Hi Friend!

I'm so glad we've made it to the end of August. For me, the beginning of the school year introduces a much needed welcome rhythm to our home and gives me much more space and quiet to read, write, and think writerly things.

Read on to hear about those writerly things.

A Book Worth Talking About

This month, my favorite book to talk about has THE BEST premise.

Before I tell you about it, I want you to think about your favorite science fiction or fantasy book--something with a compelling premise, a complex plot, many great characters and a unique setting.

Now, imagine that one day, you wake up in this book come to life. The characters that were described on the page are now living, breathing people in front of you...and you have intimate knowledge about their lives, their pasts, their thoughts and their futures.

For me, I immediately think of two different series:

Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K.Jemisin. The first book, The Fifth Season, is one of my favorites. The other is a YA duopoly set in Chinese mythology by Amelie Wen. Song of Silver, Flame Like Night and Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White.

Oh, and if you die in this world, you don't wake up safe and snug in your comfy bed. You come back to life in the fantasy world that just tried to kill you.

This is the genius premise of my favorite book this month: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Illona Andrews. In all honesty, I haven't finished it by the time of this writing, but I am LOVING it. It's fun, very smart and twisty. I really love the idea of being dropped into a complex setting and knowing a lot, like Maggie, the main character, and getting to choose how to use the information. Then, discovering the consequences for stopping or shifting events is really fun.

Oh, and every time Maggie dies, she comes back to life.

Whenever I think about this book, I want to ask: what book would you want to be dropped into, either a series/setting that you love or a character arc that you would want to witness? Reply to this email and tell me! I would LOVE to know.

The Work of a Writer

I've toyed with the title of this section and settled on this: The Work of a Writer.

If you're not a writer, you may be curious to know what else there is to do, besides writing and publishing (as if that were a small thing.)

Here are some things I'm currently working on:

• Querying my Middle Grade fiction novel. So far, 5 queries sent, 4 rejections noted.
• Spending a lot of time thinking about if and how to edit above-mentioned novel to fit within current traditional guidelines. (It currently sits at 62k words. Word standards right now are 50K words max for a debut author.)
• Spending a lot of time thinking and researching publishing options and the consequences for Middle Grade novels outside of the traditional track.
• Reading a ton.
• Practicing my craft by writing flash fiction, short stories, prose poems, and word doodling.
• Working with a marketing professional to improve my marketing skills, platform, and sales of The Unfortunate Life of Genevieve Ryder. (I can't build a career as a writer if I don't do the marketing too...)

Sometimes I whine, "I'm not doing anything with my writing." Or my mom will ask, "How's the writing going?" and I don't know how to answer. There's a lot happening, but very little happening at the same time.

So, there it is. The ins and outs. And you get the scoop because you get the newsletter.

Thanks for being here. I really appreciate you. If you ever have a book recommendation for me based on things you've read or that I share, please do not hesitate to pass that along. I'm always looking for ways to fill the empty spots on my shelves.

Happy reading.