Lexical Gap No. 53: Aroreretini
July 2024 summary
July has been the longest month.
And yet, despite this, it also has gone by in a blink.
The middle of the month I went to Columbus, OH, for the Columbus Book Festival, which I highly recommend. It was incredibly well-organized with great programming, with some amazing booths exhibiting wares, as well as live music! If you live in the Columbus area or the surrounding cities, I can’t encourage you enough to attend.
In my personal life, I’ve gotten back into taekwondo in a pretty big way. I first got into taekwondo in 2019 and earned my black belt in 2021, and then moved away from my original dojang. For 2 years I took a break (which perfectly coincided with Castor and Pollux’s puppy years) but finally took the plunge three months ago by joining another dojang. I’m the oldest student by several years, and I definitely feel every bit of my time away, but it’s good to be back. My new dojang honored my black belt, so I’ve picked up where I left off. In late July, I attended my first tournament and picked up third place for traditional forms. Not bad for a 39-year-old who only got back into the sport three months ago.
Oh, I also turned 39 in July.
That’s all the personal stuff, and the reason July seems to have gone in a blink.
The reason July has been the longest month has been *gestures vaguely* the US, and particularly that week of news that felt a decade long.
Sometimes we think of artists as existing only in the context of their art, that the outside world doesn’t affect us. That’s not true, of course, and I find myself affected by the current political landscape in ways that feel both distracting and…cautiously optimistic? I’ve always been politically conscious, even as a child, and I find myself being swept back into the worrying, analyzing, and constant fretting over decisions that feel both in and out of my control. It’s hard to carve out creative space for myself like this, and everyday I’m fighting my ADHD hyperfixation itch to check the news, check the discourse temperature, check my wildly divergent feelings about what’s to come in November. I have to remind myself to stay present. One day at a time. One day at a time.
In this issue
1. JJ’s magical world
2. Lexical gap
3. Events and appearances
4. This creative life
5. The Morning Realms Dispatch
6. What I’m reading
7. What I’m watching
8. Other things of note
lexical gap: aroreretini 🧩
Hey-o!
events and appearances 📅
Guardians of Dawn: Ami Launch Event
WHEN: Tuesday, August 6 at 6:30PM
WHERE: Bookmarks Bookstore, Winston-Salem, NC
If you live in the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina, come join me in launching Ami!
this creative life ✍🏻
Sometimes writing is a complete mystery to me. I’m frequently asked at signings and panels how I write a book, and the honest answer every time is I don’t know. I’m at the point where I’m gathering my thoughts about GUARDIANS 4 (how am I on book 4 already how), but the process by which I turn ideas into words is completely opaque. I’m six books deep into this entire publishing ordeal, and yet every time I start a new one I’m tempted to open up a browser tab and type “How do you write a book?” into the search bar.
There’s a lot of journaling and reflection to be had at this point. I know a few things about myself by now, my rituals and superstitions—namely that I don’t really have any. The one constant about my writing process has been that I can’t start a book without the right opening line. I don’t quite have that yet for book 4, but I can feel it percolating at the back of my mind, not quite fully formed, but almost. I wish I could force it, but I know that to force something is to kill it. So until the first line emerges, I have to be patient, to keep journaling, thinking, dreaming.
the morning realms dispatch 🌞
AHHH I can’t believe we’re almost at the release of AMI! My publisher is running a preorder campaign for all those who’ve purchased the books! In addition to a copy of the book, you’ll receive:
🌱 A Zhara sticker
🌱 An Ami sticker
🌱 A signed bookplate from yours truly
This is for US and CAN only. While supplies last!
what i’m reading 📖
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. After watching Longlegs (see below) I was in the mood for something akin to cosmic horror and someone recommended Annihilation which…good choice.
what i’m watching 📺
Longlegs. I will admit that I fell victim to the incredible marketing campaign here. Unfortunately the movie I watched was not the movie I wanted, but that doesn’t mean Longlegs was bad. I was just expecting something to make me feel existentially uncomfortable, and while the vibes of Longlegs were immaculate, it wasn’t the sort of horror I was wanting.
The Olympics! On a good day, I’m ambivalent about the United States as a whole, but every two years, when we show up and dominate on the world sports stage, I find my inner patriot.
Ami is out next week! Aaahhhhhhh!!!!!!
사랑해,
The design on the Taekwondo America medal looks pretty cool. And well done to you for earning it! :-)