Do you remember da da da da September!
Including a Writing Workshop with me - apply by September 10!
Howdy, everyone!
It sure has been a summer. I spent a lot of it traveling and seeing some of you, from Edinburgh to Bradford to—not you, Ohio, sorry—to NY! I saw family, met my baby niece, and hung out with friends who know me so well they had a hunting knife waiting for me upon my arrival. Now that’s love. (Thanks, Joe. ;))
Before I hit the rest of the updates, I am making this newsletter primarily to alert you about a workshop opportunity.
BIPOC WRITING RETREAT
In January, I’ll be teaching a week-long course from January 7 - 13, 2024 with Roots.Wounds.Words. You can learn more about the mission of Roots. Wounds. Words. at the website, but it’s a place for BIPOC writers to learn from award-winning authors. There are tracks in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, speculative fiction (two! one with me or with Rivers Solomon), writing wellness for Us, and young adult fiction.
Primary workshops are currently scheduled to take place from 12 PM ET to 3 PM ET, with evening readings from peers and instructors, and you’ll get feedback on stories/excerpts from your instructors and your peers.
Applications close September 10, 2023.
Works-in-Progress
It’s also been a very busy summer on the book front! I can’t say a lot about everything, but suffice it to say, things are all of a sudden quite busy.
The Magic of the Lost - At the end of August, I finished another draft of The Sovereign (Magic of the Lost #3) and now my favorite beta reader is giving me a blow-by-blow (mostly screaming at me, so I’m taking it as a good sign). For reasons, it looks like it will be coming out in Winter 2025, so we’re keeping a steady every-other-year schedule. It’s a bummer to make you all wait, but as I said, busy things, big things, very hush hush. Maybe I’ll give you a little short story teaser in 2024 like I did in 2022, though. Any excuse to hang out with Touraine and the gang a little longer before I say goodbye.
Fate’s Bane - I’m also about to turning in my novella today or tomorrow! This is my first novella ever, and I’ve had a fun bit of a challenge playing with a form that is so short but also so long. It took a lot of work to figure out the right size of story to fit this form. I also get to play a bit more with structure and language, so we’ll see how that shapes itself further along in the revision process.
Secret Project - The rest of the autumn/winter will be spent working on a secret project.
Other Events
Battle of the Kingdoms - Waterstones St. Neots - October 11, 6:30 PM - St. Mary’s Parish Church. Tickets: £8, with books available for purchase (and signing)
I’ll be on a panel with such luminaries aka shit-stirrers aka beloved colleagues as Samantha Shannon, Saara El-Arifi, and Tasha Suri. We’ll be moderated by Laura Sebastian.
MCM ComicCon London - Saturday, October 28
I’ll be on a panel talking about sapphic SFF (whenever I’m not chasing down the Baldur’s Gate 3 voice actors or the critical role players) with Tasha Suri (again!), Kate Dylan (Mindbreaker), and Grace Curtis (Frontier).
What I’m Reading/Playing
I’ve been reading an advanced copy of 1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg. I really love her newsletter as it always comes to tell me exactly what I need to hear about the writing-reading life. Modeled after the #1000WordsOfSummer, you get mini essays from her and various other visiting authors, like Roxane Gay.
I’ve fallen IN LOVE with Galva (and Kinch, yes, him, too, but mostly Galva) in Christopher Beuhlman’s The Blacktongue Thief. I listened to the audiobook and was hooked in a matter of minutes. The voice—of the narrator, who is the author, and the narrative voice—is so strong and so funny and sharp! I loved it (I have 20 minutes left in the audio; I’m going to do some chores after this). Fun and skillful, and it pains you in just the right ways. I also hear tell there’s a sequel—prequel?—in the works, and it features my love, Galva, warrior woman who cut off her breasts as a sacrifice to the goddess of death, a crow-carrier, and lover to a queen. (You can see why she’s a woman after my own heart, yes?)
Also, obviously, the Wheel of Time is on again, so I’m obsessed with that and more seriously considering a re-read, especially starting with Rosamund Pike’s audio version. Mmmm. Chef’s kiss.
Like any fantasy nerd worth their salt, I’ve been playing Baldur’s Gate 3! Here’s my tav, named Tavis (after Tavis in Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar). A street urchin drow turned rogue assassin. (Are you playing? Who is your tav??)
That’s all for now!
Stay sharp, my friends.
Cherae