Monthly Archives: July 2026

2 posts

Summer: So Fast & So slow

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Events Fun

Summer feels like it’s been both flying by and dragging its heels at every turn.

I’ve both been very busy and not at all, in almost unpredictable turns, since May. Some of that is thanks to the reality of living with a chronic illness, but also there’s just been this vibe out there, and that’s part of it. As Sousa would say, “I dunno, that’s above my pay grade.” [Every time it comes up I think me too, Souz, me too.]

I’ve had some pretty great events happen already this year:

Balticon and the WriteHive Annual Conference are two of my favorites.
I’ve been to some reading events with fantastic authors, and I had a visit to Walters Art Museum recently with my mom.
I had several lovely dates with my partner, and I managed to catch a couple of livestreamed BTS concerts from the comfort of my home.
I’ve also added new plants to my collection of small green friends and they’re doing really well.
All in all, a pretty modest but fulfilling couple of months, despite everything else happening in the world.

the banner for Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week 2026

Just this week, I had an interview with Jodie of Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub drop as part of Self-Published Authors Awareness Week. We talked about my writing methods, why I set all my stories in Baltimore, what books I’m currently recommending, and more. You can also click here and follow along with all this week’s #SPAAW posts, which is great news because there’s a wealth of talented authors to discover there!

Coming up in August, you can find me at the Book Fair at Bel Air, which is a local-to-me book event in its third year and growing rapidly into a literary event worth noticing. I’ve attended every year as a vendor and enjoyed it greatly, making new author friends and finding readers for my books. This year we’ve moved to a larger venue and it’s got dedicated parking and more room for everyone, super exciting! If you’re in the Baltimore area, I’d love to see you there on August 8th from 10a-2p! The event is free and suitable for all ages.

Right after that I’m off to catch BTS in concert here in Baltimore!

I was lucky enough to score tickets with my partner and my bestie, and we are going to have the BEST time. If you’ve been following along you’ll know that since I got really sick I became a fan and Bangtan helped me get through some of the worst times of my life with their beautiful, honest outlook on life and songs that tend to be insightful and emotionally resonant. Finally I’ll be able to do the thing I never thought I’d be able to do: be in the same room [well, stadium] with them. It’s pretty challenging to get tickets to their shows, especially this tour, so I feel extremely lucky. I’m also aware that this is going to require a lot from me: energy, spirit, endurance. I’m not used to going to big events like this anymore, especially ones that last for most of the day. [and in August, which is a rough month for me anyway; I don’t do well in heat/humidity] But I am PUMPED and ready, and I promise I’ll tell you all about it when it’s done and I’m suffering from post-concert depression!

The BTS concert will probably finish up my summer; I’m not quite sure what I’ll have on the docket for September and beyond but I know I have at least one possible [virtual] event, and maybe some more. Of course I’ll keep you updated! September holds the Baltimore Book Fair too, and if I’m going to be involved there, I’ll be sure to let you know.

How’s your summer been going? What good books have you been reading? Has it felt slow and fast to you too?

Purple flowers under a yellow-toned sky. The text reads "THE SKY IS YELLOW"

The Sky Is Yellow

Essays

I wake up, and the sky is yellow.

Not the orange or rust or outright brown of some places, where the smoke is worse; not yet, anyway. Just a hazy, thick yellow that reminds me of what it was like growing up, when every city had that haze hovering over it. When some days you couldn’t see the horizon—no, you couldn’t even see six or eight blocks away clearly. 

It used to be smoke everywhere, all the time, like living inside a smoking section in a restaurant, a thing that used to exist but we legislated to remove. Like how we wrote the Clean Air Act. Like how we worked against acid rain. Like how we came together to repair the hole in the ozone layer. Like how we started the shift to electric and hybrid vehicles. 

Like all these progressive moves we undertook to fight back against the damage that the industrial age imposed upon us because rich people were more concerned with fancy advances and making money over growth in a way that protected and enhanced the lives of the common people. 

Which sounds familiar. 

I remember back in 2012, watching The History Channel’s The Men Who Built America, uncomfortable all the way through it. It’s been criticized as a simplified version of events, cornily reenacted, with no new information. Oh, and for having Donald Trump as one of the experts interviewed. [read the Wikipedia article to see the details, I’m just summarizing.] As someone who didn’t grow up reading much about a bunch of rich men who threw their influence around in order to make even more money and gather power, I found the comparison to what was happening at the time, seen through my eyes as a more experienced adult, chilling.

I was not wrong to make those comparisons. Look at where we are now. I saw it coming, though not to this extent. Not to where we rolled back everything. Not to yellow skies.

We fixed this before, or at least were on our way to fixing things. So what do we do now? There are choices we need to make. 

Do we want to be ruled by a small circle of billionaires who only care about their own personal enrichment, even if it destroys everything else? Do we want to have to mask up in order to leave the house, hope and pray that the water we’re drinking, cooking with, bathing in, watering our food supply is uncontaminated? Are we going to stand here while they kill off anyone they think of as disposable or undesirable?

 

There are choices we need to make.