May was...rough. The thing about bipolar disorder is that you can’t control anything about it. Not when the moods strike, shift, or turn. I was manic in February, but I have been in a depressed phase since March. How rude. Why can’t bipolar disorder give me 1:1 time spent on each phase? I’m so very tired of biking uphill.
I’m on deadline for the next draft of GUARDIANS 2 and the one-two punch of bipolar disorder and ADHD isn’t making my life any easier. Neither are my dogs, as much as I love them. Do I regret getting two puppies? No. Well, maybe a little. I miss having more disposable income and not having to pay $6000+ to replace a broken window (the dog is fine, our wallet not so much). I also miss having spare emotional space; Castor and Pollux are high energy and high strung and need a lot of attention.
It’s a good thing they’re cute though. And snuggly. And hilarious, even if they are chaos clowns.
I hope the road flattens out again in June. I have a lot of stuff to do (and even more stuff I want to share!) and I’m going to need all the bandwidth I can get.
Soon.
Soon.
In this issue:
Personal
Lexical Gap: Leucocholy
Writing updates
The Morning Realms Dispatch
Stuff you might have missed
What I’m watching
What I’m listening to
Other things of note
🧩 lexical gap: leucocholy
According to Merriam-Webster, leucocholy (noun) is a state of feeling that accompanies preoccupation with trivial and insipid diversions.
Oh look, an accurate of description of my neurodivergent brain!
✍🏻 writing updates
It is really weird to be working on book 2 of a series when the first one hasn’t come out yet. I’ve heard ADHD described as time blindness, and publishing doesn’t help things. What year is it? Where am I in the story? What do people know? What can I share? When? GAAAH.
🌞 the morning realms dispatch
WILL I BE ABLE TO SHARE ANYTHING. I HAVE SO MUCH NEWS, Y’ALL. SO MUCH STUFF. AAAAH.
In mean time, here’s a little sketch of Zhara I did!
other things 🔥
The Morning Realms Dispatch No. 8: Dragon Age, or it doesn’t always have to be grim
The Guardians Gazette No. 5: On himbos. For my 절친 only.
✨ stuff you might have missed
Wintersong is named as one of New York Times’ 6 Great Y.A. Fantasy Books. (Thanks so much to Tracy Deonn!)
Negative capability: Community. For my 절친 only.
📖 what i’m reading
Story Genius by Lisa Cron. I am the stage in revisions where I read any and every book on craft in the hopes I will find the magic bullet that will make the work of writing easier.
💾 other things of note
TV is about to Change. Forever. Maher, Jackson. Skip Intro. YouTube, May 2023.
I don’t have a lot of updates for May, as it seems the vast majority disappeared down the memory hole. Here’s hoping June brings me some relief.