actually, it's not all bad over here

It really isn't. Sure, my entire life has changed since the last time I've sent out a newsletter, but in a strange way, almost every priority I have has been reaffirmed and underscored. I'm actually thankful for the chaos. I won't talk much about personal things because I'm bored of thinking about them and they intersect with others' privacy, but suffice it to say, even though I've been lagging on DMs and emails and texts and notifications due to overwhelm and the sheer amount of internal processing I've had to do, I'm also excited about the future for the first time in a while. Creatively speaking and in other regards.

If you've followed for a while and have perused the trail of posts I've made over the last couple of years, you're going to notice that some posts will soon disappear. Not for any nefarious reasons! I'm refocusing and refining my online presence to an extent, and it's easier to work on the site itself without a bevy of text posts to contend with. Also, I don't know how normal this is, but I often think better with a more tabula rasa situation and because I've been a little at a mental loss lately, I'm willing to try a more extreme approach. Lastly, I have a few privacy concerns of my own, so it's probably wise to take down certain things. I'm so grateful to anybody who has reached out!

Just to answer a few relevant questions...

What's going on with More Merciful Monsters?

I haven't written a word for well over a month now, so as far as timing goes, I don't know. The story's shape has been the most protean one I've worked with in ages, so the ideation stage has been more internal than external. One day, probably soon, I'll knock out thousands of words and break the dry spell. After that, stuff will come together. Until then, I can't offer a timeline! If this sounds mental, it is, but it's been a post-PhD thing when I get too stressed. I can't call it writer's block, precisely, because it isn't. I don't feel anxious or impeded. And not to play Devil's Advocate, but if this were with a publisher, I understand I'd have to settle on something and produce, or postpone dates. I had a feeling 2026 was going to be wild no matter how it turned out, so I acted accordingly and decided to commit to backlist marketing and self-pub this year.

Are you leaving Meta platforms after the end of October?

No, but I'm going to be hawkish about what I post. I don't really want to delete my old posts, either. Please sign up for this newsletter and follow me on Bluesky, etc! I want to be more active here and elsewhere.

Were you going to do a perfume collab?

I had been chosen to do a collaboration this year. If it works out, I'll be happy. If not, that's okay, too. Since I've been dealing with approximately 49 behind-the-scenes kitchen fires since roughly the end of 2025, I haven't been able to ask. It's been a small blessing that things didn't proceed! Lovely news, though: if you haven't seen, BibliOddities changed hands from Quinn to new owners. It's still with us. I'm not sure what the new plans are, but their author collaboration form is open again, which is fabulous for all of us.

That's all from me for now. I hope everyone is as well and content as can be in this timeline x