Well, well, well. If it isn’t Nico. Back from the dead.
OKAY. Not so much back from the dead, but certainly returned from the between-space where internet friends can’t imagine me carrying out my quotidian tasks: Like picking up dog poop and eating vegetables.
Beta reading went great! If you ask me, they weren’t nearly mean enough — a common pitfall of entrusting this task to people who like you. But they’re such savvy readers I appreciate every crumb of their input. I wish I could reward them in jewels and notoriety (or at the very least, an endless stream of pocket money to spend on books).
So that has meant a nice break to “think about things” and — of course — a major overhaul. We love a transformation (both readers & writers).
I’ve started a third major draft and am carving free huge chunks of exposition (a word which when employed here happens to mean wanton details free from emotional connection or impact). Instead I’ll be a choosy spider in the weaving.
This Friday I’ll share the selection of writing to introduce you to a a few side characters. The passage won’t feature in the manuscript (which I still intend to submit to literary agents at some point). I’d love to hear your thoughts of course! So stay tuned and let me know.
In the meantime, here’s a playlist for June! Prompt: “It's warmer by day and hasn't rained enough to wash away all the winter sand. You have your denim jacket on and your dog tracks sand in your place every day.” (And of course, crossfade set to 8sec.)
I create collaborative playlists on Spotify every here and there, and my Instagram and Threads pals delivered again (listen in the Spotify app to be able to see who added which songs). Follow me over there for other stuff and next month’s collaborative playlist and you can toss a song on! I cannot overstate how much I love discovering music with others. (Neptune first house, fixed star Vega conjunct Ascendant) You find the best music that way.