What to Expect this Fall
My plans for the newsletter this fall along with some personal updates.
If you’re wondering why I haven’t been posting too much recently, it’s because I’ve had a lot going on recently. Shortly after our return from Cancun, my younger sister, who’s diagnosed with Schizophrenia, had a relapse that lasted much longer than previous relapses, and when everything we tried doing for her failed, she was hospitalized for a week.
My parents planned another trip in the hopes of getting away for a while and being able to bring my sister along with them, but because she was hospitalized around the same time they were leaving, they went on their own while I stayed behind at home. This was my first time remaining completely alone at home for about three days, and I tried my best to make the most of it. And by making the most of it, I mean that I went to Downtown Chicago twice by train during my two days off, as I’ve been wanting to do for ages. During this time, I went to an independent used bookstore called Open Books during my first day, and I attended the historic Old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on the second day, during which I got to do confession and go to Mass for the first time in a while on account of my busy work schedule, so I got to do at least two major things during my time there. I also stayed up very late during two of those days while at home, but since I get insomnia quite frequently, that’s very typical for me.
Both my parents and my sister returned home within the same time just days later, and we’re all doing a bit better now. My sister still isn’t completely happy, and I still long for some of the independence I had during my time alone, but things have improved in some ways, and that’s what matters the most.
As for my newsletter, I have several important announcements. First of all, my novel Petty Habits will remain free for about another month, after which I will put most of it behind a paywall. I’ll try putting up at least two more chapters this month, so be sure to look out for those if you’re interested in reading my fiction.
I will also continue on with my public domain project, especially Public Domain Day (which is on New Year’s Day 2024, by the way) is getting much closer now, and I’m not going to let you all simply get bombarded with Mickey Mouse articles from Google and YouTube searches. No, you’ll probably be getting just one essay from me on the House of Mouse that will most likely get included with summaries of the other films that will enter the public domain. Within the next month, you can expect essays on the novels Orlando: A Biography and The Well of Loneliness, both of which I managed to read at some point this year. There’s much to look into for both novels that will you make you realize just how significant next year’s public domain material really is. And maybe I’ll look into some more rewritings of classics if I have the time for it. Also, the movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is now available on Peacock, so I might consider reviewing that too, but I’ll make no promises on that.
I also want to put out a couple of Christmas horror/suspense short stories starting in November. Inspired by the many holiday romance novels that have been published starting around September, I figured we should have other holiday stories to read that aren’t just love stories. One of the stories I plan to put out will be “Gift or Wreath”, a story set in the distant future where a tradition similar to Trick or Treating is now observed every Christmas Eve, but it’s not always as fun for those involved.
So those are all the plans I have for my newsletter this fall. I’m hoping I can commit to my plans more easily for the rest of the year, and I hope you can all enjoy the season too.