A Work in Progress

Hello and welcome to Magic Meets Mundane! This is my first newsletter, so I’ll start with an introduction. Later, you can expect to hear about my latest forest escapades and whatnot.

If you’re reading this, you likely already know I am a YA dark forest fantasy writer. I am also a wife, a mom, a home educator, a college student, a person who enjoys yoga but is grossly inconsistent, a worship leader at my local church, a houseplant connoisseur, and a bit of a coffee snob (I blame this on living in the Pacific Northwest). I am also human, anxious, and easily intimidated by cool people.

Besides all that, I am new to this putting-myself-out-there-as-an-author thing. I’ve spent the last eight years honing my writing craft but not so much marketing. In other words, I have a lot to learn. In today’s technologically driven society, there’s a lot of pressure to be masters at everything; if we’re not 100% awesome and brilliant and culturally relevant, we’re supposed to fake it. I want to push back against that pressure a little bit by insisting that I don’t know everything. I have limitations. I’m not like one of those videos where someone snaps their fingers, and the home improvement project is complete through clever video editing. There’s a lot of messiness in the middle that nobody sees, and it’s called growth. I’m a human and a story, a work in progress—just like you. So please be patient with my fumbling!

Writing update:

My biggest writing update for this month is that I’ve launched my newsletter; although if you’re reading this, I’m sure you’re already aware. Next month, I’ll be attending the Southwest Washington Writers Conference in Centralia, WA. It’s a small conference that packs a huge punch and an event I look forward to every year. Some of the best writing advice I’ve ever gotten came from the keynote speakers of the past. Also, SWWC offers a fantastic box lunch, which includes cookies. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t easily enticed by cookies.

In other news, November may still be three months away, but I’m already well into my NaNoWriMo prep. I have two projects in mind: one, a much-needed rewrite of a nautical YA fantasy, and two, a holiday-themed fairytale retelling. I have beat sheets completed or well underway for both projects, but the holiday one has a certain appeal. I always start feeling super Christmassy about midway through November.

This month’s reads:

Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody

Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones

And Both Were Young by Madeleine L’Engle

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman, Maurice Sendak (illustrator), Ralph Manheim (translator)

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

Plant lore:

Western Bleeding Heart, Dicentra formosa

According to the OSU extension service website, western bleeding heart is a perennial with a non-woody stem that can grow to a height of 1'-1.5'. Bleeding heart has lacy green leaves, long stems, and pink heart-shaped pendants with white petals protruding downwards. It prefers moist soil and part shade/full sun, which is why you'll often find it in the forest shaded by evergreens and growing alongside ferns and salal. OSU also states that the plant is toxic to humans and animals if ingested, but it attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and ants.

Source: Pacific NW native plants by plant community

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/techniques/pacific-nw-native-plants-plant-community

That’s it for now. I hope to have some wildly exciting news to share with you next month!

Thanks for reading!

Kimberly