What am I writing, and what am I reading?

While I use this website traditionally for personal essays, informative articles, and the occasional October Scary Story, this post will be more of a blog style. I am embarking on some new writing projects, and I am really really really excited about it Yes, really! What, pray tell is that project, well I am so glad you asked!

What am I writing?

The short version: I picked up a story I started about sixteen years ago and decided I needed to finish this damned thing. The story follows a woman living in a world that values hyper normalcy above all other values, and her struggle living in said world. When I started writing the story, I had no idea that I was talking about neurodivergence. I knew nothing about the subject and I had no idea that I had autism. Now I understand, and now I know what I was trying to convey through that story. But I digress. Do you want a sneak preview? I know you do. Just remember, this is a ROUGH draft and there WILL be typos, spelling errors, awkward language, and the like. You have been warned.

As soon as Tessa finishes talking, she sheds her jacket to reveal a mauve tank top, and a large pair of white feathered wings. She spreads her wings and takes to the sky. Racing towards the sun, Tessa flies past a flock of wild geese. 

“Squawk! Squawk!” The lead goose scolds Tessa as if to say “get out of our way, human!” 

Tessa laughs, and swoops downwards to a quiet beach. As Tessa lands, she sees a giant cave leading towards – who knows where. Suddenly she finds herself whirling like a funnel cloud down through the the cave. She nearly crashes into a stalagmite as she travels the path of the cave. The cave slopes downwards, slightly at first, but steeper the further she travels. Finally she drops straight down, into a hole.

“How far did I just drop?” Tessa asks no one but herself, “100, 200 feet?”

As Tessa looks ahead, the cave is lit up – somehow. There is no light source, but there is plenty of light. Tessa looks at the brown and grayish stones lining the walls and walks forwards for what feels like ten miles until she comes to a hole that leads straight up. Again, she spreads her angel like wings and flies upwards. Upwards. Upwards. Until finally she reaches the surface. She looks around to see no land, only sea. Tessa has no idea which direction to find shore, but she doesn’t care – she knows she can find her way back.

Tessa looks around from about fifty feet in the air, and sees a hammerhead shark playing with a humpback whale. She flies into the water and joins in their game. First the hammerhead tosses a ball to Tessa, who tosses the ball to the whale, who tosses the ball back to the hammerhead and back once more to Tessa. And then they play hide and seek in a coral reef. 

There you go. The very first preview of my latest magnum opus. Seriously though, thank you for reading it. I am super excited about this project.

Why am I concentrating on fiction right now?

Good question, I am so very glad you asked! OK, ok, it was me that asked on your behalf, but I am sure some of my readers are wondering why I chose to pick up this story at this time. A few weeks back, I was in my head just a bit too much. I had a free day, so I picked up a graphic novel and headed out to explore the brand-new lobby at PDX (stunning remodel by the way).

The graphic novel I took with me to read on the MAX was It’s Lonely at the Center of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood. Quite an amazing autobiographical story that made me realize – I need to create. More importantly, I need to write fiction. I don’t know what about this story inspired me to do so, like I said, it’s an autobiography and not a work of fiction. Nevertheless, it did the job. For the record, I could not be happier with this course correction. I love my work at audioperfecta, and plan to continue there (as well as the occasional piece on this website). That being said, I am always at my best when I prioritize fiction.

And why am I writing/finishing this particular story?

Well, I have no freaking idea. It was just a flash of inspiration I guess. Maybe there’s a bit of subconscious involved. As I said, this story is all about dealing with a neurotypical world when one is neurodivergent. This topic has been on my mind for several months, as I dive into the rabbit hole of what it means to a late 40s person to find out that – hey, I’m autistic!

There are also a few other stories in my backlog I am working on or at least plan on working on. I of course have an October Scary Story coming up. I also have a short short story going up on Medium fairly soon. Heck, the other day I reviewed an even older story (9000 words long and unfinished) that I thought was garbage, but now I think I might just want to rewrite and finish it sometime soon.

Any other recommendations on good reads?

Why yes, yes I do! I am currently reading This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amel El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. The book is a time travel fantasy written from the point of view of two different characters. Quite interesting, and has even had some influence in the story I am currently writing.

I’ve also been reading the Phonogram graphic novel series. If you like music and you like fantasy, you have to read this series! Another graphic novel worth checking out, Satelite Falling by Steve Horton (someone I grew up with). A creative story about a human living in an alien world, and the problems she encounters. Oh, and if you’re into Transformers, the new Image Comics series is amazing.

I also want to mention two short film channels. There’s Dust, a sci-fi anthology channel created by different filmmakers. Three films in particular I recommend: Home In Time, A Week With Rebeca, and Freya. Another channel, Omleto, is in a similar vein – well, not scifi, but an anthology of amazing short stories by various filmmakers. Three to check out: Pickled Herring, Night Cafe, and Vanilla.

A few books and graphic novels I have on my to-read list: Rose Volume 1, The Last Night, Snotgirl: Green Hair Don’t Care, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime, and Shit Casandra Saw: Stories.

Oh, and the song “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” by Ultravox is on perpetual repeat in my head right now. A damned sad song, but so good! Go listen to it! Right now! I’m serious.

Come find me!

Want to know more about what I am up to? Come follow me at:

Threads: Where I talk about my writing, neurodiversity, and any other topic that comes to mind.

Medium: Where I share some of my favorite writings.

Facebook: Where I participate in a bunch of groups and share weird memes.

Good Reads: Where I share what I’ve read, what I’m reading, and what I want to read.

Tik Tok: Where I’m just silly.

Thanks, everyone! Until next time.