I was so focused on the launch and all the publicity around it that I almost missed the formal announcement of Sudbury Superstack: A Changing Skyline, the latest anthology project from the Sudbury Writer’s Guild (SWG).
I have a creative non-fiction piece (my first!) in there. It’s called “Homing Beacon.”
Unfortunately, I’ll have to miss the launch, because I’ll be in North Bay for the Conspiracy of 3 reading series on May 14th. I’ll be with them in spirit, though.
I will encourage everyone to head out to the Steelworkers’ Hall at 66 Brady Street, and celebrate with the SWG and the rest of the contributors on May 14th from 6:30 to 8 pm.
First, I have to apologize for the tardy. I just didn’t have the spoons to get this posted until now (!)
Welcome to 2024?! Holy crap!
This is the year The Art of Floating (plus launch and as many readings as my publisher can arrange for me) and Superstack Stories come out (!) This is the year I finish final (for now) revisions on Reality Bomb and get back into the querying/submission trenches. This is the year I revise Alice in Thunderland, my alternate history/solarpunk novella. This is the year I move onto The Fenwoman’s Tale in a more serious way and git ‘er done! This is the year I hope to place a couple more pieces of short fiction in good homes.
Wow! That’s a lot (!)
Life in general
We’re in the dark months of the year up here in northeastern Ontario, and I have, characteristically, entered hibernation mode. Gremlin mode (which is my version of goblin mode). A friend of mine calls it turtling, withdrawing into her shell.
It’s all about boundaries and taking care of myself in a meaningful way. Taking the time to ensure I can regulate, which I call defragging 🙂 I’m considering trying to nap in the afternoons, after work and walking Torvi. Just for 20 minutes. So far, except for the period that I was on strike last spring, I haven’t been successful at napping. I lie down and close my eyes and my brain just keeps going like the Energizer bunny.
We’ll see how it goes.
My first attempt was a bust. And there wasn’t a second. I’m too bound into my rituals. I need to have a purpose and block the time out. And I need to be able to reorganize my creative time around it. I’ll keep trying.
The month in writing
The month was again focused on Reality Bomb revisions. Once I submitted my assignment for Suzy, though, I took a few days to write other things. Some poetry, some revisions on short fiction. Thinking about The Fenwoman’s Tale and how I’d like to shape it into a more compelling and more emotional story.
I met with Suzy once this month, on the 14th. It was a great meeting and validation after a challenging day (week … month) at work. Our next meeting won’t be until the new year. We both deserve some holiday relaxation.
Preparation for the launch of The Art of Floating continues. The pre-order links are up!
Pre-orders can change the trajectory of any publication. Please consider TAoF for your 2024 to-be-read (TBR) pile 🙂
The year in review
As usual, I set what turned out to be some pretty unrealistic goals. Well, they may have been realistic if I didn’t have an enforced three-month break from writing. From the end of January to April, I was supporting Phil as he recovered from his broken shoulder and then I went on strike for the last week and a half of April.
I was also unable to work with Suzy from January through May because of financial issues. I’ll be honest. My employer was unable to keep me on as an instructional designer because of budget issues (that are still not resolved, by the way), and I had to take a step down in pay. Not great in a year that also saw the cost of everything increase because of runaway inflation.
I intended to revise Alice in Thunderland, my alt-history/solarpunk novella, I thought I’d do some work on my Ascension series, make far more progress on The Fenwoman’s Tale than I did, get through the whole of Reality Bomb and reduce 25k words from the draft, and write more in general.
Very few of these things came to pass. Even the projects I did work on (RB, TFT, short fiction, poetry) I didn’t get as much done as I’d hoped.
A lot can get done (or not) in three months. That could have been six more sessions with Suzy (and the revisions should have been done by the end of the year). I could have done a developmental pass on AiT. And having both of those projects farther ahead would have positioned me to get more work done on TFT later in the year. I could have at least looked at my Ascension master doc and thought about the restructuring that needs to happen to make the series arc more cohesive.
Still. It’s been a good year.
I became a member of The Writers Union of Canada (TWUC), an associate member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), and a full member of the League of Canadian Poets (LCP).
“Psychopomps Are Us” was published in Pulp Literature.
I received the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association’s (CSFFA) professional development grant, which I used to resume work with Suzy in June.
I judged a poetry contest for the Leacock Museum.
I developed and presented my first webinar for the Canadian Authors Association (CAA) and SF Canada.
I edited my poetry collection, got professional author photos taken, chose its cover, and approved the manuscript proofs.
Two poems were accepted for 2024 publication in Polar Borealis and Polar Starlight, respectively.
My first creative non-fiction piece was accepted into the Sudbury Writers’ Guild’s (SWG) Superstack Stories: A Changing Skyline, which will launch in the spring of 2024.
I delivered my first Writers in the Schools (WITS) presentation, funded by TWUC.
I received a microgrant for mentoring from TWUC which will be paid directly to Suzy when our current sessions are completed in 2024.
I’m still waiting to hear about another piece of short fiction that made the shortlist for an anthology. I hope to hear something in the new year.
I also went to my first conference (non-virtual, out of Canada) post-pandemic. It was a really good experience, but it also reminded me how difficult travel is for me. At least now I know why (good ole autistic brain).
Lots of good things are happening. It’s hard to remember that publishing takes time, and the returns are often overshadowed by the next project in the queue.
I have a lot to celebrate.
Take some time to review your own creative progress. I guarantee that you’ve accomplished more than you think you have. And then celebrate your accomplishments before diving into the next thing on your list.
And take care of yourself. You can’t continue to be productive if you’re not in good health.
Filling the well
The reed new moon in Sagittarius was on December 12th. I observed, as usual, with a guided meditation. BTW, my goto for these is Alina Alive’s YouTube channel. She generally does a guided meditation for each new and full moon and has a bunch of meditations for specific purposes in her archive.
The winter solstice, shortest day of the year, was on Dec 21st this year. I lit my altar and switched over my seasonal sensory supports.
The full cold, or little spirits moon in Cancer was on the 26th, Boxing Day. No guided meditation this time, and it was overcast, so no observation of any kind. I was still technically recovering from Christmas dinner, anyway, so it was a good thing (!)
I kept it light with the writerly events this month.
On the 6th, I attended a virtual reading by the League of Canadian Poets new Poet Ambassador in Residence Tara Borin. I participated in the open mic that followed. So many lovely words! Such a wonderful evening!
I registered for Cece Lyra’s “Hacking Writing on the Line Level” on the 7th, but because it was during the work week and Cece is legendary for her epic webinars, I decided to watch the replay. If you’re not listening to The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast yet, you’re missing out!
And on the 8th, I attended “How to Write Opening Pages that Win Over Readers and Agents” with agent and author Eric Smith. Eric’s another agent with PS Literary, like Carly Watters and Cece Lyra, but this webinar was offered through Authors Publish.
And that was it (!)
Christmas was at my sister-in-law, Steph’s this year. Last year, the holidays were hijacked by covid, and my SIL has now joined the ranks of those with persistent long-covid symptoms. Steph went all out, and the spread was fabulous. Tastiest turkey I ever had. Stuffing, potatoes, gravy, turnip puff, Phil made buns, and Mom made jellied salad and cranberry sauce. There was also cookies, pumpkin pie, and traditional Christmas pudding and sauce.
Needless to say, most of us were rolling out of there and caught the post-turkey sleepies. BEST. CHRISTMAS. DINNER. EVAR!
What I’m watching and reading
I watched Candy Cane Lane (Amazon) while I started the Christmassing of the house. It was okay. A disgruntled elf curses humans to become animated ornaments. Chris (wife Carol, son Nick, and daughters Holly and Joy—see the Christmas theme here?) Carver has literally hand carved his Christmas decorations every year, perpetually being outdone by a neighbour with a fondness for inflatables. When he loses his job and the local TV station announces a $100,000 prize for this year’s decorating competition, Chris falls prey to the malevolent elf, only later discovering what he failed to read in the fine print: he’ll be turned into an ornament, too, unless he can find all the gold rings from the “12 Days of Christmas” before midnight on Christmas Eve.
Then, Phil and I watched Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix). The series is animated in the style of the comics, and they got all the actors from the movie to voice their characters. The first episode seems like it’s going to duplicate the events of the movie, but Scott loses his first battle with Matthew Patel (!) I won’t spoil it except to say that it was a fabulous subversion of expectations. And we loved it.
I finished watching Superpowered (Crave). Interesting comic industry history. DC was a little too self-laudatory. They admitted some faults and difficulties but glossed over a lot.
Next, I watched DC’s League of Superpets (Crave). Fun and sweet. Just what I needed after a rough week at work. And the voice cast is superb (Dwayne Johnson, Natasha Lyonne).
I finished watching the first (and sadly only) season of Kindred (Disney +). I enjoyed it and would rather have seen the full story. The season left off with Dana and her mother Olivia returned to the present, leaving poor Kevin in the past. No resolution. Guess I’ll have to read Octavia Butler’s book. Finally.
I finally watched Frozen 2 (Disney +). When I consider the two films, they’re more properly about Anna. Elsa’s journey is secondary and it’s Anna’s actions that save the day in both. I appreciated the Northuldra as an analogue for the Sami and the effort Disney made to avoid appropriation. Enjoyed.
Next, I watched the first season of Reginald the Vampire (Network). Based on the Fat Vampire series of novels by Johnny B. Truant, RtV follows the adventures of Reginald Andres, who is attacked by vampires and must be turned by Maurice to save his life. Unfortunately, Reginald is frozen in his generously-sized body for the rest of his undead life. Jacob Batalon is charming as Reginald. Fingers crossed for a second season.
I finished watching the first season of American Born Chinese (Disney +). The series is based on the comics of the same name and draws on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Jin is just trying to keep his head down and fit in at school when he is saddled with exchange student Wei-Chen. But Wei-Chen is not who he appears to be. I’m really hoping for a second season.
Then, I watched Noelle (Disney +). I was in the mood for a Christmas movie and John Scalzi recommended this one in his Christmas comfort watch posts on Whatever. A charming movie about the daughter of Santa, who has some big boots (and red, fur-trimmed clothes) to fill when her brother decides he doesn’t want to go into the family business.
I watched Barbie (Crave). Loved. I can see the criticisms leveled at it, but I thought it was fun. Very self-aware. Maybe a little too much going on, but very enjoyable.
Phil and I watched Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse (Crave). It was awesome. The animation is amazing! And the story was great. Miles’ story is being told in a very conscious trilogy. While this movie was the middle of the trilogy, it was anything but muddy/soggy. The Spot is the principle antagonist and he’s tied to the events of the first movie. That story will arc through the third movie, Beyond the Spiderverse. In this movie, though, the immediate antagonist is Miguel, who’s taken it upon himself to keep the web of life and destiny intact by preserving “canon” events. The problem with Miles is that he wasn’t supposed to be bitten by a spider in his world at all. He is the ultimate anomaly.
I look forward to the third instalment.
Phil and I also caught the three 60th anniversary Doctor Who specials with David Tennant and Catherine Tate, and the Christmas special with Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th (!) Doctor. DW is another series I’m totally uncritical of. I just love it.
My first read of the month was Jordan Ifueko’s Redemptor. In this sequel to Raybearer, Tarisai, Empress Redemptor, has promised to go to the underworld to free the souls of all previous redemptor children. But of course, the deal she’s struck isn’t so simple to fulfill.
Then, I finished reading Women Who Run with the Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. It’s been on my list for years and I finally got to it (!) I loved the reframing of a woman’s life and development through fairy tales. I aspire to be a wild woman but have no idea if I’ve made it there yet. It’s now on my reference shelf with all the other archetypal journey/writing books.
Next, I read Michèle Laframboise’ graphic novel Mistress of the Wind. A gentle fable set in the author’s Gardener’s Universe about a lower-class girl who has a dream to become a wind master.
Then, I finished book three of Ashley Shuttleworth’s Hollow Star saga, A Grim and Sunken Vow. I don’t know what it is about this series, but I love it. I’m looking forward to the next instalment, but I’ll have to wait until next year.
Then, I listened to Mistletoe Murders 2, an Audible Original by Ken Cuperus. I listened to the first one last year and enjoyed the short, cozy mysteries. Cobie Smulders is a great narrator, and these are, despite the murder, fun, light mysteries with a romantic subplot that just came to fruition. And then, of course, someone from Emily Lane’s past comes knocking. Guess we’ll find out what happens next year!
I also listened to Blood Like Fate by Liselle Sambury. I was a little irritated that the narrator didn’t check her pronunciation of the various Canadian settings (cities, towns, policies, supports, public transportation, etc.) because her lapses took me out of the story, every time. But the novel itself is good. A science-fantasy with a strong romance subplot. Fairly typical for YA.
Next was Jes Battis’s The Winter Knight, a queer and neurodivergent retelling of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Imagine if the figures of myth and Arthurian legend were transported to modern-day Vancouver where they were reincarnated in people who may or may not remember who they are. Knights and Runesmiths and Fates and Valkyries populate Battis’s masquerade Vancouver and strive to solve the mystery when the reincarnation of Mordred is found decapitated at a party.
Finally, I listened to Robert J. Sawyer’s The Downloaded. It’s an Audible Original for now but will be out in print from Edward Willett’s Shadowpaw Press in 2024. Good cast. Good story. With the usual optimistic ending. A little more on the bittersweet end this time, but optimistic, nonetheless. Enjoyed!
And that was the month in this writer’s life.
Until next month, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!
Welcome to December?! Where has the fricken year gone? Did you survive the month of NaNoWriMo, American Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, and ALL THE THINGS?
Me? I’m not sure yet. Give me a minute. Delayed processing is a thing.
Life in General
Back in April, I took the dive and registered for the Writer Unboxed UnConference (more on that, below). While I was away in Salem, Phil reported a) our first snowfall, b) followed by another 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches) the next day, and c) the death of our snowblower.
Poor guy had to clear our very large driveway of some very wet, heavy snow by hand (and arm and back, etc.). He was in quite a bit of pain the next day because of his shoulder, which you may or may not remember was broken this past February.
He got a new snowblower and we didn’t have any more snow … until the 26th! We got 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) and it was cold enough to stick around. Phil gave the snowblower its first workout the next day. It works great, especially the heated hand grips! He just has to get used to the new controls. The drive gear and auger controls are opposite to the old machine and there are triggers underneath the handles to engage the steering. The wheels can be steered with one or the other trigger. They can also be locked with both triggers. It’s going to take time. But he’s happy with the purchase.
Getting back to my flight to Salem, I was prepared for the trip—my first since the pandemic—with the exception of arranging for a temporary roaming plan for my cell phone. I would have had to arrange for that at least a month in advance, because our plan is billed monthly. But I didn’t, so I did without. I am not looking forward to our next bill.
It was nice not feeling the pressure to do all the social media all the time, though. I could focus on the writerly learnings.
Unfortunately, that meant a greater burden of social media catch-up on my return. It was a couple of weeks before that was accomplished.
In the process of packing, I found a couple old things in my courier bag (one of my staple travel gear items). I discovered an old Burt’s Bees wild cherry lip balm that was still completely usable. And a little Tolkien Moleskine notebook that I had taken to work. I’d written in it periodically from 2014 to 2019 and it wasn’t quite half used. So, I packed it for the trip and took my session notes in it. I’m also filling it up before moving onto another newer journal. I’ve finally filled the refill for my lovely leather journal.
After my return from Salem, I marked off the important stuff in my journal with sticky tabs, so I could refer to past notes on various writing projects at will.
I took my new Manta weighted sleep mask and Flare Sleeep ear plugs and slept well considering I was in a strange city and bed. I had my Flare Calmer Soft ear buds, one of which I lost 😦 Fortunately, I had a set of Flare Calmer Secure as a backup. Yes, they were more obvious, but I didn’t have to worry about losing them, ‘cause lanyard. I also brought an aromatherapy diffuser necklace for more sensory support.
Update: I appear to have lost the Calmer Secure as well, somewhere on the journey from the airport. I’ve checked my courier bag, suitcase, the sweater and jacket I wore to Salem, and the car. I may find the pouch in the driveway in the spring, or it may have been garburated by the snow blower. So, I ordered another pair of Calmer Soft. We’ll see if I can hang onto these 😦
One other thing I should have done was to call ahead and find out when the Porter check in desk was open. My flight to Toronto left at 7:10 am on November 6th, and CATSA says to be on site three hours ahead of time. The airport’s web site states it’s open from 4 am, so Phil drove me out there only to discover that the Porter desk wouldn’t be personed until 5:30 am. I really could have used the extra hour and a half sleep.
Despite the super early start, the flight to Boston via Toronto went well. I was stuck in customs for about an hour and spent another 45 minutes trying to connect with the person I was ride sharing with, but everything else went smoothly.
Travel is always tough. Lessons learned. I’ll know better next time.
The return trip was a bit fraught, starting out with a delay which meant a hasty turnaround at Billy Bishop (customs, check in, security, and board), but I arrived in Sudbury at the appointed hour and Phil was waiting for me to debark.
Torvi gave me the atomic wig when I got home.
The month in writing
Silly Mellie was silly. I decided to do NaNoWriMo this year (again), despite Wordstock and the UnConference and working the rest of the month and Finnish classes … but I set a lower goal (30,000 words) and did my NaNo Rebel Combo thing.
Revisions on Reality Bomb, ‘cause ongoing. Whatever words possible on The Fenwoman’s Tale, ‘cause I wanted to work on something new. Revisions on a short story (done on the 8th!). This blog post/newsletter. And whatever else I wrote in the month.
I met my reduced goal just a little over half-way through the month because RB revisions. And, by the 30th, I actually had over 50k words. I should have just gone with the standard WriMo. Again, lessons learned.
I met with Suzy twice in November. The first session was on November 2nd. After my month-long illness, I was feeling fragile. Still, progress was made.
Our next meeting was on the 23rd. I’d hit the stage where everything I wrote seemed like crap to me but by the time we met, I was starting to come out of it, and I ended up feeling good after our meeting.
As I mentioned parenthetically above, I completed my edits for my short story on the 8th. I had some questions and let the editors know, but I received word on the 20th that my revisions were acceptable. Once all the edits for all the selected stories are in, the editors will bundle everything up for the publisher, who has final say, and I should learn the ultimate fate of my story by the end of the year.
I supplied bios for that story and the creative non-fiction piece that was accepted into the Sudbury Writers’ Guild’s Sudbury’s Superstack: A Changing Skyline anthology.
Filling the well
The new Ivy moon in Scorpio was on the 13th. I observed with a guided meditation.
The full beaver (or freezing) moon in Gemini was on the 27th. Once again, observed with a meditation. It was overcast, so no actual observation.
The month started with the Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival, from November 2nd to 4th. I caught the Thursday and Friday evening sessions virtually, because work and still recovering from the illen. I attended Saturday’s sessions in person. It was a very poetic festival this year and I did a little networking.
Then, after a scant day off, I got up at ridiculous o’clock to fly down to Boston and make my way to Salem for the Writer Unboxed UnConference from the 6th to the 10th. It was a fun first in person conference adventure, post-pandemic. I got to meet some of the people with whom I’d only interacted online. I made a few new friends. I enjoyed some great local food, walked around Salem, and took in a lot of writing craft instruction.
It’s one of the better conferences I’ve been to, up there with the Surrey International Writers’ Conference (SiWC) and the Writing Excuses Retreat (WXR).
After that, I took a break. Travel is hard, and though the UnConference was great, I was masking on steroids. It’s just what happens, and I haven’t figured out a better way to handle conferences yet.
I did sign up for an Authors Publish webinar that I watched on replay. Agent Michael Mungiello and Daisuke Shen discussed their working relationship and fielded questions about finding and working with an agent.
Finnish classes continued through the month, as did my supplementary learning on Duolingo.
I signed up for an RBC Patient and Family Learning Space webinar on November 28 on the connection between sleep disorders and mental health. It was interesting, but more of a confirmation of what I already knew.
I got shot twice on the 13th with my covid and flu vaccinations. I am now up to date (again). Just sore shoulders for a couple of days afterward and a brief resurgence of congestion. By the weekend of the 18th, I was feeling myself again.
I also had a massage appointment on the 15th, which helped me to recover from the post-vaccination bleargh. Reached the rest and digest stage again, but not for long.
Something wonky has happened on my smoking cessation journey. Now that I’ve recovered from that sinus infection, I no longer have that awful taste in my mouth. I can taste and smell again. And it’s lowered my urgency to quit.
I had once again gotten down to 6 to 8 cigarettes a day but bounced back up to 10 to 12. I’m not quitting … quitting, but I may have to hang out at half my former consumption for a while again.
What I’m watching and reading
I watched The Fablemans (Crave). It was a lovely look at a filmmaker’s development and coming of age.
Then, Phil and I finished watching the second season of Loki (Disney +). While I thought the finale was bittersweet and appropriate, Phil was saddened that we wouldn’t be getting a season three. There may be something featuring the TVA (I mean, we have to know what happened to Renslayer and Eliath, at least, don’t we? And what of OB?) and I’m fairly certain that Loki’s new role of the god of story will have further implications for future Marvel movies and series. Phil just really likes Hiddleston’s portrayal of the god of mischief and didn’t want to see it end.
Phil and I also finished watching the first season of Gen V (Amazon). As bloody as The Boys and featuring cameos of a few of the regulars (Ashley, Mallory, Soldier Boy, Victoria Neuman, Homelander, and Butcher). We really liked it, and the characters, in particular, were fabulous. It was interesting to see more characters like Starlight, before they get screwed up by the capital-industrial complex that is Vaught.
Next, I watched Blue Beetle (Crave). I loved it. It wasn’t a perfect movie, even a perfect superhero movie, but it was definitely one of the better DCEU movies to come out to date, and it’s a little disappointing that the new DC may not pursue Jaime’s future adventures. My favourite line: “Bug Fart activated.”
Phil and I watched what they’re calling the “midseason” finale of Invincible (Amazon). This part of the season focused on the aftermath of the revelation of Nolan’s deception and his departure from Earth. Mark feels he has to make up for his dad’s actions and Debbie’s turned to alcohol. It looks like the second part of the season will deal with how Mark handles his assignment from the Viltrumites to finish his dad’s work and prepare Earth for its new Viltrumite overlords.
Then, I watched a cheesy Matel movie from 2016. Max Steel (Amazon) wasn’t horrible. A kid starts manifesting powers and has to team up with an amnesiac symbiotic lifeform to defend Earth from aliens.
Finally, Phil and I said farewell to the Doom Patrol (Crave). While the series offered up the main characters, villains, and even storylines of various DP comics series, it got mired in the fucked-upness of the team to the point that, after four years, none of the characters had sorted their shit. The Chief, Rita, and Cliff are dead, Cyborg decides to teach gifted kids, Jane and Casey get together (in space), Larry and 104 become a sun with Keeg (I think), Rouge takes out the Ant Farm, and Dorothy’s just doing her own thing … ?
I think part of the problem was that Jane (DID with each alter having their own superpower), and later Dorothy (with very powerful imaginary friends at her beck and call), ended up being grossly overpowered and the writers didn’t know how to deal with them.
When we enter the dark months of the year, I tend to slow down in my reading.
The first book I finished in November was Naomi Alderman’s The Power. Girls begin developing electrical powers, entirely upending society. Margaret Atwood’s influence is clear, particularly in the faux-documentary postscript, which is a written correspondence between the male author of a novel and his publisher (Alderman), which implies that women will be no better than men in responsibly wielding their power.
Next, I finished Nnedi Okorafor’s Shadow Speaker. Ejii Ugabe witnessed her father’s decapitation and now that she’s manifesting the abilities of a shadow speaker, she’s going to join her father’s killer on a mission to try to prevent a war. I enjoy Okorafor’s stories of young people changed by external circumstance trying to find their ways in the world.
Then, I read Hannu Rajaneimi’s The Quantum Thief. It was a recommendation from Desmond Hall because the main character, Jean le Flambeur, encounters several different incarnations of himself. It’s not the same as my protagonist and her Others in Reality Bomb, though. Jean and his others are never in the same physical body. They’re in a Dilemma Prison (which I think is a quantum realm) or they exist in different times accessible only by memory.
The Quantum Thief is a bizarre heist novel pitting Jean against a brilliant young detective in the Oubliette, the moving city of Mars, where time is currency and memory is treasure, and post-human tribes and police vie for control.
Finally, I finished my reread of Guy Gavriel Kay’s The Summer Tree. The characters and story hold up just fine, but the first chapters are a bit rough. I was surprised and disappointed, but Kay remains one of my favourite authors. I’m going to give the rereads a break until the New Year. I have a whole pile of TBRs that I need to put a dent in (!)
And that was the month in this writer’s life.
Until next month, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!
Always Looking Up 