The Month the Weather Was Confused (and So Was My Villain)
March got surprisingly social. Also: book giveaway.
Happy March 👋
It looked like autumn was coming early this year, with some lovely cool weather and even rain. But the heat’s returned with a vengeance, with temperatures hitting peak scorching summer again (seriously, we’re forecast to get high 30 degrees C all week this week). At least I get to watch the tree out of the front of our house turn from green to those beautiful autumnal colours. Most of our native trees in this part of the world are evergreen, so it feels like a treat.
🗞️ In this newsletter
What I’ve been up to
What I’m working on now
Recommendations
Epiphany
Puzzle
Giveaway!
What I’ve been up to
I’ve booked a writing research trip for later in the year! I’m heading to Tasmania, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. My next solo book will be set there, and I can’t wait to go again. I also went to three book events and one writing workshop this month, which is very socially busy for me. My next event (as an audience member only) is A Night with Our Stars, which is a big showcase for children’s authors in WA. It would’ve happened by the time this newsletter comes out – I’m sure everyone performed beautifully.
What I’m working on now
Marissa and I have FINISHED an incredibly messy first draft of our second Escape book! We did it in about two months, which is ridiculous. I’m still not sure how that happened. It needs a lot of work, though. We’re aiming to have the revisions done by our deadline in August. Dabble (the online program we’ve been using) has its pluses and minuses. The most annoying thing is that we can’t track changes, which feels like it should be a must for any collaboration software.
Recommendations
They don’t update this one very much these days, but it’s an excellent behind-the-scenes look at the industry. The hosts have an interesting premise – two authors with the same publisher who released a book in the same year talk about their wildly different experiences based on their very different advances. They have some great guests who give their own insights and experiences. It’s fascinating, and also gave a lot of publishing context for when I read Yellowface by R. F. Kuang.
I believe they’re about to print a ten-year anniversary special of this series, which I can’t wait to see. But I reread one of these books last month for research (can’t tell you what about yet), and it reminded me how special this series is. It changed the way I think about reading and writing. How can you care so much about characters who only exist in dossier files? How did the authors manage to make it so epic? It’s rare for me to think of a book as pure perfection, yet Illuminae and its follow-ups are the pinnacle.
Inside Out 2
I know, I know, I’m late to the party. I haven’t had time to watch many movies since I had a baby mid-2022. But I got to this one yesterday and my mind was blown. I sent a message to my husband saying it was an avalanche of tears disguised as a children’s movie. What impressed me most was how the stakes were so low compared to a blockbuster where the whole world is in danger, yet how could you not be completely invested in Riley’s well-being? It’s a masterclass in storytelling, and well worth a rewatch to see how they did it. PS If you’re a writer and you haven’t yet read Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling, I’d highly recommend it.
Epiphany
A snippet of wisdom that’s helped me become a better writer.
I’ve learnt this lesson so many times already, and yet I still need reminders. While working on the next Escape book, I was finding it difficult to untangle the many plot points. It was only later I realised that I didn’t know the villain’s story arc. Massive facepalm. I spent several hours writing out the villain’s motivations, the catalyst for their actions, their plans to get what they want, and how they would pivot when our heroes inevitably got in their way. And voila! Now I also had the plot for the protagonists.
Can’t believe how many times I have to be reminded of this technique. Ugh.
Puzzle
Answer to last month’s puzzle:
Angry without the thing you wind in a ball (The thing you wind in a ball is YARN, so take those letters out of the word ANGRY and you get the letter G)
Next comes the sound of a guard dog’s call (A guard dog says RUFF)
Then the word you use when one will do (You just want one? You use the article A)
Last is when you’re feeling blue. (Another word for blue is LOW (LO))
Answer: GRUFFALO! A character my toddler loves!
Did you get it? Are you ready for another one?
Cryptic clue:
Initially, we acquired very eagerly something found in the ocean. (4 letters)
Answer next month. (Or in the comments section, if someone figures it out and shares it before then.)
Giveaway
I’m giving away a personalised, signed copy of Lintang and the Pirate Queen! All you have to do is be a subscriber of this newsletter before mid April. The winner will be announced next month, and can choose who the personalisation is addressed to. Open internationally.
About Lintang and the Pirate Queen:
Lintang dreams of escaping her island home and having adventures on the high seas. She gets her chance when she and her best friend, Bayani, face a deadly mythie and survive, attracting the attention of the infamous Captain Shafira.Lintang’s bravery earns her an invitation onto the ship of the pirate queen, who is on her way to hunt down a nest of vicious sirens.
But they’ve barely left the island when Lintang discovers that Bayani has risked his life to stow away. Worse, he won’t tell her why. Lintang must choose whether to be loyal to Captain Shafira and continue with her adventures, or be loyal to her best friend and lose everything she’s ever wanted.
YOU. 🧡