(So… I was hoping to do an end of year newsletter thing before now, but December crawled right out of the black hole that is the steaming anus of the universe and sent my life into a grief-spiked tailspin that felt more like a medieval torture device than a merry holiday season. Sorry for the delay.)
Hellooooo! It’s been a whiiiiiiile…
2024 was absolutely bananas. So bananas that I failed to send a single newsletter. I feel like I spent the entire year holding my breath.
In January, I polished my novel, assembled my query package, and was able to start querying February 1st. By mid March, I received a response from an agent with an opportunity to revise and resubmit, and immediately got to work. (I'll do a deeper dive into my querying journey/R&R in a later post)
Aside from the solar eclipse (of which I found myself to be in the path of totality and it was heckin’ cool), attending StokerCon, entertaining a few visitors over the summer, and keeping my 4 y/o alive, all I can remember is working on my novel revision.
WHICH IS FINE BECAUSE (spoiler alert) IT RESULTED IN ME SIGNING WITH SAID AGENT!
I CRIED. I NEVER CRY AND I CRIED. I was on a zoom call with my friend Shelley Lavigne for one of our noodling sessions and nearly shat my pants when I saw an email land in my inbox from Naomi Eisenbeiss. I was absolutely terrified to open it in the event that it was bad news, but it was far too late as Shelley could tell from my total shock that I was looking at THE EMAIL.
So, I opened it, read it aloud, cried, replied to schedule THE CALL, and eventually signed the contract. I was able to make a few minor changes in time to have the book sent out on submission on Halloween (Which feels lucky, in my humble opinion). I’m really grateful to everyone who helped me with querying and especially grateful to have found an agent who likes my voice (as it’s the thing I like most about my own writing and probably couldn’t change even if I wanted to).
October also brought the release of Tales of Sley House 2024 that I am sooooooo thrilled to be part of! The TOC is incredible and I can’t believe I’m in such good company.
My story “Flesh & Blood” is a dark love letter to generational trauma and the ways in which my character tries to recognize, understand, and make peace with those wounds.
Also, that cover is stunning.
In November I decided to take some time off to focus on reading all the books I bought but didn’t have time to settle into (a whole lot). I also made the decision to schedule surgery on election day so I could be under anesthesia rather than stressing. Which didn’t help because my brain literally abandoned me for a few weeks after choking down the results.
Then came the holidays, which weren’t really holidays, moreso a jumble of family emergencies, last-minute trips to Utah, flying back home, then being separated for a bit as my 4 y/o and I stayed put (as we were super sick) while my husband flew back to Utah. Then, we had a tremendously devastating death in the family. My husband technically made it home in time for Christmas, which was wonderful for our kid, but I think it’s safe to say we’re both completely fried and barely noticed the year had ended.
Holidays have been tough since my dad passed in 2014. He made everything so fun and it’s hard to keep up the magic for my own kid, especially when we keep losing people during the holidays.
2024 had some of my highest highs and lowest lows. I’m hoping things calm down enough that I can get back to a more consistent writing schedule. I have my next novel plotted and started, as well as three others that are itching for my attention.
Anyhoo (anywho?)…I’ve got some pre-planned newsletters for this year. I’d like to utilize this space to talk a bit more about the books I’m enjoying, recipes/cookbooks I’m testing, and updates on my publishing journey. I lovingly titled this CHAOS so I had an excuse to talk about whatever I wanted, which turned into me feeling like I had nothing to say (or no time to properly say it), but I’m going to try to work on that.
(Key word there is “try”)
To start, here are some of my favorite books I read in 2024:
(Please know it was almost impossible to pick just a few. While I didn’t read as many books as usual this year, I had one hell of a time narrowing down the list)
THE REFORMATORY by Tananarive Due - Again, I don’t cry much, but this book had me in tears by chapter 6. It’s a devastating and beyond terrifying novel that deserves ALL your attention. Please get it if you haven’t already.
NO GODS ONLY CHAOS by L.P. Hernandez - L.P. is a ridiculously skilled short story writer and manages to pull you in with plot, prose, AND some hard-hitting emotions. This collection will stick with you long after you’ve read it.
THE FLESH OF THE SEA by Lor Gislason and Shelley Lavigne - I think this book is one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I’ve had in a long time. It’s gay. It’s got pirates. Adventure. Romance. Monsters. Some goopy grossness. It’s perfect, honestly.
I’M LAUGHING BECAUSE I’M CRYING by Youngmi Mayer - I did not expect this to go so hard and I love it so much. It’s simultenously heartbreaking and hilarious and I wish I could get everyone to read it.
DINNER ON MONSTER ISLAND by Tania de Rozario - I love essay collections and this one packs a real punch through bits of memoir and analysis of women in horror (among sooooo many other things). I’m honestly shocked that I don’t see more people talking about this one.
MYSTERY LIGHTS by Lena Valencia - This short story collection is magical. I’m not exaggerating. Whether I read a single sentence or an entire story, something awoke in me every single time I cracked this open. I can’t explain it but I know more than one person who had the same experience so…get it and see for yourself.
AND…Here’s what I’m currently reading:
ADAM AND EVIE’S MATCHMAKING TOUR by Nora Nguyen
HOW TO FALL IN LOVE IN A TIME OF UNNAMEABLE DISASTER by Muriel Leung
I read a digital sample of both books and immediately purchased physical copies. Really excited to dive in now that they’ve arrived. Catniss is also obv excited.
I think that’s it for now! I mean, it’s not. I could go on and on about the happenings of last year but I’ll stop. Hope you all had a very happy New Year! Here’s hoping 2025 won’t be as bad as my anxiety thinks it’ll be!
*Nervous laughter*
Comments