Not much more than a quick update from me this month.
Since last autumn, I've mainly been focused on revising and querying a couple of projects, a part of the publishing process that can quickly drive even the most confident writer into the swamp of self-doubt and the treacherous waters of "Why do I bother?" I've been gradually getting back into the writing headspace with a few short stories, and this month I dove back into the novel I started last summer, which I've been mentally referring to as
90's Witch Book.
I'd be lying if I claimed that revisiting my teenage love of
The Craft
and the Secret Circle books wasn't a big part of the author appeal. At the same time, those of us who spend a lot of time online (most writers, I suspect) are marinating in a digital ecosystem full of what I've come to think of as 'nostalgia slop'. You've probably seen it in one form or another -- AI-riddled Facebook groups exhorting you to remember when we used to go out on our bikes all day with nary a smartphone in sight, or Instagram influencers showing off their perfectly curated retro homes and tips to jump on the analogue trend.
I certainly won't claim immunity to the charms of whimsigoth decor or
Buffy
fangirling. But (as author Hailey Piper discussed in a
earlier this week), there's a danger in looking back at the past
too
fondly. Willow and Tara and
But I'm a Cheerleader
were great, but the 90s were also the era of Section 28. The great bands that we associate with the (ugh) 'Cool Cymru' movement came out of communities still dealing with the aftereffects of Thatcherism. When we only remember the good parts of the past, it's easy to forget that progress has been made, and that it's still possible for things that seem set in stone to change for the better.
I don't have any particular answers when it comes to how artists should deal with this. I'm just trying to use this newsletter as a space to be honest about the writing process -- warts, uncertainties and all -- and this is something I'll be trying to hold in mind while I write. Though that won't stop me from digging out the Hole and PJ Harvey albums and having a good old reminisce, either.
Writing news
The cat is now out of the bag, so I think I'm okay to talk about this now. I have a story in the forthcoming anthology
from Wizard's Tower Press!
Maen Nhw Yma o Hyd
is a collection of stories about community resistance, all based in Welsh mythology, and Wizard's Tower is an independent SFF press based in Wales. Which probably makes it obvious the project was right up my street.
"Incoming" draws on the Pembrokeshire folklore of the Plant Rhys Dwfn, sea-dwelling people who cultivate magical herbs. It takes place in an off-season seaside town that has been hollowed out by tourism, where the sea-dwellers begin coming ashore, driven out of their home by pollution. A lonely bartender decides to help them out -- and in doing so, finds the community he thought he'd lost.
The release date is TBA, but there are still some late rewards available on the
, if you'd like to support!
What I've been reading
Last year I read and loved
Butter
by Asako Yuzuki. The follow-up,
Hooked
, is a rather more streamlined affair that delves into many of the same themes. A successful businesswoman who has always struggled to make female friends becomes parasocially attached to a chilled-out housewife blogger, and soon finds herself spiralling into obsession. Like
Butter
, it combines sharp observations about the pressures on contemporary women with ominous undercurrents. So far, I like it a lot.
What I've been watching
Last night I took a break from my
Sopranos
viewing for the Charlize Theron/Taron Egerton thriller,
Apex.
Watchable enough, though I have Thoughts about the near-absence of local wildlife from the film.
What I've been listening to
A friend got me listening to Dry Cleaning earlier this year, and their recent Cardiff gig was great -- sharp, hypnotic, and far more suited to live performance than you might expect.
That's all from me for this month.
'Til next time.
JL