[singing] one month more š¶
this month, I had my first-ever event as a Real Authorā¢: my uni hosted a session of Power of the Pen, a statewide writing event and competition for young writers, and asked me to speak to the participants in the 45 minutes before the awards ceremony.
the cool thing about this is that the program is for seventh-graders. as an adult author, I donāt often get a chance to speak to kids, which is a shame. kids are so fun and creative and enthusiastic, because all that hasnāt been socialized out of them yet (although by seventh grade itās well under way). Iāve volunteered at the Northwest Ohio Teen Book Festival the last two years, and the attendees are always so excited that it makes me a bit sad I donāt write for kids.
so having the opportunity to speak to young writers was super exciting. my topic was āwrite what you knowā and what that really means. middle school was about the time I started to really scrunch myself up tight so Iād fit safely inside a socially acceptable box. I wish someone had told me at the time that I didnāt have to do that. that maybe things were horrible now, but one day Iād find other people like me and have a real community built on shared identities, similar experiences, and mutual trust.
it was an important topic to me, and I think the kids really connected to it. during the Q&A at the end, they asked a range of insightful questions on craft, writing, and publication. and some of the questions had to do with identity and being yourself as a writer, likeā
does writing under deadline make it harder to put your authentic self into your writing? (I admit I did not have an answer to this one, having spent minimal time under deadline so far and most of that with books that are already thoroughly me.) what if the story sometimes derails because you maybe put too much of your authentic self into your characters and now theyāre running amok?
they were so engaged and funny and thoughtful, and Iām delighted I was invited to speak with them.
launch party announcement
registration for my virtual book launch went live yesterday! join Cute Mutants author SJ Whitby and I on Zoom on Monday, April 24, at 7:30p.m. EST to talk about The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher, play some book launch bingo, and win prizes. bring your questions! there'll be time at the end for a Q&A.
register for free on EventBrite.
keep an eye out for additional event announcements, as I also have an in-person launch and some library visits coming up!
in the meantime, if you havenāt already, preorder Remarkable Retirement, add her to a TBR, or support the audiobook fund.
one month more
I was going to say something here about where weāre at, GoodReads adds, or that list of biggest SFF releases for spring that Edna was on, but instead Iām just gonna drop that above gif, and also the below gif.
odds & ends
recent reads
Emily Wildeās Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. a friend got me the UK edition for my birthday, which is BALLER because the UK cover is the best cover š¤ anyway, Iām about halfway through, the book is fantastic, & Bambleby is giving big Howl vibes, which I love.
recent listens
recent birds
pileated woodpeckers at one of our metroparks, but not the one where I usually spot them! I always get excited about these big boys, because theyāre rare in the western half of the state - but since a pair started nesting in the area a couple years back, Iām almost guaranteed to see at least one every year
photo by Orhan Cam on Shutterstock a pair of sandhill cranes touching down in a field in Michigan! I always think of sandhill cranes as southern birds because I only ever used to see them in Florida in wintertime. but they come north for breeding season, and sometimes Iām lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them.
photo from iStock
other random doodads
April is Camp NaNoWriMo! I love National Novel Writing Month with my whole heart, and right now Iām looking for a kick in the pants to finish a draft of, well, literally anything. so Iām aiming to have line edits for Buried Things back to my agent this month to free me up for drafting next month. cross your fingers and toes that I manage it!
see you on debut day!
