In many ways 2026 has been a one-two punch of emotions. That glorious, weightlessness before a drop. The moment when you could tip into chaos, or control. I’ve felt it skiing before tucking myself down for speed, and in the second after I leapt from the trapeze platform, and most recently while gripping the wheel when my tires slipped on ice (I’m fine, Mom, everyone’s fine.) And I feel it now as I catapult into all of the hard and exciting things this year has already brought, the tipping point where anything—everything—is possible. Schrödinger's Fall, if you will.
I also received a call that my day job was starting up again and to hit the road the next morning. We’re prepping all the machines for the year’s work, scraping and needling rust, priming, painting, oil changes, swapping plows for summer tires. My hands ache, my back aches, my feet ache. It’s good to be working again, especially after such a lean winter (they still pay for plasma, by the way, if you’re in a tough spot) but any change in schedule in this household is rather like turning a cargo ship, and we all recall the Ever Given. Working seasonal jobs has given me a deeper sense of yearly cycles and the minute changes that come with warmer days.
Every two years I get this spiritual itch, this need for change. It’s looked like switching schools, switching companies, switching careers, and one memorable and perhaps over-simplified time, a divorce. This time, it looks like closing my micropress and accepting an amazing phone call this week. I have incredibly, incredibly exciting news to share, and I will do as soon as I can—trust me, I’m gnashing at the bit right now.
Oh, the biennial head shave is just the outward symbol of all these shifts.
Part of untangling three dozen titles during the press separation involves uploading my books to new accounts. While this is one of the last steps, the frustrating part is that Amazon has no easy way to do this, so all of my previously published books are currently without reviews. I’m in the email trenches with their support teams, however we all know how our evil overlords are with small businesses. To that end, if you’ve read and enjoyed my work, it would mean the absolute world to me if you popped over there and left a short review or even just a rating for whatever books you loved in my Nel Bently series or the Blood of Titans. I’ve my fingers crossed that in the next month all my previous reviews will migrate over.
Today is the last day you can grab the Queer Short Story Bundle on Itch.io, a dozen shorts and novelettes available for just $10. Find your next favorite author and help support queer writers during this tough time. It would be incredible if we could double our goal for this!
One of my reasons for this change in focus is helping out our neighbors. I’ve picked up baking for Lasagna Love recently. There’s a place for everyone in revolution. I’ll continue to share organizations and mutual aid requests here. If you know of any other let me know and I can add them to the list!
BOOKSHELF
I snagged Chuck Tingle’s Bury Your Gays at a local indie bookstore while waiting to get lunch the other week and it’s a delightful trip into Hollywood and Tingle’s brand of gay horror. For you lovely readers, I have two sales this month, plus the Queer Short Story Tasting Menu.
Until we chat again, happy reading and take good care,
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