Magical Girls, K-Dramas, and Horror Stories - September 9th, 2025 Newsletter
Hello, Readers!
We’re already 9 days into September and a lot has already happened for me this month, including:
“Stay Magical,” my YA fantasy magical girl-themed short story collection, was OFFICIALLY PUBLISHED YESTERDAY!
“Stay Magical” is available in ebook format on all retailers, and paperback copies are available through Amazon.
Thank you to everyone that ordered a copy of “Stay Magical!”
I hope all of you magical girl-loving readers enjoy reading this book, and please spread the word to all your fellow readers!
Book Reader Magazine Interview
I was interviewed by Book Reader Magazine about “Stay Magical!” The interview was published back on August 31st!
Thank you to the Book Reader Magazine team for interviewing me!
What Am I Writing Recently?
I spent most of the past few weeks focusing on social media promo for “Stay Magical,” so I didn’t get too much writing done. You can learn more about that in the September writing update I posted last week!
However, I did submit poems and short stories to many literary magazines and contests for hopeful publication. I literally spent one day preparing and submitting works to ten lit mags! 😆 I’m really eager to get a lot more short works published, so I plan to continue submitting to more literary magazines and contests for the rest of the month. Fortunately, using platforms like Submittable, Moksha and Chill Subs have helped me keep track of what works I submitted and which literary magazines are open for submissions.
Progress for “Sonnets of Autumn,” my current WIP, is slow, but it’s happening. I expect writing progress for this project to accelerate for the rest of the month now that “Stay Magical” is finally released. My goal is to complete writing the first draft by the end of the autumn season!
What Have I Watched Recently?
I didn’t exactly get the opportunity to sit down and listen to a podcast or audiobook recently, so instead I’m here giving you a Korean TV show recommendation! I recently got into watching a Korean drama (also known as K-drama for short) called “Love Alarm.” In the world of this show, the titular app is synchronized with the user’s heart to show whether someone within 10 metres of you is in love with you. The heroine, Jo-jo, ends up in a love triangle with two of her classmates because of this. There are also other subplots related to the app, such as Jo-jo’s cousin dealing with an unwanted suitor two because of it, and much of the episodes takes their time explaining how the app functions and how the use of such an app affected society at large.
I’ll be honest: I went into watching this K-drama for the sake of exploring the worldbuilding rather than the actual main story, and that still holds true as I keep watching it. I also think the societal consequences of using the app are well-discussed so far (still partway through watching Season 1 as of this writing). Considering that the show’s app is like a dating app, but taken to a slightly bigger extreme (synchronizing one’s heartbeat with a romance app might not be quite possible yet in real life), it makes me wonder about how technology shapes how we form relationships.
What Have I Read Recently?
A highlight of what I read was “Scarewaves” by Trevor Henderson. It follows a small town that’s been plagued by disapperances and strange monsters that only the kids are able to see. I really enjoyed reading this one and enjoyed the different perspectives of the kids contrasting with the stories told by the book’s radio host. For those who enjoyed books like R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series and the podcast series Welcome To Nightvale, you’ll probably enjoy this.
Another highlight was “Idol, Burning” by Rin Usami. It’s about a girl who's obsessed with this Japanese idol that recently fell from fame, and how the girl’s consuming obsession with this idol leads to deeper consequences for her personally. If you’re interested in books about the fandoms and fans that surround Japanese idols, this will be a fun read!
Other books I read recently include:
“The Blonde who Came In From The Cold” by Ally Carter
“Tastes Like War” by Grace M. Cho
“Gorgeous Gruesome Faces” by Linda Cheng
“Your Driver Is Waiting” by Priya Guns
Outside of books, I also read Natasha Oladokun’s poetry which was published in the literary magazine ONLY POEMS last month. I enjoyed reading the poems for the imagery involved. I also discovered MENT magazine’s first two issues. MENT magazine publishes critical essays about Korean pop culture, and they have some very interesting articles about K-dramas in particular. It’s also where I first heard about the “Love Alarm” K-drama thanks to Steve Choe’s article titled “The Sensus Communis of the K-Drama!”
Thank you for following my writing journey!
I hope you look forward to seeing more of my writing process and work. I also look forward to giving all of you more frequent updates as well, so stay tuned for more!
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at clarislamauthor@gmail.com! I’ll respond within 48 hours (except on weekends and holidays).