New digs
First of all welcome to SubStack. I hope the shift isn’t too weird. One of the cool things is there is a chat available if you download the SubStack app for iOS or Android (Android was just announced today, so hopefully it is running smoothly). I will have started a chat thread over there by the time you get this.
Now on to the letter
I love November but it is a season of ghosts and I always feel a little better coming out the other side. I used to feel a little panicked the first of December with all the stuff to do, but that has quieted as we’ve simplified our lives and celebrations.
We did fire up the oven yesterday and pull out keifel’s grandmother’s recipe for Jamaican black cake. My apartment now smells of rum and dried fruit and, well, like Christmas.
In a bid to not do big gifts but small thoughtful ones, I asked for a reusable advent calendar this year. I didn’t grow up with them but I have been kind of obsessed with them as an adult. keifel found a lovely one and had also already bought an Inkvent calendar from Diamine. So today I got a tiny bottle of Bliss (a peacock teal sort of blue ink) and a tea tasting of Roots Beer Tea from Nashville’s High Garden Tea. I haven’t decorated or anything yet but I feel very in the Yuletide season already.
We are gearing up for some inter-holiday travel to see my son and his partner. They are in Maine which as you can imagine is a bit colder than California this time of year. When we moved, the packers were joking that we wouldn't need those hefty coats where we were going. He was correct but we will need them for December Maine as well as our scarves and warm gloves. I'm looking forward to being there, getting there not so much. We were able to get a direct flight from San Francisco to Boston and we’ll drive up from there but it’s a long travel day. Worth it and part of the deal when your kiddos are far away.
Book stuff
I’m wrangling with notes on the new book which has been referred to as Verity Green in “production” but there is a certain Verity book out there that makes that not a great title to run with. With some help of writerly friends up on things like marketing — which I’m not great at — we’ve landed on a new title which I’ll share in January with a cover, if the art department (i.e. keifel) can get some free time over the holidays.
In other writing, you can check out my November reading list at the blog. I’m keeping it separate for the time being but let me know if that’s something you’d like me to incorporate into the newsletter.
Audiobooks and other things I’m pondering
There are several irons in the fire these days with my own writing, editing for 1000Volt Press, and running the podcast. They all weave together for me but I’d like to know what you’re interested in actually hearing about. Do you want updates on things that aren’t my writing and books? Are you listening to the podcast or is that the weird thing I do on the side? Do you want to know what 1000Volt is up to and what we’ll be releasing? Let me know in a reply or comment or join me on the chat.
As you may remember if you’ve been around for a bit, audiobooks of the Voices of the Dead were in the works and got derailed by the pandemic. I’d like to honor the work T.C. Smith did and her excellent read of a chunk of Who by Water. SubStack allows for me to create an additional newsletter or podcast that you can subscribe to. I was thinking of releasing what we have there and maybe either she or I will read the rest of the book(s) in chapter installments for a small subscription fee (shared with T.C.). Any interest?
The marketing things at the bottom
A Very Cryptid Christmas is available anywhere fine ebooks are sold. If you are looking for a gift for a reader, may I recommend signed copies of The Voices of the Dead series or the Renegade Tea Cookbook? Orders direct from 1000Volt Press all come with bookmarks, stickers, or pins depending on what you order. I will say shipping is kind of snarly right now so if you are on a timeline, order early, and if you are ordering from overseas, shipping is costly and I would recommend ordering from a local online retailer unless you are keen on having it signed.
Thank you for reading and being on this journey with me. <3 V