Hello!

Welcome back, or welcome in!

I’m nervous for 2026, for reasons I’ll get into. I hope they’re mostly good nerves, but it can be pretty hard to tell these days.

Would you believe me if I said that I actually made really good writing progress, despite the holidays?

Trust me, I’m shocked too.

I’m steadily working on my redraft of my novella “The Strings of Willis Manor” and I’m actually really enjoying the slow pace I’m taking with this project. I’ve been working on it in some capacity for about 2 years at this point, so it’s not something I’m scared I’ll drop. I know I’ll always have a home in those dusty halls.

Back in November I participated in a NaNoWriMo-esque event on BlueSky. My project of choice was a t4t horromance about vampires and werewolves. While I had a lot of fun with the characters, I found the story itself to be a bit lacking, and by the last week I had come to the conclusion that it would need a complete rewrite.

I thought a while about why. Around the same time last year (November 2024), I was working on an urban fantasy dieselpunk about a world in which people had (essentially) magic. I felt a lot of the same emotions about a lacking story with that one too.

It was as I was comparing these two very different stories that I was able to figure out why. Both of these stories have very strong characters, and very strong world-building, but the initial hook is painfully weak. Even from the conceptual phase, I imagined the characters themselves before the stories.

In retrospect, it’s a “Yeah no shit” realization, but at the time I blew my own mind. I’m very much someone who needs to hook myself with a plot.

So where does that leave my writing? Well I’ve got one constant redraft, two projects on the backburner until I feel up to the challenge of reworking them in their entirety…

…and the outline of a new one.

Listen I just go where the ideas are, and right now I’ve got a very strong hook that I can’t help but follow.

In total I plan to:

(If any of the ideas I briefly described sound interesting, please feel free to ask any and all questions! I’m always happy to talk stories, even if it’s some I’ve put on hiatus)

The end of my December was spent trying to be as offline as possible.

I spent time with friends, family, and my darling of a boyfriend. He’s currently living in the UK on a work contract, so the 10 days he was able to spend with me were delightful.

Work is quiet this time of year. I won’t start hearing about contracts or gigs probably until March or April. For me, winter means hibernation and coasting by on my EI (unemployment income, for those non-Canadians out there).

At the time of writing this newsletter, I haven’t heard back from the editor that expressed interest back in December. I would’ve been shocked if I did hear back (because of the holidays) so I’m not all that worried.

Online there’s been some interest in my story, which I very much appreciate. I find it hard to remember that I’m an actually decent writer sometimes.

My life is very quiet right now, and I’m enjoying the peace. I’m very lucky to be able to just enjoy my hobbies. I cherish these slow days because very soon they’ll turn into work chaos.

If you didn’t catch it on BlueSky, the lovely @yourdeadprince did a commission for me!

I’m screaming crying and throwing up. This is so pretty and so good UGH.

But that’s available for most to see and I want to give something special. For this month, here’s an excerpt from “The Strings of Willis Manor”

Not for the first time in my life, I wanted to be anywhere but on the estate property. Even the most inhospitable place would've been better than the oppressive walls.

Trying to get the feeling of being watched off of the back of my neck, I stepped inside the nearest servant's closet and put my back to the wall.

The closet was only big enough to turn around in. It sported a broom with a dustpan, a few shelves along the back wall that were stocked with cleaning supplies, and a handful of empty pegs where aprons were to be hung when not in use. A single light bulb over my head flickered, and the thick coating of dust only made the space feel smaller.

I leaned my head back, breathed as deep as I could to settle my nerves. Emotions untethered from thoughts swirled behind my closed eyes. To go from a world in stagnation to sudden, terrible change was worse than I could admit to myself.

Light spilling across my face made me jump. I squinted against the brightness from the hallways as the door swung open, and half-formed excuses or biting comments immediately danced on my tongue.

Andromeda stepped in the closet, and closed the door behind her. She had to press herself flat against the other wall, but even that didn't afford either of us much space.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed. Even standing, she was taller than me, and I had to tilt my head up to meet her eyes.

She scoffed, "Why are you stuffed in a closet?"

"I need a place to breathe." We were much closer than what was polite, but I didn't mind. Her face was a few centimeters away, and the warmth radiating off her body was a welcome reprieve from the chill of the manor.

Her cheeks dimpled as she smiled, "Funny place to do that."

We stood there for a moment, ones inhale the others exhale. Breathing in the comfort of each other, our bodies not quite touching but so close that we could trick ourselves that they were.

She studied my face for a long while, and I hers. The dim, flickering light of the closet made the freckles on her cheeks look like stars. Her eyes, so full of beauty and life, were warm pools that invited me to stay awhile.

I wanted to remain in that not-quite embrace for as long as our shared breathing would allow.

Andromeda cup my cheek, her thumb gently sweeping the bags under my eyes. I leaned my head just slightly into the touch, and her fingers traced along the side of my jaw.

"I wish we could spend more time like this." Her words were barely audible, spoken for me and me alone.

I tried my best to smile, "Why can't we?"

Her smile, in turn, was a grieving one. She didn't answer my question, choosing instead to watch the planes of my face in silence.

In small increments, her eyes welled with tears. Her bottom lip quivered the slightest bit, and when she took a breath, it was accompanied by a hiccup.

"It's easier just to lie back and let things happen. An angry man is a horror to live with, so try to anticipate his needs. Memorize him and his habits, know him better than yourself. Become an extension. You must keep hobbies, anything to distract yourself, but you must keep them quiet and out of sight. Please, my sweet, do not lose yourself. Lock yourself away in your body, in a deep place where he can never reach." Andromeda spoke with the husk of her animated voice.

I grabbed the hand held against my face, "Is this what you have to do?"

Again, she didn't answer, simply letting the silence speak for her. It was worse than a confirmation. The dead weight of truth was stifling.

Moving her hand from my face, I turned it over. As gently as I could, I planted a kiss on her palm. Curling her fingers into a fist, I kissed her knuckles as well.

The door swung open, cutting a sharp line of light from the hallway through our moment.

Andromeda startled, immediately removing her hand from mine, as the panic streaked through her eyes. She stepped back as much as was possible in the cramped space.

"Hiding yourself away in a closet?" The scratchy voice of Mistress Marrow tsked, "I shouldn't be surprised."

My gaze remained on Andromeda. Mistress Marrow was unworthy of the briefest of attention, especially when compared to the young woman in front of me.

Andromeda, with her sparkling eyes and dimpled smile. Andromeda, with her boundless creativity and daring wit. Andromeda, forced to be quiet and carefully tucked away within herself.

She stumbled out of the closet, shrinking away from touching me as much as possible. The chasm of the space she left behind yawned open, and the enormity of the loss ached.

Ugh I love this story. I’ve been working on it for a really long time (as far as my own projects go) but it never gets old for me. I hope you enjoyed!

I was really nervous about starting a newsletter. It felt like an egotistical assumption to make that people would read my musings.

For those that took interest; I cannot express enough how appreciative I am that you read what I have to say. Truly, thank you.

That’s it for me this month. I’ll catch you all in a few weeks!

Cheers.