And some upcoming appearances!

Hello!

I was worried that I wouldn’t have much to say in this newsletter now that Girl, Inc. is out in the world, but I have tons to tell you about!

Including a couple upcoming appearances! (!!!)

All Things Girl, Incorrupted

Spotted in the Wild!

The Horror Writers Association included a Girl, Incorrupted press release in their Quick Bites newsletter. You can see it here. (Click and then scroll down; it’s at the bottom.)

A Funny Story…

While I was on my release-day walk around Portland, I went to Powell’s Books, and they let me take an aspirational photo of Girl, Incorrupted in the #1 Bestseller spot.

Oh, yeah.

My plan was to post the pic to all the places, but it took two employees—the concierge and the manager—to decide that it was okay for me to take the photo,1 so now I feel weird about posting it. I don’t want to ruin the idea for other people who might want an aspirational photo, you know? I don’t want to take advantage of the store’s kindness. (Although… the plan was to take the picture, post it online, and then tag Powell’s with a thank you—while also letting them know how they could help me make the aspiration real: Add the book to your stock, Powell’s! So I’m not totally against taking advantage, just not in a way that might ruin the aspirational aspect for others. You know? Anyhoo…)

So now I have this picture that I’m not sure I want to post, but I totally do want to post it. So I’m sharing it with you. So thank you for being here. 😊

Looks good, yeah? Like it belongs?

I totally agree. (Oh, Powell’s…)

I had to take down a copy of the #1 book2 in order to make room for Girl, Inc. on the shelf, but I couldn’t really reach, and so this older gentleman offered to take it down for me.

“Thanks,” I said. And then I reached into my bag and pulled out Girl, Inc.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” the guy said. “Now, hold on there. I don’t want to get in trouble.”3

So I explained to him that I’d asked first, and I pointed out the concierge and the manager, who were both keeping a very close eye on me and, as the SO tells it, second-guessing their decision to let me take the photo. (“It’s aspirational, right? That’s okay, right?”)

The guy still put up his hands and backed away from me, giving me the adult version of the stranger-danger look. I don’t want no trouble.

And so, with employees and customers alike in a serious state of befuddlement, I whipped out my phone as fast as I could, snapped the shot, jumped to put the #1 book back the way I’d found it, and skedaddled on out of there with my scandalous photo.

Worth it. Totally worth it.

Help me make it real—with your review!

Have you had a chance to acquaint yourself with Daphne and Fausten and the rest of the gang yet?4 Well, when you’re done, will you please leave a review on the website of the place where you got it and on Goodreads?

Okay, okay… and on Amazon, if you didn’t get it from Amazon?5

I would really appreciate it.

Here’s the thing: Reviews—or their absence—seem to make or break a book, and though I’m doing everything I can possibly think of to make Girl, Inc a success… I can’t do anything about reviews.

But you can.

What Else I’ve been Up to

Halloween Haunts Post

I submitted a post to the HWA’s Halloween Haunts series. It’s a sort of horror story essay thing. It’s scheduled to post on October 13th. Which also happens to be Friday the 13th. Some say ominous; I say auspicious!

You should be able to find the post here when it goes live:

Or click the button now and see what other folk in the HWA community are up to.

Horror Realm Interview

I’ve been invited to do an interview with Travis Bruce, on Horror Realm. It’s a podcast/youtube channel thing. The interview is scheduled for October 18th. I’m not sure when it’s scheduled to post, but I’m assuming within twenty-four hours, probably?

Here’s the channel:

I’ll include direct links to both the post and the interview in next month’s newsletter, but if you happen to check them out before then and you find them worthy of sharing, please do!

All Things Current Project

I’m working on a couple things right now and I’m making progress (yay!), so that’s all I’m going to say about that.

(What? Aren’t all writers somewhat superstitious? )

What I’ve Been Reading

I’m getting into the Halloween spirit with some middle grade short stories! They’re actually better than that makes it sound, so if you’re looking for a(nother? 😉) fun way to get into the mood of the season, check out the anthologies Don’t Turn Out the Lights and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. (You can probably find both at your library.)

Links to books are affiliate links.6

Winnie Pug Update

Winnie’s hammock was put away this month. She was very unhappy about it, but then we started reading in the giant beanbag, and she thought that was an okay compromise. Not as good as being outside with the birds and the bees and the sticks, but better than being upstairs, staring at the wall all day.

On one of those staring-at-the-wall days, I managed to sneak this pic. (The secret is to pretend that you don’t see her, that you’re messing with your phone for some other reason.) If you can’t tell, she’s got her chin on gumby’s arm and her nose pressed against the red strap. I love it.

Good To Knows

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Thank you for reading! Talk to you again soon!