Times are hard these days. Just this week, I've lost sense of what day it is twice. I am missing my friends. I am missing dance class. Most of all, I am missing writing in cafes. There is something about the formality and the people watching that digs out a different kind of creativity. But…
Social Intimacy In the Time of Social Distancing
Buckle up. This is going to be one of those rambling rides. As a warning, it is only peripherally related to writing. But it is something I keep coming back to these days, and I think it's stewed enough. Time to share. Over the past few months things in the world have gotten real different,…
Lessons from Frankenstein
If you're following my social media, you know I am on a bit of a Frankenstein kick these days. I am deep in a Frankenstein-inspired poetry project (that I hope to release in the next few months), and so I decided to listen to an audio version of the book to brush up on the…
Corvids and Viruses: Story Time During Quarantine
The internet is dominated by covid-19 at the moment. It's to be expected. This virus is affecting the entire globe, creating situations our generation haven't experienced before. As a writer (and reader), there are two approaches to a pandemic: Avoid. Escape into realities that have nothing to do with the outbreak. Write the next great…
If I Die, I Die
A bit of a response to the covid-19 pandemic. This is in response to an article on a young woman who was buying plane tickets. If I Die, I Die If I die, I die. A millennial books three flights hopes the capital G Government will forgive her loans before the interest capitalizes. Thank Covid-19…
One Day Stand (to Bucharest)
I've always wanted to go to Romania, since a good friend of mine is from there, but I've never had the chance until recently: I traveled to Edinburgh via Bucharest. The flights from Bucharest were much cheaper than the ones from Sofia and I, mistakenly, thought it would be just as easy since the airport…
Gender In My Fiction
This blog is not neat and organized. It's pretty much me chewing on some gender-thoughts in my writing. I want to share my thoughts on gender representation, especially in science fiction, and ask that you share yours, too. I write a lot of near-future and general future speculative fiction. With the current state of the…
New Directions on This Publishing Journey
About two years ago, I started trying to get an agent. Today I am officially putting an end to that search. Because I found an agent!?! Nope. Because writing and submitting short stories for the past year has taught me a lot about respecting myself as a writer. The agenting world has this common standard:…
When the Timing Isn’t Right
Last week I finally started reading The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. This book has come highly recommended by a friend who I absolutely trust. They even said I should hold off for awhile because it would change my opinion of fantasy. Great. I couldn't wait. Except I had to. It's taken two months for…
Unfaithful
At night, in my dreams, I am terribly unfaithful to my husband. I fall asleep thinking of him and the two cheerful monsters we’ve created. But inevitably a deep, sedative sleep washes over me — the kind that feels like three glasses of wine and a vicodin. My body settles into a sweet paralysis, while…