I'm Joining Substack
Hi! I've decided to join the Substack community.
Why?
Because I've always wanted to support myself through my writing, and my hope is this will be a space where I can do that -- and meet fellow travelers, build community, and share experiences and insights along the way.
Research and Writing
I am early in the process of writing a historical novel or, more accurately, an interpretation of a historic event through a fictionalized lens. I’ll post here about the research and writing, although at least for the moment I plan to remain vague about the specific event on which my novel focuses. As the project progresses, I might share some novel excerpts and source notes with paid subscribers.
I’ll talk about challenges I face as I write and about interesting things I learn. Today, for example, I found out how fish were salted in the pre-industrial era. (It was a two-week process that entailed stretching them out on frames in the sun and enduring a rather unpleasant odor.) I love learning random information like this and discovering what I didn’t even know I didn’t know!
I’m also trying to balance a full-time career, a relationship, and critters (although no kids) with my writing aspirations, so I’ll address some of those challenges here, too. Maybe you can learn from my struggles. Maybe you have wisdom to share. Maybe you just need to know you aren’t alone when you don’t feel like writing in the evening after you’ve stared at a computer all day at the office. (Sometimes you just need your jammies, your dog, a mug of tea, and ACOTAR. I get it.)
Other Topics That Aren’t Writing
I am a multifaceted human being (as are we all), so I can’t promise every post will be “on-brand.” I love nature and animals, and I’m sure I’ll babble about the funny thing my dog did or the deer we startled on a hike or the elephant I fed at the zoo.
I am deeply spiritual, often with more questions than answers, and my experiences with religion and spirituality inform my novel-in-progress in ways I might unpack here (or I might not…these are intensely personal parts of my story).
I’m also a bit Goth, so there might be some posts about the dark decor I scored at the thrift store or the band I’m obsessed with this week. But really…those Goth sensibilities also show up in the novel. So maybe I’m more of a brand than I want to admit.
Finally, I’m an avid reader, so you can count on book recommendations! I read widely and voraciously. I want to be positive, so I will only feature books I appreciate and feel confident recommending — the goal is never to criticize or minimize other writers’ work.
So, to sum up…
if you want to accompany me through the process of researching and writing a historical novel…
if you love inspiring nature reflections and cute animal anecdotes…
if you’re curious about how an author’s experiences shape the way they interpret history…
if you’re looking for reading material…
if you’re bored and find me entertaining…
please subscribe!