and also some reading and a publishing update

A fun thing about having a strange or niche interest is that people like to send you articles and updates (shout out to Tina Hoggatt for tagging me for all the eel updates, I appreciate you). There was an amazing NYT article on moray eels with incredible eel puns, and a number of people made sure I saw it and that is a delightful thing that has developed out of this weird newsletter and obsession. You too, can read this amazing article:

And because I am a mom and I have youngish children, they, too, know about my weird interests, and so when I took my family to an aquarium at the end of June, my youngest child came barreling through the aquarium, yelling,

“MOM, COME SEE!! IT’S AN EEL!!”

*imagine that moment in Bridget Jones’s’ Diary when Tom yells, “FIGHT! well QUICK! IT’S A REAL FIGHT!” and it had that same energy but about eels*

and then my kid dragged me to the specific tank and down some stairs to show me the moray eel they spotted like it was the greatest thing in the world. Which is wonderful. Maybe I will save an eel aquarium picture for the end of this newsletter.

Some important eel news:

A couple found a rarely seen species of eel called Shrimp Eels in South Carolina. They are a burrowing eel— mostly hiding out in shallow waters, eating crustaceans, generally unbothered and unseen by people— essentially they are a pandemic champion. Twenty-five points to Shrimp Eels for model pandemic behavior. To be clear, the couple in the article did not discover the Shrimp Eels— the Shrimp Eels are not well known, not interested in being known.

Remember last month when I was like, I need to disconnect, I need to be an eel, this is me method acting, eels don’t care about social media! Well, I guess I’m still using social media, but eels are great and weird and do not care at all about what Sharon did over the weekend. And that seems noble to me. Which is funny because this same Shrimp Eel article was like they are reclusive but also, “o.O these scary-looking fish!”

A fun thing I’ve been doing is noting when eels are used as metaphors in books. Maybe this doesn’t actually happen very much, maybe it happens more now that I’m looking for it. But anyway, I am generally surprised at the usage of eels as a metaphor or shorthand for evil or disturbing in writing. Please let me know if you read a book and the description is like, “his eel-like smile,” and then the character murders or nearly murders another character. I feel like this happens a lot now that I’m keeping tabs on it. I am also beginning to question my reading choices.

Summer Reading Recs

Sato the Rabbit is a beautiful picture book, with little vignettes and Sato’s adventures chock-full of imagination and play. It’s a dreamy book with magical illustrations, and the smaller trim size is perfect for little hands. I love it.

I feel like after a year of being stuck inside with the whole family that How to Apologize was a very necessary and helpful book— perfect for all ages and everyone who needs a little guidance in apologizing— it’s all of us, we all need guidance.

Tokyo Ever After was a wonderful escape of a read. Any book that can transport me and have me laughing out loud at best friend antics is perfection. Also shout out to Reese and her bookclub, truly excellent book club choices, and I love that she has a YA choice each month too.

I love these Bumpy Rumps books. Board books are tricky… it’s better if they sound nice, with rhythm and rhyme, and I think they’re even better if you can sing and make all sorts of noises. That is what I thought I wanted in a board book, until. . . BUMPY RUMPS! The premise is so silly that the whole thing makes me giddy. It is just touching butts. I have learned (as an irl bookseller) that not everyone is amused about this, and not everyone wants to touch animal butts. They can have the board book classics. You and me can have these hilarious rump board books. This is so funny to me! you can feel all the bumps! and they. are. butts!!! A little weird but(t) brilliant.

This summer has the been the summer reading of R.F. Kuang and her Poppy War trilogy. I love an excellent fantasy series and this has everything. The Poppy War follows the history of 20th century China with the addition of gods and monsters. The novels are about war and destruction and vendettas and colonizing westerners and power and magic and friendship and loyalty and trust and religion, and I really really liked these books! I usually spend so much time reading children’s books that I was like, wow, this is a book that is for adults, like there is definitely a lot of violence. But it’s a fantastic, well-written, thought-provoking series. There is still time in the summer to make your way through this trilogy, it’ll be worth it, I promise.

Vampenguin is the right amounts of dark humor and adorableness that is exactly what I want in a picture book. It’s a hilarious switching places kind of story as the youngest member of the dracula family finds themselves in the penguin enclosure, and a penguin finds themselves on a tour of the zoo with the vampire fam. It’s perfect.

Writing Life

I am writing a little bit. As a treat. I am getting better at realizing that the writing is the writing and that is fun in and of itself, and I am making peace with the reality that lots of writing is for writing is for writing. And that’s how it should be.

I am also mostly avoiding the novel I’ve been working on for over two years. I had some great feedback on that project, and I’ve been slowly revising and piecing things together while tearing them apart at the same time. Revising is a weird way of working. I feel like I’m putting together a big emotional machine piece by piece but without any directions, but then I’m missing a few pieces, but I also have some extra parts or whatever that I don’t actually need. But I’m not sure what I’m missing and what is extra. And the big emotional machine won’t work if I put the parts in the wrong order, so I might have the right parts, but then I also have to move them around?? I honestly don’t know how people write.

Which is why I have a shiny new project (this is not that new, but an idea I had over a year ago, so like patina new project) I am trying really really hard to outline. But it’s because that project is fun! and not difficult! and doesn’t even know it’s a big emotional machine with no directions! And I’m not stuck in the weeds and planning and plotting and trying to piece together the structure, and that feels fine, because I’m still building it, I’m gathering the pieces, and I’m attempting to outline and write the instructions as I plan, so maybe, just maybe, I can picture what this project will look like and map it all out.

But mostly, I am still trying to be kind to myself about writing and revising. I work when I can. And it slowly adds up. If one project is stuck, I pivot. I’m not making a lot of work right now, but I am making progress.

I was able to reunite with a lot of my grad school friends and we talked books and life and writing and listened to some inspiring lectures together, and we walked around the lakes and we ate delicious food and oh my goodness it was wonderful. And it was all nourishing and good and I was ready for that boost and rejuvenation both for me but also for my writing.

I hope you find that boost you need for all the daily things and for whatever you’re working on.

Book Announcements

The publication date for my debut picture book, Crocodile Hungry has moved to February 15, 2022. It is the great pandemic publishing delay, but it means my picture book is now an Aquarius. A progressive individual. A water bearer. Honestly, this is going to be perfect for Crocodile Hungry.

This doesn’t change anything as far as pre-orders go or anything like that. Just queued up with printers across the ocean and the wait is a little longer than planned. C’est la vie.

If you want to pre-order my book, you can do that wherever books are sold. My local bookstore will have signed copies you can pre-order, and I’ll keep you posted about events and goodies as we get closer to the publication date!

Almost the End

I can’t believe you are still here! I broke my website and then I had to fix it, so I made it quirky and fun. I kinda love it. I am making all kinds of digital collages now.

Thank you for reading! If you’re not subscribed, you can subscribe and then you’ll get the next newsletter straight to your inbox— no promises on when! Just a promise of the next one.

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Happy reading. Happy writing. Happy to be curious about the world but mostly curious about eels. As promised, here is the eel my youngest child chased me down to share with me:

She’s beautiful. Be glad I didn’t include the 6 minute short film.