don't stop believing

*cue the song*

I just got back from Ecuador, a trip I’ve wanted to take for 17 years. It was nothing short of magical, perhaps made sweeter because of all the waiting. For a long time, it felt like it would never happen. But I never stopped wanting it, holding onto hope. And then, suddenly, I was there, breathing the crisp Andean air.

It seems a fitting metaphor for the publishing industry, which can often feel like an impossible dream. I don’t write with the goal of publication. I write because I love it, and have stories I want need to tell. But I do want to bring my work into the world. It’s my dream to publish my novel. 

And one of my dreams just came true, albeit after 17 years. So I’m clinging to hope. 

I urge you do the same. Maybe it’ll take years (hopefully not 17!) but hold tight to your dreams, whatever they may be. Don’t stop believing, and someday, all this waiting will make it even sweeter when they come true.

Reading Recommendations

Online:

My pitching class is over, but one of my classmates wrote this fantastic piece for HuffPost Personal about online reviews. I love how she brings up the need to be extra kind right now.

Books:

Recently read: I was lucky enough to read an early copy of Tajja Isen’s Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service, which explores the idea and cultural implications of lip service — words not backed up with action. 

Currently reading: Another early copy I’m fortunate to get to read (and review): Morgan Talty’s Night of the Living Rez, which is such a sharp story collection and totally worth pre-ordering. 

Up next: Allegra Hyde’s Eleutheria, which I did pre-order, and am excited to read. 

Wishing you a fantastic month! Don’t stop believing! <3