The Rays of June Shine Upon Us Once Again
The Cat and the Comma Issue #10
May felt like it dragged on forever, and yet was over with way too quickly. Let’s talk about what’s been going on in my corner of the world.
Misc. Professional Update
Still busy with insurance school. As of right now, I have two-ish weeks to finish it (and then I have to schedule a time to take the test). Here’s what I have for writing updates as a result of all this.
I’ve been maintaining my Patreon still. Updates have been slow this month—again, insurance school—but hopefully by the end of this month I can go back to making it a priority. That said, subscribing grants you some cool benefits, like one I’ve recently added for the $5 tier: behind the scenes! Every so often, I’ll have an in-depth post going into the background of a story I’ve worked on or are working on, including where the idea came from and, if I have them, drafts of outlines and whatnot. Lower tiers grant you access to advanced chapters and copies of short stories ($3 tier) or advanced looks at excerpts and access to shorter short stories ($1 tier). Plenty of options, plenty of goodies to jump on.
I am attending a local pride this month as a vendor! I am good friends with and a volunteer for a local queer organization who, after a couple of years of hiatus for covid, is coming back in a major way. They’re kicking it off with hosting pride later this month. And, as I said, I’ve been invited to participate as a vendor. I’m currently working on business cards and to get physical print versions of my released short stories. Which leads me to…
I have independently published The Temple on Cicaro Hill! This is the short story that started it all, released in the Myths, Legends, and Dreams Worldsmyths anthology back in October of 2021. Now, I have taken it and released it on my own. Here it is on Ko-Fi, and also on Gumroad. And, as always, if you have subbed to my Patreon, you have the chance to read it for free.
Which reminds me, I have looked at alternatives to Ko-fi when it comes to hosting my works. Not because I hate Ko-Fi, but because I want it to look more like a storefront. Hence, Gumroad. Here is my Gumroad page. Above all, a big thing that nudged me towards Gumroad was the ability to rate the products on a person’s storefront. Which reminds me… if you’ve read any of my short stories and have some spare time, consider leaving a rating/review on my Gumroad! If you’re able to, that is. I’m not fully certain how that all works.
Writing Update
As of writing this, I am wrapping up on chapter 19 of A Sharper, More Lasting Pain. I did end up adding two more chapters to my list, because I realized that I had a bit more than could be covered in the amount of chapters I had. So, I’m about the same distance away from the end as I was last time, I think. That said, I have three chapters and an epilogue left after this…
I am so very close to the end of this project. How incredible.
Here’s a bit of what I’m currently working on:
His brows furrow. Deep, canyon-like wrinkles break out along his forehead. Professor Darzi takes a breath, mouth open to speak, but must reconsider his words. Still wearing that same worried frown, he eventually says, “Such a mindset is not conducive to a healthy learning environment, Mx. Allard.”
“Perhaps not.” The confession surprises them. Hoping the professor doesn’t notice the surprise evident in their face, they quickly add, “But it is what will get me through these remaining weeks, for better or for worse.”
“And after?”
Simone’s gaze drops to their wiggling foot. For months, they’ve allowed themself the escape Voterique provided them. It’s easy, they think, to forget about the outside world when in such an environment. Professor Darzi’s words shatter the fragile illusion. What were they planning to do in the interim between their second and third years? An abundance of research for their thesis, no doubt. Was there truly nothing else?
“Ahh…” Professor Darzi’s palm settles on their knee this time, lingering long enough for the gesture to be felt before pulling back again. “But, of course, you have another year to ponder it, hmm?”
It takes every shred of energy they have to sculpt their face into a neutral mask. Beneath it, the all-consuming terror of their unknown future begins to set in.
Did you know you can read this novel online? Updates have slowed down a bit due to how busy I’ve been. Regardless, when I post, I’m posting on Wednesdays) on three different websites in the interest of being wide-spread and getting as much feedback as possible. Once I’m finished posting the story in its entirety, I’ll pull back before long and show the revised draft only to beta readers. But, until then, if you would like to read my sapphic fantasy dark academia novel about monsters and sigil magic and mind-melding drugs, you can check out the links below!
Otherwise, I have been entertaining the idea of a collection of short stories I write based on Greek Mythology. You can see my evolving thought process about it over here. Since this post, I have started an outline for my Eros & Psyche fantasy retelling, which I’m currently in the middle of fleshing out. Due to working on everything else, I haven’t gotten much farther than the outline.
Also, I’ve been mulling over a completely unrelated short story, tentatively titled In Time for the Wedding, very loosely based on real events (in that the crux of the plot was going to happen IRL and then could not). This one I am also outlining. As above, work on this one is incredibly slow due to… everything else.
On a final note, once ASMLP is completed and I have more work done on the short stories mentioned above, I haven’t fully decided what I would like to take a look at next. I do want to take a proper crack at outlining and writing my novel set in the same universe as ASMLP, A Bitter-Tasting Blade. It’s about monster hunters and a (somewhat)reformed monster woman who go from bitter enemies to reluctant allies to… perhaps something more.
Media Update
If you’ve followed my tumblr, you will know what I’m about to say: Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has consumed my mind, body, and soul. I’ve been playing that when on break from work or school or writing and have already clocked over 90 hours onto it. I’m nowhere near the end. This game is… so fucking good. It improves on BOTW in nearly every conceivable way and I imagine I will be just as consumed with it for a long while.
I’ve taken a kind of break on the television front. I’ve recently finished RTGames’ Breath of the Wild playthrough, which has been exciting, and have just jumped to his TOTK playthrough (obviously). I’ve also starting watching an older anime with my fiance, Serial Experiments Lain, which has been a trip to watch. I think I like it, though.
Meanwhile, in bookland, I’ve just finished Out by Natsuo Kirino. What an absolute blast to read. I’m also finishing up Notes From the Burning Age by Claire North and a couple of indie books I picked up during a sale. I also recently got my hands on Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee and I’m desperate to sink my teeth into it.
Blog Update
I’ve made an actual post since the last update! Why I Will Never Go Trad is a slightly revamped version of an older post I made about the reasons traditional publishing is (likely) not for me. Since the time of making the original post, I’ve come more into myself regarding my opinions of traditional publishing and my place within it. The short answer is: I have no place. I’m not interested in the slightest. If you want to know why, you’ll need to read the blog post.
In other news, I’m still mulling over that post about being a trans writer with a (until recently) mostly cisgender audience. It’s taken so long partly because there’s a lot to mull over within it. It’s still coming, though. Slowly. I’m also thinking of a post exploring how I evolved as a person and a writer over the years. It’ll relate a lot to the “behind the scenes” posts my patrons get. There’s also one on the difference between different kinds of readers (alphas, betas, critics, editors) and their benefits to writers, how to write side characters, maybe even one encompassing my thoughts on mythology retellings (spoilers: it’s not all that positive). For now, at least, all of this is taking a mental backseat to everything else I’m trying to finish up.
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. So, this month, I would like to shout out a fellow indie writer, R.K. Ashwick. I haven’t read A Rival Most Vial quiet yet, but I’ve been dying to all the same. It looks to be an incredibly charming read. So, if you like rival potion shop owners and queer fantasy romance, give this book a shot! It’s also on sale for Pride month so, even more reason to read it!
The Cat Thanks
One of the perks for higher-tier patrons is shout-outs at the end of newsletters. Special thanks to my patrons: Ceph the Ghost Writer and Larkspur.
Well, that’s a wrap! Here’s hoping I get to be more productive by the end of this month. I hope this message finds you well, all the same.
Kind regards,
Alex