Small Update, Writing Residency, and Hello Autumn!

Over this past year, I've been revising and starting different projects, including a round of edits on Not Today Satan, which was accepted by Scarsdale, but none of the new projects have stuck around for long. Of course, part of this is because I tend to naturally rotate between projects and interests, and I often return to these stories eventually.

At the same time, it can be frustrating when you just want to finish something. This is the downside to writing novels compared to the short stories, poems, and even novellas I've done; it can be hard to say, "Oh, great, another project that must be at least 70,000 words that I haven't finished yet!"

The good news is that with so many different stories, eventually, I should have a ton of new characters and worlds to share with y'all. However, in the meantime, they're in the drafting stage.

Thankfully, I'm happy to say I'm working on a fun novel that just may be The One. All I'll say is that fans of Bryan Fuller's Hannibal, Killing Eve, and Gillian Flynn thrillers will dig this one. After all, nothing says hello to fall like a nice horror romance. Right now, I'm not worrying so much about the word count, and though I have an outline, I'm trying to let the characters surprise me.

And oh, they have!

This year, I'm happy that I've had new experiences. I've tried to be more present and spend less time online. For example, this summer, I went to a Bigfoot Festival (personally, I'm a Mothman person, but I'm supportive of all cryptids) and a Scottish Festival. I had haggis for the first time, and I liked it!

Last week, though, was one of the best experiences I've ever had. Because of my position as the social media person for Doubleback Press, I was able to find out about and go to a weeklong writing residency hosted by SAFTA at Firefly Farms. It was there that I got my new idea that I'm excited to draft.

I was thrilled to see new places and meet fellow writers! It was a good place to relax, read, and write. Also, I learned new recipes and tried pho for the first time, which I've wanted to try for a long while. The farm was gorgeous, and Knoxville is a beautiful city. There's nothing quite like eating fresh eggs from a chicken coop while listening to the Wuthering Heights audiobook.

National Novel Writing Month is coming up. For the past two events, I actually did 50K, rather than continuing an existing work. Right now, I've decided to work on my horror romance, and honestly, I'm looking forward to autumn and spooky vibes. I already have my pumpkin spice coffee creamer and brown sugar.

Here's to writing and living life!