Endings, Beginnings

It’s been a difficult month. I said goodbye to one of the great loves of my life a few weeks ago. Phoebe, twelve years old (give or take), one eye blue and one eye brown, fur white and grey and black in patches. Best bud to S and to me, producer of white noise snoring for my writing sessions, champion cuddler, fiend for butt scratches, worthy adversary of heavy-duty rubber chew toys, friend to all who met her (except cats).

The church ladies in our neighborhood were praying for a miracle since this spring, when Phoebe started limping due to what we discovered was bone cancer. I don’t know that I believe in miracles like that, but there is something really sacred about the way animals grace our lives, and the lives of our communities.

Love you forever, Pheebs. Thanks for everything.

Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian

I took a class with Emily Adrian a few years ago and have been eagerly awaiting this campus novel (about two married professors who stray from their relationship, and the jealous grad student who narrates it) since it was announced. I absolutely adored it. I’m linking this instagram post, if you want my full review. Highly recommend!!

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

I didn’t realize Heisey was a screenwriter and tv writer (she wrote for Schitt’s Creek and a few other shows) until after I finished, but it totally makes sense. This book about an unusually young divorcee was funny, surprising, and cathartic. I grew especially fond of the relationship between Maggie and her friend, fellow divorcee Amy. I will definitely check out Heisey’s future fiction!

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

I’ve never read anything by Gillian Flynn before (though I’ve seen the movie adaptation of Gone Girl), and really enjoyed this novel (her debut!) about a Chicago journalist who returns to her Missouri hometown to report on a series of disturbing murders. Flynn has a gift for writing descriptions that are vivid and specific enough to draw blood. And even if you know the final twist going in, the journey is worth it.

On the WASP’S NEST side THINGS ARE HAPPENING.

I’ve gotten to approve the interior design (fonts and layout and chapter headings!!), and I’ve also gotten to see a couple gorgeous book covers. I am so fucking excited for you guys to see the final cover, which we settled on earlier this week.

Right now, I’m reviewing the First Pass pages. This means the text has been laid out the way it will appear in printed form, so only minor tweaks are happening. I’m reviewing each page, and so is the editorial team at my publisher. After this stage, Advance Reader Copies can be printed!

We’re ten months out from the pub date (official announcement coming at some point), and WASP is almost entirely outside my control. I’ve adjusted to having an agent, editor, and other publishing folks in the mix—I genuinely love collaboration, so that feels invigorating rather than restrictive. Pretty soon, the text of the novel will be finalized, and pretty soon after that, it’ll be out in the world and belong to readers. That part still doesn’t feel real.

On the Campus WIP side, I spent a lot of time reworking my outline this month. I didn’t have a specific event or revelation that I was building toward at the end of Part 1, which I really needed as I was revising the opening of the novel. I did some brainstorming and talked it out and I know where I’m headed now, plus I’m excited to write it.

The common writing advice is that you have to make the book exist before you can make it good, which is true. But until I solidify the underlying structure, I can’t make the book exist. It’s like trying to install drywall and insulation without framing the house first.1 Anyone else have a similar process?

This will be my last newsletter posted to Substack! Out of Practice moves to beehiiv this September. I’m importing my subscriber list, so hopefully you won’t see any interruptions. The monthly emails should still come to your inbox, and if you want to read in your browser you can do that on beehiiv. Old posts have already been migrated (or will be shortly, if you read this within an hour of my sending it).

Thanks for reading, hang in there everybody.

xo K