October was a real one...
October was a real one...
On embracing the good stuff (in spite of everything)
Dear Readers,
Happy Halloween!!
October 2023 was legendary!!
It’s easy to slip into a funk with the global state of affairs but cultivating joy in spite of external stressors is how I’m managing to keep myself in a positive mindset.
I attended my very first Comic Con at the Jatvis Center in New York. The place was packed!! Being invited to be on a panel at Comic Con was a major career high. Honestly, I thought things like this only happened to “other authors” so I was blown away when my publicist sent me the invitation to be on a panel “Creepy Kids: Thrills and Chills for Children and Teens. It was my first time on a panel with two amazing authors, Kalynn Bayron and Insha Fitzpatrick and we really had a good time with the audience questions, especially the younger ones who asked really pointed questions about villain characterization. Whew, no pressure!
My second event was a spooktacular event hosted by Barnes and Noble. There was lots of laughter and insight into writing horror and confronting fears through scary stories. The discussion hilariously segwayed into whether there was cannibalism in a certain plane crash episode of Greys Anatomy. (Seriously this is what happens when you put a bunch of imaginative horror/thriller writers together lol)
I didn’t know half of who these anime characters were but they grew a massive crowd!
I’m still drafting my contemporary Middle Grade project, The Other Side of Imani. Currently wrapping up Act 2 at 33,000 words but this project is a lesson in patience and fortitude!! When authors say each book is different and has it’s own process, believe them! I’m working with an outline but I’m still slowly feeling my way through the plot. I’m trying not to be too precious about the first draft but I am on deadline and also trying to produce a decent first draft.
My debut There’s No Way I’d Die First is the perfect, spooky Halloween read and I’m grateful to everyone who has read and shared on socials. I love to see the creative posts with TNWIDF on the timeline. Seeing a stack of my books on a table in a bookstore was such a special moment for me. I’m soaking up these moments because I don’t take any of it for granted.
In other news, my editor just approved my next YA Horror! Yay!!
I can’t wait to share more but I plan to dive into this project as soon as I turn in my MG draft. I’ll share more in future newsletters about how I outline my writing projects and about writing horror in general.
That’s all for now.
Take care of yourselves.
