a ghost bride and her dead wife’s monstrous secret… but I’m getting so frustrated looking at it, if I’m being honest. I think I need some more time with it, so I’m no longer planning to have it out by April 1st. The amount of things bothering me is no longer insurmountable, so I’m putting it to the side for some time before I ponder over it again.
Instead, I’ve been taking a look at my anthology piece for Reverent, trying to get it into true publishable shape. I don’t think I’m allowed to share lines from it yet… but just know I’m very excited about it.
Otherwise, I have caved in to my waxing-and-waning desire to look at my dark fantasy novel, Those Who Emerge from Ashes. This is the first in a duology about a wanna-be historian, a woman in a cult, a goddess, and an eight-hundred-year-old Not!Jesus figure and how their lives all intersect in a harebrained quest to resurrect the gods of their world. A lot of the earlier chapters have been wrote and I’m just going through and tweaking them. However, that’s only about… 1/3 of the planned book. Regardless, here’s a section I tweaked recently!
As the first bundles of wood burned, Scholar Selene re-approached the pyre with a slim metal lance. She jammed one end into the hungry flames and held it there until the metal glowed a vibrant orange. Though Araceli still squirmed before her, it was with the half-hearted twitches of a pinned animal who knew their time had come.
“May all who see this brand show you no mercy.”
With this, she pierced Araceli’s chest.
The young woman screamed something feral, veins surging bright red with the fire burning inside of her. Embers peeled from her burning skin, the scent burning itself into Maka’s memory. Around them, several apprentices hunched over in an attempt to void their stomachs. Only Maka and Scholar Selene remained, gazes clashing over the onslaught of smoke.
You are next, Scholar Selene’s frigid stare promised.
Never again, Maka’s return assured.
The flames danced higher with the wave of Scholar Selene’s hand. Araceli’s cries reduced to whimpers, then, blessedly, to nothing at all.
Otherwise, I’m waiting to work on A Bitter-Tasting Blade until I return to Across This Hollow Distance… And I’m currently unsure when that will be. I have given more thought to the third novella in this lil collection, though. Still no title, but I have a growing sense of the characters and the mechanics needed to bring this one to life.
But that comes later.
Media Update
I won’t sugar-coat it: I have been… incredibly depressed. I haven’t been able to read too much, play too much, watch too much… I’ve been kind of growing stir-crazy about it.
That said, I’ve been working my way through We Will Devour the Night by Camilla Andrew, which is the sequel to When the Stars Alight and is just as excellent, if not more so! I also have a few other ARCs to read through as well. I also recently got Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, because I was told it might be a good comp for ATHD and I’m hoping it will be the nudge I need. I also want to take another stab at reading Gideon the Ninth… But all in good time.
I did watch the first season of Interview With the Vampire with my girlfriend and man was that a delight. Makes me upset the rest of the series isn’t available on Netflix yet. All in good time. I maintain patience in being able to watch the rest, but I am incredibly excited. I also find myself with the burning urge to rewatch Madoka Magica (partially because it’s good, partially because it’s heavy inspo for TWEfA).
As for games… again, depression. That said, as a Hellenic Polytheist, I spend a lot of time performing devotional activities in Minecraft. I have spent the last several days building yet another temple/devotional town and it’s been a lot of fun!
Blog and Video Update
I barely had the energy to do livestreams this last month tbh. I want to go back to doing them, though, especially so I can talk about my rewriting process and infodump more about TWEfA. That said, I have been thinking up a video about the current Boeing strike and what’s going on there, if only to try to bring more awareness to the situation/present information from a union worker’s perspective.
The Cat Recommends
I like to use this space to shout out other indie writers, cause I think we could all use a boost from time to time. This time, I’m using this space to shout out Joanne Kwan, a monster romance enthusiast. She has an M/M werewolf romance currently open for ARCs and it looks like a lot of fun!
Robin Ng didn’t expect to discover the existence of werewolves on his journey north, let alone make the acquaintance of one. When he finds a wrench in his plans, he has no one else to rely on other than the enigmatic Dusty Tedesco to take him to his destination. Over the course of the trip, the two face bumps in the road and dangerous detours all while growing closer, but will Dusty’s nature cut short their blooming relationship?
More than just a road trip romance, this is a story about finding a connection across the perceived lanes that divide us.
Love trans and Asian leads? Love werewolves? Love road trips? Sign up to be an ARC reader and get more info about Shifting Lanes here.
The Cat Thanks
One of the perks for higher-tier patrons is shout-outs at the end of newsletters. Special thanks to Ceph, Hannah, and Larkspur. If you want to have your name here with theirs, subscribe to my Patreon!
And that’s a wrap. I wish you well on all of your endeavors and hope you stay safe.
Kindest regards,
Alex