A Gold Mine of Feedback
Currently reading:
Insatiable by Meg Cabot
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
Out There Screaming, edited by Jordan Peele
An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice [audiobook]
I started Parable of the Sower for a reading group rapidly approaching later this month! I need time to finish reading and to formulate intelligent literary thoughts to share with strangers.
Books finished this week: 1
Realizing now that I really should’ve brought this book to the beach with me yesterday to get a cute, aesthetic photo . . .
★★★★☆
Where this book came from: Pre-ordered from Bookshop.org!
Why this book: I am an enormous fan of Saratoga’s, though I’m admittedly biased——they’ve published some amazing works with my company. Read all their stuff!!
Thoughts: This was just such an excellent premise, modern influencer satire layered over a classic Agatha Christie premise. I did find myself wishing the events played out over a longer period of time, so we could really get to know all the major players and see more of the main character, Charlie, becoming seduced by this world. But all the bookish angst was spot-on, the setting was lush, and this was just a fun ride.
Library updates:
I wrote in my journal a few days ago that this is the summer of more outside time, more phone-free time, and more writing. I’ve been . . . far from successful with the first two, but I’m building the writing back into my routine, slowly but surely.
I wrote last missive about the pledge my friend Eva——hi, Eva!——and I made to work on finishing some of our work this summer. I do feel like I’m cheating a bit on that front, since another friend——hi, Meg!——and I have spent the last few months sending each other writing contests, challenges, and calls for submissions with the eyes emoji.
We’ve got quite a few horror submissions due in coming weeks (and, uh, tomorrow?? Boy, do those deadlines have a tendency to sneak up on you!!), which has kept my brain running, at the very least. I have new ideas to write for some of the subs, but I’m also planning to edit as many stories as I can this summer and see what I want to do with them. Some of them will work for these contests and calls and some will require more research, but they all deserve a shot at being out in the world.
Plus, I’m sitting on a gold mine of feedback——thanks, workshop friends!——that needs to be put to work. My stories deserve better, and I need to do right by everyone who’s read my stuff and helped me out along the way by doing something with their edits and advice.
Closing thoughts:
No thoughts, head empty.
Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 213
(Total books added to the Moratorium Library: 445)
I preordered Briar Rose a few months back, because I’m a big fan of Cindy Pham’s BookTube content, and my copy arrived this week!
I came across Lover XXX this week and decided I needed it immediately. I had Barnes & Noble gift cards to burn (thanks to my official B&N credit card, because I’m very cool and fiscally responsible), so I figured I’d also get Tusk Love, which has been languishing in my cart for a few months at this point.
(You guys don’t even want to know about the Kew & Willow order I placed a week or two ago . . . )
