Hey Reader,

Happy September! No, I don't know where the time went, either. I'm just as bewildered as you.

If you've been following me for a while, you might notice the title of this newsletter has changed. This is mostly to make coming up with titles easier and remove one more reason to procrastinate on sending out this newsletter. Moving forward, I'll also be trying to send these out earlier in the month.

WIP

Another first draft down! A few weeks ago, I hit THE END on the first draft for a new novella 🎉

I've never written a novella before, and I have to say it's incredibly refreshing to write "just" ONE storyline!

All in all this draft took me about a week to plan and 3.5 weeks to write. This is a bit slower than my usual writing speed, but I also feel like I'm much closer to a polished draft compared to a larger project, where the first draft is usually just me telling myself the story (and often making drastic changes halfway through). I really enjoyed not having the stress of keeping all the threads together like I would with a full novel.

In the meantime, I've started on structural edits to my main WIP novel, codenamed Project Melissa. I finished the first draft nearly a month and a half ago at this point, and I'll be completely honest, until I re-read my draft, I'd basically forgotten what it was about! 😂

Recent Reads

My latest addiction has been cozy fantasy romance! Maybe it's the humor, the (often) older characters, the green-flag protagonists, the quirky side characters, or the healthier relationship dynamics, but I can't get enough of these stories. So, in honor of the upcoming cozy season, here are some cozy fantasy romances that I've enjoyed recently.

T. Kingfisher is one of my auto-buy authors. I adore her Saint of Steel series, and I recently read Swordheart in preparation for the release of its sequel, Daggerbound, which just released last month. Halla accidentally discovers an immortal man magically imprisoned in her late great-uncle's sword when she draws it, and now the man in the sword is bound to defend her from everything from inquisitors to bandits to her in-laws.

Violet Thistlewaite, former right-hand witch of the dark sorcerer Guy Shadowfade, decides to turn over a new leaf (heh) as a florist in the small town of Dragon's Rest. But when a blight threatens the town's crops, she has to team up with the cute, grumpy alchemist she's forced to share a greenhouse with (oh no!) to save the town. Also, there's a homicidal houseplant.

A marshal protecting his town from zombies and an undertaker trying to keep her family business afloat begin exchanging anonymous letters with mysterious penpals who turn out to be...each other. Trouble is, they can't stand each other in real life. This book is equal parts adorable and heartrending and I ATE it up. Bonus points for body positivity and the incredibly weird magical talking animal couriers.

Cool Non-Book Stuff

I recently had the opportunity to see The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in concert!

If you haven't heard of this, it's basically a live symphony orchestra that plays the soundtrack along to the movie. Like many millennial nerds, the LOTR movies kickstarted my love of fantasy, and it's hard to believe The Fellowship of the Ring was released 25 years ago (god, I'm so old). Watching the orchestra live in a hall full of other fans was an incredibly special experience, and a great reminder that the best art will always be inherently human.

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Until next time!

G