One thing you may not know about me is, I really dislike talking about myself. Especially when things aren’t so great. I’m the type of person who waits until every problem is sorted and then, a couple of weeks later, will mention casually in passing that there was some kind of issue or trauma…”but it’s fixed now, so we never have to discuss it again!” This is just the way I am, much to my loved ones’ despair.
But I am going to be real with you and talk about it this month.
Firstly, the main bit of July news is that The Fovea Experiments is out now! I’ve been absolutely floored by the reviews and its momentum. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this nasty little horror. It means a lot to me, and I appreciate you.
However, if you’re in the UK you may have noticed there are serious problems in getting your hands on the paperback. I can only apologise for this and thank you for your ongoing patience, especially to those of you who pre-ordered it and are wondering where in the hell your book is at. I know Amazon updates are now saying it may reach you sometime between September and January 2026 (good grief, just typing that makes me want to start bawling and, along with my aversion to talking about my problems, I have a serious aversion to crying!) While this is an issue with the current distribution company who is dealing with my publishing house, I can hopefully reassure you that Wicked House is working hard to resolve this issue. If you do have a reading device, the book is available on KU and Kindle in the meantime, if you’re hoping to read it soon.
I always joke that it wouldn’t be a successful launch if there weren’t a few hitches, but not being able to get the book itself was not on my bingo card for this launch!
To add insult to injury, I managed to break one of my ribs at the end of June. This has been my first broken bone and I have to say: 2/10, would not recommend. I need to keep up with exercise to keep me sane. If any of you have broken a rib before, you know that any form of exercise is not going to happen for a while. Along with exercise, keeping up with the housework has been pretty impossible, and a clean house is another thing I need to keep me on the straight and narrow while other things out of my control are going wrong in my life.
In an unrelated incident, I also needed to have a scan on my arm due to there being a strange, inexplicable lump lurking in my forearm (is that where the paperbacks are hiding??) Although the scan has come back as undetermined subcutaneous fluid of unknown origins (and therefore not the more sinister things my brain often tried to bait me with in the middle of sleepless nights this last few weeks), it’s just been another thing on my mind.
And I am something of a cliche. When I am in my ‘tortured writer’ phases, I reach for the wine. And, when I’m super-stressed, there are nights when one bottle isn’t enough to douse those stress flames. It’s unhealthy and stupid, but sometimes it’s the only thing that will shut off my thoughts enough to be able to just sit with myself and be. Since I already take Citalopram for anxiety and depression, the lovely numbness that comes with an evening of wine is often followed by a couple of days of numb brain…which means no writing for me. Which means more Debbie Downer frustrations and a “fuck it, I may as well drink tonight since I’m not writing!” attitude. Agh, such an annoying cycle that I’m sure many of you can relate to.
I guess I’m writing this to shine a positive light on it all. Yes, it’s been a crappy month with many ups and downs, but I am on the mend. I think breaking the rib has been just what I needed to kick me into better habits in my life. I ordered some new hiking boots and plan to start taking my notebooks to beauty spots on the weekend to spark some creative ideas. Granted, for another couple of weeks they will sit in the cupboard next to my unused swimming kit bag and my unused climbing gear bag, but the intention is there! The frustration of not being physically able to do these things has really shown me that I WANT to be doing them. So, come August, I’m prepared to head back to the climbing wall and the swimming pool in the week, and hit the hills on the weekends.
And, aside from the issues surrounding Fovea’s release, most of which are hopefully being sorted as I type, I wouldn’t trade this for anything. I believe in this book and I know that, despite problems, this launch has been a wonderful success for me. I go into launches with a “have no expectations and you’ll never be disappointed” attitude. My hope was that I’d get an orange #1 category banner (and we still have it – in the Occult Occultism section in the US!) and I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would get to 50 reviews as fast as possible. We are currently on 37, so I may even hit the magic 50 before it’s been out for a month. How awesome is that?? So, like I say. A success, despite everything.
In a couple of weeks, I’ll be healthy again. Hopefully by then The Fovea Experiments paperbacks will be available in the UK so I can share it with many more of you. Perhaps we’ll have hit that magic 50 reviews by the time I pull my hiking boots on and head for the Lake District with my notebook. And I’ll have gone more than two weeks without drinking too much on stressful days! Onwards and upwards (quite literally, when I’m hiking.)
That’s about it for July. Sorry to moan! Normal service will resume shortly. Love to you all.
