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Last month, I shared with you that Liza Palmer had passed away.
Just after this, the world lost another brilliant writer and instructor, Lalana Dararutana, known also as Piper J. Drake. She was a beloved member of the Writing Excuses community for nearly ten years, and her loss is profound.
I invite you to read her obituary written by Piper’s husband, Matthew, and I hope you will pick up one of her books, or contribute to a charity that she loved, including Writing the Other, Coral Gardners, and Clarion West.
I hope that the words, wisdom, and generosity of both Liza and Piper remain in the world, carried forward by each of us.
MRK’s Mundane Moments
Here’s a quick snapshot of what I’m…
- Crafting: Mint Leaf top
- Reading: Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
- Writing: The effort to not snap made my voice singsong with sugar.
- Watching: The Count of Monte Cristo on PBS
- Enjoying: Fox hoodie from Nyahallo (It’s so stupidly cute)
Noteworthy News
I took a vacation! Yes. I cancelled regular meetings. I stayed at home and caught up on things I’ve been meaning to do. I went to movies and out to eat, treating Denver like we are tourists.
So I don’t have any news, but I do have a request.
Elsie is enrolled in a study out of the University of California San Diego. It’s the largest animal communication study ever done, with over 10,000 animals enrolled. And… I just found out that they run out of funding at the end of the year.
The US just isn’t really funding science right now.
I asked the principal investigator, Dr. Federico Rossano, what they needed. He said they’ve been working with about $20k per year but to fund it the way it would be done in Europe would be $400k, which would mostly allow him to hire more graduate research assistants. So basically, he wants to be able to pay people a reasonable wage.
Would you consider donating to the study?
Upcoming Events
I have several signings, conferences, and other opportunities for connection coming up. I’d love to see you at one (or more!)
- Every Sunday, 11 AM ET: Make Me Write session for Patreon subscribers at that tierJune 29 at 8 PM ET: Anyone on the Live-streaming Classes tier or above on Patreon is invited to my “Which POV is the right one?” class.
- June 9 at 8 PM ET: Join me via my Q&A tier (or above) on Patreon for an ask me anything-style conversation.
- July 11-12 in Warsaw, Poland: Featured author at the Bazyliszek Fantasy Festival
- July 16 in Denver, CO: Jennifer K. Lambert is coming to the Tattered Cover location on East Colfax, and I’ll be in conversation with her.
- July 30-August 2 in Indianapolis, IN: Author panelist and instructor at the Gen Con Writers Symposium
- August 20 in Pittsburgh, PA: I’ll be reading from the new Tales from a Space Bar anthology including my own contribution.
- September 3-11 in Seattle, OR: I’m an instructor on the final (for now) Writing Excuses Cruise. Join the other hosts of the podcast and me as we sail to Alaska.
- October 15 in Aspen, CO: I’m joining the Aspen Writers to talk about SFF with gathered attendees.
- October 21-25 in Surrey, BC: I love this conference so much! See my schedule here.
- February 4-6, 2027 in Colorado Springs, CO: I’m looking forward to being a Superstars Writing Seminar instructor in 2027!
- April 30-May 3, 2027 in Albuquerque, NM: I return as a featured instructor at Sandia Starforgers workshop and retreat for SFF writers, along with Sarah Gailey and Premee Mohamed.
What I’m Reading and Loving
Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim is one of the most powerful debut novels I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. It began blowing my mind from the first page as it explores self and the way memory and experience shapes us. It’s about diaspora and regret and longing.
In this version of our world, when you cross a border you have a chance of instatiating — ie becoming two versions of yourself. One who goes and one who stays. Becoming an Instance is like quantum mechanics in human form. Throughout the book, we get glimpses of the way instances have been woven into the history of the world with excerpts of folk tales, the Odyssey and Genesis. And all of that is before we get to the deeply human POV characters.
I started recommending this book before I was finished with it and then Isabel stuck the landing. Holy cow. It’s so good.
This section shares an affiliate link, and I earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. This doesn’t increase your cost; it simply helps support my work.
Featured Patreon Event
Live-streaming Class: “Which POV Is the Right One?”
Tuesday, June 29 at 8 PM ET
You’ve got a great idea for a story but don’t know if you should be writing in 1st person or 3rd person. Or maybe you have a story with multiple POVs. How do you decide which character’s eyes to show a particular scene through. Sometimes it’s all about vibes but… sometimes there are things to be gained from one POV over another. We’ll look at some tools to help you make these decisions and do some exercises to put theory into practice.
I offer a 7-day free trial for new Patreon members.
Elsie’s Corner
Why is Elsie a sweater girl?
After we do a day of travel, Elsie often doesn’t want her harness taken off until we’ve been there for a while. I think she finds comfort in it.
And without buttons, I would definitely never have known that she likes to wear clothes.
This video is a recent example of such a situation.
(And, if you are new to Elsie’s lingo, she’s been using LITTERBOX for years as a curse word. It seems to mean “this is some bullshit.”)
Want to start your own communication journey with your animal? Click this link and use the code “elsiewant” for 12% off FluentPet buttons.
This is an affiliate link and I earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. This doesn’t increase your cost; it simply helps support my work. And my tiny cat.
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