The State of the Newsletter
The Cat and the Comma Issue #15
Another year has come and gone, and we’re a month now into 2024. It’s time to recap on everything that has happened and the things to come. Let’s chat!
Misc. Professional Update
Perhaps the biggest announcement I’ve made since the start of the newsletter: I’m publishing A Sharper, More Lasting Pain! The publication date is set for some time November 2024—I’m in the midst of betas and rewrites and all that good stuff. I am beyond elated to be taking this next step in my publication journey.
And, of course, with publication comes marketing. I’ve revived my Instagram account and am working myself up to consistently posting multiple times a week. You can check it out here!
I’ve made a couple of posts on TikTok, but I’m not prioritizing that at the moment. I would rather not be on TT if I don’t have to be, and currently my Insta is doing… decently. That said, I don’t want to scratch TT off as an option, especially when I’m aware just how powerful it can be when it comes to moving copies.
And now, for the announcement I’m hesitant to make: it appears I may need to look yet again at a different website to host my newsletter. It has recently come out that Substack has an official stance on bigoted creators and Nazis: they will do nothing about them. Obviously, I am not thrilled at this proclamation, and neither are many other writers who called Substack their home for newsletters and other posts. And so, I am exploring other options for hosting the newsletter. Much like my transition from Revue, there shouldn’t be a major change in the emails—perhaps a shift in formatting and whatnot. I will do what I can to make the change as seamless as possible if I do end up finding a new newsletter host.
Finally, February is my birthday month! To celebrate, all of my published shorts are discounted. Pillow Talks and I Would Enter Haides are both free (and Pillow Talks is now perma-free as of this announcement!) and my other shorts are available for $1. Or you can purchase a bundle of all of my shorts for just $2! If you haven’t picked up my shorts before, now might be a good time to. Check out my Gumroad here!
Writing Update
Related to the above info, writing slowed down a bit. I took some time to recover from NaNoWriMo, and I’ve recently finished rewrites on ASMLP. I have a couple of things I’m thinking of working on while waiting for comments to come back from my team of beta readers, including a story idea I’m spinning in the back of my mind. As such, no excerpts to share at this time.
That said, I have been granted access to the formatting software, Atticus, thanks to a writing buddy, so I’ve been hard at work properly formatting my published shorts, as well as playing with the formatting of ASMLP to see what the final result may look like. Suffice to say, I am unbelievably excited for the final result.
Media Update
I had slowed down on reading at the end of 2023, but in January, I turned that around when I read 13 books! I am aiming to continue this trend; I recently joined a server for indie authors and they are having a challenge for February to finish a short story or novella every day. Wish me luck!
In terms of other media, I’ve been pecking at Better Call Saul and am waiting for a couple of movies to come in at the library. Comme Un Chef and The Handmaiden I’ve watched before, but I want to watch them again! I also got my hands on The Menu and Moonlight and I’m excited to watch them. I also recently watched that new Gran Turismo movie. It was… interesting.
I’ve not played much in terms of games, though I did recently pick up Final Fantasy 12 again and have kicked off my yearly tradition of restarting Pokemon Platinum.
Blog Update
I haven’t done much with blog posts since I’ve been so focused on keeping up with Instagram. And as per my announcement regarding the newsletter, I am hesitant to make any new blog posts until I find a more suitable home to host this all. I have some posts in the works, regardless… so stay tuned on what I decide to do!
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 Andromeda Ruins, author of ΔΆΙΟΣ (pronounced “dye-ohs”), book one of the Call Me Icarus series!
The Elysians are here to protect us. They uphold order, they keep citizens safe… unless you are their kid. When you are the child of an Elysian you get to see what they are truly like. You get to see their fears, their anger, their hatred. You get to be subjected to their wants and whims. Most importantly, you get to be trained by the ‘best of the best’ to become an Elysian yourself. At least that’s what we were told. We weren’t told what that training would cost us. What it would do to our bodies and our minds. How it would make us into what the Elysians really are, mindless abominations.
These monsters are in every corner of our society. They are heralded as Gods among men, but not for long. I am doing everything in my power to show who they really are behind their masks. Soon, everyone will see these nasty creatures for what they are…
Δάιος is a tragedy following Icarus as he takes a look behind the curtain of the Elysian Program and sees the disgusting framework that he was disillusioned to. Now the only thing on his mind is bringing down the program and the entire ATLAS corporation. Will he be able to when the world seems set against him?
The page with info for the book can be found here, or you can buy a paperback version of it here.
The Cat Thanks
One of the perks for higher-tier patrons is shout-outs at the end of newsletters. Special thanks to my patron, Larkspur. If you want to have your name here with theirs, subscribe to my Patreon!
And that’s a wrap! Here’s hoping I get more accomplished to end this year out. Wish me luck!
Kind regards,
Alex