every day I oscillate wildly between "it is the end of the world if this book doesn't sell, I want this more than ANYTHING" and "who cares, I can always self-publish forever" like an extremely broken compass

talking with my author friends and feeling some type of way about neurodivergent characters/authors being told their voices feel "young" or "silly" for an adult space when "growing up" is such a complicated concept for ND people and women especially 😵‍💫

I'm at 14k words when I should be at like 10k, but I finished the first brainstorm-draft checkpoint of #skatingboys with my most words written in a day this whole year (1500, don't laugh), which means my brain gets to start the new year at a nice clean writing break 🥰⛸️

"where is the lesbian version of heated rivalry" HERE HI I HAVE IT AND IT'S GOING ON SUBMISSION NEXT MONTH BEFORE THE OLYMPICS 🥺⛸️💙

I will take whatever hardships come my way in trad pub or self publishing because I had (and am still having) SUCH a rancid experience with a small local press that nothing will ever scare me again

"where is the lesbian version of heated rivalry" HERE HI I HAVE IT AND IT'S GOING ON SUBMISSION NEXT MONTH BEFORE THE OLYMPICS 🥺⛸️💙

I PERHAPS WORK FOR THE COOLEST PLACE ON EARTH!!!! love being a part of this kickass woman-run publisher that does so many impossible and cool things every day 💙

My skater girls were grumpy x grumpy, and I'm delighted to report skater boys will be sunshine x (former) sunshine, except I'm rubbing my evil little hands together like a praying mantis ⛸️😇

the good news is I wrote 500 words of "big gay pirate/mermaid adventure book," which means it is officially a WIP and not a bucket of vibes that lives only in my head ✨

I love my job with all my heart but my god is it demoralizing to work in publishing as an author sometimes. it's less like being on the outside of a fancy restaurant looking in and more like being in the restaurant smelling everything but you can't eat it yourself 😵‍💫

this trend is perfect when you write disaster characters who have no idea how to be functioning humans 😇 GUARD YOUR BLADES is: ⛸ literally yuri on ice 💙 rivals to lovers ⛸ secrets and scandals 💙 self-discovery and found family ⛸ forced proximity 💙 true love = taking down the system together

There are so many amazing fantasy books with boats and pirates and magic quests out there that it's probably stupid to want to write yet another one, but like 😭 that's been my whole aesthetic for years

3 is not enough Olympic team spots for the Japanese ladies. So much talent 😭 #FigureSkating

Waka (and Kaori) retiring is going to do things to me that haven't been done since Yuzu 😭

Oh, hey, the B&N preorder sale is back now through the 5th. Get HIGHER MAGIC at 25% off and help me keep Max rolling in treats. #BNPreorder @barnesandnoble.com @htpbooks.bsky.social

accidentally wrote like three pages of ideas for a big gay pirate/mermaid adventure book instead of working on anything I'm supposed to today 🤸🤸🤸

I just received my commissioned art for skating girls and oh my goddddddddd I am so excited to share soon 🥺❤️ probably closer to when they'll go on sub but we'll see

after these skating books, I am never writing romance without fantasy/suspense/horror ever again, I am so serious 😵‍💫 I am meant for heists and quests and assassination attempts. figure skating romantic thriller someday, perhaps??

The cover for my debut SF sapphic romantic thriller is now out in the world! Credit for the gorgeous artwork goes to Artem Chebokha!

skating girls book™ is not even on sub yet, with no guarantee that it'll sell by itself, let alone as a 2-book deal, and here my brain goes, getting jazzed about skating boys book™ instead of anything new 💃

the extremely burned out urge to put my paycheck immediately into commissioning character art for one (1) single drop of serotonin 🥺

Oh nooooo, it's a slow day at work and I don't have any edits to do because I'm waiting on feedback and I'm so sleepy and there's a cat on me, oh nooooo, what do I dooooooooo (the answer is couch nap)

having three different window companies all coming to give us quotes today and tbh I kinda want to tell them all to come at the same time and make them have a swordfighting tournament in the backyard... whoever wins gets our business ⚔️

Guess who's once again asking for carrots and peanut butter despite having decided she hates carrots and peanut butter SEVERAL TIMES

at the part in edits where I hate every change I'm making, can no longer form a competent sentence, and want to throw the whole book in the garbage. SO, that means I'm on the right track 🤪✨

currently busting out of my skin because I have SO much to do at work this week and all I want to do is lock myself in a cafe and work on skater girls 😖 I need to share this book SO BAD

Pride month will continue through the rest of the year until morale improves

Decided to try painting men's figure skating for the first time so of course it had to be Adams Van Gogh exhibition with an impasto background

My horrible wretched daughter who hates me now accepts belly rubs and lays on my feet and doesn't *always* run when I approach her 🥺 she's come so far

happy pride from your local aroace in spicy romance publishing, because why not live a deeply ironic life 💜🤍🏳️‍🌈

"They’re not brothers, and before three days ago, they weren’t friends. But now, they’re all that’s left." 🧑‍🤝‍🧑🚀 New fiction today by @sierrabranham.bsky.social: "Things the Older Boy Understands" Read it here: www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...

*stumbling blindly back onto bsky* editing is hard, being on sub and getting repeatedly told "so close but no" is hard, working in publishing during the rise of AI is hard, and finding the drive to say words on the internet is hardest. but hey. news soon. ✨

Okay but how am I supposed to work on edits for a figure skating book when the season is ending this week? 😭 Can they extend it a month just for me... Can we do another Grand Prix series... Please...

Happy Neil day to all who celebrate

Starting the day off ✨right✨ with 8 cubic tons of anxiety and a milk treat in an alligator glass (giant mound of stuffed animals optional)

I can tell it's spring because I actually feel myself getting excited to read and write again after like four months of forcing myself to slog through seasonal depression quicksand 😭

It is becoming unbelievably difficult to stay both informed and sane

gorgeous gorgeous skating costumes on display at worlds 😍✨

I'm having so much fun with this series, the light, the movement, the emotion, the colours - I'm enjoying just living in it

"why do you want to write books about figure skating girls when you've always been a fantasy writer--" SHE!!!!! 🥺 thank you for your time

counting down to when I get to talk more about Skating Girls Book. 👀 in the meantime, here are some of the social media posts from skating fandom that inspired the book in the first place. this book is dedicated to you. side-by-side quad lutz who?⛸️✨

what to even say about Worlds 🥺❤️⛸️ I got to see SO MANY FAVORITES. best reward for finishing skating girls book ✨ MORE SOON

I'm back here..... I'm browsing artists on Insta.......... I leave for men's/women's free skates in Boston in like two days...................... help

The beautiful, whimsical, unfriendly wench who lives in my home 🥰💛

yeah, just give me a sec. I need to recover from the daily horrors before I write my own

small writerly horrors: I just discovered that the Shake Shack in Detroit didn't open until 2017 when I need it to exist in a scene in 2012 🥺

when you have to turn off notifications for comments on your google doc because your friends have so many sweet things to say about skating girls book and you can't be crying at work 24/7 when you have cover copy to write 🥺❤️

I keep it on me at all times

me trying to resist the urge to commission art of skating girls when I just spent an absurd amount of money buying tickets to figure skating worlds in boston at the end of the month and also have to pay the mortgage

counting down to when I get to talk more about Skating Girls Book. 👀 in the meantime, here are some of the social media posts from skating fandom that inspired the book in the first place. this book is dedicated to you. side-by-side quad lutz who?⛸️✨