I... am an Autumn 🍂
The season of Gilmore Girls, Hallobirthween, and... a published book?
Autumnal greetings to you all,
‘Tis the damn season for… Gilmore Girls, colourful fake leaves and acorns strewn around my home, hot apple cider, jackets and scarves, extra blankets added to the sofa, and all things cozy.
I tried one last run at embracing Summer two weeks ago, and I got… a rainy weekend by the lake. I got in one morning dip while the sun briefly shone and one campfire on a cold, windy day. It was less a final hurrah to Summer and more of an Autumn teaser.
September 1 marks the beginning of my Autumn, and it’s a new moon 🌚, which means it’s a doubly good time for new beginnings!
So, what’s new with me?
Book update
My manuscript is with beta readers, and I am enjoying a break from editing. I hesitate to announce a publishing date, again, lest I need to push it back, again, but the timeline now looks like October for reading beta feedback and making final edits, November for finalizing publishing details, with pre-orders beginning late November or December, and publish day in January or early February. Or— I say, “fuck pre-orders,” and just publish it in December! But don’t hold me to anything, okay? I should have a cover reveal for you soon, at least. I also need to fit in some marketing (mostly social media) in these next few months before publishing.
Lately and currently consuming
Reading:
Novel: still reading Bitter Greens. Enjoying it.
Non-fiction: Just finished The Fairy Tellers. I learned more about tellers I knew (Giambattista Basile, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, Dortchen Wild, Hans Christian Andersen) and about some I didn’t know (Hanna Dyab, Ivan Khudiakov, Somadeva). I recommend it if you’re interested in where/how fairy tales you know came to be written down and passed around.
Non-fiction: Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny. Barely started. It’s heavy reading but I feel it will inform how I understand the world and how I write.
Watching:
Charmed. I’ve put it on hold mid-season five to switch to…
Gilmore Girls. Every September. I try to make it last the whole month, but that would be only five episodes a day…
I watched Borderlands (meh) and a cool Inuit alien invasion movie, Slash/Back, for my occasional gig filling in for film reviewers on CBC Radio (you can listen here). I recommend Slash/Back for something different in the invasion/action genre.
Listening:
My favourite podcast, Fairy Tale Fix, is back from summer break!
I’ve switched from ‘summer nostalgia’ as my default playlist to my ‘autumn walk’ playlist. It’s acoustic, folksy, a bit melancholy, perfect for a walk through the autumn forest. I’m also creating an ‘autumn drive’ playlist that’s a bit more upbeat but same artists/vibe.
Looking forward to this season
Finishing my book (really!), my usual Autumn/spooky szn TV and movies re-watching, cooler weather, wearing cool jackets (and always having pockets for my phone and keys), walking through the fallen leaves in the cemetery 🍁, two-part trip(s) in October: three days with my group of artist friends (our DIY artist retreat) in Cape Cod and then five days on my own in New Brunswick, and—not sure if I’m looking forward to it exactly—my 35th Hallobirthween. 🎃
Hope you enjoy the most wonderful time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. I’ll be in touch soon with more book updates or maybe something fun like my autumn playlists to share.
🍂
.tish