Hello!

Welcome to my first newsletter! If you’ve subscribed, you probably already know who I am but just in case: I write speculative fiction — a little sci fi, a little fantasy and fabulism, dipping my toe in horror lately. I’ve published some short fiction and there was that one time I accidentally committed a poetry, but I find myself most at home writing novels.

I’m also married, a mom, and a veterinarian by training. After 20+ years in practice, I’ve taken a large step back from clinical work and mostly use my skills for medical editing. In other words, I came to writing later in life (sort of – more on this in later installments).

I decided it was time to start a newsletter for a whole host of reasons.

First of all, ugh, social media. I enjoy a mindless scroll on Instagram as much as the next procrastinator, but the idea of constantly coming up with “content” and chasing the algorithm does not appeal. I do pop up on Bluesky here and there, but I’d rather put my thoughts here, where people have opted in to reading them.

Second of all, I have a literary agent and a novel on submission (for those not in publishing, that’s the final stage of trying to get a book deal). This will hopefully at some point transition to me having a forthcoming novel, and I need a place to chat about that when it happens!

Lastly, I needed a space to ramble on about my thoughts on pursuing a creative life, and why I’d do such a thing after achieving success in what many people would describe as their “dream job.” I want to explore the concept of “wasted time” and why I think it’s crap. Also, what does success look like in a creative field? In the current capitalist hellscape, can you be successful in your art even if you’re not earning money, acclaim, etc? What’s “the point” of engaging in art at all when the world is on metaphorical (and often literal) fire?

Something I’m reading/watching/listening to:

I recently finished Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Fantastic read, engaging from the first page, and I’m glad I’m done with it, because I can feel the narrator’s voice leaking into my own writing (this doesn’t often happen to me, but some narrative voices are more infectious than others). It’s a retelling of Dickens’ David Copperfield and whew, a rough read at times. (It kinda took me a long time tbh because I felt so bad for him). The things Demon goes through are heart-rending to read, made even more so by his matter-of-fact acceptance.

What I’m working on:

I recently send my last novel, a sort of horror comedy/urban fantasy that I’ll talk about more another time, to my agent so she can read it and help me prep it for submission. Meanwhile, I’m starting to play around with my next book. Horror again, maybe more literary-leaning this time, about the survivor of a 90’s doomsday cult and what happens when the missing cult leader’s prophecies start to come true. Of course this meant I had to make a grunge-heavy 90’s playlist to write to. We also just went to see the closing-soon Nirvana exhibit at MoPop which was a blast.

My dog’s weird rice preferences:

As promised on Bluesky: Maybe 2ish years ago, Peggy, our opinionated and highly food-motivated coonhound mix, ate something that Did Not Agree With Her, as dogs do. It took a while to clear up, and we did the rice and low-fat protein thing for a while in an effort to firm things up. I am Thai, which means of course we keep a 20-lb bag of jasmine rice on hand at all times. Peggy historically LOVED rice, even plain rice, so we figured this would be a hit. Instead, I created a very specific taste aversion, and she no longer will even look at jasmine rice. However, unexpectedly, she is still totally fine with basmati and happily gobbles that up whenever we make it. I have yet to test other rice types, but will let you know her opinions on arborio next time I make risotto.

New story alert!

My little fabulist story, The Accidental, is included in issue 63 of Luna Station Quarterly! I had to fight hard to find this one a home, and I’m so pleased to have it out in the world. You can order a print or digital copy of the issue here!

Thank you for reading! You can always find links to my work here on my website. If you have any questions/thoughts on what I’m writing/reading/watching or there are topics you’d like to see me cover, leave a comment or drop me a line here!

💕 Katie