What's in a Week - Vol. 38

L.A. Times Festival of Books signing, Indie April, and more!

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

I'll be signing books at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Sunday, April 21, from 2 PM to 5 PM! I'll be with other SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) authors.

Indie April

It's Indie April! Support indie (self-published) authors all through April. My space opera series, THE QUESTRISON SAGA, is my indie series. The books are HELIOPAUSE, EPHEMERIS, ACCRETION, and LUMINIFEROUS, and they are written under my J. Dianne Dotson pen name. You can also find them by searching for Jendia Gammon. Every purchase goes mostly to me (the maker and distributor Ingram gets a small cut for their services, but that's it). Order these books from your favorite bookseller! They represent my longest writing history, and will forever be the favorite things I've written.

Library Fundraiser

My hometown library in East Tennessee seeks a renovation and needs our help. Let’s get this Appalachian community supported! Without it, I wouldn’t be the writer I am today. I want all generations from now forward to have a library they can be proud of. Donate here and feel free to share.

Social Media

I want to talk a bit about social media and how I think it is becoming a net detriment to me and to my work. I think I've reached a point at which I must admit it is not working for me, and it's taking away from my happiness.

I decided to take a few days off this past week from it all, and my suspicions were confirmed quickly. I didn't miss it, I got so much more done, I was happier, I wrote more lucidly and made better art. It's taking away too many precious moments from my life and being with my family.

So I've decided to start stepping back more often.

You might say I'm entering my Greta Garbo phase, which is fitting; Mom told me in my youth that of all the classic Hollywood actresses, I reminded her the most of Greta.

On the Screen

On to something else black and white: the riveting RIPLEY on Netflix, starring Andrew Scott. This is the latest adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novels about the enigmatic, sinister character Tom Ripley. (She was also quite interesting herself in real life, to say the least.) The Netflix show is a stunner so far, and I look forward to watching the rest of it. Every single shot is among the most gorgeous I've seen in film or TV in decades.

I said this on social media about the show:

"...the most Hitchcock adjacent ANYTHING since Hitchcock. Onyx and ivory and pewter and art and putrefaction. Glorious."

On the Page

Currently I'm still reading TWELVE TREES by Daniel Lewis, who I recently met in person at Huntington Library and Gardens. The section on the redwoods had me swooning and wanting to return to those most regal of trees.

I'm also reading some art books and a lot of science articles (not work-related!), so I'm on a nonfiction streak, which is honestly my default setting lately.

Writing Update

I'm happy to report that I wrapped up final edits on ATACAMA! That was a rewarding experience, and my editor, Lillian, was just brilliant to work with. Next up: cover art. I am really excited to see how that unfolds! Also, I'm making the illustrations for chapter headers, and I have made one third of them so far. They're all black, white, and grey, and each has a different theme related to the chapter, and a different style. These are the first of my many illustrations that have ever been committed to print in one of my books.

In other writing news, I will announce something fun early this coming week, so be on the lookout for that!

I have other writing-related things to celebrate, but I can't talk about those yet. As soon as I can share, I will.

The Week Ahead

This is a work deadline week, and I'll be working on a spotlight on Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month. Every month, as part of my science writing gig, I cover a health/science awareness month. It's a good opportunity to shine a light on causes of great importance in life science and health.

I'm a guest on a podcast next Saturday talking about the show STAR WARS: AHSOKA. And of course, I'll be at the L.A. Times Festival of Books on Sunday the 21st. There is a possibility I'll be added to panel programming at StokerCon this June (I'll already be signing books there), so I'll update everyone if that happens. I should learn this coming week.

I'll write more on my current books in progress, work on the chapter header art, and write and submit more short stories this week as well.

Hope you all have a lovely mid-April week ahead.

Thank you, always, for your support.

Write on!
Jendia