What's in a Week - Vol. 21

Happy Monday! I’m sharing my past week and what I’m looking forward to this coming week!

Here Come the Holidays!

Quite suddenly, the holidays are upon us: Thanksgiving is in the rearview, and it’s full on to the winter holiday season. It’s even going to be “cold” in L.A. this coming week, in the lower elevations (the mountains get quite cold and often have snow in winter). I’m going to start up my Cafe Advent again this year. I started it last year rather late in the game, but I had fun visiting various cafes all over Los Angeles to support local businesses, get a seasonal drink, and generally get out of the short-day funk. I’ll post pics of my adventures on my Instagram.

Meanwhile, if you missed it, I have a geeky gift guide for you to peruse and shop from!

Awards Nomination Season!

I have a dedicated post for all the words of mine published in 2023 (under both names) that are eligible for awards in fantasy, horror, science fiction, indie/small press awards, children’s fiction, Southern fiction, women’s fiction, poetry, etc. It is now on my new blog!

Posts You May Have Missed

This past week, I shared the origins of my space opera series, The Questrison Saga, which dates back to my youth. Read all about the first in a series of posts:

I am also offering an Effective Writing Techniques Workshop this December, and all the details are here:

LA Book Signing Info

It’s not on the bookstore website yet, but I do have an L.A. book signing at Barnes & Noble at The Grove Los Angeles, on January 6. More details as I get them!

On the Screen

There’s really only one thing that can be discussed this week: DOCTOR WHO is back!! Now on both BBC and Disney+ (streaming in America), it’s amazing to see the 10th Doctor back as the 14th Doctor…and reunited with Donna Noble?! “The Star Beast” was a return for them as well as showrunner Russell T. Davies. I won’t spoil it…but oh, I loved it all. I cried, I laughed, I’m delighted! I’ll be glued to the screen every Saturday when the new episodes drop.

On the Page

Finished reading Gemma Amor’s THE FOLLY. Highly recommended, modern gothic horror! Comes out December 3rd. (It’s mentioned in the gift guide linked above.)

Creative Rituals Series

I’ve got weekly posts scheduled through the rest of this year, so on Saturdays, you’ll see posts featuring authors and artists sharing their creative rituals. My latest one features author Stacey Thomas. Read the interview:

Personalized Books for U.S. Purchase

I have 8 copies remaining of my personal, available stock for The Shadow Galaxy: A Collection of Short Stories and Poetry, which I can personalize, sign, and ship to you. Shipping is included in the cost. For that reason, I can only ship within the U.S. I cannot guarantee you’ll get a copy by Christmas, so the sooner you order, the better. Thank you for your business!

Writing Update

I’m past the halfway mark on the novel in progress and things have started to hit the fan. The characters are about to go through things. And while I’ve talked about this being a campy horror, it’s actually very much about loss, abandonment, and finding love when you least expect it. Plenty of mystery, mayhem, gore, and psychological terror as well. I hope to have it to my agent by mid-December. After that, I’ll take a break, then jump back in to whatever 2024 brings. I know the project I want to do next, but we shall see if anything changes on the timing of it.

The Week Ahead

It’s all about my science writing gig deadlines, writing my book, working on art commissions, and working on the annual holiday art card. Busy times ahead, and cookies aplenty!

Wishing you all a smooth week ahead and jolly start to December at the end of it. Thanks so much for following along.

Write on!
Jendia