I took some time over the long weekend to think about what I want this to look like, what I want my online presence to be, but unfortunately, I also had to use some of the holiday to work on my fucking thesis. Because I have a pretty demanding job and I'm in grad school, I have to parcel out my energy for other things. Right now, website resign and online branding is ranking lower than other things. Like, for example, actually writing and reading.

What I'm reading right now:
1. Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon. Damn, it's weird. I saw Sonic Youth live just once, when I was turning twenty-six and already felt, ridiculously, too old for things. I was living in Spokane and the venue seemed too small for this band that seemed so iconic, and Kim Gordon had a pink sparkly guitar strap and I was so close to the stage and Cross the Breeze went on and on. Reading this book is making me think a lot about what it means to be a female artist, especially one with a partner and a child. It's thoughtful and interesting and sometimes so random. 
2. Love in a Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I have to keep stopping. The same thing happened when I read 100 Years of Solitude. My brain gets full, like eating too much rich chocolate.
3. Best Lesbian Erotica 2015 by Laura Antoniou. I'll be reviewing, probably in October.

Things I'm writing:
I'm working on a new novel called Winning, about a woman who gets invited to her ex's wedding and decides to remake her life in order to win the break up. I'm about a third of the way done. Not bad considering I started it in August, though the idea's been rattling around in my head for awhile.

I finished the fourth draft of my novel last week and shared it with some fantastic people. I'm really happy with it. Realistically I'll need to do one more draft (maybe two) before I submit it to a publisher. I need to write the synopsis, my bio, etc. But the end is in sight. 

I'm working on a short story that I need to finish this week and submit, and I have a review to write. I'd like to get one more short story done after that in the next couple of weeks. Then I'm going to start working on my next novel. It's based on a draft I wrote in high school and a synopsis I wrote about ten years ago. I cleaned out old writing last week and found some that I'd like to use as the base of this next book. I'm excited to see where it goes.

A short list of stuff I've been reading:
1. Down the Other Side of the Street by Jennifer Cie. This book GUTTED me in the best possible way. I will review this for the Lesbrary. Bisexual themes, short stories.
2. One Foot Onto the Ice and When You Know by Kiki Archer. Lesbian romantic comedies with sex. Fun. Reviews to the Lesbrary are up!
3. How Still My Heart by Diane Marina. Lesbian romantic/drama. Okay. If you read it, skip the beginning. Danika reviewed this for the Lesbrary and I completely agree with her.
4. The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians, Second Edition by Rachel Pepper. Not because I'm pregnant or trying to get pregnant, but because my wife and I tend to over prepare for things and this book was 1.99 on Kindle. Review coming to the Lesbrary soon.
5. Making a Literary Life by Carolyn See, again. It's so good. It's the best book for writers, I think. Or at least the best book for me as a writer.
6. Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner, because it was an audio book and I like to listen to books sometimes. So straight, but entertaining. A character I liked was needlessly killed at the end though.

What I've been writing:
1. A short story I just submitted to Storm Moon Press's "Butch" anthology. I'm crossing my fingers.
2. Revising old erotica.
3. I started working on a novel, tenatively titled "Certain Requirements." Queer BDSM erotic romance with an aerial dance subplot. You know, like you do. First chapter is done!