hello again, friends. long time no chat! i think of a thing to write in this newsletter at least once every week or so, and then i don't do it, but here we are. it's a rainy Sunday, i am having some thoughts, and i am going to actually send them this time.

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📚 we're in the publicity & marketing phase of Fit for the Gods, which means a cover reveal, sending out blurb requests, and hoping (praying) that people want to talk to Sharifah and i about it in the lead up to publication, which is August 1! we're going to do a special pre-order thing with an indie bookstore and hopefully will be able to announce it soon -- it will include goodies, which is exciting! (note to self, get those goodies into production.) 

in the meantime, i've obviously been thinking a lot about anthologies -- what went into this one, what still needs to be done, what might be next. (honestly, if people will let me edit anthologies until the day i die, i will be so happy.) and i also volunteered at the local Friends of the Library Book Sale, and while i mostly resisted buying anything, i did come home with two cookbooks, because at $2 a hardcover, it's impossible to resist cookbooks. i understand why they are so expensive, but wow. and one of the ones i bought was CHERRY BOMBE: THE COOKBOOK by Kerry Diamond and Claudia Wu. it is a collection of recipes by amazing women, selected and tested by Diamond and Wu, and as i was reading through it before my cooking class started (more on that below) i realized (insert 'mind blown' emoji or gif here) that it is an anthology!? this is just how much i love collections; i buy them without even realizing. it's a beautiful book and i'm really excited to try some of these recipes out, but i got this amazing sense of fellow-feeling just from reading the introduction. this is how you know you're doing the thing. it's everywhere.



🥘 months ago, on a whim, i booked myself the zoom Brunch Class with Julia Turshen. i found out about it from her substack (the parrot story alone is worth the price of admission), which coworker and friend Hannah (thank you, Hannah!) has been recommending right and left and which i deeply enjoy, and i thought, "vegetarian brunch, that sounds like something i'd like." it snuck up on me though, and when i was looking at the class prep document i realized that i really didn't want to try to make all three recipes. so i decided to just do the Morning Glory Muffins because baking is my strength, and then i'd absorb and enjoy watching Julia demo the other two. may i highly recommend this experience to you? if you've read any of Turshen's writings, you'll be pleased to hear that on camera she is the exact same person. if you haven't, she's delightful. pragmatic, practical, humorous, and deeply "here are my amazing hacks but also, you do you." i will probably buy one of her cookbooks at some point. anyway, my Morning Glory Muffins turned out PERFECTLY, even though she didn't offer gluten-free adaptations (i just winged it with half all-purpose and half chick-pea flour and i regret nothing) and i will absolutely take one of her classes again.


🐣 i finally completely deleted my twitter, but i'm back on Instagram! talking 'bout books, naturally. and i am still on Tumblr and regret nothing.

🎙️ Preeti and i went to JordanCon for Tar Valon or Bust and (once again) i regret nothing -- we had a blast, everyone was super nice and remarkably non-gate-keepery, which is a rarity in fandom cons in my experience, and the Crowne Plaza Hotel Ravinia has an absolutely gorgeous greenspace out back that was a rest and a balm to a fluorescent-light weary soul. would do again.

👋 how long will it be before i manage to put fingers to keyboard again? STAY TUNED.