Hey Sickos, a lot is happening so let's get into everything I'm gettin' into, and as always I wanna know what you're reading/watching/playing this week in the comments. Let's boogie!

READING

REVIEW

FIRE & BLOOD by GEORGE RR MARTIN (fantasy)

Progress: 458/706

Slowed down on reading this over the past week to make room for the book club picks but I legit can't stay away as I'm also halfway through House of the Dragon S3. I'm almost at the exact same spots in both and I'll likely outpace the show this week.

One notable absence from the show is Mushroom, the dwarf court jester, whose memoirs (The Testimony of Mushroom) is used as one of three primary sources for the "Dance of Dragons" period. I can see why they left him out but I find his account delightful as he seems to function as the Westerosi equivalent to Procopius' Secret History or to a lesser extent Suetonius' The Twelve Caesars in that his account so cartoonishly outlandish that it's likely to be severely embellished. However our narrator can't disregard him because his proximity to events is much closer than Septon Eustace and Grand Maester Munkun, he can only attempt to balance Mushroom against those other sources. You see this all the time in history books and I love how GRRM has include this dilemma into the work.

THE ODYSSEY by HOMER [Emily Wilson translation] (epic poetry)

Progress: 332/582 (Book 14 of 24)

We're officially entering the "Odysseus is home, and that's about to be a problem" portion of the book. Poseidon is still, like, really pissed off and the Phaeacians are catching strays because of it. I need to bop in the Discord forum for this Fiction Sickos Book Club read and dump some more thoughts later but I do think this is a wonderful translation that is honestly a gift to high school teachers trying to get reluctant kids to trudge through it. I'm not trying to diminish it by saying that, just saying that I'm basically a grown ass 10th grader so I appreciate her ability to get to business and keep the language lean and direct without making it feel dumbed down.

BLACK FLAGS, BLUE WATERS by ERIC JAY DOLIN (narrative history)

Progress: 120/379

Comrade Jordan can stop bullying me because I've finally started the History Sickos Book Club pick for this month. My current thoughts are in those forums but overall after a bit of a sloggy start it's starting to find its way. I'll add here that the massive chapter 4 goes into Henry Avery a bunch and a really solid book on him is Enemy of All Mankind by Steven Johnson.

PREVIEW

My next reads depend on if Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett gets here before I have the urge to start The Rain Wild Chronicles by Robin Hobb. Have absolutely no idea for nonfiction.

I GOT A CAT

This past weekend I went to First Ladies Farm & Sanctuary with a very specific cat in mind. I wanted one that was a little older so their personality was well established. And I was hoping for a chill buddy that would hang out around me while I read and just generally be a great companion and good with kids. After hearing the requirements, they said I should meet Bob Gibson, an orange tabby male that just turned 2 years old. Bob must've heard or sensed this because he strolled on over and picked me. He's been with us for three days now and I couldn't have been picked by a better cat. I'm legitimately so damn happy! Here's Bob the Brave in all his glory:

OUR READATHON CHAMPION

Another thing that happened over the weekend was the Readathon put together in our Discord by comrade Bench. Our first champion is Emily, aka Ems the Breaks, who inhaled a whopping 900+ pages on Saturday. Em read two full books in that span, including our imprint's first release, A Complement of Scoundrels by S.V. Lockwood.

She gave it the highest compliment with a five-star rating and this lamentation: "I deeply regret not saving ACoS for my last book of the day cuz I think I'm going to have to stop, I don't want to read anything else now."

Shout out to the incomparable Bench for putting this together and always doin' cool stuff like this for the community, and congratulations to Em who is a beacon of light in an otherwise dreary world.

A SICKO DEADLINE APPROACHES

The next Sicko Society quarterly book box is set to be shipped in December, but the deadline to make sure you qualify for it is fast approaching. Upgrade your tier to be a Sicko Society member by 9/1 and update your mailing address to make sure you get in on the action! The next book box to ship is A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab!

That there is over 40 of you who have upgraded since we started this mere months ago is mind-blowing to me and I can't tell you how much I appreciate the support and how much it benefits our publishing imprint, thank you!

NIC CAGE BUSSY WATCH NIGHT

After I wouldn't shut up about Face/Off last night, it was decided that we need to do a community watch-along of Face/Off and Con-Air. That'll happen this Thursday night (time tbd) in the Best Bussies voice/video chat channel in our Discord and everybody is invited! I know way too much about both of these movies so it should be an insane time.

EVERYTHING ELSE

• Publishing News: You can now pre-order the audiobook for A Complement of Scoundrels!

• Game of the Week: My total hours in Assassin's Creed Odyssey has hit over 450 hours. Safe to say this is my favorite AC.

• Show of the Week: House of the Dragon S3E6 is up next!

• Movie of the Week: See above, it's obv Face/Off and Con-Air!

Sorry my July reflection is late. I’ve been SO busy lately and as I sit here outlining this post, I’m realizing I was just as busy in July LMFAO. I actually can’t believe I did as many things as I did. Between movies, concerts, bookish events, and a NYC trip, I’ve been booked and busy, and I’m not mad about it! Anyways… let the show begin!!

Noah Kahan Concert

I started the month on a high note by seeing Noah Kahan in concert! I got SO lucky because Noah played two days at Citi Field and one of the nights was cancelled because of the weather… BUT NOT MINE LOL. Noah Kahan is so good live. I don’t care that I was in the literal last row of the stadium, that experience changed my life for the better. Also, he played my favorite song, “Staying Still,” so what else could I ask for?

A Forsaken Prophecy Event

A Forsaken Prophecy, the sequel to A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan, came out and I celebrated its release at The Ripped Bodice in NYC. Fun fact, this was my first time ever at TRB and y’all, it’s just as cute as it looks in photos. I was lucky and was able to ARC read book two a couple of months before its release, and I’m so happy it’s finally out in the world. I loved listening to Stacey talk about her writing process; you can tell she really cares about this series and puts in so much work to make sure she’s giving us the best stories she possibly can. She also recognized and remembered me, which was awesome. I low key forgot that we’re mutuals on TikTok lol.

Tempest Event

Harper Voyager invited me to one of the coolest events I’ve ever attended. They rented a real pirate ship and took us on a voyage around NYC to celebrate Tempest by Victoria Aveyard coming out in September. I’ve already read Tempest, and I absolutely adored it. It’s giving Pirates of the Caribbean in the best possible way. They flew Victoria out for this event and I was so starstruck to meet her. I’ve been a fan of Victoria since she put out Red Queen; like, I ride hard for her. Seeing the Statue of Liberty and other iconic NYC landmarks from the water was iconic. We got a special ARC edition of Tempest and she signed my books! It was a night to remember.

NYC Trip

I somehow also squeezed in a NYC trip with friends into an already packed month, and I had the best time. Some highlights include bookshop hopping, going to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, which I highly recommend, seeing Heathers the musical (life changing), and seeing Hilary Duff in concert! It was a busy and yet very peaceful trip, and thinking back on it makes me smile.

Movies

I saw a lot of movies this month, so let’s talk about them!

The Odyssey - 4 stars

I saw The Odyssey twice, once in IMAX and once in IMAX 70mm. I really enjoyed the movie; it was visually stunning. It had pacing issues for sure, but those 3 hours flew by FAST.

Heartstopper Forever - 4 stars

I’m so emo that Heartstopper is over. The decision to make a movie instead of a final season was interesting, but I wasn’t mad about it. I really enjoyed the movie and I loved how they tackled the situations they placed Charlie and Nick in. My one critique is that I wish the rest of the cast didn’t get axed. There were so many side plots that were either never finished or hastily concluded.

Hadestown Pro Shot - 4.5 stars

Hadestown is one of my favorite musicals of all time and when they announced a pro shot with the original cast, I was locked in. Seeing this story told on the big screen reminded me just how great this musical truly is. I had full-body shivers for “Wait for Me (Reprise),” and you bet your last dollar that I raised my root beer to Orpheus at the end.

Avatar Aang - 4 stars

I’m going to be so real with y’all, I watched this back when it leaked in March or April lol. However, getting to see it on the big screen made it feel like I was seeing it for the first time. Everyone should have been able to experience this movie on the big screen, and it’s a shame Paramount didn’t give it a nationwide release.

Spider-Man Brand New Day - 4 stars

I really enjoyed BND because of its commentary on mental health, and it was interesting to see a world where no one knows who Peter Parker is. I liked seeing Peter get more comfortable with people throughout the film, and it was so exciting to see Sadie Sink and how she contributed to the plot. However, the Samsung promo was insane work. Diva, this is a Marvel movie—did we really need all of that product placement?

Voicemails to Isabelle - 2 stars

This movie was trash and all over the place, but I did enjoy some parts of it. The pacing was odd, some of the humor worked, some didn’t, and watching it with friends is the only reason why I was able to finish it.

TV Shows

I’m in my TV rewatching era and I’m here for it.

I just finished rewatching The Good Place and I forgot what a masterpiece this show is. I love its commentary on empathy and what it means to be a good or bad person, which I think is very relevant in the current political landscape. The fact that this show didn’t win a single Emmy is crazy work. While on the rewatching train, I also started watching Schitt’s Creek. This show is also so funny and I’ll forever miss Catherine O’Hara. Shockingly, I started something new as well! I’m roughly four episodes into Star Wars Visions: The Ninth Jedi and I’m really enjoying it. The smartest thing Star Wars ever did was create stories using anime-style animation.

If you’ve made it this far, I appreciate you! When I said I was booked and busy in July, I wasn’t kidding. Half of me is exhausted, but the other half is so fulfilled. I can’t wait to see what August brings me! Yes, I realize I’m typing this halfway through the month.

August is shaping up to be a writing heavy month, which is so interesting to me. I go through bursts of creativity where I just unglue and love chasing feedback and getting a manuscript done. I'm so close with Icarus Book 1, I can feel it.

However!

That doesn't mean we aren't also locked into our reading. Here's what I've got left to consume for the rest of August according to my TBR. Subject to change as the mood strikes, of course, because we don't box ourselves in around here.

The Engines of Reason by Adrian Tchaikovsky

This is an ARC read for the second novella in his Elder Race series. I loved the first one. It was so inventive and beautifully done, very sci-fantasy in a way that was emotional and thoughtful. I like Tchaikovsky's writing so, so much.

Halfheart by Linden A. Lewis

Another ARC, this is a fantasy standalone about a woman seeking revenge against the God of War. Lewis asked if I'd like an ARC and who says NO when an author asks you directly? I'm so excited for this premise.

The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu

A dying world, a robot monkey brother, and an artefact that can turn the tides. This looks like such a ride. I'm a big mech book sucker and apparently this is one I will delight in as a unique, weird sci-fi lover.

Ebony Gate by Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle

Emiko has no magic, but she's great at killing people. Until she retires. Or... at least tries to, until a shinigami calls in a debt she's obliged to repay. I love this concept for an urban modern fantasy in San Francisco. I've had it on my shelf forever and I'm finally going to stop putting it off.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

The amount of grief I have endured for not yet reading this gem should qualify me for sainthood at this point. I love a cozy sci fi and as someone with a complex and difficult definition of family, found family is my favorite thing in books. I love knowing that possibility exists for family to come together outside of blood bondage.

The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

Already The Burning Kingdoms doesn't get enough love and apparently Book 2 is even better than the first. This world is dangerous, lush, unforgiving, and entirely unique in fantasy. I never see south Indian settings, but Suri leaned in and painted this incredible picture with a unique magic system and an overbearing misogynist emperor who actually makes me afraid.

Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff

Book 2 in Empire of the Vampire sees the aftermath of sad French goth Gabriel failing to undo the apocalypse. I love this morose, grouchy man and his hallucinations. I'm very concerned for the fate of all the horses Kristoff will inevitably hurl off a cliff, but what can you to expect hope.

John Dies at the End by Jason Pargin

This is an unexpected add because, well, my Libby hold came up. I've had it on my radar for years and it looks like Fate has decided its time. One thing I enjoy about Libby holds being frightfully random is how they force me to pick up books I would have put off.

In the end, the August TBR is still alive, well, flush, and suffering from my crippling focus on writing. However, it doesn't stop me from devouring book after book after book after...

Alright. I had a hiatus moment because I LOCKED IN and went wild with writing a book versus OpEd pieces, but I'm returning to continue posting and sharing pieces of Icarus. My current obsession is Icarus and thus I will share what I'm working on here in its rawest form!

Chapter 2

An elbow jammed into his ribs and ripped him out of a rather pleasant whiskey-induced coma. Icarus rubbed at his eyes, muttering against the pain. They had stopped moving, Maren was staring at him with the slightly shifted expression he knew as irritation. He sat up, running a hand through sleep-tousled hair. They dressed and made their way off the train. Clouds obscured the midday sun, but it made his head crackle anyway. He shielded himself against the light and blinked, trying to get his bearings.

There was no station directly in Baldongan, they had taken a few hours to reach Rush instead. Maren wanted to plead with the Franciscans to borrow their horses, but he hated the Franciscans and immediately squashed that plan. Instead, he overpaid to borrow a pair from a small stable nearby. The clerical gear always did garner him more goodwill than he deserved. 

He swung himself into the saddle and kept pace behind Maren. Civilization thinned the farther away they got, fog took its place along the road, cobblestones vanished into packed dirt that turned muddy with the weight of moisture in the air. The quiet took on a life of its own around them. Obscured, cattle grazed and huffed invisible alongside them. Rare roofs peered at them in the mist, but no lights sparkled in their windows. 

His grip tightened on the reins and he frowned, “I don’t have a good feeling about this, Mare.”

She shook her head, “I don’t either. You said Reed told you it blew the gas mane and cut the town’s power, yes?”

“Aye,” he recalled, “tossed Father Simon like a loaf of stale bread when it did.”

Their silence became tactical. Listening for anything off, any odd pacing, strange cries. Gulls punctuated far overhead. The town emerged from the mist slowly, lethargically. At the first strike of a hoof on stone, a shutter slammed closed. One door opened enough to see, but not be seen. A figure in the fog hurried across their path before either of them could call out. 

“Whole town’s spooked by a Bánánach?” He wondered aloud and reined the horse towards the cathedral marking the center of town. 

It loomed over them, watchful in its vigil of the people of Baldongan. The doors were shut, Icarus noted when he tethered the reins. They stood shoulder to shoulder and assessed the building as if that were their possession victim now. Unease always built in both of them before entering a church. Enough poor experiences had that effect.

He broke first, a never-discussed impulse to take the lead and let Maren have her thoughts in peace. The door opened with a light push of his fingers and he dipped inside. It was a clean, pleasant, warm place with all the classical trappings a country church could expect. 

And it was packed entirely too full of people. 

Heads turned by the dozens to stare at the intruders. When Maren was behind him, the heads lifted higher in surprise. Neither of them moved, but he felt her fingers twitch against his leg. A silent planning session for how they were to escape if this was a congregation full of demon-puppeted bodies. It was an absurd thought, but the tension was so high it felt reasonable in the moment.

Footsteps on the long, red velvet runner snagged his attention. A man jogged towards them in full Sunday liturgical garb. On a Tuesday. His face was strained, but alight with relief. He motioned to the congregants to return to whatever they were doing before their visitors had arrived. 

They were reading passages from the Pale Doctrine, Icarus noted. The text that governed the religion and magic in the world, typically reserved for clergy and exorcists. Whatever spooked this town had done a tidy job of increasing Mass attendance for the foreseeable future. 

“Please, come,” the bishop instructed and waved them through the narthex into the office tucked away beside the stairs. He sighed heavily the moment the heavy door closed, “Lord, protect us. I am so glad to see the two of you.”

“You were expecting us?” Mare probed.

He nodded with enthusiasm, “Oh yes. When Father Simon was unable to help Margaret, he said Father Reed would likely send you to finish the job. Said you’re the best at… untraditional work.”

“Netherism, Bishop Franklin,” Icarus named it, knowing the flinch he would evoke from the man. “We’re Netherists. You know that, yes?” The bishop nodded, “Then say it. Call us what we are properly. Mincing words is for cowards and liars.”

Franklin paled at the fire in his tone, “O-of course, my apologies. Netherists, yes.” He cleared his throat, “Do you know where to go? Who she is? What it could possibly be?”

Icarus kept his cold, stormy stare on the bishop without the polite break society typically required, “Margaret Donaghue. She lives some ways up the road with her father, husband, and two sisters. Mother died a few years back. Signs started showing after she vanished for several hours longer than expected.”

“Yes, signs. Speaking in Latin she has no education in,” he cleared his throat, “propensity to cause pain to herself and others, nightmares, waking in strange places with no memories. Objects started moving around her without explanation. Then the second stage began. Her violent behavior and abhorrent words were out of character. The threats and fear became too much so the family restrained her. They reached out to me, I sent for Father Simon, and… now I suppose you’re here to finish the job.”

“Mm,” Maren hummed. She was walking a slow perimeter around the office, pausing at a painting of Saint Brigid, “What else?”

“Pardon?”

She turned and set her studious eyes on him. He squirmed, “It’s not a typical possession, otherwise Father Simon would have been successful and moved on. He wasn’t. So what else?”

A long, secretive breath lingered between them. She never flinched when someone tried to play chicken with her. Hoping she would back down or social conditioning would make her too polite to press. Not Maren. Not ever. It was something Icarus loved about her. 

“She… skitters. Under the bed. Contorting herself in a way she shouldn’t be able to,” Franklin swallowed, “and her fingers leave scorchmarks on the wood.”

Icarus whistled, Maren remained steady. Annoyance ticked at the muscle beside her eye, “And did you share this with Father Simon prior to his visitation?”

Another long silence. Franklin shook his head and let it hang, “We… we didn’t want him to-”

“Send someone like us?” She supplemented without needing him to confirm, “We’ll settle into the dorm and visit the Donaghues in the morning. I hope your lesson from this is not to feed small minded biases that could end up getting people killed.”

Icarus followed, spreading his hands theatrically as if he could do nothing about her. The bishop did not look at them when they left. Icarus followed with a new straightness in his spine, going so far as to dare the sets of eyes stealing glances from pews to speak. They unloaded their gear from the horses and used the rear entrance to the clergy quarters. Spartan, but comfortable and amply lit which was a surprising rarity in places like this. 

He claimed one bed, she claimed the other, and he clapped his hands together, “Right. Let’s find the local pub and get proper housed while the night is young.”

“You need to be alert tomorrow,” she rolled her eyes at him, but he knew she would come anyway. 

“I will, I will!” He backed towards the door, she followed as if she wholly intended not to. 

Houses lit with candles and fires lined the road. Streetlamps burned with oil fire instead of gas. The village pub was no exception. Quiet, but not the kind that settled in with familiar faces and friendly banter. The kind that ate away at the thin social fabric holding everyone together in a small town like this. Paranoia laced with fear of things they did not understand. Icarus resented the mindset, but it was not his to change. That was Franklin’s problem.

He flagged the barman and returned with two double shots of the worst whiskey he had ever tasted and two pints of watery beer. Maren grimaced, shuddering at the taste, “Did they give us this pisswater on purpose or do you think this is just what they drink?”

He smirked and threw back his whiskey in a single gulp, “I’m pretty sure they’re sending a message.”

“Hate us until they need us then hate that they need us,” she raised the pint glass and toasted him. They faced the patrons to make it clear that bad beer was not going to scare them off so easy.

Wood scraping wood signaled the true beginning of their evening. Maren returned to her impassible calm, but Icarus grinned wolfishly into his glass. Priest or not, he was itching under the tension in the room to trade blows. He drained his beer and the second whiskey. She kicked him under the table. 

The man who dared to approach them was a classic local. Big, bearded, on the wrong side of old, and full of the hatred superstition brought with it. He stood a pace or two away from them while he weighed how badly he wanted to say his piece. Icarus held his stare in defiance, tapping a steady beat on the table while he waited for the man to decide how the evening would go. 

“If you know what’s good,” his voice was low, meant to be a threat, “you’ll go soon as it’s done. We don’t want your kind ‘round here.”

“What kind’s that exactly?” Icarus leaned back in his chair until it hit the wall.

The man eyed him, “The kind that deals with occult corruption. You… Pyrrhists.”

He spat on the floor, wiping the curse from his mouth. Icarus scowled then, tipping forward and standing in a fluid motion. He had always been tall, but compared to this squat old man he towered. He rolled his sleeves up to the elbow, slow and deliberate. The man glanced at the lattice of old and new scars cut straight and perfect into his skin. He blanched just a little. 

“Pyrrhists,” Icarus nodded slow and considering. “That’s what we’re calling the people here to save your neighbor from damnation. Your priest failed. Your bishop failed. We’re here because we do not fail. And this is your reception? Bigotry founded on fiction because of something you don’t understand?”

The man shrank back, but retained his wary front, “You bring faerie magic and corrupt the holy Doctrine with it. You rot from the inside in divine retribution from the Lord. We were not meant to pollute His Doctrine with unholy abuse.”

“Then tell me, old man,” Icarus leaned down to make a point, issue a challenge, “how do you expect to fight the Devil if you can’t even get into the arena?”

“Enough.” Maren’s arm cut the space between them. Her gaze on Icarus made him ease back, shoulders relaxing. She turned her cold attention to the stranger, “Thank you for your town’s hospitality, we will pray for your safe journey home.”

The man stepped away, uneasy, and tipped the brim of his hat to them both. Politeness, not kindness. Never kindness. Men like that might respect the collar, but they did not respect the work. Icarus unclenched his hands and waited until the pub door shut before rounding on her. They stared at one another until he released the furious breath from his lungs. She was right. It was not worth the trouble. 

He took his anger out on the local whiskey instead. Night had long since fallen when he slumped against Maren’s shoulder on the slow walk back to the dormitory. Streetlamps fought the rolling small town fog in vain that seeped from grassy fields. His gait uneven, staggering, loudly singing a sour rendition of The Wild Rover missing half the words. She grimaced against his unpredictable weight. 

“You promised you wouldn’t drink this much,” she scolded.

He thrust a finger into the air, “No! I said I would be alert tomorrow. These are not the same thing, my friend!”

“Keep it down,” she buoyed him through the low iron gate, “you’ll wake the whole bloody town. And Lord knows they like us so much already.”

“Let the simpletons hate!” He shouted over his shoulder, rewarded with a jab to his ribcage. She dropped him without ceremony onto his bed and lifted his feet. Distantly, he knew she was tugging off his boots and tried to remember to thank her in the morning. The comforting, dreamless nothing swallowed him up before he could finish forming the thought. 

A phantom of sunlight knifed across his eyelids and speared his brain. Everything ached -- and not in a slow, gradual way. All at once. His headache was punishing. He groaned against the pain and ran a hand down his face. Time forced him to sit up and the room bowed in response. 

“Serves you right,” Maren chided. She was folding her things on her crisply made bed, arranging her rites kit while she kept an eye on him. On the time, really, but he liked to think it was him. 

He did not argue. No point to it. She was -- as so often the case may be -- correct. He got up and fell into the familiar routine of preparation. Hair washed, rinsed with blessed basin water he took a moment to splash on his face and under his arms. The cold startled the sharpest parts of the hangover out of him. He stared at his reflection in the mirror longer than was customary. Stubble lined his chin after a few days of ignoring it, toying with the idea of growing a full beard he would probably hate. Dark circles blotched his skin that would not fade until he slept a full, unencumbered night. Which he would not. His skin was paler than usual thanks to the early winter blocking out the sun. Eyes the color of captive stormlight stared back at him -- alert, bright, more aware than the fading ache of alcohol implied. He was more ready than outside observers would assume.

He dressed methodically. Black full collared cassock, black pants, worn leather cinched around narrow hips, and unpolished black boots. He tied the wide, black cloth belt around his waist in a left girth hitch and tucked the ritual knife into the tightest part. His shoulder slipped into the belt of his fitted shortsword sheath, which he adjusted out of habit anyway. Empty vials clinked in the creased leather Dopp kit, mixing haphazardly with the handful of ampules full of pale iridescent liquid. A copy of the Pale Doctrine nestled among the glass, replaced in silence by his colleague. 

She snapped her kit shut and turned to him. He envied her in her clerical shirt and pants, white tab collar neat as a pin against the black fabric. She kept two pouches heavy with salt slouching against her hip, attached to a wide leather belt studded with empty vials at the ready. She lifted the purple stole to her lips, kissing it before arranging it over his shoulders. 

“Shall we?” He gestured to the door.

She nodded and they left the silent dormitory behind, stepping out into a world that did not want them nor admit to needing them in it. 

Let's publish some progressive romance novels!! Come celebrate the launch of the Rebel Ever After community on Bindery with me and some of my favorite guests, Erin Baldwin, Adib Khorram and Laura Piper Lee. This event is VIRTUAL and FREE for all REA Bindery members! Here is the link to register for the Zoom.

WHEN: Aug 26, 2026 at 8:00 PM eastern

WHERE: This Zoom meeting

WHAT: A rowdy, after-dark conversation between contemporary romance authors about their new releases, the genre, maybe some discourse, definitely some games. Think a Rebel Ever After panel episode but unhinged.

WHO: Erin Baldwin, the author of Good Luck Babe and Wish You Weren't Here; Adib Khorram, the author of I'll Have What He's Having, It Had to Be Him, and Isn't He Romantic?; and Laura Piper Lee, the author of Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair; Zoe Brennan, First Crush; Pot Shot and Doomsdate. And your favorite podcast host (and the author of But How Are You, Really), Ella Dawson!

WHY: Because we are 41% of the way toward our goal of 100 paid subscribers by the end of September and that's rad as hell!

SEE YOU THERE!

What happens when understanding your family’s past becomes the key to understanding your own life?

In this Book Club Conversation, we’re sitting down with an author whose memoir explores grief, family legacy, complicated relationships, history, and the ways our parents’ stories can shape our own.

From losing her mother while an ocean separated them to uncovering her mother’s experiences in Latvia during WWII, this author’s journey into the past became an exploration of both family history and personal identity.

💬 What inspired this memoir?

After her mother’s death, the author realized that the distance between them went far beyond geography. Exploring the origins of that emotional distance and her mother’s past became the foundation for the memoir.

✍️ What’s one of her biggest challenges as a writer?

Learning to sit with uncertainty. She admits that she sometimes wants to reach conclusions too quickly rather than allowing the story to surprise her. For her, the writing process means learning to trust the material and let it unfold.

🕯️ What does she need to write?

Uninterrupted time, solitude, and quiet. Honestly? Relatable.

❤️ Who is her favorite character?

Her husband, Tom. Although he only makes rare appearances, writing about him brought an element of joy to the memoir and allowed her to explore how she and Tom avoided repeating some of the destructive patterns of their parents’ marriage.

📖 Why should we read this book?

Because, as she explains, your family’s story is your story whether you want it to be or not. Understanding where we come from can give us a clearer understanding of who we are and how we want to live.

🌍 A fascinating piece of history

Her mother’s native Latvia was occupied first by Soviet Russia and then Nazi Germany. Through her mother’s experiences, the memoir offers a personal perspective on what life was like for civilians living under two totalitarian regimes during WWII.

✨ And what’s next?

She’s in the early stages of a new book about her and Tom’s misadventures with the United States Peace Corps in Kenya and we are VERY curious about those stories!

One thing that really stayed with us was her hope that readers will use her story as encouragement to explore their own family histories.

💭 BOOK CLUB QUESTION:
Have you ever uncovered something from your family’s past that changed the way you understood yourself or your relationships?

#BookClubConversation #AuthorInterview #MemoirBooks #BookClubReads #ThePageLadiesBookClub

Hello and happy Monday! TBH last week was a bit of a meh reading week. These books were fine. But I am nothing if not committed to these mini reviews (and I know you wait on the edge of your seat every Monday morning for them, hehe). Books marked with a * were gifted to me, and books marked with a ^ I was paid to read.

Out Of Step, Into You by Ciera Burch* - I was really excited for this book since I was a huge fan of Burch's debut novel. Unfortunately, though, the plot was sort of like one conversation stretched out to book length. I did enjoy the main characters' complicated history with each other, and the exploration of class difference. There was a lot of depth to the story, just not in the main relationship.

The Price of Mercy by Tristen Hannah^ - I've been into survival stories lately (I blew through all available episodes of Blair Braverman's "What To Carry, What To Burn" podcast in about a week) so this story was welcome right now. The central relationship was so toxic, though. I'm not sure I would have finished it if I wasn't paid to read it. However, I did appreciate that the ending was kind of vague and not a happily ever after.

Fair Market Value by Hailey Edwards* - This is a supernatural mystery with a little bit of romance thrown in, and I did quite enjoy it. The world reminded me of The Undertaking Of Hart and Mercy. The one thing that brought me down on it was that one of the potential love interests was not only a cop but a weirdly possessive one, given that he hadn't seen or spoken to the FMC in several years. I think I will continue the series, though, assuming they don't get together.

The beginning of August was a whirlwind. 2/3 humans in my household had birthdays, so we did quite a bit of partying, all while I was attempting to complete the last few assignments of my grad school class and keep my sanity - not an easy feat. I'm still unsure as to whether or not I achieved that last part.

Despite all this, I'm doing well on my TBR for the month. I'm currently reading A Summer of Stars as part of BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge. It was a surprise add-on, so I didn't account for it as far as reviews go for August, but I'm rolling with it. I'm not quite 20% of the way in and I'm hoping it becomes un-put-downable very soon. Have you ever heard of "melted like provolone on French bread" used as an analogy for something delectable? At least, I think that's how it's meant? I'm really hung up on it.

I'm listening to The Deathless One. I'm 62% of the way into this one and again, I don't feel like much is happening. I do have an ARC of the third book in the series, so 1) maybe it's a very slow burn and 2) I hope I end up liking it.

I've read My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney for my book club with my co-workers and A Tangled Magic by Andrea Eames for my Bindery book club. I'll be sharing my review of A Tangled Magic as well as recording a podcast episode with the author later this week.

Speaking of Endpapers, I still can't believe I started a podcast! I have my next three guests lined up as well as a few messages out to authors of potential book club picks for September and October. My plan is to alternate between fantasy and contemporary romance, so September will be a contemporary romance pick.

In addition to interviews and book club meetings this week, I'm also heading to a super exciting bookish event that I can't wait to share!

What have you been up to? Any exciting plans this week?

Mark your calendars because tomorrow (or tonight! depending on when you're reading this!) I'll be going live over on YouTube with reading sprints! You can think of it as a fun, casual way to get some reading productivity in, or like a twist on a silent book club!

We'll read for 45 minutes, chat for 15-20, rinse and repeat for a total of 2 (or 3 depending on how everyone's feeling) sprints. You can read any book you like, and you can even use it as a productivity-sprint/body doubling to get some work or household chores done instead of reading (or while listening to an audiobook).

I'm hoping this will be the first of weekly reading sprints, because I've really enjoyed tagging in on others' reading sprints and I think it's a fun way to help you lock in and get some reading done, while also chatting and building community!

Feel free to pop in at any time during the live which should run from 7pm-9:30 (or potentially later)--if you're hoping to join us, you can also hop over to this link to "RSVP" and get a reminder through YouTube when the livestream starts!

I hope you'll join me--happy reading!

Hello Friends and a belated happy Sunday!

In our second installment of Trans History Month, I wanted to bring a book that is fairly well-known to the forefront - a book that has been revised 3 times, the last revision being this year! A book that is, by most, praised to be modern classic, chronicling American trans movements, the trans culture, and important social changes from the mid-20th century onward. This book propels trans history forward while insisting we as trans people have such a deep history. Any guesses? The book we'll take a dive into today is none other than Susan Stryker's Transgender History: A Resource For Today's Struggle - And Tomorrow's, originally published on May 6, 2008; with a second revision on November 7, 2011 and the third, and most recent, revision on February 3, 2026. If you are a nerd like me, and like the different covers of books, here's what they look like:

I have not seen the first edition floating around, but I would love to own a copy. (This is me making a mental note to head to Thrift Books after I write this, lol.)

This book begins with an introduction that states while it is entitled Transgender History, it mainly focuses on the United States, and begins approximately after World War II. The introduction also discusses why the second revised edition in 2017, is called Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution and why, in addition to why the third revised edition is entitled what it is and why, as well.

After the introduction, it begins with key terms and concepts - the foundational language, clear definitions of those key terms and concepts, and helps us as readers navigate the complex gender identities that make up the trans community. (It also has a Reader's Guide AND Additional Reading And Viewing in the back of the book, right before you get to the Sources and Index.) To say it is packed with vital information is an understatement. It does seem a little dense at times with the history aspect, but I'm a history loving feign so it doesn't seem a sluggish to me as it may to some. I say that to say: maybe audiobook would be better for some rather than a physical book?

This book, which may be important to some it is to note, is also in chronological order (let's recall the utter disbelief that was Elliot Page's unchronological memoir Pageboy) in it's accounts of trans history. In addition to it being chronological, each chapter also includes sidebars, speeches, short biographies of key trans individuals, and some memoir excerpts.

Sitting at 345 pages, aside from the Introduction and epilogue, it is only 7 chapters - which means each chapter is pretty lengthy. (Acknowledgements start on page 293, with the rest being informational.) Sometimes longer chapters deter people (it honestly makes me scream to not have short chapters, but I digress.)

Stryker truly does such a phenomenal job with this book, especially considering she's a prominent trans historian! While it does get a little "academic" at times, there is also such an emotional clarity that comes with her writing, too.

Overall, in my very humble opinion, I agree that this book is a modern classic, both in United States history and trans history. I could see it being used in college courses or for us as bookworms looking for a history lesson on the trans community. I for sure know I learned so much reading this book.

I hope you learned something new through this newsletter today, and it has encourage you to buy this book/request it from your local library - or both!

I hope the incoming week is gentle for you and you find pockets of joy to immerse yourselves in. I'll see you on Thursday for this week's Trans Joy Thursday!

Until then, with all my trans joy,

Sawyer Cole

Happy Sunday book buddies!

Pausing my audiobook + housekeeping to send you a quick update. I don’t have a ton to share on the reading front this week, but I did want to tell you a little about the books I managed to finish.

Between two baseball games, a short work week, and conducting 13 job interviews, let’s just say this past week was a blur. 😵‍💫 I still managed to finish two audiobooks and make it about 30% of the way through my library read, but I’m definitely a little further behind than I hoped I’d be by mid-month.

First, let me share that Henry Tudor Must Die was TERRIFIC! I absolutely loved this debut and cannot wait to see what the author does next. It's a fun reimagining of Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon teaming up to take down the wretched King Henry VIII. I loved the world-building and witchcraft, perfect for summerween reading! 4.5⭐️s

I also finished Mob Queen on audio this week, and it was interesting. I read this one as part of some research for an upcoming Classic Film + Book pairing (more one that later), and I did enjoy it overall. It's a unique style of historical fiction writing; it's very open door with lots of cursing and lewd, violent acts. Y'all know I love a good morally grey character, so none of that really bothered me. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but the pacing felt a bit off at times. It's the type of book I would recommend to anyone looking for a bad girl FMC who isn't afraid to go after what she wants. 3.75⭐️s

Slowly but surely I am working through the nearly 500 pg behemoth that I checked out from the library as part of my Let's Go to the Library series. I am eager to finish, not because I'm not enjoying it; I need to start the BBFL book club book, which I'm hoping to read in physical format. I'm seeing lots of mixed reviews in the chat on Fable, so naturally I'm curious to see what I think of The Shadow of the Wind.

ICYMI

• My thoughts on the perfect historical fantasy, aka The Unicorn Hunters

• I narrowed it down to my top 3 books of the first half of 2026

• Paid subscribers got the secret password to access the October Historical Fiction Look Ahead

• I will NEVER stop recommending this author to anyone who loves WWII fiction

Hear It Here First

My monster ARC giveaway is now live over on Facebook! I'm trying to grow my following there, so I would appreciate if you can spread the word about the giveaway. Here's a photo of the books included in the giveaway. 👇🏻

My July reading wrap-up is in the works and should be ready to share sometime this week, so stay tuned.

Hope you have a great week & happy reading!

xoxo

c

The Sunday Prescription

One reading topic, one week of plans, and plenty of books administered weekly for chronic readers.

Symptoms: Social Media Has You Fried!

Hi gang, welcome back to the Sunday Prescription! You may have noticed there was no prescription last week - that's because I was in the above photo! Every year my family does a trip to Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks in North Carolina, and we all unplugged for a bit. So that's the topic for this week, especially given all the kerfuffle in the book social world while I was gone!

Obviously, I enjoy social media (being a content creator, that should be fairly obvious). However, I think it is really important, and in fact very healthy, to unplug sometimes. From the standpoint of content creation, many creators get so wrapped up in and obsessed with growth and content that it winds up taking over your life. They freak out about leaving town or not posting. You see more and more people recommending you post 3-5 times a day for maximum reach, people selling you guides to help you grow, and platforms pushing you to fork over money for more reach. Your last YouTube video is doing great, so you have to have another one this week to ride the momentum, right??? Then, like last week, something controversial happens. And you have to comment, and you have to make your own reaction video, then you have to weigh in on all the other reaction videos...

From the consumer side, it can be similar. You have to keep up with your favorite creators, you have to comment. Oh look, another carousel with 10 fantasy books with frogs who wear pants, I need to add all these to my TBR, and I need to keep up with reading because I have to read a book a day, and...

It can all get completely overwhelming, and fry your nervous system. So for me, I personally take (and advocate for you to take) breaks throughout the year. As an example from last week - I had a few videos that I had already recorded, so I posted those. I also had a few draft posts, so I posted those. But I didn't post a few days. I was super slow to respond. I even completely ignored social media for a few days, especially traveling back and forth. I spent time with my family. I read, I swam, we ate lots of great food, we napped, I did a puzzle, and we just unplugged.

It has been a wonderful year for me on book socials, with tons of growth and new opportunities. But, if you're not careful as a creator or a consumer of book content, you can and will burn out on it. I have come back feeling incredibly refreshed, and while I was down there I had a bunch of ideas for new stuff and plans for the rest of this year and looking ahead to 2027. I made notes, and sat with them.

You don't have to post everyday, you don't have to consume every day. you can read at your own pace, and you can take days - or even weeks - off of reading. You can miss a week of posting - the world will still be here when you come back. If you're not feeling reading, take a break (don't try to force it with the latest round of "certified slump busters"). The books will be here when you come back, and so will I!

One of the things I love about my community here on Bindery and Discord is that folks are understanding. No one harasses me when I get quiet, and we are all supportive of each other. We talk a lot about books, but we also talk about lots of other stuff too. So thank you all for being here, and remember, if you feel like you need a break, listen to your body and your mind - take the break, reset, and we'll be here when you're ready!

The Rx: What I'm Reading and Doing

As the summer winds down, so many exciting things are happening. In terms of book clubs:

• We're reading the Jasad Heir in our main Discord book club this month. I am starting this week, so still plenty of time to join!

• We're still reading The Wolf and His King on Fable, so still plenty of time to join that read!

• For September's Bindery book club, we have Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman coming up.

• For September's Fable book club, we're going to be reading Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. This sounds stunning!

• It's time to pick our October - December book club books! Head over to Discord and submit your entry for consideration, and I'll post a poll here to vote the last week of August!

If you are not on our Discord server, you should consider hanging out! I do exclusive giveaways there, and we have a ton of different channels (both book related and non-book related) to chat and enjoy. And speaking of Discord, Bindery, and content ideas, I am working on a new membership tier for 2027 that is going to include a quarterly book box! More to come, but if you have any thoughts or ideas, let me know.

In terms of hobbies, I finished my Minas Tirith Lego set (see above). It is awesome - now to figure out where to put it. I am working on some built ins and some furniture in my woodworking time, and getting ready for the kids to go back to school. My reading went wild last week. I'm finishing up A trade of Blood, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, and Wild Dark Shore. Then I'll be doing The Jason Heir and King Sorrow to finish out the month.

In terms of content, like I said I had a ton of ideas while decompressing last week, and will be recording a bunch of stuff this week. YouTube videos will be back next weekend as well. And last but not least, don't forget about our Monthly Reading challenges on Discord and StoryGraph. This month's challenge is to read an indie book, and participants are eligible to win a $25 bookshop.org gift card by participating on the StoryGraph Challenge page, or on our Discord server. I read The Butcher of Nazareth by David Scott Hay for this, as well as The Cost of Runes by KR House. Both were excellent.

Hope you all have a great week of reading and life, remember to take a break if you need it, and I'll see you next week!

Want More In-Depth Access?

If you enjoy getting into the details with me about reading, then consider upgrading to The Dark Travelers tier! My Dark Travelers get an exclusive Discord role and channels, a weekly deep dive reading update video, early access to YouTube videos, and each month they get to pick a book for me to read. This can be a book they want to read with me, or something they want me to try for them. It's super fun and a great tight knit group that I really enjoy talking books with, and I'd love to have you part of it!

We are about halfway through the month of August which means it is time for our August giveaway!

About the Book

This month I'm giving away an ARC copy of In Stormy Weather, which is Chelsea Curto's traditionally published debut, alongside two art prints of the characters from the novel! I haven't read this one yet (I'm on a bit of a romance hiatus) but I've heard nothing but phenomenal things and I can't wait to get to it soon!

Nothing can rain on Quincy Monroe’s parade. She’s a woman-in-STEM with a PhD in atmospheric sciences, the host of a successful online weather show, and has one million followers on her meteorology Instagram.

Quincy has spent endless hours forging her path in this male-dominated field, becoming one of the best in the industry. And with a new job opportunity, nothing can derail her success. Except for the ill-timed arrival of Sebastian Dunn.

Sebastian is her best friend’s brother, her long-suffering academic and professional rival, and a flashy TV weatherman from New York City that everyone swoons over. Everyone but Quincy.

Over a scorching Florida summer and record-breaking hurricane season, Sebastian and Quincy are forced into close proximity. Setting aside their grudges to chase storms and stay alive is one thing, but can they weather the inevitable collision of their hearts?

The Giveaway

This giveaway is open to all members of my Bindery community over the age of 18 and will run from today, August 15, through August 22nd!

To Enter:

• leave any comment on this post

Rules and Regulations:

• you must be 18 years or older and have a US shipping address to participate

• this giveaway is not associated with the publisher or author

• follower tier members will get 1 entry, Inner Circle members will get 5

I'll be announcing the winner of the giveaway on Monday, August 24th so keep you eyes peeled for that!

Best of luck and happy reading!

Happy Saturday Collaborators,

I hope today (and this week) has been gentle for you. ALSO, Happy Bookstore Romance Day! I hope you all find some amazing HEAs, and have your own, as well. I was reminiscing earlier on Bookstagram about when Alisha and I eloped at our local indie here in Green Bay. I truly hope you all have that kind of HEA - in whatever form that looks like for you - with someone(s), marriage,(no) kids, single, etc. - I hope you experience the kind of HEA that live in your wildest dreams. May those dreams come to fruition for you in the same way mine have.

Today, I wanted to take a deep dive with you into the books I've recently been reading, what I loved, what I didn't love, and what's coming up next that I'm excited for. I will still post by reviews on IG for the masses, so I'll give y'all a more intimate and personal reasoning as to why I loved or didn't love them, and ultimately, why you should or shouldn't read them, too!

Before I begin, though, I read nothing in June or July, and so far I've read 5 books this month! I've been in grief therapy, or my regular therapy, once a week since my Memaw passed (tomorrow marks 2 whole months) and I've noticed that I am trying to participate in my hobbies - I'm just... struggling to either find enjoyment or excitement for them. For example, I'm one of the biggest Green Bay Packers fans ever, so much so, Alisha jokes that I moved here just for the proximity to Lambeau Field. lol. With that said, I LOVE training camp practices - and I've been to a whopping ONE this season. I just... don't care right now? It's definitely a weird, grief-y, season for me, so I'm just riding the waves and taking it one a day at a time. 5 books for me this month is a win. I'm not forcing anything, just picking what feels right for me. With that being said, I'll start with one author that has become an auto-buy for me:

Elizabeth Acevedo. Her upcoming novel Anger Is Only A Shadow (out September 15) is IMPECCABLY done. Her writing style, a combo of novel in verse, and a spoken-word style cadence, packs such an emotional punch. She also narrates this book, too, which is just... perfection. My first book by her was The Poet X, which left me weepy eyed, just like this one did. But the author's note is what truly got me. Please don't skip it - I know I said that in the IG review, but seriously, she brings her raw, personal experiences to the forefront and her relation to the story hits even harder. Don't sleep on this book, OR Acevedo.

The next book I also just reviewed on IG, is Conversion Therapy Dropout by Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez (out May 5, 2026). If you've read Coming Home, you know I also came from an evangelical background with multitudes of trauma yet to unpack - so reading these evangelical mega-churches act like a business transaction was wild to me. I also deeply, deeply related to Timothy's complex feelings to religion, however, we differ in the fact that he found solace in his relationship with his creator, to where I just abandoned religion altogether. Neither of which is the right or wrong way, it just is. Timothy's Epilogue also states at the end that we as the LGBTQIA+ community are not to be loved conditionally - we are whole and complete and deserving just as we are. And I echo that. Wherever you sit with religion, please know that you are deserving to be authentic, and to show up as yourself, wherever you are. Always.

Now, the book I finished today? Meh. Samantha Irby blurbed it and said it was "absurdly funny", but it... was absolutely not to me? I adore Irby, so when I saw the blurb on the cover, I got excited, because she is also absurdly funny. The book is The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay by Eliot Glazer (out August 11, 2026). I will not be reviewing this on IG, because I wasn't a fan of it. It just... was stereotypical gay? I don't know how else to explain it. It just fell flat, and was not funny to me. It sits at about 5 hours on audio, so if you're looking for a quick read, there you go.

I am also reading through the Heartstopper series in preparation to get to Volume 6 that was just released this year and is the final installment to the series. Since the beginning, I have reread each book each year a new volume is released, and it's bittersweet this is the last reread in preparation for that. (I will, of course, be rereading them again.)

I'm also slowing going through Welcome To The Grief Club: Because You Don't Have To Go Through It Alone by Janine Kwoh (out February 1, 2022). I'm taking my time with that one, as it is broken into smaller, bite-sized, easily digestible pages on all things grief and the emotions and feelings that go with it. If you are also experiencing grief, I highly, highly recommend that book.

What's the next book I'm going to pick up, you ask? That... I'm not sure. I'm on volume 3 of Heartstopper, the grief book I'm slowly reading, but I also know I do better with audiobooks as I'm doing chores around the house. I know Jesmyn Ward's On Witness And Respair and Kimberle Williams Crenshaw's Backtalker is eyeing me up on my Libro.fm account... I also have the physical copies of each of those books to do some immersive reading - but I just don't know if I'm up for that level of reading quite yet. A book I AM excited to read, that I also have the audio and physical copy, that also releases THIS TUESDAY, is by one of my favorite authors: Mason Deaver's upcoming novel Ship Happens. Maybe I'll go with that one now that I'm talking about it. I guess you'll find out in next week's newsletter.

Also, if you missed the first Collaborators newsletter, there's a poll at the end and also, some free swag up for grabs if you'd like some. Let me know!

I'll catch y'all tomorrow for Trans History Month, Volume 2.

Be easy on yourselves.

With all my trans joy,

Sawyer Cole

Hey there book besties!

I'm back from the beach and back to reality, which means new content for you! As promised, here's the super sneak peak of the October new historical fiction releases. I'm really excited about this list of new books, ESPECIALLY the new Philippa Gregory! I immediately added it to my hold/watch list on Libby.

There's quite a few books on this list that are perfect for Fall reading, ie gothic atmosphere, witchcraft, and supernatural vibes. But there's also plenty of other things to choose from if that's not your scene.

Dive into the list here👇🏻

https://shesbecomingbookish.com/new-historical-fiction-books-october-2026/

Password: crisp

Let me know which of the books you're adding to your TBR in the comments below.

Happy reading!

xoxo

c

Welcome back to an author interview! Today, I'm joined by author Dane Erbach talking about his buzzing book, Meat Bees, released by Clash Books.

1. I use the first question as a freebie. Use it to introduce yourself and tell us as little or as much about YOU as you would like!

I'm Dane Erbach, and I write books, some of them spookier than others. My book MEAT BEES was released by CLASH Books in August, and I have a few other books currently in the editing phase for publication in 2027. In real life, I'm a high school English and journalism teacher. I've also been married longer than I haven't to an amazing woman I met in high school; we have three amazing, creative kids—one in high school, middle school, and elementary school each. I like loud and/or fast music, but sometimes quiet and/or slow music too (or really any combination of any of those descriptions), and I like Pokemon more than the average millennial.

2. Tell us a little about your book, Meat Bees.

MEAT BEES is about a teenager named Scarlett who is living with her dad near the Smoky Mountains for the summer, much to her chagrin. She gets a job at an adventure park called Stovetop Outfitters just to get away from her dad (also: so she can afford a car). Here, she meets Liv, a Finnish teenager in the U.S. for the summer on a work permit and spends a few weeks working on the zip-line. When they stumble upon skeletonized bodies—and when some of their co-workers start to go missing—the discover that swarms of wasps are eating the people they find along the highway. Though Liv is resentful of having to spend the summer in the Smoky Mountains and not exactly interested in making friends, she and Liv work together to solve the mystery of why the wasps are eating people—and avoid trying to get eaten themselves. There's a meat blog involved somewhere too...

3. What bug grosses you out/scares you the most?

When I was younger, daddy long-legs scared the hell out of me. They used to sneak into my tent at scout camp and I'd lose my mind. I don't think I'm as scared of spiders now, especially since I'm now the dad who has to remove them from the house after they sneak up on my kids. Stinging insects like wasps have also been high on my list of insects I hate—which I suppose makes sense considering MEAT BEES. That said, writing that book has actually helped me understand both bees and wasps a little better, and I think I'm a little less freaked out by them. By far, though, the bug that grosses me out most house centipedes. Have you seen those things? Oh god, just thinking about them makes me feel squirmy. 

4. What was the hardest part about Meat Bees to write? The easiest part?

When I came up with the idea for MEAT BEES, I literally started with the "Jaws with wasps" pitch before anything else. I knew there would be wasps eating tourists, and that's basically it. With this concept at the core, the book really wrote itself, especially as I fleshed out Scarlett's character. The hardest part, then, might have been that I didn't really have a clear ending in mind AT ALL until I was about 3/4 of the way through the book. Even then, I wasn't totally sure what that final "twist" would look like until I was there along the side of the highway with Scarlett and Liv (not that it's a huge twist or anything). I guess this wasn't a huge difficulty, but it sort of felt like dread as I was writing.

The easiest part was Scarlett's voice. She's definitely the sassiest character I've ever written, which has made me want to write more unlikable, bratty characters in the future. After I visualized her, she just came to life—he jokes and snarky comments, but also her courage and morality. I think it complicated her character and (I hope) added a layer of reality. She revealed herself as a girl who wants attention but not friends, who loves her mom and kind of resents her at the same time. 

5. Are you working on any other projects at the moment? If so, any hints?

At the exact moment of this interview, I'm officially between books. I have been sent edits for my YA contemporary novel FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT (about a kid who quits his punk-rock band in 1989 to get a job at Showbiz Pizza), so I'll have to dive into that soon. Sooner than later, I also will probably have edits for my horror novel SKITTERS too (see below). 

I did just finish a book that may or may not follow the mayhem in MEAT BEES. I'll be sending that to my editor soon...

6. What character did you resonate the most with in Meat Bees? 

I think it's sort of a cliche to say that writers put a little of themselves in every character, but I think it's probably true. After all, we're all we authors have to pull from. You'd think I resonated with Scarlett's dad the most, but I think I resonated with Scarlett and Liv more, both in really different ways. Scarlett is the side of my personality that has strong opinions, emotional beliefs, and a strong sense of justice (along with a "fuck you, I won't do what you tell me" attitude); being a high school teacher, I have to keep a lot of this side in check, so writing Scarlett helped me release some of my impulsive feelings a bit and live in that mindset a little more freely. Liv is the complete opposite side of my personality—the one that feels compelled to think things through, be responsible, and take care of others. I live in this role a lot more often in real life, so it felt very natural to walk around in her shoes. Each time I wrote those characters, I was really pulling from my different parts—and I think I see that more clearly now than I did when I was writing this book.

7. What horror books have you been reading lately?

I read an advanced copy of a book called RAVENOUS by Dax Dagger at the beginning of the summer that was SO MUCH FUN. It was creepy, but also artfully told in dual perspectives, and spiraled into a kind of madness that I could only dream of executing as an author. Also, one of my favorite authors is T. Kingfisher, and her book WOLF WORM icked the heck out of me. She has such a great voice as an author so that you're almost caught off guard when worms start pushing their way out of people's bodies. Most recently, I read Rachel Harrison's PLAY NICE—my first book of her's—and it was really, really fun. The protagonist in that book is maybe not the sort of person I would hang with in my free time, but it was a blast living in her head—especially while she faced off against a demon possessing her childhood home.

8. Any upcoming horror books you'd like to put on our radar?

A few—but only one that I really feel like I can talk about for now. It's called SKITTERS and it'll be coming out from Quill and Crow Publishing House next year. It's about a teenager who spends the summer working at his aunt's failing Holiday Inn. He discovers that these big, biomechanical spiders are digging wormholes, and he accidentally keeps stumbling back in time—to the 80s, then the 60s, then the 30s, and so on. I know it sounds a little complicated, but I've pitched it as BACK TO THE FUTURE meets PSYCHO, since (as usual) the real monsters in the book are humans. But, you know, also those crazy metal spiders, which end up carving a lot of people apart with their scissor legs.

9. Do you have any writing processes or rituals to help you get in the zone?

I went through a phase in writing when I just was way too in my head, obsessing over word choice and sacrificing my voice for something that felt Very Serious. One thing that helped me was buying a typewriter—like an honest to goodness Smith-Corona electric typewriter. It worked wonders and shook me out of that horrible writing habit by forcing me to move forward and resist deleting everything I write. I had to let the sentences stand whether I liked them or not and just edit them later, Shitty First Draft-style. I actually wrote a few books on that monster (or, well, both of those monsters, since I literally had two of the exact same typewriter—one at home and one at the school where I teach). The problem was turning that paper draft into a digital draft, which was tedious. I needed something that felt like typing on a typewriter but was still digital.

I almost bought one of those cool Freewrite keyboards, but they're really expensive. Instead, I dropped $30 on a bluetooth keyboard, which I connect to my phone, and draft all my books that way—using Freewrite's free Sprinter app and Postbox storage. Sprinter won't let me select text and will only let me delete one character at a time, and very slowly, so it's annoying to delete anything. Writing on my phone only gives me a limited view of what I'm writing—only a few sentences at a time—so I don't scroll backwards and stress over a sucky sentence. It's really helped me trust my voice and not second guess myself. MEAT BEES was written entirely using this method, as was one book I wrote before it and two books I have written since.

10. What are your top three horror movies from 2026? Of all time?

Okay, it's a little embarrassing to admit that I haven't watched a lot of new horror movies this year. I have a son who LOVES horror, but getting out to the movies is tough and expensive, so we watch a lot of older movies on Netflix (which has that movie THRASH that I kind of loved because if you can't enjoy a movie about hurricane sharks, then I don't think you can really enjoy anything). We did see THE BACKROOMS, though, which was very cool and very weird.

As for all time favs—ALIENS started everything for me. I actually started with that one, then went backwards to ALIEN. That franchise is really my fandom, and ALIENS is my favorite movie of all time. I was drawing xenomorphs tearing apart colonial marines in school when I was ten, and still have a lot of my Kenner action figures. So does ALIEN count as my second choice, then, or should it be lumped in with ALIENS? What if I told you that ALIEN: ROMULUS was one of my favs of the franchise? What if I told you that PROMETHEUS still gives me goosebumps? I can't choose three ALIEN movies here, can I?

I'll pick two more: Another horror movie that messed me up was EVENT HORIZON, which is probably the scariest movie I had ever seen when I saw it for the first time when I was a teenager. I loved the mystery and tension, but the big reveal of where the Event Horizon went really freaked me out. Last on my list, I probably have to choose THE THING. I actually didn't see this movie until relatively recently, but I found it to be so psychologically intense—and, at times, so little ridiculous—that I became a lifer instantly after I watched it. I even enjoyed the remake.

Ohhh, is it too late to add PREDATOR, or is that technically linked to ALIEN? What about PREY, which was easily my favorite movie of 2022?

Use the space below to drop any website links/social media handles.

I have a website at daneerbach.com, which is sort of a hub for my creative life, be it books, short stories, or other projects. I'm pretty active on Threads and Instagram (and, to a lesser extent, Bluesky) @browntrowsers, which is literally my Hotmail username from 2004. 

✨ Most of the stories we read, the FMC and MMC get married and live HEA. But here our story starts way later

✨ Love Wells Kept is story of Jackson and Kate, who have been happily married for 10 years with 2 kids. One terrible accident and Jackson loses his memory. The book is about then working together and trying to keep their love and marriage afloat

✨ I think Bailey Hannah captures the heartbreak of a woman whose husband suddenly doesn't remember her and her children very well. The confusion, frustration, struggle that Jackson goes through is also very well described. I was feeling so sad for both of them. Despite the heavy setting, the side characters and the kids bring a much needed lighter note. As this is the fifth book in the series other characters make appearances. But it can be read as a standalone as the author had cleverly used Jackson's amnesia to make sure reader catches up. The story did seem a little flat in the middle. The spice is also great - especially the hot tub action 😉

Trigger warnings - mentions miscarriage

✨ Thank you so much @booksparks and @baileyhannahwrites for this book. I took it with me on a train ride and didn't even realize how much time passed.

#src2026 #thebookodyssey #booktok #cowboyromance

Hello nerds,

Another beautiful month full of events at the best bookstore in the world.

Thursday, August 20th at 6:00 PM

Join us at Sunny's for Yuma County Abolition's teach in with X Dimas. RSVP HERE.

• About the session: Join us for a conversation on early colonial encounters and settlements in southern Arizona. What does it mean to make “contact”? How do colonial histories echo into our present—through borders, medicine, industry, belief, and the systems that still shape us? We’ll explore a complex web of threads: technology, trafficking, resistance and compliance, minerals and industry, christianity and morality, kinship and marriage law, slavery, propaganda, literacy, and even the internet and fentanyl—tracing how the past keeps recurring in the present.

• About Yuma County Abolition: Yuma County Abolition is a grassroots, volunteer-run network dedicated to providing immediate support to our community while building long-term, self-sustaining resilience. We ground our work in solidarity, intersectionality, abolition, accountability, mutual aid, and autonomous direct action.

Saturday, August 22nd from 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

• About: Join us at Sunny's to celebrate our THIRD birthday! We will be having massive giveaways, ice cream, and celebrating somehow making it to year three all day long. RSVP HERE.

Thursday, August 27th at 6:00 PM

Join us for an author event with Caroline Tracey, a Tucson writer, to discuss her book Salt Lakes. Caroline will be reading from her book and copies will be for sale to be signed by the author. This is a FREE event to attend, but we ask that you RSVP so we have a good headcount and can prepare the space. Caroline will be joined in conversation by Sunny’s owner, CJ Alberts. RSVP HERE.

• About the book: More than a hundred salt lakes dot Earth's surface, most of them hidden away in remote desert valleys. But today nearly all of them are at risk of drying up. Their death is a harbinger of rising sea levels, life-threatening dust storms, and environmental collapse. An exquisite blend of travel writing, memoir, and reportage, Salt Lakes is an inspiring call to fight for all that is fragile in our lives.

Sunday August 30th at 11:00 AM

Join us online for our monthly book club Zoom meeting. The August book is Our Sister's Keeper by Jasmine Holmes. RSVP HERE. Jasmine will be joining us for the last 30 minutes of this book club discussion!

• About the book: A gripping blend of historical fiction and Southern gothic psychological horror, Our Sister's Keeper is a fierce exploration of Black sisterhood, rage, and resistance.

• About Sunny's Book Club: Sunny’s Book Club is a monthly book club highlighting both new releases and backlist titles we love. A virtual discussion is hosted over Zoom on the last Sunday of the month. You can check out our selections each month and sign up here. You do not have to buy the book from Sunny's to participate, but we love when you do!

Thank you all for your support as always and hope to see you in person this month.

CJ

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