Rachael Arsenault's Blog - Posts Tagged "wrapup"
May Wrap-Up: A Monstrous Comic, Purple Poetry, and Feminist Dissection
Sunshine! It’s finally starting to feel like summer, which makes me wish I could sit out and read on a breezy day. Alas, our yard doesn’t really have any nice reading spots, and I’m not healed enough to push the baby all the way to the park yet. But the dream is alive! For now, I’ll settle for pulling back the curtains and opening the windows.
What I’ve Enjoyed
Books
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
This book is such a gem. Great characters with incredible chemistry, A+ humour, and so much heart. I loved the disability rep, the male abuse victim rep, and the fact that both were still portrayed as whole, complex, and ultimately joyful people in spite of their hardships. Definitely a book I recommend checking out, though be aware that it does have smutty content.
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening, Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood, Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
I’ve been devouring this comic and absolutely loving it. Maika is powerful and broken and badass and I love her dynamic with all the other characters. Kippa is so precious and adorable. Master Ren is a magical talking cat, which, I mean, what else does a book really need? And I just love, love, love the world-building and atmosphere and the very sinister, foreboding direction the story has been taking so far.
Articles
Mount Grace Priory
Super informative little article that gives me something to add to my list of places to visit if I ever go to Europe.
What Did the Ancient Egyptians Eat?
An informative piece about the food and drinks available to the people of Ancient Egypt. It’s especially interesting to see what has and hasn’t carried on into modern times.
Other
Violet Times
A beautiful poem about the author’s experience coming out as asexual.
What I’ve Created
Books/Short Stories
Those Who Fall
It’s finally out in paperback! I had hoped to get this sorted out earlier in the year, but having a C-section and some other personal life chaos threw me back several steps. But now it’s here and I’ve held it in my hands and it’s amazing to see TWO OF MY OWN BOOKS in physical form.
Just like when She Who Rises released in paperback, you can order this book to your local bookstore or library (or from Amazon, if that’s your thing). For easier ordering, the ISBNs are:
She Who Rises: 9781777160609
Those Who Fall: 9781777160616
If you get a copy of either of these books, please take a photo and tag me in it on Insta or Twitter! I would love to see where my stories end up in the world. My handle is @RachaellaWrites
Articles
What It Takes to Photograph the Family Pet for the Last Time
A piece I wrote about the old family cat, Olive. It was nice to look back on photos of her and reminisce about the life she got to spend with us.
Part honey, part whore: Sex shaming and internalized misogyny in the House of Night and She chose vengeance and anger: Sex shaming and internalized misogyny in the House of Night [Part 2]
This essay has been in the works for months, and ended up so long that I had to split it into two parts. And that’s after I cut parts from it! Needless to say, I had a looot of thoughts on this subject. Always feels good to flex my sociology muscles a bit!
You may have noticed, across all these wrap-ups, that a lot of the pieces I share or create are hosted by a site called Vocal. It’s a platform I’ve been using since 2019, and I’ve always really enjoyed it. It’s free, you can earn a little bit of money here and there off story reads or tips, and it’s a great way for me to step outside my comfort zone and experiment with writing about different topics without worrying too much about what that work will do for me in the long term.
The site is free to use, as I said, but there is the option to sign up for a Vocal+ membership. This allows you to enter more contests, plus you earn more from story reads and can withdraw money from your wallet in lesser quantities.
If all of this sounds interesting to you, then I highly recommend checking Vocal out. And if you decide to sign up with Vocal+, please do so with my Ambassador link. I earn a small commission if you do.
What I’ve Enjoyed
Books
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
This book is such a gem. Great characters with incredible chemistry, A+ humour, and so much heart. I loved the disability rep, the male abuse victim rep, and the fact that both were still portrayed as whole, complex, and ultimately joyful people in spite of their hardships. Definitely a book I recommend checking out, though be aware that it does have smutty content.
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening, Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood, Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
I’ve been devouring this comic and absolutely loving it. Maika is powerful and broken and badass and I love her dynamic with all the other characters. Kippa is so precious and adorable. Master Ren is a magical talking cat, which, I mean, what else does a book really need? And I just love, love, love the world-building and atmosphere and the very sinister, foreboding direction the story has been taking so far.
Articles
Mount Grace Priory
Super informative little article that gives me something to add to my list of places to visit if I ever go to Europe.
What Did the Ancient Egyptians Eat?
An informative piece about the food and drinks available to the people of Ancient Egypt. It’s especially interesting to see what has and hasn’t carried on into modern times.
Other
Violet Times
A beautiful poem about the author’s experience coming out as asexual.
What I’ve Created
Books/Short Stories
Those Who Fall
It’s finally out in paperback! I had hoped to get this sorted out earlier in the year, but having a C-section and some other personal life chaos threw me back several steps. But now it’s here and I’ve held it in my hands and it’s amazing to see TWO OF MY OWN BOOKS in physical form.
Just like when She Who Rises released in paperback, you can order this book to your local bookstore or library (or from Amazon, if that’s your thing). For easier ordering, the ISBNs are:
She Who Rises: 9781777160609
Those Who Fall: 9781777160616
If you get a copy of either of these books, please take a photo and tag me in it on Insta or Twitter! I would love to see where my stories end up in the world. My handle is @RachaellaWrites
Articles
What It Takes to Photograph the Family Pet for the Last Time
A piece I wrote about the old family cat, Olive. It was nice to look back on photos of her and reminisce about the life she got to spend with us.
Part honey, part whore: Sex shaming and internalized misogyny in the House of Night and She chose vengeance and anger: Sex shaming and internalized misogyny in the House of Night [Part 2]
This essay has been in the works for months, and ended up so long that I had to split it into two parts. And that’s after I cut parts from it! Needless to say, I had a looot of thoughts on this subject. Always feels good to flex my sociology muscles a bit!
You may have noticed, across all these wrap-ups, that a lot of the pieces I share or create are hosted by a site called Vocal. It’s a platform I’ve been using since 2019, and I’ve always really enjoyed it. It’s free, you can earn a little bit of money here and there off story reads or tips, and it’s a great way for me to step outside my comfort zone and experiment with writing about different topics without worrying too much about what that work will do for me in the long term.
The site is free to use, as I said, but there is the option to sign up for a Vocal+ membership. This allows you to enter more contests, plus you earn more from story reads and can withdraw money from your wallet in lesser quantities.
If all of this sounds interesting to you, then I highly recommend checking Vocal out. And if you decide to sign up with Vocal+, please do so with my Ambassador link. I earn a small commission if you do.
June Wrap-Up: Queer Short Stories, Collaborative Tragedy, and Tips for Narrating Your Novel
Who thought it was June 28th three days in a row and has lost all concept of time? This girl!
Yeah, sorry for posting this so late. I genuinely did not process the fact that a new month had arrived, even though I’m Canadian and we have Canada Day on July 1st. 🙃WE’RE DOING GREAT.
What I’ve Enjoyed
Books
Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction by Joshua Whitehead et al
I’ve been meaning to read this collection for a while, so I had to snatch it up when I saw the ebook available through my library. It’s fairly short – there are nine stories featured – but it still manages to pack a punch while exploring a variety of perspectives on queerness, indigeneity, and the future of our planet.
Out Now: Queer We Go Again!by Saundra Mitchell et al
Another queer short story collection seemed fitting for pride month, and this one included an impressive variety of stories, both in terms of the characters featured and the genres explored. There were a whole boatload of 4- and 5-star reads in here for me.
Other
EXU: Calamity
This mini campaign ripped my heart out and poured salt into my gaping, bleeding chest wound, and I said, “Thank you, that was lovely.” Seriously, even if you’ve never watched a Critical Role campaign before or explored much in the world of actual-play TTRPG shows, I highly recommend this one. It’s a masterclass of storytelling, roleplaying, improv, and good ol’ D&D. Just be sure to bring tissues.
What I’ve Created
Articles
Queer Books Everyone Should Read
Pride month means it’s time to celebrate queer books (though, if we’re honest, it’s always time to celebrate queer books). So here’s a list of some of my top recommendations! Hopefully next pride I’ll have even more.
How to Choose the Right Narrator For Your Novel
I feel like it’s been a while since I published any writing advice, so this month I’m offering some tips on picking a narrator and POV style. It might sound like a simple choice, but there’s actually a lot to consider!
And that does it for June! Hopefully July will find me more coherent with regards to the passage of time, but who knows? Everything is on fire all the time.
Yeah, sorry for posting this so late. I genuinely did not process the fact that a new month had arrived, even though I’m Canadian and we have Canada Day on July 1st. 🙃WE’RE DOING GREAT.
What I’ve Enjoyed
Books
Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction by Joshua Whitehead et al
I’ve been meaning to read this collection for a while, so I had to snatch it up when I saw the ebook available through my library. It’s fairly short – there are nine stories featured – but it still manages to pack a punch while exploring a variety of perspectives on queerness, indigeneity, and the future of our planet.
Out Now: Queer We Go Again!by Saundra Mitchell et al
Another queer short story collection seemed fitting for pride month, and this one included an impressive variety of stories, both in terms of the characters featured and the genres explored. There were a whole boatload of 4- and 5-star reads in here for me.
Other
EXU: Calamity
This mini campaign ripped my heart out and poured salt into my gaping, bleeding chest wound, and I said, “Thank you, that was lovely.” Seriously, even if you’ve never watched a Critical Role campaign before or explored much in the world of actual-play TTRPG shows, I highly recommend this one. It’s a masterclass of storytelling, roleplaying, improv, and good ol’ D&D. Just be sure to bring tissues.
What I’ve Created
Articles
Queer Books Everyone Should Read
Pride month means it’s time to celebrate queer books (though, if we’re honest, it’s always time to celebrate queer books). So here’s a list of some of my top recommendations! Hopefully next pride I’ll have even more.
How to Choose the Right Narrator For Your Novel
I feel like it’s been a while since I published any writing advice, so this month I’m offering some tips on picking a narrator and POV style. It might sound like a simple choice, but there’s actually a lot to consider!
And that does it for June! Hopefully July will find me more coherent with regards to the passage of time, but who knows? Everything is on fire all the time.
November 2022: Queer Fantasy, Everywhere You Look!
I considered waiting a month and combining November and December into one wrap-up, because I felt like I didn’t do much… But I read three books! Four, if you count a reread via audio. The issue, I guess, is that I didn’t write – or rather, publish – very much, so this particular wrap-up is very top heavy. But hey! Sometimes that’s just how the month works out.
What I’ve Enjoyed
Books
In Deeper Waters by F. T. Lukens
This was such a wonderful read. Tal and Athlen were delightful, both as characters and a couple, and I loved how complicated the conflict got as the story progressed. There was a sense of history to the world, even though we only see a small part of it over a relatively short period of time. Lots of good foreshadowing and payoff, as well.
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
Everything about this was delightful. I loved the high stakes of the trials, all the clever little details in the world-building and character work, the diversity and how queer-normative the world was, and that TWIST. So cruel, but so perfect. Absolutely elated that this is a duology and there’s more of this story to read, and can’t wait until I can get my hands on the conclusion.
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
I’ve been dying to read this book since it came out, but I needed to reread Black Sun before I could dive in, which itself was a significant undertaking. But I finally did it! And it was great! While Fevered Sun definitely feels like a middle book, it’s still a strong and enjoyable read. I loved all the unexpected directions it took, the internal/emotional journeys the characters went on, and the new conflicts and players introduced in the build-up to book three. So, so pumped to see how this trilogy concludes.
What I’ve Created
Articles
How Many Ways Can You Fly in 5e Dungeons and Dragons?
I love doing these weird little thought experiments with D&D character building, and this one… has an unexpected result. Like, I might actually play the character build that came out of this!
Like I said, a bit top-heavy this time around. But definitely a very enjoyable month of reading!
If you want to see more of what I’m up to, follow me on social media! My handle is @rachaellawrites on Instagram, TikTok, Medium, YouTube, and… Tumblr. Yeah. Yeah, I jumped back on to Tumblr because of the rapid collapse of Twitter. So you should follow me over there! It’s fun!
And keep an eye out on my YouTube. I vlogged as I read this month and I'm hoping to have that video up on the weekend.
What I’ve Enjoyed
Books
In Deeper Waters by F. T. Lukens
This was such a wonderful read. Tal and Athlen were delightful, both as characters and a couple, and I loved how complicated the conflict got as the story progressed. There was a sense of history to the world, even though we only see a small part of it over a relatively short period of time. Lots of good foreshadowing and payoff, as well.
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
Everything about this was delightful. I loved the high stakes of the trials, all the clever little details in the world-building and character work, the diversity and how queer-normative the world was, and that TWIST. So cruel, but so perfect. Absolutely elated that this is a duology and there’s more of this story to read, and can’t wait until I can get my hands on the conclusion.
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
I’ve been dying to read this book since it came out, but I needed to reread Black Sun before I could dive in, which itself was a significant undertaking. But I finally did it! And it was great! While Fevered Sun definitely feels like a middle book, it’s still a strong and enjoyable read. I loved all the unexpected directions it took, the internal/emotional journeys the characters went on, and the new conflicts and players introduced in the build-up to book three. So, so pumped to see how this trilogy concludes.
What I’ve Created
Articles
How Many Ways Can You Fly in 5e Dungeons and Dragons?
I love doing these weird little thought experiments with D&D character building, and this one… has an unexpected result. Like, I might actually play the character build that came out of this!
Like I said, a bit top-heavy this time around. But definitely a very enjoyable month of reading!
If you want to see more of what I’m up to, follow me on social media! My handle is @rachaellawrites on Instagram, TikTok, Medium, YouTube, and… Tumblr. Yeah. Yeah, I jumped back on to Tumblr because of the rapid collapse of Twitter. So you should follow me over there! It’s fun!
And keep an eye out on my YouTube. I vlogged as I read this month and I'm hoping to have that video up on the weekend.
