Reader, I'm publishing!
Preorders are open for my Sci-Fi novella The Sylvester!
First of all, I still can’t believe it.
Part of me still feels like all I have is a draft and a dream. Instead, the draft is now a book, and it is sitting in my Goodreads author page, and in my Kindle Direct Publishing account with tiny writings that say ‘Not yet published’, ‘Release scheduled’, and, most importantly, ‘Pre-order live’.
Yes, readers, you can now pre-order The Sylvester as ebook in the Kindle shop!
If you’d rather use different, non-Amazon related channels, later on in October I plan to make my novella available on Ko-fi and Itch.io as well. I promise they are easy to use to purchase ebooks, I just need time to work out some kinks, since it’s the very first time I’m doing any of this!
As for the Amazon space, pre-orders really help in convincing the overlords there to show a book to as many people as possible in the Kindle shop. For this reason, if you feel inclined to support my debut, I kindly invite you to click on the cover down here:
Another, free way to support my book is to share this message with someone you know who might enjoy a chill-yet-angsty Sci-fi novella with high stakes and slightly goofy queer characters. Which reminds me that I still haven’t shared with you what my book is about. Silly of me. Here it is:
Luis Grenada wasn’t meant to freeze in space.
His first cruise as officer on elite space liner Balthasar was meant to be a chance to prove himself and be with his tech boyfriend Henry.
Then, twin ship Sylvester falls off-course and silent after a magnetic storm, and Luis volunteers.
Beamed across space to a slowly dying vessel, Grenada is faced with two impossible tasks.
One, work with the thinning, slowly succumbing to Void Madness Sylvester’s crew and guests.
Two, communicate with Henry to kick off a rescue operation before it’s too late.
Are they doomed to a cold silent drifting end?
INFO AND TROPES/MICROTROPES
The book is around 30 000 words, which takes most people between 2,5 and 4 hours to read.
Tropes include:
F greedy companies
He just wants to prove himself
The dangers of space travel
Time is running out
Unlikely allies (some VERY unlikely)
Shy cinnamon roll/sassy pants couple
'Don't you dare die out there'
Strip the rich
The story is pretty tense, with discussions of mental health issues, and the occasional slightly graphic scene. Reader discretion is advised. For detailed content warnings, you can head onto my website as follows:
Taking this project from draft to publishing was a journey. Let’s just say that if I ever thought writing was the hard part, I was mistaken. Each phase had its challenges, and each phase felt more challenging than the last in some way. Editing was pretty tough for me compared to writing, then proofreading and formatting was more challenging than editing, and don’t get me started on all the technical stuff of self publishing.
I won’t say that I hope I never have to do this again, because, well, I actually hope to do it many more times. My hope is that after this steep and accelerated learning curve, it gets easier with time and practice.
I was very lucky to be accompanied through this project by a wonderful writing community, which is duly credited in my book. I read somewhere that if you want a village, you need to be a villager, and that feels true to me in both life and writing. The hermit author life is just not for me, I thrive as a villager, and, at least online, I found a great village. They saved me from overwhelm and paralysis multiple times on this road to publishing.
I still can’t quite believe that what started as a short story in four instalments in this space is now a fully formed 30k novella that people can actually buy. The story and its characters have changed so much that I almost can’t recognise them if not for some names and a couple of plot points.
If you want to have fun comparing, here is the very first iteration of The Sylvester, barely one tenth of the length. Back when I only suspected that Luis and Henry were a couple and pivotal characters like the duchess and the ever-annoying Cole didn’t even exist. Even my poor boy Luis is barely recognisable as himself. The ship on the cover is the same, though, she kept me company from the very beginnings of this story.
Well, enough yapping about the Good ‘Ole Nonpublished Times.
Inspired by fellow author V.S. Holmes (author of The Speculative here on Substack), I think I’ll add two sections to what has now finally morphed into its final newsletter form.
BOOKS I’M READING (AND RECOMMENDING)
This one is pretty self-explanatory.
Finding time to read this month has been a challenge. However, one book saved me from a complete reading drought: Shanghai Immortal by A.I. Chao. Here are my thoughts:
The word that comes to my mind is refreshing, which is not to say shallow. The plot feels almost like a spy book, with intricate interweavings of politics, interpersonal relationships, but make it supernatural. The 30s setting I think enhances that feeling, and the book is deeply invested in conveying the history and geography of the story in ways that add more layers to the enchantment. And I kind of loved the way the upper classes feel like a big dysfunctional family, which is kind of accurate, if we think for example of the deeply enmeshed royal dynasties in the first half of 20th century Europe. Very often, power is held by a handful of people who all know each other.
The character dynamics are deeply endearing as well: I love Jing as the protagonist, and her (kind of clouded, but in a way that feels truly intentional from the author, and never seems gratuitous) POV really makes the story come alive. As another, very important character puts it, she has a special kind of prickly charm. It takes skill to create a character that is so irreverent, rule-defying, and belligerent, and yet the opposite of Not-Like-Other-Girls. She only charms us more the more we get to know her. It's fascinating to watch her inner narrative gradually shift as she comes into her own and faces her (sometimes literal) demons. The climax made me tear up.
And yes, even with the tight plot, deep lore and setting, and intense emotions, this book is breezy and fresh like a summer rainshower.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and believe it deserves more recognition than it got on the likes of Goodreads, so here I am, recommending it.
CAUSES I’M SUPPORTING
I appreciate the Mutual Aid section in V.S. Holmes newsletter, and I think it’s time to add one myself, because *gestures to everything going on in the world right now*. Naturally, my first aid call is dedicated to Palestine. I don’t think I have to explain myself further.
The Sameer Project: a donation-based non-profit with a team in Gaza supporting local communities through initiatives such as camps for displaced families and medical campaigns for the most vulnerable cases. As the ethnic cleansing ramps up and over 1 million people face displacement from North to South Gaza, they have launched a Mass Displacement Response campaign to attempt to increase the capacity of their camps.
Laudngo: A Palestinian/Spanish non-profit with a team in Gaza and in Cairo who forwards 100% of donations directly to families in need. They are now focusing on tents and transport for the mass displacement from North Gaza.
Individual fundraisers: many Palestinians have opened fundraisers on platforms such as GoFundMe and Chuffed. There are so many, and it can feel overwhelming, which is why I’m sharing this list by fellow author Xiran Jay Zhao that narrows the choice down a bit. If however you feel reluctant to donate to a random fundraiser, the two organisations I shared are a safe choice to help.
That’s it for today!
When you read this e-mail, I will most likely be travelling. Husband and I are off for a much needed break. We are going to Japan, and are very excited! Hopefully I will come back recharged and ready for more writing.
