here are some thoughts: September 9, 2023
whew, what a summer it has been. i traveled for many weeks, saw friends and family, did not get COVID (yet) but did get terrible food poisoning and now a summer cold, and also Fit for the Gods came out (!!!). here are some thoughts about all that.
the biggest news (literally the whole initial point of sending this, and i almost hit send without including it, good job me) is that i'm doing an author copy giveaway of Fit for the Gods over on the Lesbrary! mostly because i didn't know what else to do with my author copies this time, lulz. i'm going to be picking 10 winners randomly from my subscriber list, so if you're getting this you are entered whether you like it or not (sorry not sorry!). it's open until September 20th, so if you know someone who might like these thoughts and/or a copy, please share.
and if this is your first letter, HELLO AND WELCOME!
🚀 i knew that the second anthology was going to feel different than the first, but it was a surprise exactly how different it was. part of that is that the publishing landscape in 2021 (when Sword Stone Table) came out was different. part of that was the subject matter, what else was coming out at the same time, the implosion of social media, doing the anthology with a different co-editor ... the list of confounding factors goes on and on. either way, it's awesome???? i am friends with enough authors and have heard enough publishing stories to know that you have to focus on what is happening with your book right now, not what someone else is doing or what they got or didn't get or what reviews you got last time and didn't get this time or or or. it's simple but not easy. but i did ok. i would like to shout-out the Ten Percent Happier app for helping with that -- a friend shared a guest pass with me and even though i find the educational videos preceding the meditations over-polished and a little cheesy, they do actually work? meditation, y'all.
anyway one of the biggest things i learned during the course of getting Fit for the Gods out into the world is that you are always going to learn things you didn't realize you needed to learn, and that's going to happen every time, and you can't predict what it's going to be. you just need to learn it, and try not to repeat mistakes so you can learn new things next time.
because yes there is going to be a next time, i am already working on starting up a third anthology project, it is Very Sekrit right now but hopefully will be able to share details soon! and in the meantime i hope you'll give FFG a read (borrow it from your library! or on ebook or audio or your local bookstore or wherever!) -- we had so many excellent stories, and i'm so excited for them to be finally out in the world finding their people.
📚 i am reading many things right now as always, but here are two highlights:
Where Peace is Lost by Valerie Valdes -- i am loving this space adventure romance, and if you aren't already hip to Valdes, this is a great stand-alone (although honestly i hope she gets to write more in this universe) intro. she's great with character and immersive world-building, and there are always hijinks aplenty. i'd say it is midway between Becky Chambers and Star Wars in terms of tone and coziness.
Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro -- borrowed this on a whim and now cannot stop shouting about it. it has been far too long since i read a book that dives into the complexities of friendships over time; i came for the wedding dramedy and stayed for the really real, really validating relationships between Funmi, Zainab, and Enitan. bonus, i've heard the audio is stellar if that's your jam.
✈️ my partner and i took the biggest international trip of my entire life this summer -- my last dispatch came to you from London, by way of Morocco and Germany -- and then i also went to Asheville NC to sign copies of FFG (thank you Malaprops!) with Sharifah, and then we went to Maine for his family's yearly pilgrimage to Acadia, and i have finally been home for more than two weeks uninterrupted and the mental dust is starting to settle. i feel like i'll be processing all that for a while (i am a good traveler for the most part but also it takes a lot out of me) as i re-find my routines. my biggest takeaway at the moment is how fucking lucky i am that i was able to do all that in relative good health and finances, AND also, i really love my couch.
👋
the biggest news (literally the whole initial point of sending this, and i almost hit send without including it, good job me) is that i'm doing an author copy giveaway of Fit for the Gods over on the Lesbrary! mostly because i didn't know what else to do with my author copies this time, lulz. i'm going to be picking 10 winners randomly from my subscriber list, so if you're getting this you are entered whether you like it or not (sorry not sorry!). it's open until September 20th, so if you know someone who might like these thoughts and/or a copy, please share.
and if this is your first letter, HELLO AND WELCOME!
🚀 i knew that the second anthology was going to feel different than the first, but it was a surprise exactly how different it was. part of that is that the publishing landscape in 2021 (when Sword Stone Table) came out was different. part of that was the subject matter, what else was coming out at the same time, the implosion of social media, doing the anthology with a different co-editor ... the list of confounding factors goes on and on. either way, it's awesome???? i am friends with enough authors and have heard enough publishing stories to know that you have to focus on what is happening with your book right now, not what someone else is doing or what they got or didn't get or what reviews you got last time and didn't get this time or or or. it's simple but not easy. but i did ok. i would like to shout-out the Ten Percent Happier app for helping with that -- a friend shared a guest pass with me and even though i find the educational videos preceding the meditations over-polished and a little cheesy, they do actually work? meditation, y'all.
anyway one of the biggest things i learned during the course of getting Fit for the Gods out into the world is that you are always going to learn things you didn't realize you needed to learn, and that's going to happen every time, and you can't predict what it's going to be. you just need to learn it, and try not to repeat mistakes so you can learn new things next time.
because yes there is going to be a next time, i am already working on starting up a third anthology project, it is Very Sekrit right now but hopefully will be able to share details soon! and in the meantime i hope you'll give FFG a read (borrow it from your library! or on ebook or audio or your local bookstore or wherever!) -- we had so many excellent stories, and i'm so excited for them to be finally out in the world finding their people.
📚 i am reading many things right now as always, but here are two highlights:
Where Peace is Lost by Valerie Valdes -- i am loving this space adventure romance, and if you aren't already hip to Valdes, this is a great stand-alone (although honestly i hope she gets to write more in this universe) intro. she's great with character and immersive world-building, and there are always hijinks aplenty. i'd say it is midway between Becky Chambers and Star Wars in terms of tone and coziness.
Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro -- borrowed this on a whim and now cannot stop shouting about it. it has been far too long since i read a book that dives into the complexities of friendships over time; i came for the wedding dramedy and stayed for the really real, really validating relationships between Funmi, Zainab, and Enitan. bonus, i've heard the audio is stellar if that's your jam.
✈️ my partner and i took the biggest international trip of my entire life this summer -- my last dispatch came to you from London, by way of Morocco and Germany -- and then i also went to Asheville NC to sign copies of FFG (thank you Malaprops!) with Sharifah, and then we went to Maine for his family's yearly pilgrimage to Acadia, and i have finally been home for more than two weeks uninterrupted and the mental dust is starting to settle. i feel like i'll be processing all that for a while (i am a good traveler for the most part but also it takes a lot out of me) as i re-find my routines. my biggest takeaway at the moment is how fucking lucky i am that i was able to do all that in relative good health and finances, AND also, i really love my couch.
👋
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