Menopause brain is in full effect! On the first night of my French class, we were asked to write down just *one* word that starts with the letter R and I couldn’t come up with anything. My mind just stopped working altogether until my classmates shared their obvious words and I wondered why those had all eluded me. I had to write a biographical essay for class, including three things I like and dislike about learning French. That last point says, “I don’t like when ‘menopause brain’ makes me forget simple words.” We also had to interview another classmate; my partner didn’t write down anything I said and so after his brief presentation, the professor asked if I wanted to add anything. I mentioned Daughters of the Crow, not expecting her to pull up my website for everyone to see! Last night I took copies of A Song for Juneteenth to share with a classmate from Haiti. I like meeting so many French learners from so many different places and so far both my professors have been African—love that. But I’m definitely struggling and wonder if I should press pause and try again in September.

I’m switching from estrogen gel to the patch this week; that might be why I had two migraines in one day. That also might explain why I feel a bit blue one moment and then manic the next. On Sunday I wrote three thousand words and was ready to send out a partial manuscript. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday? Nada. Which made me wonder if I should stop taking night classes and just devote all my time to finishing Glory & the Fifth Province. Editors go on vacation in August so if it doesn’t go out this month, we’ll have to wait until September. Which wouldn’t be the end of the world, but having a sale sooner rather than later would help me plan for the future.

KDP had a meltdown this week and wouldn’t print any proofs so I had to prematurely publish Daughters of the Crow just so I could order a copy and see how the book looked. KDP printed all the interior illustrations with a thin white border when they should have been full-bleed so I’ve got to get that figured out. But we’re moving forward! A Black-owned bookstore in Toronto has agreed to host me and Sarah Raughley for a conversation about historical fantasy—should be good! I can take the train down, see my mom, do the event, and then drive back to Montreal with my cousin. We’re going to visit the tiny anglophone community where our Irish and Scottish ancestors settled. Can I coordinate all of that while taking night classes? I don’t know. My childhood friend comes to visit next week and then class is paused for two weeks, resuming at the start of August.  Maybe if I write another three thousand words this weekend, I won’t feel so anxious about “doing it all”…