July 2024

Hello dear readers. It’s my birthday this weekend!

Turning 37 is very strange because I’m not quite sure what happened to 36. Has a whole year really passed? Actually, every number after 30 has felt weird and too quick, perhaps because your thirties don’t really have the same universal milestones as other phases of life (getting your license renewed, for instance, isn’t nearly as fun as getting it in the first place). I am, however, excited about turning 37 since this is the age I become a published author! With that in mind, let’s talk about book stuff…

We are just a bit less than three months out from the release of Sorcery and Small Magics, and I’m very happy to finally share all the details of my preorder campaign. SO!

If you order your copy from River Bend Bookshop you will receive:

• a signed, personalized copy of Sorcery and Small Magics

• 5×7 character card with art by Mary Metzger

• signed bookplate with art by Alice Cao

• quote sticker with art by Joe Doocy

• the warm glow that comes from supporting a fabulous indie bookshop

If you would like your book personalized, be sure to leave a note on your order telling me how. I’m no artist, but I will do my best with whatever scribbles are requested of me. And if left to my own devices, be prepared for some wonky looking butterflies.

Commissioning art for these preorder incentives has been an absolute thrill. I’ve already waxed poetic about the character art, but now can finally shout about how I have a bookplate that looks like an old fashioned fairytale illustration! And a whimsical watercolor sticker with a dreamy forest background! I’m so happy with how everything came together.

My attention has been a bit scattered these last few months, but there were still a few pieces of media that managed to capture it, so here they are!

Books: I have steadily been making my way through Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric & Desdemona series and it’s been an absolute delight. Never has demonic possession been this charming. Homebody by Theo Parish was a great graphic novel all about gender expression, identity, and the journey we take towards finding ourselves. I read it in one, happy sitting. And to end things on a darker note, I devoured Lee Mandelo’s queer horror novella, The Woods All Black and loved every bloody, angry second of it.

Shows/Movies: A month or so ago I took myself out to the movies to see Challengers and spent the whole time smiling gleefully at the screen. You see, I love a sports movie, I love messy characters, and I love a fun techno beat, and Challengers has all of these things in spades. I have now listened to the soundtrack many times. I have also watched this fanvid many times. Moving on! I had a great time with the latest season of Hacks (if you haven’t watched this show yet, you’re missing out). The Dead Boy Detectives was perfectly charming and a touch creepy. And lastly, the latest season of Interview With the Vampire is bloody good fun (so far, at least. I’m behind the times and only on episode 3). Taking suggestions for what I should watch next!