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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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Long time no recap! I love writing these Case Files—the only thing holding me back the past few weeks was feeling overwhelmed by book mail. Everyone always says publishing slows down during the summer, but I don’t think that’s true anymore.
Anyway! Let’s dive into what I’ve read over the past few weeks.
This week’s reads:
You’ll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner (finished): Creepy, eerie, witchy . . . this had it all! I also loved chatting with Lisa for the Cluesletter and hearing more about her research process for the book—plus her thoughts about writing canine characters.
We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman (finished; out Sep 15): I love Osman’s writing and it was fun to return to these characters, but I hate to say it, this plot dragged for me. It picked up at the end and the conclusion was solid, but that middle bit? Phew, it took me much longer than it should have to get through it.
Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley (finished; out Sep 22): I read this in a day! A very respectful homage to Marple written in Lucy Foley’s own style. No imitation attempts—just good characters, juicy twists, and a snowy setting. I’ll be filming a video review soon.
Liars in Paradise by Olesya Lyuzna (currently listening): After loving Olesya’s debut last year, I am enjoying its sequel on audio! If roaring 20s New York City and darkly glamorous crime is your thing, definitely give this series a try.
The Enigma Challenge by S.C. Godfrey (currently reading): Okay, so I love a good treasure hunt mystery/thriller. This is scratching a Vicky Bliss itch for me—danger, banter, romance, and that sensation of not knowing who to trust. Too good.
Murdoku by Manuel Garand (currently puzzling): I feel so stupid playing Murdoku but it’s absolutely addicting. I’m nearly finished with this first volume and have the second waiting for me.
This week’s book mail:
Murdle Detective Notebook by G.T. Karber: Once a Murdler, always a Murdler.
Three novels from Random House: Sunrise by Téa Obreht, You First by Caroline Kepnes, and Honey by Imani Thompson
Three novels by Seichō Matsumoto: Tokyo Express, Suspicion, and A Quiet Place
I Know the Ants by Lang Leav: A literary mystery + coming-of-age story that I anticipate will be lyrical, emotional, and poignant.
The Tainted Cup, A Drop of Corruption, and A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett: As an amateur fantasy reader I’ve long been intrigued by this Holmes-and-Watson style fantasy-mystery series.
Tear the City Down by Andre Hardy (out Sep 1): Not book mail, but I snagged a signed copy at Andre’s prelaunch event in San Diego! Hard-boiled crime novel set in America’s Finest City, written by a former NFL player.
How to Write a Murder by Jessica Brody (out Sep 22): The premise is giving The Ending Writes Itself but, like, a lot better. Thrilled to read this one soon.
Thank you to Chronicle Books, Random House, Lang Leav, Del Rey, MB Communications, Grand Central Publishing, and Bantam Books for these gifts.
Yours mysteriously,
Manon
A barefoot detective. A music-powered magic system. Puzzles, satire, fantasy, and a tortoise playing a bassoon. Welcome to the wonderfully unconventional literary world of L.E. Bendon.
For this edition of Book Club Conversations, we're going behind the scenes with author L.E. Bendon, whose upcoming fantasy adventure The Dungeon Campaign for Animal Rites brings together a love of Terry Pratchett, roleplaying adventures, puzzles, music theory, and satire.
But Bendon's writing life doesn't stop with fantasy.
They're also the author behind the Lance Pomegranate mystery series, featuring an Australian detective in London who has one particularly unusual preference: he works barefoot.
We asked Bendon about everything from favorite Discworld novels and writing routines to the evolution of Lance Pomegranate, the creation of a music-based magic system, and the challenge of moving between murder mysteries and high fantasy.
Let's get into it.
🧙 The Terry Pratchett Connection
Q: Your bio opens with a poignant note about Terry Pratchett. What is your favorite Pratchett book, and how does his comedic legacy influence your satire?
Bendon says choosing one is nearly impossible.
The Last Continent was the Discworld novel that really opened the floodgates after previously reading The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic.
Other favorites include The Fifth Elephant and Interesting Times.
Bendon's love of Pratchett is also deeply connected to The Dungeon Campaign for Animal Rites, where satire, irreverence, adventure, and humor collide.
✍️ What Does L.E. Stand For?
Q: Since you're known for changing what the initials mean, what do L.E. stand for today?
Currently?
Ludwig Elderberry.
But that is about to change.
With the release of The Dungeon Campaign for Animal Rites, L.E. will become Ludicrous Enterprise.
And Bendon warns that the initials will very likely change again for The Weapon and the Fruit: Hipsters of Teddington Lock in November.
We absolutely love the commitment to keeping everyone guessing.
☕ Writing in Cafés
Q: What's your favorite café writing environment?
When Bendon is near home in North Karnataka, Om Home is the go-to café.
It's a half-hour walk from home and has become a creative headquarters for writing, editing, music composition, mixing, online lessons, and author interviews.
In Bangalore, Bendon also works from chains including Third Wave, Coffee Day, and Chai Point.
Apparently, there is also a recurring battle involving Indian night buses and drivers who make passengers hunt down their booked bus before boarding.
A little caffeine and completed writing apparently helps with the challenge.
📖 The Book That Started the Love of Reading
Q: What was your gateway book?
The Kingfisher Book of Myths and Legends.
At around seven or eight years old, Bendon would choose myths at random, reading stories from Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian, Chinese, and other traditions.
Even after reading the entire collection, Bendon happily reread the stories.
It's easy to see how that early love of mythology, storytelling, and imaginative worlds eventually found its way into fantasy writing.
🧠 The Book Bendon Returns To
Q: What's your ultimate comfort read?
Bendon says rereading fiction doesn't work particularly well for them as an adult.
Knowing the ending and remembering what happens can make revisiting a story feel more like work than comfort.
Nonfiction, however, is different.
One book Bendon particularly enjoys returning to is How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker.
📚 What's Currently on the TBR?
One physical book currently waiting for Bendon is Cut Like Wound by Anita Nair, purchased on a whim in Bangalore.
But Bendon is primarily a Kindle reader, especially because of constant travel.
There is also a practical reason: carrying a physical TBR through buses, trains, and planes and through a previous 5,000-mile move is considerably less appealing than keeping everything on one device.
Bendon is also currently reading an ARC of A Peculiar Patron by C. R. Walker, another UK indie author and Pratchett fan.
🐢 Why Tortoises Win
Q: What's the story behind your love of tortoises?
It started with Fred.
Fred was a pet tortoise owned by one of Bendon's uncles who wandered around a garden in Twickenham at his own pace.
Years later, Bendon spent time caring for a baby Horsfield tortoise, taking him into the garden and even playing hide-and-seek.
That lifelong affection eventually became a tattoo:
A tortoise playing a bassoon.
As for the cat in The Dungeon Campaign for Animal Rites, Bendon says Potato's personality is heavily influenced by their ex-wife, who apparently has quite a talent for cat-like behavior.
🎼 Building a Magic System From Music Theory
Q: How did your musical background shape the magic system in The Dungeon Campaign for Animal Rites?
According to Bendon, the magic system almost built itself.
Music theory provided the foundation for the geography of the fictional planet and the rules governing its magic.
The planet is modeled on the cycle of fifths, with twelve equally spaced islands representing twelve major keys.
Magic works differently depending on the relationship between the islands, mirroring concepts of harmony.
Bendon also incorporated elements of Indian classical music, drawing on their experience performing with Indian musicians while developing their own understanding of the tradition.
🗡️ From Murder Mysteries to High Fantasy
Q: What made you jump from London crime fiction to a fantasy world filled with purple plants and no murders?
Bendon's love of Discworld was a major influence.
They had long wanted to build a fantasy world where satire could be used to explore the real world.
They also love roleplaying adventures, puzzles, and traditional fantasy parties working together to solve problems.
For The Dungeon Campaign for Animal Rites, the goal was to let readers participate in the adventure almost like a game working alongside the characters to figure out solutions and evaluate their choices.
The book draws inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons and the early-'90s television program Knightmare, combining adventure, puzzles, wit, and irreverence.
Unlike the darker Lance Pomegranate mysteries, Bendon deliberately chose to avoid murder and serious malicious intent in this series. The villains are intended to be arrogant and narrow-minded rather than truly evil and are defeated through laughter as much as weapons.
🦶 Meet the Barefoot Detective
Q: Where did the idea for an Australian detective in London who refuses to wear shoes come from?
Lance Pomegranate's Australian identity serves a practical purpose: it makes his willingness to throw sass at complete strangers feel more believable and helps keep him from becoming too much of a self-insert.
But the barefoot aspect?
That's very personal.
Bendon has disliked wearing shoes since childhood and gradually became comfortable going barefoot despite the attention it attracted.
Eventually, around ten years ago, Bendon stopped keeping footwear at home entirely.
Now living in India, going barefoot is less unusual, although Bendon still gets plenty of questions mostly about being foreign and about their tattoos.
💔 When the Mystery Gets Personal
Q: How do you add emotional depth to Lance while maintaining the series' wit?
Bendon didn't initially intend to take Lance quite so deep.
The original idea was closer to Poirot or Jonathan Creek: focus on the cases while gradually revealing Lance's quirks and unusual worldview.
But each subsequent book naturally revealed more.
Readers eventually discover painful memories, secrets, and the experiences that shaped Lance's decision to start over in London.
Bendon describes the process as a way of turning personal demons into something productive transforming difficult experiences into writing they're proud of.
✏️ Plotter vs. Pantser
Q: How do you approach plotting?
Bendon identifies more with being a plotter, but doesn't think the plotter-versus-pantser distinction is always particularly useful.
For Bendon, plotting means establishing the major plot points and timelines before focusing heavily on prose and dialogue.
One important exception is mystery writing.
Because mysteries depend on knowing who was where, when they were there, and what they were doing, careful planning is essential.
At the same time, Bendon loves writing dialogue and may write pages of it before returning later to add action and scenery.
🕐 The Writing Routine
Q: Morning person or night owl?
Neither.
Bendon jokingly describes themself as an "afternoon... albatross."
Their most productive hours run from roughly an hour after lunch until around 11 p.m.
Warm weather also helps.
Living in India means comfortable writing weather is readily available, although the same preference that makes cold weather productive for sleep makes warm weather somewhat less helpful for bedtime.
🧩 The Easiest and Hardest Part of Writing
Puzzles and dialogue are among Bendon's favorite things to create.
The difficult part?
Those necessary chapters that connect major plot points, account for travel time, and make the story feel complete without seeming like filler.
Bendon has learned not to overthink these sections during the first draft. Later drafts provide opportunities to add new plot points, subplots, red herrings, and secondary crimes that can eventually connect back to the larger mystery.
🍻 One Day With Lance or Melisma?
Q: Who would you rather spend the day with?
Why choose?
Bendon would happily bring Lance to Melisma's Inn, have a few pints, and then head off on an adventure.
And, naturally, Potato the cat would have to come along too.
📚 A Very Busy Autumn
With major releases planned for August 7 and November 7, Bendon's release calendar is packed.
Rather than spending release day obsessively refreshing sales numbers, Bendon hopes to attend book events and establish opportunities to sell and distribute paperback editions in India at prices accessible to Indian readers.
They're also working with another independent author in Hyderabad to brainstorm ideas for future events.
🔎 Where to Find L.E. Bendon
The Dungeon Campaign for Animal Rites
Release: August 7
Amazon UK — The Dungeon Campaign for Animal Rites
The Weapon and the Fruit: Hipsters of Teddington Lock
Release: November 7
Amazon UK — The Weapon and the Fruit
Previous Books
Amazon UK Author Store
Website
L.E. Bendon
Social Media
Instagram & Threads: @authorbendon
Twitter: @L_E_Bendon
Bluesky: @lebendon.com
Goodreads
L.E. Bendon on Goodreads
🕵️ An Easter Egg for Mystery Readers
Bendon has hidden two externally accessible Easter eggs in Lance Pomegranate's second outing, The Weapon and the Fruit: Any Body Can Murder.
There's even a potential reward for the first reader who discovers and activates either one.
So...consider this your warning.
The hunt is officially on.
💬 Our Book Club Question
Would you rather read a satirical fantasy adventure inspired by music theory and Discworld or a clever London murder mystery starring a barefoot Australian detective?
And, more importantly, would you be brave enough to hunt for those hidden Easter eggs?
We'd love to know!
Thank you to L.E. Bendon for joining us for this month's Book Club Conversations and giving our readers such a fascinating look behind the books.
📚 The Page Ladies Book Club
Where readers become part of the story.
What do Terry Pratchett, music theory, puzzles, a barefoot detective, and a tortoise playing a bassoon have in common? They all lead us straight to our latest Book Club Conversations author!
We're excited to introduce L.E. Bendon, author of The Dungeon Campaign for Animal Rites, a satirical fantasy adventure that blends humor, puzzles, music-inspired magic, and a healthy dose of Discworld-inspired irreverence.
In this special Book Club Conversations preview, we're getting to know the author behind the books from favorite Terry Pratchett novels and childhood gateway books to café writing sessions, mystery influences, and the surprising inspiration behind a barefoot detective.
🧙♂️ The Terry Pratchett Connection
Q: Your bio opens with a poignant note about Terry Pratchett. What is your favorite Pratchett book, and how does his comedic legacy influence your satire?
L.E. Bendon admits it's nearly impossible to choose just one, but The Last Continent was the Discworld book that really opened the floodgates.
Other favorites include The Fifth Elephant and Interesting Times, although Bendon makes it very clear that this doesn't mean they're not absolutely in love with nearly all of Pratchett's work.
✍️ The Pen Name Roulette
Q: What does L.E. stand for today?
For now, L.E. stands for Ludwig Elderberry.
But that answer is temporary.
With the release of The Dungeon Campaign for Animal Rites, the initials are set to become Ludicrous Enterprise, meaning ARC reviewers and readers will be among the first to discover the change.
And apparently, it may change again for the November release of The Weapon and the Fruit: Hipsters of Teddington Lock.
☕ The Café Writing Vibe
Q: What's your go-to café writing spot?
When Bendon is home near Hampi in North Karnataka, the favorite is Om Home, a café about a half-hour walk from home.
It's more than a place to write. It's also where Bendon edits, composes music, mixes, teaches online lessons, and records author podcast interviews.
When traveling through cities like Bangalore, reliable favorites include Third Wave, Coffee Day, and Chai Point.
📖 The Gateway Book
Q: What book first made you fall in love with reading?
The Kingfisher Book of Myths and Legends immediately came to mind.
Bendon remembers reading it around age seven or eight and randomly choosing myths night after night including Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian, and Chinese stories.
Even after reading them all, Bendon happily returned to them again and again.
🧠 The Comfort Read
Q: What's one book you can reread forever?
Interestingly, Bendon says rereading fiction isn't really something that works for them anymore because knowing the outcome can make revisiting a story feel like a grind.
Instead, nonfiction books tend to make better return visits.
One standout?
How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker.
📚 What's on the TBR?
Currently waiting for its first read is Cut Like Wound by Anita Nair, a physical book Bendon picked up in Bangalore.
The catch? Bendon is primarily a Kindle reader and travels constantly, so carrying a physical book everywhere isn't exactly ideal.
They're also currently reading an ARC of A Peculiar Patron by C. R. Walker, another UK indie author and fellow Pratchett fan.
🐢 Team Tortoise
Q: Why tortoises over cats?
The answer goes all the way back to childhood and a pet tortoise named Fred, who wandered around an uncle's garden in Twickenham with absolutely no interest in rushing anywhere.
Years later, Bendon cared for a baby Horsfield tortoise and even played hide-and-seek with him.
The love of tortoises eventually became permanent literally.
Bendon has a tattoo of a tortoise playing a bassoon on their upper right arm. 🐢🎶
🎼 Music Theory as Magic
One of the most fascinating elements of The Dungeon Campaign for Animal Rites is its music-inspired magic system.
Bendon's musical background helped shape the world itself. The planet is modeled around the cycle of fifths in Western music theory, with twelve islands representing the twelve major keys.
The magic system also incorporates elements of Indian classical music, inspired by Bendon's growing understanding of and performances with Indian musicians.
💬 Want More?
This is only the beginning!
The First Editions members can read the complete Book Club Conversations interview, including questions about:
✨ The leap from London crime fiction to high fantasy
✨ The inspiration behind barefoot detective Lance Pomegranate
✨ Writing emotional character backstories
✨ Plotting versus pantsing
✨ Writing routines and productivity
✨ Creating puzzles and witty dialogue
✨ Spending a day with Melisma Gat or Lance Pomegranate
✨ Release-day plans
✨ Upcoming books and projects
✨ An intriguing Easter egg hidden outside The Weapon and the Fruit
Want to read the entire conversation? Join The First Editions and unlock the full interview!
📚 The Page Ladies Book Club
Where readers become part of the story.
Y'all I made a meaningful dent in my TBR pile! It felt incredible to finally read By the Bootstraps by Alexa Martin, a fluffy fun cowboy romance published earlier this year by Berkley. I also read the newest book in the Spell Shop series by Sarah Beth Durst, Sea of Charms, in preparation for our event together at Northport Books. Next week I will share an edited transcript of our conversation about why escapism is a necessity, not a luxury.
As we hit the last two weeks of August, here are the books in my tote bag.
Til Quest Do Us Part by Ivelisse Housman — I'm almost done with this cozy romantasy publishing in December from Ace. It's like The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs meets the Zelda franchise and I haven't been able to put it down since my arc arrived in the mail. Pre-order it for sure.
When the Duke Loved Me by Lydia Lloyd — I'm on a Lloyd kick following the release of her newest historical romance Rogue Around the Edges. Her books are wildly sexy and smart, and this one features her trademark Typically Self-Composed Man In a Horny Panic. Really good enemies to lovers, too.
Unfinished Business by Clare Osongco — I'm slowly reading this genre-bendy book about a woman whose recently deceased mother is haunting her company's Slack. The love triangle has just introduced itself (both men are alive, for the record), but what's hooked me is the commentary on workplace culture and the extractive manipulation of a business taken over by venture capital. This book feels like a cousin to my debut novel But How Are You, Really and I want the heroines to get lunch and talk about quitting their shitty jobs!!
Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Straube — I'll be honest, I borrowed this best-selling TikTok smash from the library to make fun of it with my boyfriend and we both wound up engrossed. Originally self-published as Spit or Swallow, this book is about a basilisk/man training a young virgin in the sensual arts (to put it politely). It is pure erotic romance, and it delivers. It's got me thinking about how BookTok has destroyed the genre divisions between erotica, erotic romance, and romance, with all three lumped together under the label of "smut." If you pick up Kiss of the Basilisk expecting a classic romance, you will probably not enjoy it. But if you go in wanting to read erotica with training kink and hot snake men, this is the perfect book for you.
What are you reading? What should I add to my TBR?
As you all know, I've officially joined Threads.
And yes... I still stand by my original opinion: it feels like the Wild West over there. 😅 A lot of people lose all nuance and become the meanest, least understanding versions of themselves.
That said, I did come across a conversation that genuinely made me think.
Someone argued that the protagonist in Daggermouth "wasn't Black enough." They compared it to books like Legendborn and Our Vicious Oaths, saying those stories keep Black culture at the center in a way Daggermouth doesn't. Their point was that you could change the protagonist's race and the overall story would stay the same, so they didn't consider it a book "for the culture."
It made me wonder:
Does a book by a Black author have to center Black culture or racial dynamics in order to be considered a meaningful Black book?
It also reminded me of a post I made a while back about BookTok, where people seemed determined to "check" whether Black creators were reading enough books by Black authors.
Why do we keep moving the goalposts?
Daggermouth is a dystopian fantasy. It's set in a world with its own social structure, economy, and rules. It's not trying to mirror our reality in the same way contemporary fiction might.
So why do we sometimes expect every Black author to write stories that explicitly center Blackness?
Now, I know there's another layer to this conversation.
H.M. Wolfe has been controversial. She's spoken about being mixed and not identifying exclusively with one side of her heritage. More recently, when readers questioned why the protagonist appeared noticeably lighter in the traditionally published artwork, she said the character was always intended to resemble herself. That explanation didn't sit well with a lot of readers, and some decided they no longer wanted to support the book.
I understand why representation matters and why readers have strong feelings about how Black characters are depicted. Those conversations are worth having.
But I also keep coming back to this question:
Can a Black story simply exist without having to constantly prove its Blackness?
Or are we putting expectations on Black authors that we don't place on anyone else?
I'm genuinely curious where everyone lands on this, because I don't think there's an easy answer.
Love to hear your thoughts below!
I was so excited to see Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim as an August option. It was one of the only August new releases that I knew I had to get my hands on.
This book takes a fairy tale and turns it into a "story of mothers and daughters, the scars they inherit and the magic that binds them, [it] is a tender and enchanting exploration of what it means, at last, to be seen." (Penguin Random House) I can't wait to read this one!
I have been loving collecting the BOTM Centennial Editions for my Classics collection. This month, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote made its way to me. It's described as the first non-fiction novel and tells the story of a real murder investigation in the 1960's. I haven't previously read this Classic, but the murder mystery/true crime plotline quickly drew me in. I also read that Harper Lee heavily assisted Capote in his research, with immediately increased my curiosity!
🗨️ Which one would you pick up first: fairy tale inspired fiction or true-crime non-fiction?
-or-
Do you subscribe to any book boxes you'd recommend?
Want to try BOTM for just $5? My referral 🔗 gets you the goods!
Hi Chanterelles!
It's time for our seasonal giveaways🥰 I can't believe how fast time is flying and just cause I do know some of you are not on the discord channel, I've shared that we're doing this giveaway and the next one earlier so that you guys have it in time for holiday seasons 🤎
Giveaway:
This is our second Digital giveaway and so we're running it from today, August 14 to August 25 11:59 pm (UK timezone) and I'll pick the winner shortly after. I've been given some feedback that you guys would like to know the winner has been chosen and announced so I'll be sending another post once this is done🥹
And just bare in mind, sometimes the newsletter emails or my general emails will go to spam so always check your spam folder to see if you've won anything!
This giveaway will be the same as the previous one, where you can win a giftcard from any of the following that is of a value of £50 (or your chosen currency's equivalent):
Bookshop.org or any indie bookshops
Any small business that do any Cozy Hobbies, Teas or anything to support your slow living
Steam or Indie Games giftcard
Really anything within the same theme as above but might not exactly fit! (Feel free to DM/email me to discuss this)
Just fill out the form in here before the deadline and I will be in touch with the winner through email! Good luck to everyone🤎
Summary
Tracing a loose arc from Edwidge Danticat's childhood to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent events in Haiti, the essays gathered in We're Alone include personal narrative, reportage, and tributes to mentors and heroes such as Toni Morrison, Paule Marshall, Gabriel García Márquez, and James Baldwin that explore several abiding environmental catastrophe, the traumas of colonialism, motherhood, and the complexities of resilience.
Review
I adored this collection. Each essay was so masterfully constructed that it made me both want to teach this writing and write again myself.
I really appreciated how much this book taught me about Haiti, but what really struck me the most were the pieces about family, death, and moving forward.
“Writing the Self and Others” was my favorite essay from this collection.
What I learned
In the early 19th century, Polish soldiers were fighting along the French army in Haiti, but switched alliances to join Haiti in their battle of independence from France. When independence was won, these soldiers were the only foreigners granted Haitain citizenship.
in the 1930s there was a large population of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic as agricultural workers and families of Haitian descendants. In 1937, dictator Rafael Trujillo imposed a quota of Hatians that estates could employ in the Dominican Republic. And a month later, he commanded his army to kill all Haitians in the northwestern region of the Dominican Republic. It's estimated that between 14,000-40,000 Haitians were murdered.
In 1990, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was the first democratically elected president of Haiti after the 29-year Duvalier dictatorship. However, his presidency didn't last long as a coup by the Haitian military (where some members were on the CIA's payroll) outsted him. This happened again in 2004 after he was re-elected.
After this coup, more than 40,000 Haitians were arrested by the U.S. Coast Guard as they fled the country. They were thrown into prison at Guantánamo Naval Base.
After an earthquake struck Port-au-Prince in 2010, UN peacekeepers released raw sewage from their base into one of Haiti's rivers. This caused cholera epidemic that killed 10,000 people.
I am changing things up. I have a lot of random ideas, short stories, and of course work in progress. That's going to be what I start sharing for my exclusive post. I don't want to make new content just for the sake of it when I could be giving you a behind the scenes look at my writing process. Hope you enjoy! After finishing the outline weeks ago I took a break to get another idea out of my head (I Wish I Was a Vampire) now back to Werewolf Summer I have finished the first five chapters of the first draft so obviously anything I share will most likely change somewhat or who knows A LOT. Okay enough stalling. Here is part of Chapter 1!
CHAPTER 1
Jenna sits across from Winona in the radio station booth while Winona adjusts the levels and pushes a stack of papers out of the way. The desk is covered in CDs in and out of their cases, old flyers, coffee rings, and black pens.
Her mic is still muted, so she takes another breath and tries to calm down. It does not help much. Her hands are damp, her stomach is tight, and the first page of her notes is too neat. When she gets nervous, she overprepares, as if bullet points can somehow keep her from falling apart.
At the top of the page, she has written: First episode back. Below that: Charlie. Woods Bay. Why now? She hates seeing those three things together.
“You okay?” Winona asks, popping her head up like a meerkat from behind her computer screen.
“Yes?” Jenna says, but it sounds like a question even to her.
She looks out the window at the sheets of rain coming down on the historic downtown of Woods Bay. It’s been humid all afternoon, the kind of sticky summer weather that makes the air feel thick, and now the rain is hitting the pavement hard enough to turn everything outside soft and gray.
Winona waits.
“Fuck,” Jenna says, dragging the word out like a moan. “No, I’m not, but I will be.”
“That sounds more like it,” Winona says with a fake-it-till-you-make-it level of enthusiasm before giving Jenna a cheesy thumbs-up.
Jenna almost laughs, but it comes out more like a breath. “I want to do this. I do. It’s just a lot.”
“Then we don’t have to do it today. That’s what’s great about owning your own station,” Winona says.
She puts her feet up on her desk and leans back in her chair. As she goes to put her hands behind her head to really commit to the relaxed appearance, her face shifts from a smile to panic. A second later, she tumbles backward onto the floor.
“Yes we do you goofball. Are you okay?” Jenna asks between giggles.
Winona’s voice comes from the other side of the desk. “I’m fine. At least I got you to laugh. And no, we really don’t.”
Jenna looks down at her notes again. Charlie’s name is still there, like it is just another topic she can get through if she stays professional enough.
“We do,” Jenna says. “That’s how sponsors work. You produce content and then you get paid. It’s just the first time recording without her.”
Winona climbs back into her chair. Her face softens, but not in the careful way people use when they are afraid of saying the wrong thing. Jenna appreciates that. She hates being handled like she might break if someone speaks normally.
“I know,” Winona says with a sadness in her eyes that breaks Jenna’s heart a little.
Jenna knows she does. That is one of the reasons she agreed to record with her. Winona doesn’t know everything, but she knows enough. She knows Woods Bay. She is a member of one of the town’s founding families, which means she understands what it is like when something terrible happens and strangers decide they have a right to talk about it. Back home, people had been kind. Jenna cannot complain about that, but kindness was not enough.
In Woods Bay, people are strange and nosy, but they do not need Jenna to explain why she flinches at certain sounds or why the smell of chlorine still makes her throat close. They understand enough.
Winona slides a pair of headphones toward her. “Last chance to run dramatically into the rain.”
“Tempting,” Jenna says looking out the window as if really debating running out the door and getting soaked.
“I’d give you thirty seconds before I mocked you on air,” Winona says, smirking at her.
“How kind of you,” Jenna says.
“As Jacob would say, kind is my middle name,” Winona says.
Jenna who is middrink almost spits water all over.
“You did not just quote one of the Twilight movies,” Jenna says in between coughs. She slides her cat ear headphones on.
Across from her, Winona glances at the levels, then smiles back at Jenna.
“Damn straight I did and it got you distracted and laughing. Well after choking. Seriously though. You say the word and we stop,” Winona says. “Anytime.”
Jenna nods. Winona unmuted her mic first. The red light comes on.
MINI POD! In this episode, Jordy dives into the hidden wonders of snail mail clubs: what they are, who’s sending them, and why they bring so much joy. Tune in to discover new artists and creatives deserving of your support.
Listen on Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Deezer // Pocket Casts
Books/Resources Mentioned:
The Mossheart Mail Club website // Instagram
Naomi VanDoren, Tales from the Isles of Antarah website // Instagram
Brambletown Mail Club website // Instagram
Writings from the Wild website // Instagram
xoClementine website // Instagram
The Moonlight Mail Club website // Instagram
Tabby Mail website // Instagram
Katie Mai Mail Club website // Instagram
Support and follow our host!
Follow Jordy: Instagram // Pagebound.co
This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.
Original music by Amarissa
Hello,
I’m here to ruin your weekend TBR!
Our next book (Cracks by Kristy Park Kulski, available for preorder below 😇) is now on Netgalley!
Request. Read. Revel. Review. 💗🐇🔪
Horror and myth collide when a Korean American teenager’s grief summons something ancient: a water ghost that has been feeding on her family’s sorrow for decades.
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/880103
This week's pick comes from Marcus Parks!
For fans who want to know where Grant Morrison learned how to be weird, this is surreal Irish fiction at its absolute best. It'll make you fall in love with the printed word all over again. You may not quite know what's happening at all times as the one-legged protagonist makes his way through a version of Hell, but the writing is so beautiful you don't really care. It's the most original and thought-provoking take on the afterlife that I've ever read.
Hello Friends and welcome to another edition of Trans Joy Thursday!
I am so excited for this week, as I just received an exciting e-mail today with a tentative schedule for UntitledTown's Book And Author Festival being held right here in Green Bay, WI September 25-27, to which I will be leading 3 panels, and participating in an additional 2 more! Here is the event flyer, scan the QR code to find out more information if you're interested. Or you can click the hyperlink above to bring you to the website:
Are you wondering what workshops/panels I'm leading or will be a part of? I'm (im)patiently waiting for the greenlight to share them all and times/dates/locations of where I'll be. BUT I CAN SHARE ONE THING: The panel I initially pitched that I was accepted to lead? I'll be in conversation with the duo authors that are also right here in Green Bay: MAE MARVEL! They will be with me on one panel, and I am so unbelievably stoked for it. I adore them both, and truly am excited to sit down and talk to them next month. Stay tuned for details, and I promise you, once I get the green light, I won't be able to shut up about it.
ALSO, another thing that has brought me joy this week? I just confirmed our September Beyond The Rainbow chat with Dr. KiKi Fehling, DBT-LBC, author of The Mental LGBTQ+ Mental Health Workbook: Find Emotional Resilience, Self-Love, & Queer Joy with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Details are below:
I will post the zoom information here and on Discord closer to the date. I hope you can make it because not only is this book so needed, we're also chatting with Dr. Kiki Fehling during Suicide Prevention Month - a topic that is very important to me. Especially when it's discussed in terms of the LGTBQIA+ community and our lack of support in the world right now. I truly hope you will purchase/request this book for your own personal usage.
Other Trans Joy musings is that I just pre-ordered Aiden Thomas' Cemetery Boys: Espiritu and also entered into his pre-order campaign to get some swag! It's live on his Instagram page if you also wanted to enter! I cannot wait for that book to be released!
I hope this week brings you so much (trans) joy! Don't forget to slide on over to our Discord where we're discussing our Q3 book club pick, Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H!
With all my trans joy,
Sawyer Cole
Liberation is Lit
Liberation is Lit is a bookstore and press that aims to spark collective action for liberation and community building among readers and book lovers by promoting stories from intersectional experiences. We envision a world of liberation for all where everyone's stories matter. All memberships will fund our publishing projects.
ShadowSmut Society
Jen ~ Spicy, Unhinged, Romance
Hi, I'm Jen! I'm an avid romance reader with a taste for the wildly unhinged. The weirder, the better. From sentient object romances to the darkest dark romance, I'll happily read it all.
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rachel moss
internet thought daughter interested in the weird girls
Feminist Book Club
Feminist Book Club
Welcome to Feminist Book Club, the new chapter! (Pun intended)
Rachael's Reads
Rachael
Welcome to Rachael's Reads, your hub for romance, fantasy and historical fiction - I like to mix it up! I'm Rachael (surprise?) and I'm here to share my current reads, bookish obsessions, and endless TBR. Welcome to the (book) club - You Can Sit with Us!
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