Here We Go Again

My previous newsletter was with Substack and lasted a few months before their willingness to advertise and monetise white supremacists encouraged me to make the decision to get the hell off that platform. From then I wasn’t exactly in any rush to make another. Partly because I’d only managed to draw in one subscriber before, and partly because my mind cast all kinds of doubt.

However, seeing my fellow Codexians sharing their wonderful newsletters kicked that imposter syndrome in the arse, and kicked my own arse into making another attempt. There’s not much to be shared, but we all have to start somewhere, and at some point, don’t we?

Announcements

You might have already seen me yammering about my most recent stories on Bluesky or Codex, but, if not, then here’s a short rundown:

“Keep Calm and Smile” was released earlier this May over on Creepy Podcast, a gruesome tale about smiling. Who would have guessed that? Content warnings include blood and gore, including mouth/dental procedures.

Another May release was “Sandman’s Loam” from Dark Holme Publishing and follows a young woman seeking answers to her mother’s disappearance in the Sandman. Content warnings include death and memory loss. This one took over 30 submissions and 3 years before finding a home in this Twisted Tales anthology.

I also have another story coming out about a leech collector in nineteenth century Scotland, and it features selkies. You will be able to read “What We Gather” when published by Nocturne Magazine sometime this October.

Recommendations

Considering my reading pace has decreased exponentially over the years—at least when novels and novellas are concerned—there are not many recommendations to be had on that front. There are two, however.

One being the first instalment in the epic fantasy series of the same name, The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang. Imagine my excitement when BorrowBox loaned me a copy, especially when this title has been horrendously overdue on my part. While a touch slow, and featuring quite a bit of summarised history, this was still an awesome introduction into Kuang’s work. People summoning gods? Hell yeah. Looking forward to the second book.

Another was Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland, who also wrote the thoroughly enjoyable Sistersong. Again, this novel felt a little sluggish, but that may have been because it too was about wars and politics like my previous read; however, the story had me researching the driving force that was the folklore and setting. Plus, it was sapphic, and I’m all about that.

There’s more to be recommended when it comes to short fiction. For starters, you can count me in whenever Thomas Ha publishes anything. That includes his latest Clarkesworld story “The Sort,” which delves beautifully into neurodivergence and a father-son relationship as they transverse through an odd desert town.

The Hugo Awards also got me acquainted with Naomi Kritzer, winner of the short fiction and novelette categories for her story “Better Living Through Algorithms,” which was an interesting take on kindness through technology. I went on to read some more of her work, and “Cat Pictures Please” was one of her stories that has stuck with me (also published in Clarkesworld) as an artificial intelligence strives to help people through their issues.

Scouring through Nightmare Magazine’s archives led me to Joanna Parypinski’s dark fiction. All of her works were enjoyable reads, but “Dead Worms, Dangling” was particularly chilling.

Other

I’m working on a soft science fiction story that includes farming and little robots and memories. I’m hoping it will be ready for submission come the September’s newsletter, but we shall see.

I also recently wrote a blog post on Scottish folklore, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Find more of my work over on my portfolio. You can also find me on Bluesky. Alternatively, check out my Linktree for more socials and how you can support me. Thank you for reading this newsletter, and here’s to many more!

Post thumbnail by Isai Ramos on Unsplash.