Hello dear readers,

I write to you today from our kitchen counter, my new ceramic pumpkin mug beside me, full of chai tea. Today is one of those days that I need a change of scenery to get the words moving, and so I’ve found myself here, on the newly-painted wood stools.

Over the past few months, I’ve been annoyingly secretive about a certain something going on in my life, and today I finally get to tell you what that secret is: I have a literary agent! And not only that, the day that you’re reading this, my book will be going out on submission!¹.

This is something I’ve wanted for the majority of my life, though I wasn’t willing to admit it until rather recently². I might one day share here the long-winded version of how I got to this point (right now it lives over on patreon), but for now I’ll just say that it took a lot of hard work to get here, but I’m glad I finally arrived.

What this means is that I now have to play the waiting game, and be patient while doing it. I am not a naturally patient person—I like to do things right now once I’ve gotten them in my head—but I’m also of the mind that if something is right for me, then it will happen in its own time³.

On the topic of writing, I’m this close to finishing the first draft of another novel, one that smells of libraries and storms, where a farmhouse looms against a golden field. The original goal was to have it 100% complete before November⁴, but I think I’m going to have to settle for the fact I’ll likely need to do one more pass once NovNov has wrapped up. But that’s fine! Storytelling takes time.

As well: my second poetry collection, Get Well Soon, is available beginning September 16th. If I could describe it in just a few words, I’d use: sussurus; velvet; murmur; lilt; vestigial. Do with that what you will.

And while not writing-related, a note to remind you that I’ve begun making Youtube videos again! I am a storyteller at heart, and while I love writing novels (and will never stop doing it) I also adore telling stories through longer-form videos. So far I’ve posted one video, but another releases Thursday afternoon, and a third is in the works. 

That’s all from me today. Hopefully soon I’ll have more writing news to share, but until then: I hope you’re well, and that you’re writing, and that your stories are coming easy to you.

Until next time,

—Catherine

FOOTNOTES

¹ If you don’t know, going out on submission just means that the agent begins sending the submission package (manuscript, pitch letter, author bio, etc.) to a curated list of editors they think could be interested in the novel.

² I kept telling myself I didn’t want it because I was afraid of being seen. But I’m no longer afraid of that!

³ Being a human and existing through its dichotomies is so fun! I love it so much!!

⁴ I’m taking part in Pro Writing Aid’s Novel November this year; I already have the bones of the story I’m going to write, although now I’m torn between two different ideas I came up with.. We’ll see which one wins out this year.

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