-
Tending Orchids, Raising Neurodivergent Kids
One of my orchids is blooming for the first time in six years. Another is on its second bloom, a third stalking out to prepare to bloom in a month or so. I’ve always been oddly good at raising orchids and getting them to bloom again. Ironically, I struggle with many other house plants. Sincere apologies to the spider plants, this month. I can’t tell you the exact formula for getting orchids to work. It’s partially leaving them alone, but it’s mostly about finding the right window for them. They’re very particular about light. They don’t like to be moved from one place to another (that six year wait for…
-
Kotaku: Vivienne Westwood and Video Game Fashion
When I was approached on Twitter about the opportunity to talk fashion icon Vivienne Westwood, who sadly just passed away, and video games, you better bet I jumped on the opportunity! Westwood’s style is both iconic and everywhere, and the result is an impact that goes far beyond the runway. (As a very invested RuPaul’s Drag Race fan, I can’t tell you how many times she’s been cited as inspiration for their amazing wardrobes.) There are few designers who can compare to Westwood, who pioneered the New Romantic style and then continued to work for decades, dressing stars like Doja cat and influencing anime. Personally, I love the work she…
-
Gods of Londinium – A Decade of Reflection
By my reckoning, Gods of Londinium was drafted about eight years ago, finally. What I thought would be a relatively smooth road from draft to publication was not. As so many things in this industry go, the unpredictable and unexpected happened, and years later the book was without a home. Thankfully, we were able to re-release Pilgrim and get Gods into readers’ hands through Falstaff Books. Originally, the novel was called Watcher of the Skies, and it was even longer than it now stands (and it is no short story). I wrote the story because I was grieving, and I have always processed my emotions through the written word. But…
-
My Post-Twitter Social Media Landscape: One Month In
With Twitter crashing and burning, I thought I'd share a bit about rebuilding on other platforms and share some of my experiences.
-
In the Wake of the Twitterpocalypse: Everywhere You Can Find Me
Where to find me -- a continually updating list.
-
ThreadTalk is Moving… and Changing – Thoughts on Twitter, Boundaries, and Platform Ownership
You say that things change, my dear For the last 14 years, Twitter has been the center of my writing life. And no single contribution has been as big or far-reaching as ThreadTalk, my fashion history mini-lectures on the beautiful and terrible world fabric culture. Twitter has never been safe; it’s always been a double-edged sword. Even before this most recent crap, countless users (myself included) have been the target of hate groups, threats, and more, just for stating opinions or, you know, existing. And it’s about to get worse. It’s already gotten worse. We’ve seen the writing on the wall. As someone who built my other career on social…
-
Listen to Todd Robinson & Me on WHUP.FM – Plus See Us Tonight at Noir at the Bar!
It was an early, crisp morning, but an absolute pleasure to join Bob Burtman (Mr. B) and writer Todd Robinson at WHUP FM in Hillsborough to talk all things literary.
-
September Patreon Preview: Marginalia, Bestiaries, and Bizarre Elephants
Every month on Patreon, I give a class! This month, it was all about medieval marginalia (as voted on by my patrons, of course). I also upped production value, moving away from a PowerPoint style to something a bit more… eccentric. And also to make a little more use of my “grown up theater kid with no outlet” energy. I had an absolute blast doing it, and I’m looking forward to my next topic. Not a patron? Let’s fix that!
-
Coming Out in Prose: Reflections on Pilgrim of the Sky, 10 Years Later
The truth is, I came out in prose before I came out in person. My debut novel, Pilgrim of the Sky, published in late 2011, is best described as mythpunk. The main players in the tale are all facets of god analogues–godlings, as they’re called in the book–searching for answers, plotting revenge and mayhem, and of course, falling in love. Maddie Angler, the heroine, begins her tale in Western Massachusetts (where I grew up) but quickly escapes into a mirror world of her own where people she knows and love might look the same, but certainly are not. There are obvious shades of me in Maddie (her love of art…
-
Pilgrim of the Sky is up for Pre-Order!
That’s right, folks! Pilgrim of the Sky, my debut novel, is back at it again. Which totally makes sense if you’re familiar with the godlings. They get reborn again and again. The official release is on Thursday, September 22, but if you order the ebook now, you get $2 off. It’s particularly exciting to see the new cover because it’s a perfect companion to Gods of Londinium, which will be out this December. And let me tell you, I cannot wait to share Joss’s whole story with you. Gods of Londinium may take place on a single world, but it uses just about every inch. It’s high adventure on the…
-
PILGRIM OF THE SKY Returns September 22, 2022
It’s a fortuitous day for my fellow Lord of the Rings fans. But yes! After ten years, I’m re-releasing Pilgrim of the Sky in advance of Gods of Londinium (which is landing this December). The new edition has some significant edits as well as a bridge scene between the books, connecting Maddie’s story directly to Joss’s. While they are direct sequels, they are certainly companion novels, and their covers both reflect the same aesthetic now, as well. Keep an eye out for preorder links soon!
-
The Sumptuous, Sinful, and Sultry Costumes of The Sandman Series from Netflix
My Patrons voted, and boy I’m glad they did. We had quite a reaction on Twitter for this one, getting the attention of both Neil Gaiman and one of my favorite directors of all time, Guillermo del Toro. I loved watching the first season of The Sandman on Netflix, and I was brought back to reading the comics almost 20 years ago — really my first comic book experience that helped me see graphic novels as an art form beyond what I’d ever expected. I cried, I laughed, I covered my eyes. I swooned for Lucifer. You know, as you do. 1 – 💫Awake, dreamers. Tonight we don garments of…
