Spring/Summer Wrap Up
Been too busy to write monthly wrap-ups, but thought I would update on the last few months!
Writing Life
Since my last post, I signed with Veronica Park at Fuse Literary, and I’m so pleased to have her as the advocate for my novels. She is a taskmaster when it comes to polishing, and I appreciate her vision for my career.
Image from the New York Times by Molly Snee
This summer, I took a humor course at Catapult under the esteemed Elissa Bassist, which basically changed my life and gave me the confidence to take humor writing seriously (ha), something I’ve always wanted to do. Since then, I’ve placed pieces in McSweeney’s, The Belladonna, and other outlets that I’ve always enjoyed reading. (If you’re interested, see link to clips here.)
I also published my most personal essay to date in The New York Times, and have been so grateful for the outpouring of support from other women (religious or not) discussing their own experiences with family planning and postpartum depression.
As for new things, I’m 30k into a new project and have logged off social media, deleted my phone games, and set some daily writing goals to finish a first draft before the end of the year. I think I’ll NaNo in my own way next month, but probably not to the full level of 50k. Those of you currently outlining in preparation, know that I’m rooting for you!
Reading Life
I’ve been busy reading, so busy that I didn’t realize how close I’ve gotten to my target already! Over the past six months, I’ve discovered and chewed through multiple Tana French novels, adored the new Jacqueline Woodson, Margaret Atwood, and Ta-Nehsi Coates, and dug deep into some fantastic contemporary romance by Jasmine Guillory and Helen Hoang. I’ve tried to diversify my reading diet in genre, especially since I’m working on a project and don’t want to read too close to comps as I’m preparing something new.
I’ve had the chance to talk to a few authors about books I’ve enjoyed, too. For Electric Lit, I was able to talk to Lyz Lenz about her nonfiction debut, GOD LAND, centering around the culture of Christianity in the Midwest (and we talked about casserole recipes, too). For this blog, I interviewed Sonya Heaney about her debut historical romance set in Australia.
Life, etc
Lots of travel this summer and the family and I are settled into the routine of the school year. Kids are busy with their schedules and activities, and we’re finally at a point where we can say, “go out and play” and the kids can entertain themselves (at least for twenty minutes).
Too much rain, too many bug bites, but beyond that, life is sweet. Garden is still blooming with broccoli, squash, and tomatoes, and I’ve got the mums about to open.
Sending good wishes to wherever you are.