And some book recs!

Hello!

I hope you’re enjoying summer (or winter, if you’re way down south).

My spot on the globe had a couple hot weeks a while ago, in the hundreds, but as I write this it’s been in the high 70s. Perfection. I’ve been spending a lot of time writing out on the back deck and reading beneath the maple trees in the hammock. Like I said: Perfection!

I’ve got some book recs for you this time out and some other fun updates, so let’s just get to it!

All Things Girl, Incorrupted

We’ve got some new subscribers (Hello! I’m so thrilled you’re here!), and someone who’s been here a while told me recently that she just discovered the short story (🤔 May I suggest you check your subscription settings1), so I thought I might repost all the things…

Girl, Incorrupted

Girl, Incorrupted is a love-horror story about what can go wrong when we insist on making things go right.

Girl, Incorrupted is available all over the place:

• find it on Amazon and Bookshop.org and most retailers.

• get it directly from me (the printer, anyway) for 20% off.

• request it from your local library. Here’s how to do that.

• sample it first: read the first 100 pages right here.

And if you already know you love it and want more, you can dig in further with:

The Short Story

This is a prequel to Girl, Inc that fills in some of the details about how the “monster” came to be so.

The short story is available exclusively right here, and you can read it free, as a blog post or a pdf.

I think the short story is best read after Girl, Incorrupted, but you do you…

The Look Book

The Look Book is like a glossy, twenty-page fashion season preview—except its digital and teases a book.

The Secret Page

The Secret Page is a page dedicated to Girl, Incorrupted, full of fun things like character sheets, printable bookmarks, a map of the book’s real-world locations, instructions for making some of the story’s key magical items, a music playlist . . . a bunch of stuff. Find the password in the back of the book. 😉

I had a lot of fun putting all this stuff together, so I hope you check it out and enjoy!

What Else I’ve Been Up To

I made bread! Sourdough bread! Einkorn sourdough bread, in fact. And I made it with a starter that I also made from scratch! I’m so proud of myself. Here’s my first attempt:

As you can see, it did not rise. Sourdough (I’ve learned) is something you sort of have to plan for. But this was my first time, and I had decided to make it spur of the moment, because I had just learned that the day would be cool enough to use the oven. So I wasn’t fully dialed in with the complex timing of all the steps. That, and I sort of first learned about levain2 while reading the directions, so I’m pretty sure I messed that up too. And my starter was new, only two weeks old, which matters, apparently. So, yeah, it didn’t rise. But it was still yummy. 100% Whole Wheat, and it was still yummy. In fact, it was gone a few hours after we cut into it. Einkorn is amazing.

What I’ve Been Reading

Been reading lots of nonfiction (book research) lately, but here are the novels I read since talking to you last:

Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz – This is the most recent book, the fourth or fifth in the series. The author, Anthony Horowitz, fictionalizes himself as a character, a Watson-like author character, who’s writing a book about a case being solved by a Holmes-like character. I particularly love the seasoned writer’s perspective and insights that the series offers, and the mysteries are fun too.

Eruption, an unfinished Michael Crichton book that James Patterson finished. This was good. It’s definitely a Patterson book more than a Crichton book, meaning that I thought it was missing much of the depth you find in a Crichton book, but I read it in one day, so it obviously wasn’t all bad. In fact, after this I went on a bit of a Patterson spree…

Holmes, Marple, and Poe by James Patterson and a co-writer – This was fun. I’m not super familiar with Holmes, Marple or Poe, so I probably missed out on some of the easter eggs, but even still I thought it was fun. Basically three characters inspired by Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, and Edgar Allen Poe form a detective agency and solve unsolvable crimes. Each of the characters has some depth in their backstory which made them very rootable. Easy reading. This is the first in a series, and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the next one.

The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson – This was interesting. It’s been out a while, so I’m late to the party, and chances are you’ve already read it. I enjoyed the peek into a president’s head. And the story’s main problem was fascinating to ponder.

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano – This is the fourth book in a series that’s like hanging out with a friend, kinda like the Stephanie Plum books. It’s about a divorced mom-of-two writer (and her sidekick nanny) who, in the first book, gets mistaken for an assassin and accidently kills a guy and the funny consequences that ensue. Unlike the Plum books, which you can largely read out of order, the Finlay books build on each other, those funny consequences getting bigger and bigger. So if you’re interested in reading them, I’d start with the first one.

Links to books are affiliate links.3

ICYMI

Give Me a Hand?

The Secret Page

The Look Book

Appearances

Winnie Pug Update

Winnie Pug was invited to her (and my) very first play date!

This is Norman. He’s a miniature Schnauzer, about a year old. His mom recognized a kindred spirit in Winnie Ruckus and asked us to come over and wear him out. We’ve gotten together a few times now. Norman’s mom says he’d love to be chased, but he’s the one who does the chasing. He chases Winnie all around the yard. It’s wonderful. He tuckers her out and gives her a feel for being on the receiving end of her own behavior. It’s amazing just how much she’s mellowed out since spending time with him.

They had their first couple sessions early in the morning during a local hot spell, when temperatures rose into the hundreds. (We’re not used to that here, in the PNW.) So this is them resting together in the shade.

So happy.

Since you’ve made it this far…

Comment “Secret Page!” so I know you’re with me!

Good To Knows

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Thank you for reading! Talk to you again soon!