bzz bzz
my brain is full of bees lately (even more so than usual), because hormones suck and I want it to be autumn outside, but it isn’t quite. I haven’t been writing much lately, although I did complete my first-draft readthrough of NettieWIP and took notes in preparation for revisions.
I’ve also been writing a collaborative story with some friends from AMM. it’s been a fun way to keep in practice without worrying about how good the writing is. my new favorite characters are (1) a terrible but gloriously fun old lesbian with a fantastic sense of style and probable murder in their background and (2) a butler who is so deeply A Butler that he can only be described as the picture you’d expect to see in the dictionary beside the word “butler.”
I was going to subject you to a passionate declaration of my love for pole fitness in today’s issue, because, in lieu of thinking quite so much about writing, I’ve been thinking about pole. like, as much as I normally think about writing. which is pretty much unprecedented for my nonwriting activities, no matter how much I enjoy them.
but my brain is too full of bees, so you get a quick rundown of book news instead.
new short story published
my short story “Unfriended” is out now in Windmill: The Hofstra Journal, Issue 6!
“Unfriended” is a new adult contemporary about a queer, neurodivergent twentysomething dealing with the aftermath of a friends-breakup.
tw: blood
this was a difficult story to write, especially when beta readers said, “this is a good start, but give us MORE. dig into it!”
reader, I did not want to dig into it.
it was like that time in a biology lab where we were given the option to do blood-typing on ourselves, but we had to prick our own fingers to get the blood. I’m not particularly squeamish about blood, but it turns out I am particularly squeamish about intentionally making myself bleed. I didn’t prick my own finger so much as dig into it, agonizing bit by agonizing bit, with a sterile prick. I felt so woozy I had to sit down. in the end, I didn’t even get enough blood to do the lab.
that is what drafting this story felt like. I don’t like writing friendship breakups, even though I wish I’d had more stories about them when I was younger. much like I leave coming-out stories to other queer writers, I usually leave friends breakup stories to other writers. but this time I chose violence and stabbed my metaphorical finger for the sake of art, or whatever.
the good news is, revising the story did give me enough metaphorical blood for my metaphorical blood test. read “Unfriended” (a completely blood-free story) free on Windmill’s website.
storygraph giveaway
now through October 18, enter to win a signed paperback of The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher on TheStoryGraph! this giveaway is open internationally.
upcoming bookiversary shenanigans
Edna will be six months old on October 21, so I’m planning some cool giveaways for around then.
(probably not right then, since I’ll be visiting the parental units and already have other writing-related stuff scheduled that week).
keep an eye on my Instagram and this newsletter for art reveals and giveaway entry information!
odds & ends
recent reads
I started TJ Klune’s In the Lives of Puppets, loved the first three chapters, and haven’t touched it in weeks for no particular reason
Lauren Blackwood’s Within These Wicked Walls (finally), which is delightfully creepy and has all the stuff you liked about Jane Eyre without all the stuff you didn’t. also, I’m obsessed with the cover. plus I won this book in a giveaway, and I never win book giveaways
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn, a thriller about a foursome of recently retired assassins, so you know I was pretty much contractually obligated to read this one. old women getting into shenanigans? let’s goooooo. it’s also really short, which the brain-bees appreciate since they are easily tired
recent watches
continuing S3 Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), which felt much more like itself for the last couple of episodes! after a rocky (though still enjoyable) start to this season, I’m hoping for a strong finish, especially after the return of one of my favorite characters
finished watching the Disney Channel original series So Weird, which I watched when it aired in the 90s but had such vague recollections of that I sort of thought I might have imagined it. anyway, it’s Supernatural before Supernatural (and for a younger audience), and I highly recommend it (Disney+)
obviously not watching yet because it hasn’t dropped yet, BUT we finally have a release date for Our Flag Means Death S2, so if you need me, I will be screaming incoherently until I’ve seen it. (icymi, October 5 on Max)
A Haunting in Venice, which looked totally awesome from the previews but also made me ask a friend if we could pretty please go see it together, because I am small and soft and felt this movie was going to be too scary for me to see alone lmao. spoiler alert: it was not too scary for me and actually I completely loved it (and then came straight home to watch Death on the Nile on Hulu)
recent birds
with the year waning
oh god where did the time go, I’m not seeing quite so many new birds—I’m more likely to spot new species during spring migration than fall migration. but I have caught a glimpse of some warblers in fall plumage, including black-and-white and magnolia warblers.also caught my first clear glimpse of a Cooper’s hawk! they nest in the woods at work, and I hear them frequently, especially in spring and summer. but usually I see them at a distance, through the canopy, just enough to go, “yep, that sure is a raptor.” this month, I saw one glide across the path right in front of me
until next time!
