Hello!

If you’ve managed to find your way over to this newsletter, then I’d like to say thank you! This has been an idea I’ve been toying with for a while, and any interest (even just cursory) is very much appreciated.

What does this mean? What can you (as my lovely reader) expect to find in my newsletters?

I intend for this newsletter to be an accountability/update/peak behind the curtain. Very often I keep my writing process/writing news to myself because I had no good place to share it.

This is that place. Every month (or so), you’ll be able to see…

I’ll outline what I wrote/worked on regarding writing. Maybe this is a word count, maybe this is a general progress update, or maybe this is as simple as “I made a newsletter”

Either way, there’ll be something to add to this section.

For example, this month I’ve started the arduous task of redrafting “The Strings of Willis Manor”.

TSOWM was originally written and queried as a novella. It’s about an aro/ace chronically ill young woman that’s confined to the dark estate of Willis Manor. I loved what I did with it, and thought the novella-length made the story short and punchy.

However, the overwhelming feedback I got was that it was good as a novella, but could be great as a novel. One agent said “It’s currently at 60%, and I want to see 100%.”

I'm writing it out to be novel length, because maybe they’re right. OR, maybe they’re wrong. I’ll only know if I try it.

On top of that, I submitted an 850 word blurb to an anthology. I’m not sure if it’ll get in, but I’m proud of it nonetheless.

Oh, and I made a newsletter.

Who is Milo? Aside from the short “Writer and film tech who sometimes has A Thought” blurb, I’m very vague about the things going on in my life.

I’m a queer transman that uses he/xe pronouns. I’m also a Maritimer (East Coast of Canada).

I’m also a proud union member. IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada) represents film and theatre crew. The people behind the cameras (in my case) that help to put a production together.

You can expect some film talk in this section. I love film, but I love making films even more. It’s a passion of mine, just as much as writing is a passion of mine.

Funny enough, I actually don’t have any film stuff to talk about. Where I live, November to April is the off-season. Nobody likes shooting in the cold (can you blame them?) so I spend my winters holed up in my tiny apartment and focus on writing.

Instead, it’s writing news. On December 1, I got an email from an acquiring editor at an indie press. They read my sample pages, and want to see my full manuscript.

Y’all.

I called my boyfriend and freaked out. Now, it’s not a done-deal. They need to go over the full, and then determine if it’s something they want to work with. I’m trying really hard not to get my hopes, because if I’m rejected then it’ll be super painful.

But still.

Did you think I’d have a newsletter and not give folks something special to chew on? Come on now.

This could be newsletter exclusive character art, short stories, or first looks at cover reveals. Which all feels really ambitious for someone who’s starting their writing career.

Considering I have none of those things right now, I’ve instead very graciously attached a selfie. I hardly share photos of myself on places like Bluesky, so I figured you might want to see who the schmuck that’s writing out this newsletter.

So that’s what you get! I hope you stick around, should any of this seem interesting to you.

Cheers.