Welcome to my newsletter! It’s the first one, I gotta make a good impression….
Did you know that wombats poop in cubes?
(Nailed it.)
December came in like a lion and out like a…Christmas-sweater-swathed sloth.
I FINALLY sent my latest novel draft to beta readers. Which meant there was a whole week where I had a panic attack because Other People* were reading my book. What if they hated it? What if they thought it was an absolute pile of wombat cubes? Worse, what if they wanted to talk to me about it? Thankfully, that panic subsided enough for me to enjoy my company’s mod-themed holiday party. (I wore go-go boots.) I’ll let you know how the novel feedback goes in the next letter but…I think people like it.
Right on the solstice (or Yalda for my fellow Iranians), I got a really crappy cold, which sent me into a tizzy of despair. I had such plans for the winter holidays before I was sick, like staying up all night reading Hafez poems, writing some short stories, maybe even attending some parties. But instead, I was forced into healing, hibernation vibes. The result? Possibly the most relaxed winter break I’ve ever had. I ate warm, nourishing soup, read, played video games, took walks, and enjoyed being home.
We finished the year VERY strong with champagne, cheeseburgers, and introducing my husband to the animated film, Anastasia. Now he understands what I’m saying when I tell him that I want to write a swashbuckling Anastasia in a Tamora Pierce-inspired world. All in all, a lovely start to a new year of writing, joy, and adventure (I hope).
*cue uplifting musical number*
last month’s highlights – december 2023
* getting on a first name basis with the dog at the local record shop and her people/the shop owners (her name is Roxanne, her humans’ names are…..gimme a minute….)**
*listening to Ella Fitzgerald’s A Swinging Christmas record as well as the Peanuts Christmas album (both on vinyl)
*making my own peppermint hot cocoa—Saint Nick woulda wept
*finally trying out a soup dumpling restaurant in SF that healed my soul
*the cushion we ordered for our bedroom window seat finally arrived in the mail. that room is now so. damn. cozy.
*attending our friends’ child’s ballet performance of The Nutcracker at the local kid’s ballet school. It was possibly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
what i wrote
With the novel in beta readers’ hands, this was the first time in months, I took a writing break…kinda. I fiddled with my poetry series based on “blackberry witch”—a young woman who straddles the hustle-and-bustle of modernity but stays rooted in the magic of nature (email me if you want me to send you a copy!). Mostly, I wrote for my website which was in dire need of an upgrade. If you’re here…HI, ain’t she pretttyyyyyy?
what i read
I read almost 60 books in 2023 (which is a big deal considering I had a concussion and couldn’t read for two months…I’m fine now!). These were December’’s favorites:
* The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neil, a graphic novel so beautiful & sweet, I literally cried and immediately bought the box set.
*Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, Footnotes! Grumpy scholar and her sunshiney academic rival (who’s in love with her)! Dire dealings with troublesome fae! Iceland!?
*Green Rider by Kristen Britain, a 90s era epic fantasy with a snarky horse recommended by fabulous author, Alix E. Harrow
what i ate/drank
James has been on a cocktail-making spree (oh noooo how terrible. HAH). My favorite so far has been the Twin Peaks, made with gin from Bay Area-based spirit company St. George and green chartreuse from French monks (no, I’m not kidding). It tastes like Christmas in the Bay.
my favorite photos from the month
1. a tumble of sage so beautiful I want to make it my whole personality
2. James and me and our first Bay Area Xmas tree shoved in my car
3. my kindle, some tea, & the window seat on a perfectly rainy afternoon
now what
Now, you tell me what you think! Do you have any book recommendations? Want to see more of something? Did you catch any typos (DANGIT)? Could this have been shorter (yes), include more helpful links to places (maybe), involve less wombat poop (never)?
but mostly, if you got this far, thanks for reading <3
always,
Lexie
endnotes
*My husband and best friend of multiple years don’t count because in one way or another they are contractually obligated to love me no matter how bad my writing is to the point of lying. Or so my most sinister inner demons tell me.
**Monica and Henry!
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