Photo by Unseen Histories on Unsplash
This week I have a bunch of thoughts, so I decided to write about them all, rather than picking one.
I’ve recently had a couple of people sign up as paid subscribers. (Happy dance.) But I feel I need to warn them/you—and anyone else who is thinking of doing a paid subscription—that you don’t get anything extra with a paid subscription. Down the road, it will be different. Right now, I’m just building a mailing list for when my book comes out. (I’m going to hit you all up to see if you want early electronic copies in exchange for honest reviews online.)
So, you can undo a paid subscription if you want. It’s pretty easy. Go to the page where you would manage or upgrade your subscription. At the bottom is a place to cancel it. Then just sign up for unpaid. If you need help, just hit me up.
And if you meant to do it—you have my sincerest thanks and know these things help, you’ve just paid for a writing class online.
If you do want to help me out for a smaller price, you can “buy me a coffee”. There’s a button on the top of this page, that I will be putting on the top of every page that lets you send me $5. That buys me a coffee (or a melon, I filled some of the blanks in with melon.) If 2-3 of you do that you buy me a writing craft book or a subscription to a speculative fiction magazine.
I’ve had a poem published in Subliminal Surgery, called The Cat. You can find it at https://subliminal.surgery/ or https://subliminal.surgery/the-cat/
If you write, this magazine is a great place for odd, little poems. The blue tail belonged to an entire and alive blue tailed skink.
My recent reads:
Babel by R.F. Kuang—This is the best book I’ve read in a long time. It’s set in a Victorian time where magic happens when you translate words and carve them into silver. The book follows a Chinese born student, Robin, at Oxford as he studies languages and inadvertently learns about empire, colonialism, and power. Then the real story of the book starts at page 351 and I can’t say a thing because that would give it away.
Tomb Sweeping by Alexandra Chang—A collection of short stories mostly telling the stories of second and first generation immigrants from China to the US. I could still place myself in those stories even though I am neither Chinese nor an immigrant. Well written.
A Prayer for the Crown Shy by Becky Chambers—Lovely, caring, and real all in a deep but approachable sort of way. Robot and monk are back, this time interacting with people, and they lose a lot of control over their choices. But they still find many small miracles and manage to grab some time and space away to rejuvenate.
Cross your fingers for me. I applied for the Clarion West Workshop and decisions should be made by Monday. I’m a bundle of nerves. Even though my chances are low, until they say no, there’s still a chance they will say yes.
That’s my week (or couple of weeks for the books). I’d love to hear how your week went. Leave a comment.
Thank you for the book rec! I have a hard time finding things I enjoy reading. I just found Babel on my Hoopla, so I'll give it a try. :)
I'm sorry you didn't get in. Hopefully next time!
Hi folks, I did not get into the Clarion West workshop. Competition was fierce, and global, so I knew that was the probable result. There's always next year. Thanks for keeping fingers crossed for me.