May Already?
Heyo! It’s been a minute. January? I’m sorry I left such a downer of a post up here for so long. But I’m back to make it up to you! Here are some updates and other random Austin-related things:
What’s been up lately?
So much writing; not much publishing.
One of the things people don’t talk much about, regarding the pursuit of traditional publishing, is the vast sea of empty time in which nothing happens. There’s a LOT of this. My novel, THE DARK WELL, is still out with some editors/imprints but I’ve turned my attention forward. We may or may not hear back about TDW. Accepting the truth: that MOST books die on submission (not that one can’t pull them back out down the road), is a hard pill for many writers to swallow. My solution? To be as productive as possible so I don’t dwell into a publishing woes spiral. That’s all any writer can do. Make the next thing. And… I’ve been told by a lot of my traditionally published collegues that the time between getting an agent and your first deal is likely the most you’ll ever have to write again (scary! But also a challenge?).
I’ve already finished my next book and it’s with my agent and some trusted first readers. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on this project, IN THE ENGINES OF BLOOM, an apocalyptic cosmic horror with some multiversal seasonings and a more literary structure—but there will still be a LOT of work to do. I think I already have a good handle on what that work might entail, but clarity there doesn’t really happen until you’ve let a work rest and gather feedback. I feel really good about this book and can’t wait to get it in shape for submission!
After finishing Engines of Bloom, I took a few months off from writing (hard to do, but much needed) so I could reset, rest, and recalibrate for the next story I wanted to work on. This month I began a shorter, more literary horror story. Tender is the Flesh and Dazai’s works are certainly flavoring this project, as are some Bon Joon Ho films and my favorite musical: Repo! the Genetic Opera.
Where am I moving?
Canada! We’re moving north for a LOT of reasons. I won’t bore you with all of them, but being transgender in America is certainly a factor – along with a desire for my kids to NOT be traumatized by active shooter trainings etc. Thanks to a new change of law in Canada, folks who were once considered “Lost Canadians” have regained their citizenship! And that includes myself and my daughters. After we get our official citizenship certificates and we check a few other things off our list, we’ll be moving to Ontario with a focus on the London area. In fact, we might end up in the small city my great grandfather was born in!
If you’re in my mailing list, you might have recently gotten a link for a GoFundMe which is now down. Long story short: thanks to an extra forgotten about retirement account from an employer, we’re gonna be find making the move and will have funds for comfort/emergencies. I felt horrible enough about making the GoFundMe—but hey, in America, where healthcare is tied to employment… well, that’s just one of the ways people are kept from leaving the US even if they want to. Miraculously, we’ll be able to make it all happen.
I’m VERY excited to show my girls all the things I adore about the London and Niagra Falls area. From Story Book Gardens, to Victoria Park, and a thriving indie bookstore scene—we’re excited. (My current city has no bookstore (ok, there’s ONE used bookstore)) There’s a lot that’s scary. There’s a lot to figure out. But the universe’s call for me to move the girls “home” is strong. We’re blessed not only for the chance to find a better home for us—one which fits us so much better and is so much safer—but to give our kids the chance to grow up in one of the most diverse areas of the world, absolutely seething with opportunity.
This time next year, at the latest, I hope we’re settling in.
What am I watching?
I generally don’t watch shows anymore. It’s just too much of a time sink compared to a movie—and let me tell ya, there’s a lot of books I’d like to read before I nap the big one. BUT. THAT SAID: Hot Matt Murdock and Good Bad Boys, The Boys are both back on the air. Daredevil just wrapped and I’m watching that tonight. And Eric Kripke is one of my favorite creative minds (I grew up crushing on Sam and Dean Winchester) and I’m hopeful the conclusion is just as good as the OG first five seasons of Supernatural.
Recent Recommended Reads
NO LONGER HUMAN by Osamu Dazai (literary)
THE TREES GREW BECAUSE I BLED THERE by Eric LaRocca (horror)
THE YOGA SUTRAS OF PANTANJAKU translation and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda (spiritual/nonfiction)
TENDER IS THE FLESH by Agusta Bazterrica (fiction)
I hope you and yours are well! Until next time—and I hope to post here more often—here are some photos I took recently since getting a “big kid” camera and dipping my toes into photography…
