Jumping right in: Yesterday, Sarah and I were fortunate enough to attend the 25th annual National Book Festival, hosted by the Library of Congress. This was and is a big deal to me for a couple reasons:
First, because this was our first visit back to DC since making an ultimately very healthy move under less than ideal circumstances. It was wonderful to reconnect with our friends here and lovely to experience this event with so many of them (love to all of you!). But it was also hard to be back. Hard to see how the city continues to be impacted by current events. Hard to process the emotions that brings up.
Second, because, as I wrote last year, attending our first National Book Festival three years ago (!) was what really, finally encouraged me to start writing. Listening to the authors there—hearing their stories and reading their books—gave me the push I needed to pursue what I’d always dreamed of doing.
I had just finished the first draft of my first novel when I attended the festival last year and wrote that newsletter. That felt really good. I had high hopes for what I’d accomplish by this year.
I didn’t do as much as I would’ve thought, for so many reasons.
But that’s okay! I’ve made my peace with it. What’s important, I think—to me, at least—is that, three years out, my dreams remain the same. I still want to, plan to, and will become an author. I’m still on my way there. More on that below.
For now, I’ll repeat my challenge/motivational speech from last year—not because I’m lazy, I swear, but because I’m tired after a busy, wonderful weekend and, frankly, I think past me put it pretty well:
If there’s something you’ve been putting off—something you’re not sure you can do—then this is your push to give it a try, even if you start really small (e.g., my first attempt at writing fiction was a single, very meh, very heartfelt paragraph). Starting is the important bit—and keeping with it, of course. But if you do start, and give yourself time and grace to grow, then you’ll look back in a year, or two, or ten, and be glad for it.
If you can pair those milestones with a big, beautiful celebration of the thing you love, all the better.
Well said, past me.
🤸♀️ Short Story: TADA!™
Over the past few weeks I drafted and revised a short story, which I titled “TADA!™”. It’s very silly and maybe a little bit poignant. I’m going to let it sit for a week or two, then I plan to give it one final revision and send it out to some magazines and journals.
It is (and I don’t say this lightly, i.e., without years of practicing self love and affirmation) one of the best stories I’ve written, and perhaps my favorite. I hope to share it with y’all soon!
☕ Project Curses
I know I’ve kind of said this before, but I’m pleased to formally, officially announce that work on the revision of Project Curses is underway! As those who’ve been around awhile know, this has been a long journey over the course of a difficult year. Thank you for your support and encouragement along the way.
I’m only a couple of chapters in, but I can already tell it’s going well. That metaphorical track has been laid. The outline is working. Now all that’s left to do is move full steam ahead!
Sometime in the next month or three—anywhere between the last newsletter of October and the first of December—I’ll put out a call for early readers of the novel (both Alpha readers, who read a rough version, and Beta readers, who get a slightly tidier version). Keep an eye out if this is something that interests you!
Novel Progress Bar
% revised
♟️ Project Rift
Alright—last time I promised that in this newsletter I’d share more information about my new project. While it’s still in early stages, I can share two key details:
I’m very fortunate to be working on this story with an immensely talented, wonderfully imaginative friend who happens to be an established author (note: imaginative, not imaginary, I swear). Co-writing is new to both of us, but we’ve found a groove that seems to work well. It’s been a blast so far!
The two-second, media-dependent pitch for the novel is American Psycho meets the Cthulhu mythos. Or, for more recent references, think Stranger Things meets Severance.
I’m really excited about this one and having a lot of fun with it. I’ll stress that there’s still a real chance that nothing will come of it, or that it could change dramatically in drafting—but I sincerely hope it comes out the way we intend!
Novel Progress Bar
% drafted
📚 Reading
The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown | I don’t remember who exactly recommended me this one, but I’m very grateful to whoever it was! The Book of Doors is a standalone fantasy novel set in our world and our time, following the stories of books imbued with magic and the people who use them. While the majority of the book is standard, though well-written and well-realized urban fantasy fare, there were a few sections and daring choices that were genuinely novel to me and that I imagine will stick around in my subconscious for a long time to come.
🎧 Listening
Deep Sea Diver on KEXP| Though I was aware of Deep Sea Diver already, I hadn’t really taken the time to appreciate their music, and, thus, hadn’t yet become a true fan, until recently. As is often the case, KEXP (a Seattle-based radio station with a reputation for breaking bands, for those not in the know) did a fantastic job of showcasing what makes the band special (which, to be fair, they do for most every band, because all bands are special in some way). In short, this performance rocks; their session from a few years ago is equally great. Thank you to Andi & Brian for encouraging deeper listening!
In the frame: The poster for the 25th annual National Book Festival!
As mentioned above, Sarah and I had the joy of attending the National Book Festival again this year. While the recordings of the sessions are, unfortunately, not available yet, for this edition’s Show & Tell I’d still like to share a couple of my favorites (which you should look up if and when you have some time later this week!):
Stake It or Leave It: Speculative Fiction with Nnedi Okorafor and V.E. Schwab
This was the first session we attended and maybe my favorite of the day. Okorafor and Schwab, both immensely talented authors and storytellers, also happened to be excellent speakers. They offered generous, vulnerable insights into not only what led them to write their most recent books, but also into their writing processes and their experiences in the publishing industry. Their discussion was vibrant, engaging, and thought-provoking. It was, in short, exactly the kind of session I wanted out of the National Book Festival.
John Green on His Latest Book, “Everything Is Tuberculosis”
As you may know from when I gushed about the Green brothers in a recent Show & Tell, I’m a big fan of John. He’s a really smart, decent, kind, and fun human being. He comes across as passionate and genuine in that passion. It was so good to hear him speak live, especially when being interviewed by Scott Simon, and great to hear more about what led him to write such an incisive book.
A few other notable authors who spoke this year include, but aren’t limited to, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (we wanted to go to this talk so bad, but it was completely full!), R.L. Stine, Liz Moore and Chris Whitaker, Joe Abercrombie and Shannon Chakraborty, the U.S. Poets Laureate Joy Harjo, Ada Limón, and Tracy K. Smith, and so many others! Seriously, y’all, this is such a lovely event. I’m really glad it exists and that we got to attend; it was much needed, right now.
On that note: Go do something you enjoy, and be well!
Enjoying Coffee Chats?
Visit the links below to support the newsletter and discover more of my writing 👇
💌 Share the newsletter with a friend → Hit forward!
📬 Send me your questions, ideas, and suggestions → Email me
Hello! I've been thinking a lot, lately, about the many iterations of the Taoist aphorism that "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step": How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time; Rome wasn't built in a day; Little by little; Day by day; That Shel Silverstein poem about Melinda Mae eating a whale. (A quick digression—does anyone else have a bunch of these illustrations permanently stuck in their head? Silverstein's illustrations weren't as haunting as Stephen Gammell's...
Hi there! I hope you’re doing well, and that, wherever you are, crisp, cool fall air is kissing your skin, and the scent of leaves and sun are filling your nose, and that you’re finding some peace in a not always peaceful world. Autumn is intermittent for me, right now (peace, too, though that’s a topic for another time). Back home, in Asheville (home? Can I call a place I’ve lived so briefly “home”? It’s the place where my things and my cat are, at least), the mornings have been misty and...
Hello! So, as you (hopefully) already know, it's Monday, and Monday is, obviously, not Sunday. This is coming late, is what I'm saying—but I have a good excuse! This weekend was full of family and fun and good food and hiking and all of the other things requisite for good mental health. It was a sorely needed reprieve during this period of continued uncertainty. Which brings us to today's reflection on uncertainty and sureness. I'll say up front that I don't have any particularly great...
