Summer is Here!
June Update
Hi Readers,
It’s officially summer! The heat has arrived in our area, sun dresses out, sweating in unpleasant places. Yay?
I teach middle school as my day job and there are THREE days left until summer break. I can’t wait for summer. It’ll be time to rest, get some good writing done, and spend time with my daughter :)
In Writing News
Marredbury episode 8 is out!
There’s not much new with my writing. It’s been a push to get to the end of the school year. Colds took over our house over Memorial weekend. Sleep regressions have slowed me down during the day. I’m just plugging away. I managed to get about 3,500 words written last month, that’s about 500 short of my goal. Eh! I’ll take what I can get!
I’ve been reading a lot with my writing in mind, working on my own “self-curated thematic series” as Shannon Reed put it in her book, Why We Read. I was inspired by a video my sister shared with me. The creator talks about looking at your reads in categories. I want to become a better reader. My reading muscle definitely atrophied through pregnancy and postpartum. So I’ve created a couple categories for myself, including a series of books with Marredbury in mind, and a series of books with my latest novel project in mind. I’d love to share the lists at some point. Right now I’m reading The Great Gatsby and The Shining with the novel in mind. A curious connection now that I write those two titles side by side…
In Publishing News
I’ve been reading and listening to the most recent publishing news. It’s filled with talk of AI, so much fear and apprehension. I liked what John Adkins said in his talk with
in regards to people consuming AI art versus human made art: “it’s not necessarily the art we find interesting, but the artist.” Art consumers are looking for that human connection, in every medium. Those are the partnerships I want to be a part of.All of this makes me appreciate my decision to go the indie publishing route. I have control over how, when, what, and where I share my work. I have the control to make those connections with my readers in tandem with publishing my work. There is a flexibility in indie publishing that provides me the freedom to create and enjoy the creating. I’m excited for the continued partnership with my readers! I’m grateful each time I hear from a reader. It’s a fun part of the gig!
On my bookshelf
Happy pride month! I let the celebrations of this month inspire my book recs this time:
Happy reading everyone! Stay cool!!
I had similar sentiments when I decided against looking for a publisher and trying my hand at indie publishing instead - the control and freedom over what and how I create is paramount to me!