Proof of Life

I deleted Instagram from my phone in June. I had just received copy edits back on The Hunter, the Hunted, and I needed to focus on those rather than waste my time doom scrolling and despairing over how my marketing efforts were causing me to lose followers more quickly than I was gaining any.

The break from social media was much needed, to say the absolute least. To be a little more honest: I've dreaded having to come back. Not to say that I hate interacting with readers who are enthusiastic about my upcoming book—you're all lovely and wonderful, and I appreciate you to no end. But during my break, I realized that I'm not just sick of Instagram, I am sickened by it. The fickle trends, the cluttered feed, the ceaseless push for AI features—maybe I'm getting too old and cynical, but I find it utterly vapid. I have no interest in trying to keep up with it all. If social media weren't imperative to reach new readers and ~generate a buzz~ about my books, I would disengage forever.

As it is, you're stuck with me for the foreseeable future, but I'll gladly utilize a blog post to update you on all the things you missed during my absence.

Bookish Things

I am happy to report that in my month away from Instagram, I enjoyed some much-needed peace and quiet. Focusing my time and energy on copy editing and proofreading The Hunter, the Hunted reminded me that all the outstanding marketing in the world means nothing if the book itself is not up to par. While a tragedy may not be everyone's cup of tea, I stand by my choice in leading my characters to their downfall. This story was never meant to be a beacon of hope. I was so nervous about writing it—there were times I thought I'd have to scrap the entire project altogether.

Nevertheless, with the help of two amazing editors, it exists, and—dare I say it?—I think it's a pretty damn good book. At the very least, it's a book that I am proud to have written, which matters more to me than anything else. I'll have more to say when we get closer to publication day. Speaking of which: if you missed the announcement, The Hunter, the Hunted is coming to you November 27th, and I'm so excited to deliver a fresh bout of heartache to your TBRs.

Additionally, we have one more piece of bookish artwork to look forward to. You may recall that a couple months ago, I was searching for an artist who could draw an "eldritch creature" for me. I found the perfect match and recently received some thumbnail sketches. Let me say: we're in for a treat with this one. The moment I can share more, it'll be up on my Instagram page.

On Ko-fi, I received an incredibly generous donation of $300, which covered the costs of an editorial payment and most of the deposit for the artwork commission! When I launched my Ko-fi page, I didn't expect many donations (nor do I), so this was a surprise. I know we're all pressed for cash these days. Such a contribution was jaw-dropping, and it was a heartening reminder that despite my doubts, there are readers who fully believe in me.

Last order of business: you may have seen that Book Harvest 2026 is canceled, which means I will no longer be attending. If you purchased a ticket, your refund should be on its way to you. This post offers more information.

That being said, I have a couple events lined up for 2027, so stay tuned for more info on those.

Life Things

Thanks to an encouraging nudge from a close friend, I got myself back into the gym. Writing is a sedentary activity, and I enjoy staying active! All the better if I can achieve that while avoiding the summer heat. I don't have any particular goal; I simply wish to avoid idleness.

我的中文不好. I'd even go so far as to say my Chinese is all but nonexistent. When notes from my editor came in, I dropped everything else and focused my energy solely on The Hunter, the Hunted. That was 7-8 hours each workday, but now that the major edits and revisions are done—and I'm waiting to approve the artwork—filling the time with a bit of language review sounds fun. Incorporating Mandarin into my journaling sessions was one of the quickest ways I reinforced the new vocab, so I'll read through some older entries and all my notes to refresh myself on the things that have collected cobwebs these past few weeks.

Don't let any of this fool you: I am by no means a hyperactive overachiever. I cherish my unproductive downtime just as much as the next person. When I'm not working on the book or other side quests, I'm playing more of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, watching and then rewatching (and rewatching, and rewatching...) Poldark on Netflix, and taking time to recharge by journaling and becoming a shameless hermit. I am the first to declare myself a reclusive introvert, but the past month or so has felt particularly solitary, even for me. Not that I'm complaining—I am most content when left to my own devices. And I know that once things on the writing front pick up, I'll be longing for these restful days again.

Looking Forward

There's plenty of work to be done on The Hunter, the Hunted, so I'll be keeping my head down for the time being. As far as Instagram is concerned, I make no promises on how active I'll be. If you've followed me for a while, you know that my online presence is about as consistent as the weather in Texas.

Rest assured, though, that when there is something to be said, I will not hesitate to say it.