It’s probably time for another status update, as so much has happened since the last one. I’ve been (reasonably) well-behaved lately as far as getting things done and not burning out have gone. Here are some noteworthy bits and bobs.

The book event at Durty Nelly’s

The book event for Yet We Sleep, We Dream went sooooooo well!

Thank you HEAPS to everyone who came, who listened to my ramblings, who endured the reading of a spicy Oberon × Titania scene, and who even lined up for a chinwag and a signing. I didn’t realise until after that the line actually wrapped around the room 😳 SORRY TO MAKE YOU GUYS WAIT!

And thank you so much to Stefen and the team at Stefen’s Books for making this little indie author’s night/week/year/life 💖

Until We Met Again

Formerly codenamed “Lacewing”, Until We Met Again is the time travel romance novelette that’s been eating my brain since last October (and maybe a bit before). It’s currently under review by the anthology group and a couple of my critique partners, but early feedback has been encouraging, and early suggested edits have shown me I’m terrible at proofreading my own work 😅

I did not end up outsourcing the title to a human or an AI. I just avoided thinking about it for a couple of weeks, and something suitable came to mind when I was halfway through the final chapter. I understand now this is just how the creative process works for a “High Input”, according to the …

Clifton Strengths

After listening to a friend go on about Clifton Strengths for years, I caved and bought an assessment. The results have been both astonishing and unsurprising. I learned my top 5 strengths are: Learner, Individualization, Relator, Input and Arranger.

There’s a whole thing around the strengths to the point where it can seem a bit culty lol 😅 But even just brief and shallow investigation has changed the way I look at my work and how I operate. For example, I used to avoid being avoidant about stumbling blocks, but the combination of my top 5 strengths means I can use tactical avoidance to engage my creative intuition. “Shower thoughts” pretty much sums up my brain.

The full Clifton Strengths assessment is about AUD$100, but it’s less than half the price if you just get your top 5 done.

Project Orellia

Due to a non-trivial number of family members descending upon Perth, I’ll wait until April to start this manuscript. Not just for self-care reasons, but I’d like more time for contemplation.

This is an entirely new project and universe, weaving in elements I’ve not written about before. I’m keen to hit some very specific notes with this body of work, and realise that no matter how tempted I am to start right away, the extra time to think has been what’s made me fall in love with this project already. I wouldn’t feel so strongly about it, had I started when the idea first came up.

Proper announcements to come later this year, with Dot Club readers getting first dibs on details.

Other notes

Headspace digestives:

• A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys
• Loved by the Playboy by Millie Wolf
• Feel Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal
• The Artificial Kid by Bruce Sterling
• Dune: Part Two 😍

WIP board:

• Until We Met Again, a post-collapse time-travel SF romance. Awaiting feedback.
• “Orellia”, a little project I can’t talk about yet. Scheduled.
• “Satine”. To draft.
• The Basilica Conspiracy. To (finsh the) outline.
• Sunset on a Distant World, SF romance. Under revision.