August Newsletter
Travels and Traveling Light
Summer draws to a close, and my autumn is already so wild and full that I’ve pre-emptively done my bullet journal for the next two months! 😅
The first half of this month was consumed by international travel: first to Glasgow for WorldCon, then to Bordeaux for a few days drinking excellent wine. Worldbuilding for Masochists lost another Hugo! But it was close, and we’re very proud just to have been Finalists. There were over 200 long-list nominations in the category this year, so being in the top six? That’s really very cool. Plus, we got to go to nerd prom! And we looked so cute.
If you want to see some of what I got up to in Europe, check out the Highlights in my Instagram — there’s one for each location. (I’m also probably going to do a write-up of La Cité du Vin from an immersive experience perspective, because wow, was that a fun museum!)
News
Remember last year, when Worldbuilding for Masochists ran a Kickstarter for our anthology themed around the Magical Nude Gates? That book now exists!
I am so, so proud of this anthology — and it was so much fun to put together! All our contributors did a bang-up job. After years of building this world over the course of a bunch of podcast episodes, it’s been amazing to see it come to life in these stories. They’re different tones, different sub-genres, they use the Gates in different ways, but they all really do feel a part of the same world.
Order it now in paperback or ebook!
Upcoming Events
I’m still working on the schedule for Halcy-Con, October 4-5 in Orlando. It will be officially released on September 20 (my birthday! entirely by coincidence), but I’m hoping to have it as set as possible much sooner than that. We are officially six weeks out from the con! Which is… terrifying and awesome at the same time. 😅 On top of all the official programming prep work, I have costume pieces to buy and many friendship bracelets to finish.
Later in October, I’ll be doing another virtual workshop with the Orange County Library System as part of their First-Draft Fall series! Mine will be October 22nd at 7pm, and anyone can sign up! You do not have to have an OCLS card. That link also has the dates, times, and topics for the full series, with workshops on plotting and pacing, character development, narrative agency, and narrative voice.
Tickets are now on sale for the Carolina Renaissance Festival! And I will be there for their Time Travelers Weekend, November 16-17, along with Mike Allen, Megan Sheperd, Sam Parks, and Scott Reintgen.
What I’ve Been Reading
The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society, C.M. Waggoner
The Chalice of the Gods, Rick Riordan
A Sorceress Comes to Call, T. Kingfisher
Netherford Hall, Natania Barron
Making It So, Patrick Stewart
A History of the World in 6 Glasses, Tom Standage
The Stars Too Fondly, Emily Hamilton
Emma, Jane Austen
As always, these are affiliate links, and if you use them to buy books, I’ll get a small commission, which will feed right back into my ever-expanding TBR.
July was a good month for reading! August has been much, much slower. That’s only party due to travel and a lot due to the fact that I’ve been listening to some very long Great Courses rather than other audiobooks. I’ve got several things on library loan that I need to get to, though, and a pile-up of NetGalley ARCs, so I’m hoping my brain will agree to get back to non-audio-reading!
Wrapping It Up
So, there’s been a lot going on, there will be a lot going on, and I’m feeling energized and excited about it!
I hope your summer has treated you well! May properly autumnal weather find its way to us as swiftly as it can (for those of us who live where autumnal weather is even an option).