Queer Pride is Out. Queer Rage is In.
The Cat & the Comma Issue #27
Ahh, June. A month I’ve come to anticipate every year with the same fervor of a child knowing summer vacation has come again. Normally, I am excited for Pride, to see the towns in my state temporarily take on a rainbow hue. This year, seeing the legislation introduced against trans people and against the disabled, I find I cannot be as excited as I used to. Every day I wake up is a new battle to fight.
Before I become too despondent, let’s talk about May.
Misc. Professional Update
Things were quieter this month on the professional front in preparation for June. I did get commercial art done for Firien, the ferret-dragon animal companion Edera and Seren accidentally acquire in The Distance Between Stars and Salt, and I’m sooo pleased with how he looks! Isn’t he beautiful?1
Firien is a creature I waffled on for most of the zero draft. Originally, my indecision was over whether I would include an animal companion or not, then over what kind of animal to include! I thought a bat at first, since I quite like bats, but that posed an interesting sort of challenge, given my main characters spend so long at sea and adventuring during the daytime hours. So then someone in my writing group suggested an amphiptere2, which I liked a lot and thought to use… but those are winged dragons without legs, and I still wanted something with legs. A long while ago, I saw this art of a draconic ferret, which has stuck in my mind for quite a while. Suffice to say, a draconic ferret is what I eventually decided on. It helps that I had ferrets growing up; a lot of this book is referencing people and places and things I love, so it was an obvious choice to include them here!
As for other professional updates… I don’t really have them. I’m currently on a waitlist for Just Another Bookish Ball next year in Pennsylvania. After the disaster that was the A Million Lives book fest last month, however… time will tell if I actually invest in this event. This weekend, however, I will be at Stanwood-Camano Pride and I am deeply excited about it!
Writing Update
I locked in and moved full steam ahead on The Distance Between Stars and Salt, and am incredibly pleased to announce that I completed the zero draft! I sprinted through the ending thanks to some writing sprints and a stream I did, and I’m already excitedly working on the first draft. The zero draft capped at 41,132 words, a count I’m hoping to double for the actual book. First draft, meanwhile, has been going swimmingly and is currently at [WORDS]
Here’s a snippet of where I’m at right now in TDBSaS:
I“You need rest,” ze said after a beat. “And a meal, and likely something to drink. Once you have those things, we may discuss further.”
“And you’re carrying me because…?”
“When last allowed to walk on your own, you collapsed. The Witness need not concern herself with the weaknesses of a mortal.”
My jaw set. “She’s my wife.”
“Personal relation matters not. You are a mortal. I could not find a way to make you understand if I tried.”
At once, I deflated. The true weight of my current predicament replaced the evaporating shock: I had become a burden to your cause. Would you think twice if urged to leave me behind?
No, came the burn of indignation in my breast. She wouldn’t want me to think such things.
But then, where were you?
If you’re intrigued by this project and what comes out of it, you can currently read the whole zero draft if you become a member of my Patreon! I’ve also recently made a Carrd Page going over the basics of this project. Currently, I am sending this work to alpha readers as it is written, and anticipate opening for betas some time in August!
In other news, one thing you’ll see below is that I also spit out an outline for something new. Currently, it’s codenamed “Kill Your Rapists” and is about a professor at a magic college in the same world as ASMLP who, five years after a violent event changed her life, now finds herself being forced to reconcile with it all over again. There’s a lot of trauma, a lot of kink, a lot of ghost haunting and possession, and a lot of violence. It may be my darkest long-form project yet… But that’s all I’m willing to say about it right now.
Finally, let’s bring out the word tracker. I am quite pleased with myself and how much I wrote this month!
And now, stats:
For the month of May, I wrote a total of 31,954 words and an average of 1,452 words per session. And here’s an updated breakdown of what stage of writing I’ve spent what amount of words on, too:
I did some more messing around with the colors on this chart, as you can see. I was able to prune down a couple of categories I will not end up needing to use/track, and shuffling the colors around helps make this feel a little less… monotone. And soon enough, it’ll get even more colorful!
Media Update
I still am stuck in the gates of Oblivion, as seen in Oblivion Remastered. I picked that game up shortly after it released in April and have been incapable of putting it down since. And once I figure out just what is going on with OBS, I’m going to start streaming a playthrough of it! I haven’t decided which OC I’m going to play as yet, but as soon as I decide and get the tech out of the way… it’s over for everyone.
Meanwhile, once I have the means to, I plan on picking up Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. I’ve been watching a gaming streamer I like play through it and it looks like a game that is going to absolutely destroy me. Plus, I think I can use it as a TDBSaS comp title! Additionally, Elden Ring: Nightreign is out now… lots of choices!
As a whole, though, I haven’t played much of anything, given how driven I am to finish this first draft.
In terms of books, I’m still working through Mistress of Lies by K. M. Enright and This Too Shall Burn by Cat Rector. I also recently got my hands on The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling. I normally don’t jump on new releases like this, but I made an exception because this book sounds like everything I could ever want. And indeed, so far, it is! I’m nearing the end as I’m typing this—what a whirlwind!
Blog and Video Update
I can finally say that I finished my essay on letting projects die. Failure to Resuscitate is now available to read! Read about what caused me to drop Across This Hollow Distance, how writing TDBSaS has been nothing like that, and my general thoughts and feelings on writing.
I’m now focusing my blogging attention on an older thinkpiece about being a transgender author with a mostly cisgender audience. Additionally, I am writing one about sexual assault and manipulation in bookish spaces. Both are exhausting pieces to write—for different reasons. No ETA as to when either will be available.
I also streamed! Check out this one where I tried the pomodoro method, learning something about myself and sprint lengths, AND, most importantly, finally gave Firien his name! You’ll also learn something about the pigeon problem in Malta. Then there’s this one I did, which is where I actually completed the zero draft! Unfortunately, technical difficulties mean there isn’t any sound for the last… hour or so of the stream. Lastly, there’s this one I did revealing the world map for TDBSaS and talking about the map design process I had with the artist!
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 Charlie Knight! They’ve been an editor and game writer for a while, but they also released their own book in March! They’re also the editor I’m looking at for TDBSaS. Check out Tempest, Take Me Home!
Eli has made their career and built their reputation as a treasure hunter and captain of Tempest. Now, they have the chance to secure their status as a legend on the seas…but they’re going to need help to get this job done.
Max lives a calm, orderly routine, using his magic to provide maps for his clients and securing a name for himself as the best in the business. The only excitement Max gets is when Eli and Tempest come home to visit…but the proposal Eli brings home this time is an opportunity Max has never imagined.
Tempest and crew have been recruited to track down and recover pieces of myth, priceless items said to have come to the world directly from the gods. If they pull it off, the ship will receive gold and acclaim the likes of which none of them has ever imagined…but they aren’t the only ship on the seas after this prize. When a rival crew finds out that Max is Eli’s secret weapon, the risk to the magical cartographer is higher than any of them bargained for.
Eli and Max have been best friends since they were kids and in love for longer than either of them can remember. They’ve seen one another through a lot, but now, they’ll need to hold onto the foundation they’ve built between them if they’re going to ride out the storms ahead.
You can read more about Tempest and purchase it here! And you can see what else Charlie has on offer here!
The Cat Thanks
One of the perks for higher-tier patrons is shout-outs at the end of newsletters. Special thanks to Ceph 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. Reach out to friends you haven’t heard from in a while.
Kindest regards,
Alex