The Multi-Tasking Queen Drops a Few Balls!
How many puns about balls can you create?
First things first…
I know I haven’t written anything here since last August… and yet people keep signing up for the Museletter. I appreciate you. And yes, I mean that. I guess the benefit of signing up means you know you won’t be consistently bombarded with emails, right?
Honestly… I delete so many emails for things I’ve subscribed to automatically simply because I see the same names in my email over and over and over again. I cannot stand getting multiple emails and I’ve always promised not to be like that. I don’t like things being shoved down my throat. I don’t like repeats and reminders because I didn’t open the first one. I understand the reasoning behind them, but you won’t get them from me because I hate them.
So, let’s get to it, shall we?
Embracing the Chaos!
Today is officially (date-wise) the one-year anniversary my position(s) were terminated from the toxic as fuck workplace. And yes, I’m celebrating. Cheers, motherfuckers!
After a few months of walking in the sunshiney humid heat, meditating, and shaking off the amount of trauma and toxic crap I’d been subjected to for over a decade, I gained employment at a company that truly values not just my skills, but my voice, too.
That’s right. I speak and people fucking listen. It’s been almost eight months and it’s still kind of weird.
The one thing I do miss? The people I made friends with there. Not all of them really stayed in touch, and part of that is my fault. I didn’t do a good job of staying in touch either. I am not the greatest friend. I tend to forget the world and people around me exist when I’m doing things. So, if someone doesn’t poke me… I just… forget. I also don’t like bugging people and I always feel like I’m bugging people I don’t talk to regularly. (And even people I talk to regularly, I feel like I’m bugging them, too. But that’s ME, not them.)
I tried various things during that period of time between day jobs. Unfortunately, none of them were truly writing-related. Yes, I’m still (trying) to write. I did put a few chapters out for Maintenance Men One on Patreon and Ream, but then things got super busy with some projects I’m about to talk about and I’m trying really hard not to burn myself out.
And… every time I read a post on the Romance Books subreddit I start rethinking my stories. *whiiiiinnnne*
Let’s talk about the latest projects!
The Fiction Writer’s Sexuality Guide
Many of you all know my partner in cri— sexy writing - Dr. J. aka Donna Jennings. Well, she finally gave in and wrote the non-fiction book multiple friends have been telling her to write.
It’s called The Fiction Writer's Sexuality Guide: Sex—It's More Than a Scene and it’s for all fiction genre writers. I mean, you could probably use it for non-fiction books as well if you needed some help writing the steamy parts but, primarily, fiction writers will appreciate this book.
Super Short Summary:
Imagine a world where sexuality is the gateway to deeper storytelling.
When you rethink your framing of sexuality, your readers can become fully immersed in your story and connect with your characters on a deeper level. The powerful techniques and insights in The Fiction Writer's Sexuality Guide: Sex—It's More Than a Scene make this possible.Banish fear, anxiety, or guilt preventing you from writing about sex.
The Fiction Writer's Sexuality Guide provides a comprehensive template for creating powerful, authentic characters, complete with their sexuality, and helps you craft the scenes with sex they deserve.
You can pre-order it in ebook format now, or you can wait for the paperback to come out on the 28th.
Any authors who feel something is missing from their characters or their story out there - consider looking at this guide. Even if you don’t write the spicy scenes on the page, it could give you an idea of what’s missing from your characters or story.
And… there’s more to this book than just the book. There are worksheets and there are stories and there’s a secret group people can join but hey shhh, you didn’t hear it from me.
Cards of Passion - 10 Books by 10 Authors
Another idea from the lovely Dr. J. is the Cards of Passion multi-author series. If you saw the Purple Passion Reflection Deck (renamed to avoid being shadowbanned) that goes along with the Purple Sex & Love Beyond Your Dreams: A Women's Guided Journal to Explore Your Sexual Self, there is now a new project to incorporate the cards into a series of books.
The series will have a range of romance + sub-genre stories and I am attempting to writing a contemporary romance novella about Self-Intimacy which takes place on Revelry Island.
So keep your eyeballs open for that in August. And please, send your muses. I need all the help I can get to complete this project.
Reading… and reading… and more reading
I have been reading and listening to audiobooks almost non-stop. Both romance and other genres because I like other genres, too.
I’ve also just finished listening to the sci-fi podcast/audiodrama Midnight Burger. It’s a lot of fun and I recommend if you need something absolutely ridiculous to listen to, check it out on all the places you can listen to podcasts.
It’s also probably the first podcast that isn’t currently in limbo, but is working on season four. Other drama podcasts are just… welp - dead. I think. They’re like Schrödinger's cat. And yes, he’ll always be the cat guy (Midnight Burger Reference tossed in there for funsies) regardless of all the other things he came up with (yes, I know it’s a lot more than just stuff he happened to come up with… just roll with me here, I’m tired.).
I’m all caught up on the Toby Daye and InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire. Both are fun and very bloody with a side of romance.
If you like Vengeance with a side of Romance, The MindF*ck Series is now available in audiobook as well. You can find it in the LibbyApp if your library carries it.
All the other stuff
It’s spring again. I’ve become a grandmother. The trees are trying to pollinate me - they can’t seem to realize I’m still alive and have not become one of them yet. (Yes, I’ll be a tree when I die. Can someone please tell them I’m not dead yet?) The new day job is going well and I’m trying my damnedest not to burn myself out again. I’ve formatted a non-fiction book for ebook and paperback formats and *fingers-crossed* the print version will be perfect and not require edits.
I still feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get all the things done, so I am trying to be better with my self-care and spacing things out. Sometimes, it doesn’t always happen, and then I end up vegetating instead of working on projects.
So, note to self and note to you, please remember to do kind things for yourself. It’s not selfish to care for your needs and say no to others when necessary.
XoXo,
Mischa