the real horror: trying new things
this month, I performed my first-ever pole routine with a solo during my dance studio’s showcase. after a lifetime of being deeply unathletic, out of touch with my own body, and anxious about even group performances, it blows my mind that I not only performed but performed a solo in a sport and fucking nailed it.
if you’re interested, you can watch
my performance on YouTube:
link to video
this month, I also went on my first-ever author business trip on a publisher’s dime. I spent two days in Milwaukee (my first time in Wisconsin) walking around the city and pitching myself and my upcoming cozy fantasy to booksellers.
and this past weekend, I went to Las Vegas—like pole fitness, something I never thought I’d do. but when a friend invited me, I jumped at the chance. turns out there’s a conservatory you can visit for free, so guess where I spent half my weekend?
I’m definitely a comfort-zone kind of person. it’s often hard to get me to try new things even if they’re things I desperately want to try. but I spent all of October trying new things, and hey! I had a great time!
will I learn anything from this experience, or will I balk the next time a new experience rears its head?
the second one. definitely the second one
signed preorders
I’ll be doing signed preorders for my upcoming cozy fantasy, The Keeper of Lonely Spirits, through my local indie, Gathering Volumes. the link for signed preorders isn’t live yet and won’t be until a bit closer to release, but keep an eye out!
click here to add the book on Goodreads:
link to Goodreads page
click here to request an Advance Reader
Copy (ARC) on Netgalley:
link to Netgalley page
blurbs incoming
since my last newsletter, The Keeper of Lonely Spirits has received three incredible blurbs from three incredible authors! I can’t wait to share their kind words about the book.
odds & ends
recent reads
I.A.R. Wylie’s The Duchess in Pursuit (1917), which I stumbled across while looking for romances from the 1910s and 1920s for WIP-related reasons and am now deeply obsessed with. the end had me like WAIT WHAT NO WHERE’S THE REST, but luckily it’s in the public domain…so maybe I’ll fix that in the future
Olive J. Kelley’s As the Sun Comes Up (2024), the sapphic sequel to their novella As the Light Goes Out (the title of which I’m still obsessed with because seriously how great a title is that)
Never Whistle at Night (2023), an anthology of dark fiction by Indigenous authors, edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr. I was hoping to finish this book in October, but my reading time is somewhat limited by the fact that I can’t read scary stories before bed
recent listens
a playlist my nesting partner put together for me, both to introduce me to new music (like “Silk Chiffon” by MUNA) and to watch me interrupt myself mid-conversation like OMG THIS ONE when a song I know but haven’t heard in ages comes on
recent watches
Never Let Go (2024), a rare horror movie whose previews made me actually want to go see it (with a friend, because just as I can’t read scary stories before bed, I can’t go see a scary movie at the theater alone)
The Wild Robot (2024), which emotionally devastated me as expected. 10/10 highly recommend. more movies about geese imprinting on non-geese who then have to teach said geese to fly for migration. it’s an extremely specific genre, I grant you, but. there are at least two such films, and I am their target audience
recent birds
it’s migration season again, so I’ve started seeing some warblers in their autumn plumage, as well as other birds I mostly see during migration, like golden-crowned kinglets!
until next time!
