Canada Fiction Fest Prep And Feeling Creatively Stuck - June 9th, 2026 Newsletter
Hello, readers!
You may have noticed that I’ve been posting less on social media this month compared to the last two months. To those wondering, I’m fine. I’m just currently taking a break from posting as frequently and also recharging my creative batteries!
However, I have been posting new videos on Youtube, so feel free to check those out in the meantime! I should have a new video up on June 15th, so keep an eye out for that!
Mark Your Calendars For Canada Fiction Fest! 📆 🍁
Canada Fiction Fest is an online showcase run by N.P. Thompson that features ALL CANADIAN writers, from traditionally-published to self-published authors like myself! Think of it as a GIANT VIRTUAL BOOK FAIR, but every author is Canadian.
There will also be some online panels/webinars taking place during the Fiction Fest…AND I’M TAKING PART IN TWO OF THEM! 🎉
The first one I’m participating in is on June 23rd called “General Discussion: What Made You Want to Write? How do You Stay Creative? Etc.” This is a panel discussion generally talking about our creative writing lives!
The second one I’m participating in is on June 24th is a session of Author Readings (fantasy fiction)!
Also, there will be 34 other panels going on during the entirety of Fiction Fest, which is a lot. XD I’ll be attending the ones I can, and I believe replays will be available on their Youtube channel after the initial stream!
This is a great opportunity to discover some Canadian authors you might not have heard of before and also support all of us! Please go check out Fiction Fest when it’s live starting on June 21st, 2026!
Books I’m Writing Lately ✍️
Untitled Harlow Mystery Sequel Series Book 1
Status: 15-20% drafted (not entirely sure because I don’t know how many chapters this book will be in total)
Next steps: Continue drafting
I learned that the pros of writing Aria Hawthorn (our book’s heroine, previously featured as a supporting character in the Harlow Mystery series) mean that I get to dive deep into her head as she navigates her social anxiety. The bad news is that sometimes writing her character for too long, when her mind starts spiraling with worry, it also gets myself worried and that’s when I need to take a break.
I get into the heads of my characters quite easily when writing, sometimes. It’s a little frightening, but it’s also really fun.
I also noticed that I’ve felt a bit…stuck, with writing lately. I don’t have any full chapters written, and the amount of words I’m getting on the page has been far less this past week in particular. Perhaps it’s because I’m creatively stuck, or I’ve been occupied mentally with many other IRL events (including the potential of getting another non-writing-related job; writing is not my full-time job for those who don’t know). Either way, I didn’t get much done during these past two weeks.
Writing-Related Things I’ve Done Lately:
Preparing for Canada Fiction Fest!
Preparing for an upcoming interview I’m recording later this month!
Updated my Press page on my website!
What Am I Reading Lately?
As it’s Indigenous History Month and Pride Month this month, I realized just before June began that I haven’t read a lot of Indigenous literature in particular. And as a Canadian author, I do feel some responsibility to have a greater awareness and better support Indigenous authors as well.
I asked friends, family, and put out a social media call for some book recs. Fortunately, all of those provided some really good reads, which I’ll list below!
Books I read include:
#NotYourPrincess edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale (nonfiction, a compilation of nonfiction and poetry entries by several authors)
Moon Of The Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice (fiction, re-read as I read it previously)
Moon Of The Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice (fiction, sequel to the above book by Rice, another re-read)
Wenjack by Joseph Boyden
Aside from these above books I also read:
Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver
Aside from reading, I’ve also been playing demos for games including Thank You For Your Application and The Granny Detective Society. The former is quite relatable to those who are jobseeking (and recruiting for jobs I imagine, to an extent), and the latter makes me wish I could solve some mysteries just by looking out the window of where I work. Sadly, I cannot do the latter, so I will have to do so in fiction. 😆
I also read this article on reading classic literature in a world full of technological distractions, which I found insightful.
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