July Newsletter

Good news, everyone!

Much to my surprise, I actually managed to finish my first draft of the novella a few days ago. It may be a hot mess that no one deserves to have inflicted on them, but the important thing is that it’s actually done. And I do think that there’s a kernel of a good story in there, if I have the time and patience to develop it. For now, I’m going to put the whole project aside for a couple of months, so I can come back to it with fresh eyes and (hopefully) the enthusiasm it deserves.

So, what’s next for this Substack?

Scoot

and I are still planning on doing a project together, but he’s in the middle of a major serial, so it might take us a bit. I actually have a really cool idea for another serial, but I’m not ready to throw myself into a major project again just yet. Instead, I’ll focus on flash fiction. You’ve all waited so patiently for me to finish this thing that you deserve at least a couple of little stories in return. I haven’t decided what to write about, but I’ll try to put something out in the next month or two.

Thanks as always for sticking around. I can’t tell you how much it motivates me to know that someone will actually read what I’ve spent so many hours working on.

What I’m Reading:

• Obscura, by Joe Hart

  • I don’t read a ton of science fiction, but I liked the concept of this one a lot. The idea of an Alzheimer’s-like disease that can affect people at any age is terrifying but also compelling as a plot device. I especially liked the horror elements near the middle of the book, as you might expect.

• Strange Pictures, by Uketsu

  • An innovative series of short stories themed around, you guessed it, strange pictures. I really liked how interconnected all of the stories were, and the puzzle aspect of how the pictures were incorporated. I’d recommend getting a print or digital copy of this one. The audiobook is well done, but it helps to be able to actually see the pictures that are described in the text.