I'm Starting Something New

Maybe a story could brighten up your inbox

In my last post, I wrote about my journey in the traditional publishing industry. While I’m not giving up on the dream of publishing a novel, I’ve decided to use this platform to share more of my creative fiction (and some nonfiction) with you directly.

These are pieces that haven’t found homes in literary journals and excerpts of my novels. You’ll be able to read full stories (like the free one below!) and chapter excerpts, ask questions, and receive writing prompts (or “mindfulness” prompts, if you’d like) when you upgrade to a paid subscription.

Now through October 1st you can use this link to receive 10% off your subscription for one year!

I totally get what you’re thinking—another paid subscription, does everything have to have a paywall, do I even have time to read a bunch of pretty but sad stories about pretty but sad people making sad decisions?

First off, I promise that not all my characters are pretty. More importantly, I promise to include plenty of lighthearted and even (I hope) funny pieces in this section of my newsletter. And, of course, I’m never offended if my writing just isn’t for you. But I like to think that when you choose a paid subscription, you’re not just supporting an aspiring artist. You’re also supporting the freedom to create, the fledgling attempts that might one day grow into good art. Stories are meant to have an audience, and I’m so grateful to have one on this platform. My hope is that my stories can bring a little beauty and joy to your inbox.

Don’t worry: I still plan to offer a free section of my newsletter, with monthly posts.

With your paid subscription, you’ll receive chapter excerpts of my novels, as well as shorter pieces like the one below. (I could mention that subscribing costs about as much as a fancy coffee shop latte once a month. Or about as much as a really cheap bottle of wine. If you’re neither a coffee shop enjoyer nor a wine drinker, then you’re probably a saint and could think of your subscription as your one, well-deserved indulgence.) Thank you, again, for reading. It means the world to me to be able to share these pieces.

The following is a piece I first developed in a poetry workshop in graduate school. It’s not quite a poem, not quite a story, but I hope you enjoy it.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Drug Facts:

Take only as directed

Uses: to temporarily reduce (downgrade, dismiss) common pain. Do not take for uncommon pain or pain that disrupts your life for more than three days.

Active Ingredients:                                                                                                   

Oblivion (200 mg): Pain reliever/Feeling reducer

Bright Light (13 mg): A filter

Lust for a Movie Star (6.2 mg): A distraction

Warnings

Severe memory damage may occur if you

·      Take 3 or more alcoholic drinks every day while using this product

·      Spend hours at night, sleepless, watching the blades of your fan rotate hypnotically

This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent relationship problems 

Side effects may include: rash, scales like armor growing across your chest, a chainmail of calluses along your arms and neck and face, a helmet of new skin. These are normal and can shield you from the fear of credit card debt, your co-worker’s eye-roll, your husband’s comment about your weight, or his lingering glance at the waitress. This armor cannot protect you from the news about your mother’s cancer, your friend’s divorce, your cat, Puddles, who didn’t come home.

Stop use and ask a doctor if:

·      You notice any new symptoms, like irritation at the way your husband chews, or loneliness even when you are with him, or the desire to take a drive and maybe not come back

·      You tell your friend, flippantly, that there are worse things in life than her troubles

·      You find yourself taking in all the neighborhood stray cats

·      Your pain comes back stronger, or occurs with an inexplicable sense of guilt (this could be a sign that everything is actually your fault, just as you feared)

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask a health professional before use, as mothers are not supposed to feel pain (If you don’t deny it and carry on, like your mother always did, this could be a sign that you are a bad mother)

Directions:

Women over the age of 18: Dissolve one tablet on your tongue to prevent complaining to your husband, mother, best friend, or co-worker

(Not intended for girls under the age of 18, as they are far too young to feel regular, existential pain. Honestly, they have nothing to be stressed about.)

Inactive Ingredients: Water, The Color Blue, Memory of the Time in Fifth Grade You Won the Spelling Bee and Made Your Mother Proud, Essence of Orchid, A Summer Picnic with Your Husband (before the ants got to it), The Blue-gray Fur of a Kitten, Your Friend’s Smile Before, The Satisfaction You Used to Find in Looking in the Mirror   

PS. What would you call this “drug” if you could give it a name?