So, a lot has happened since the “January Update” I posted in March.
Not a lot of reading, but still quite a bit that’s not been talked about, so we’ll have to get to that at some point.
I’m currently reading Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews, and already going feral over it. Am super excited for it to release next month!!

So how are those things I mentioned in the previous post going?

Still never heard anything back from work after being told (late January!) that it would be passed on to someone else and they’d be in touch. So… yes, we’re still boycotting them!

Quiet Writers has been going alright. We kinda gave up on the monthly rec lists, mainly because it’s hard to get enough responses sometimes. But the interviews are going strong. We’ve kept up with all of the booked interviews, and ended up adding in a few extras when we could. The interviews have been pretty fun, and it’s nice to be able to get to know the authors a little more, and find out some fun insight into their work.
One author even provided some photos from the research they did for their book, which was an incredibly fun and special addition for their interview.

The Sanrio fixation did come to an end, but I still get a little excited by some things.

Poetry 4… still working on it. But in the final stages. Again, we’ll come back to it.

What else has happened since then?
A lot. Too much.

The Bad Bridesmaid by Rachael Johns
4/5 stars
Just like it’s predecessor, this was an incredibly fun read filled to the brim with characters who were lovable and full of depth, and packed with things that will have you laughing, crying, or both all at once.

The Onionologist by M. J. Parfitt
4/5 stars
This isn’t a book I would typically have picked up, but I’m so glad I did. It’s a super fun read with likeable characters and many unexpected twists.
The main trio are exactly what you expect friends to be; supportive, encouraging, chaotic, and occasionally flawed. They love each other, and they show it often and in many forms. They also make mistakes, which I deeply appreciate because friends are not always going to be perfect. Truly, I love the way the characters were written.
A lot happens in this book, and most of it you wouldn’t be able to predict from twenty pages away. These characters get themselves into some right messes on multiple occasions, but they always manage to find a way to resolve their issues. It keeps things fun and interesting, and makes the reader want to know what they could possibly get up to next.
(full review)

The Fragile Humans We Are: Volume One by V. Walker
4/5 stars
This collection covers some very important and prominent themes that we all deal with at some point in life. Sometimes it can help to see these things expressed openly on the page. Things like mental health, learning to love, and navigating the world from childhood through young adulthood.

The Tooth Fairy by Shirley Barber
4/5 stars
I’ve always loved Shirley Barber’s work. The illustrations in these books are always absolutely gorgeous. The stories aren’t always that great, but the illustrations… stunning.

Mud Ajar by Hiram Larew
4/5 stars
Some of the poems in this book latched onto me in ways that demanded they be read multiple times.
Others made me lean back and stare at nothing and just think for a moment.
It’s a beautiful collection and I’m looking forward to reading more of Hiram’s work in the future.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
4/5 stars
I’m not sure why, but I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the previous two. It was written in a different P.O.V. style, which is fine, I don’t have an issue with that.
I think it just had a very different overall vibe to the others though.
There are also some weird time jumps that made it a bit… confusing? and maybe a little empty? Something felt missing or out of place in this book. (which I feel bad saying, knowing it’s a more personal story than the others, but it just didn’t hit the same).
It was still good though, and I did enjoy reading it, just maybe not quite as much.

Bad Dreams, Bad Dreams Go Away by Wendy Haller
4/5 stars
It’s short and sweet, and shows a wonderful example of how a little kindness can go so much further than we think. Taking a moment to do something simple that shows someone you care and that you’re there for them can make an incredible difference, and this book shows that well.
But my favourite thing about this book is the illustrations. The images are so powerful that they alone could tell the same story. They’re also absolutely gorgeous.
It also kind of gives Inside Out vibes, both in the character design and the overall message.

You’ve probably noticed Poetry 4, The Memories Became Rust, was not released in March as planned. However!! I do have a new deadline to complete the book. No release date yet, as there are a few things coming up for me that are a bit uncertain. The book should be out this year though, and I am going back to my original plan with the release dates for a collected edition, but pushed a year.
So, the standard collected edition should be out in March, and the special edition will be out in April. Those dates are very specific and have meaning, so I’m quite set on them and hoping nother else throws off the plan. There will be more about that when it’s properly on track.
I’ve finished writing Poetry 4, I just need to do the illustrations, covers, and formatting… easy, right?

I’m also working on releasing some new music!
4 new songs should be coming out soon.

First, there’s the Senses single
1. Senses
2. As Far as I Can Tell
Senses is a song off a future album (which I’m not currently working on and don’t know when I will be, but that’s far from the point). The album it's from is an album about being neurodivergent. Senses, specifically, is a song about sensory overload. Every song on the album is about something to do with being neurodivergent.
I’ll come back to this one day when it’s actually properly in the works, but there are songs about masking, sensory overload, the way the world tries to force us to hide who we are and be someone else, experiences and how they tie in with the way our minds work and the ways these things affect us…

There are two other singles I’m planning to release
- Across the Sea
- Your Fires Burn
which will both be released alone. I was originally going to release them together, because they are, technically, about the same thing, but they’re very different songs and vibes and themes… So I’ll be releasing them separately, but they will complement each other.

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