What a Fool Believes
It’s late in the month, and I’m trying to throw this newsletter together like a squirrel sorting its nuts. Like a clown juggling her bowling pins. Which is to say, I’m finally sitting down to write this but it turns out my brain is tired at the moment so I’m like, “Dang it.”
This month has seen a lot of shenanigans — some creative, some milestones.
Last Saturday was my commencement from SNHU. It was an online commencement, but I wore the gown and all in my house. But it’s official, I’m all done and dusted with getting my BA in English Language and Literature. Now on to getting a job to match the degree.
I co-wrote a song for my Nancy Drew novella. In the story, a teenage boyfriend bullies his girlfriend by writing a mean-spirited rock ’n’ roll song about her and performing it in front of their peers at school. I collaborated with St. Louis musician and friend Christopher Spirit Brown to record the song. I wrote the lyrics, he composed and performed the instrumentation, and I recorded the vocals. So if you ever wanted to know what it sounded like to hear me harmonizing with myself in five different voices, stick around as the song will be released alongside the novella. Here’s a tiny sneak peek of the song:
I’ve been doing some free copyediting work for Black women authors. The first piece I edited was an absolutely fantastic dystopian short story by author and poet E.A. Noble. When it gets published in the future, I’ll be sure to share it with ya’ll. It’s excellent.
I’m finally working on the paperback release of Blood Frequency, which I released as an ebook for Thanksgiving last year. The paperback will include original artwork by artist Jamie Hahn who collaborated with me on Jonah of Olympic. I just sent back notes on the first draft of the artwork tonight. When the cover is complete, I’ll update the ebook with the new art so digital readers get it as well. Ya’ll it’s gonna look amazing.
Jamie is also working with me on the cover for the Nancy Drew novella The Secret of Rowdy Ruby. I did a brief photoshoot with my editor Grace last night as Grace will be the face of Nancy Drew in our illustrated covers. Yes, there will be more than one of these Nancy Drew horror novellas. And to that end, drum roll… 🥁
The second installment in the Nancy Drew novella series will be by author Wyrd Lea. That’s right, I won’t be writing these by myself.
Author Wyrd Lea.
What I’ve been reading…
The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (ebook). This is the first book in the original Nancy Drew series. So it’s a combination of research and pleasure. I hadn’t read any Nancy Drew books since I was a kid.
The AI Con by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna (audiobook). An intriguing and humorous teardown of this recent surge in AI hype.
Twisted Trysts by various authors (Kobo Plus). Not my typical genre to read, but this anthology is filled with authors I know online and is published by the wonderful people at Dead Fox Publishing. I’m enjoying it.
Hating AI is good, actually by Marisa Kabas. At some recent graduations, tech bros and others have been promoting AI in their commencement speeches and getting booed. Independent journalist Kabas has a write up about AI in the wake of these incidents and has taken to LinkedIn to push back against AI bros.
Music: What a Fool Believes by The Doobie Brothers.
A throwback to my teen years for this month’s music. No, I wasn’t a teenager in the 1970s, but I did listen to a lot of 70s music when I was in high school — wore a lot of polyester too. But that was in the early 2000s. Even had the shaggy hair and sideburns. I hadn’t listened to this one in a while. It’s smooth as silk.
