I often joke about how I, a person who thrives on instant gratification, chose to work in an industry that demands near-infinite patience. I start refreshing my email the minute I send out a submission, a manuscript request, an offer of rep. It gets a bit Veruca Salt over here. I WANT IT NOW!
But really, I know that the best thing to do once I send a message out into the ether is to immediately occupy myself with the next thing, because it’s almost always when I’m busy, when I’m not thinking about how much I want something, that it suddenly makes an appearance.
Doesn’t stop my from obsessively refreshing my email, though.
But eventually, I force myself to let it be and shift my attention elsewhere. And wouldn’t you know it, in the month of April I’ve had good news come back around on for three different projects. None of which I can talk about just yet, because of course.
What I can talk about it all the things I’ve got going on right now!
I dusted off my old podcast equipment to chat with my colleagues Renee, Adria, and Kate about Generative AI in publishing on the KT literary podcast.
I’m once again teaching at the NIP Book Camp this June (Speculative Fiction track) and registration closes May 15th, so if you want a week-long intensive writing program with some incredible instructors, sign up while you can!
I’m also teaching a new, 8-week, online class this summer through the Loft Literary, called From Page to Publication:
Your manuscript is finished! Now what? Are you wondering how to get your story off of your computer screen and onto bookshelves everywhere? This class is for you!
Step-by-step we'll do a deep dive on all the stages of getting your book published. We'll discuss the different ways to publish—self-publishing, indie publishing, and traditional publishing—and how to determine which is right for you.You'll learn how to write a query and put together a pitch package, and all students will receive two rounds of feedback from the instructor on their query and first ten pages. We'll walk through how to get a literary agent, the submission process, deal negotiation, editorial relationships, book production, marketing and publicity, and shine a light on any red flags or warning signs to be wary of along the way.
The publishing industry is infamously opaque, and this is your opportunity to see behind the curtain. The perfect mix of craft-based and career-focused—let's get you from page to publication!
I am SO excited to teach this class, which was born out of all the chats I have with writers at conferences in between programming. I talk to so many people who want to write and be published but aren’t sure how to begin, what to prioritize, or what to watch out for along the way. Part deep dive on the publishing industry, part personalized feedback on your individual pitch package, this class will hopefully have something for everyone.
And finally, can I just shout from the rooftops about how GORGEOUS the cover for Qurratulayn’s BLOOD & BREATH is?!?! The cover was revealed this week in Reactor Magazine, and you can add it on Goodreads or pre-order it wherever books are sold! I will have MUCH more to say about this book and its journey to publication, but that’s for another day. For now, I’ll just leave you with the pitch, and that stunning, stunning cover!
Evan Wilde, a lowly Magi, spends her days drawing complicated contracts for other people, calling down devils from beyond the veil to grant luck, or luxury, or love in exchange for a tiny sip of life. It’s not until she is dying in a cobblestone alley, the unwilling victim of an outlawed ritual sacrifice gone wrong, that Evan draws a contract for herself. Dipping her fingers in her own blood, she lays out her terms in the snow. A devil can take the last of her life; all she wants is revenge.
Stupid.Evan knows that such a hasty, open-ended contract can only lead to trouble, but when a smooth, sinister devil called Jack accepts her terms, she buries her unease and vows to make the most of her borrowed time. With Jack’s help, Evan infiltrates Necro society by posing as one of their own. She dines and dances by day, then unleashes her devil in the dead of night. At first, revenge is satisfying. When Evan thinks of her family, of the other Magi who were hunted and cut down for years, she has no regrets about slipping knives between the ribs of those responsible.
And she no longer has to hide. For the first time, Evan is living her life—dwindling as it is—to the fullest. She finds friends. She maybe even falls in love. And the more she peels back the layers of power, the more she realizes that for all their corruption the Necro are the only ones keeping the devils at bay. If she destroys them all, the veil between worlds will vanish and the devils will break free. Can she condemn the world to ruin to satisfy her need for vengeance?
Even if she changes her mind, Evan’s not the only one out for blood. Jack didn’t indenture himself for nothing. A contract cannot be broken, except at a devil’s mercy. And Jack has none.
