MY BRAIN WORM BOOK IS GETTING PUBLISHED!
also more ER stories, please click
I apologize for the two newsletters in quick succession. These will be as infrequent and unobtrusive as possible from now on, but!!! First!!!
NEWS
You can read more about the deal here.
It’s been a very long journey. I’ve had the idea for this book for years, and have been building the world for even longer, but was afraid I couldn’t do it justice. I planned and plotted and waffled for months, then drafted in something of a fugue state starting in November 2023. I finished writing it last April, started querying it in late May, and signed with my two wonderful agents in June. We went on sub in January, and had an incredible, beyond my wildest dreams preempt within a week. I’m still reeling.
I started pursuing trad pub in 2015, so I’ve been working toward this moment for TEN YEARS. I’ll debut over a decade after sending my first query letter. I know there’s still a long road ahead and there are no guarantees in publishing, but this is still a life-changingly lucky deal. I write in a tough genre to break into (seriously, the sci-fi publishing landscape is BLEAK for debuts), so I feel very humbled and grateful to be here. I’m honored that my publishing team is taking a chance on me and my weird books.
Hopefully more news soon!
WHAT I’M READING/WATCHING
I’m already hard at work on edits, and January and February have been CHAOS, so not a lot of reading has been happening. There has, however, been a lot of trash TV watching.
Considering the world (and especially the US) is also currently in shambles, I’d like to recommend a couple of my favorite news sources:
Ground News - In their words: “Ground News is a platform that makes it easy to compare news sources, read between the lines of media bias and break free from algorithms. (…) Ground News rating system adds context and transparency to every news story. Readers from all walks of life can conveniently identify media bias, check source credibility, and view ownership data for news outlets around the world.”
The Fucking News - This substack has been keeping me sane since the election. It swears about as much as I do in my internal monologue, and takes no prisoners when it comes to criticizing the Democratic Party. It does a fantastic job of highlighting the current administration’s incompetence and failures, as well as what people are doing to fight back.
Some More News - I’ve been watching these guys on YouTube for years, and while they’re often more comedy and performance art than straight up news reporting, they present major issues in a way that’s both accessible and empathetic to people who may disagree with them. See one of my favorites, on the “masculinity crisis” in America.
Hope you’re all staying safe and healthy out there.
Now, on a somewhat lighter note:
ACTUAL THINGS THAT HAPPENED AT MY DAY JOB: WEIRDEST REASONS PEOPLE CHECKED INTO THE ER I USED TO WORK AT, PART II
“can’t urinate”*
“balls hurt”
“being chased by witches”
“chest congestion that started when PD served warrant”
“some meth heads jumped me and shot me up with their dope”
“got my throat cut but I healed myself”
“called my ex-wife”
“it’s like I’m a fly and I’m being sprayed with raid all the time”
“I have the fidgety thing”**
“THE LASERS”
“found throwing traffic cones and dancing on (major road)”
“snakes in my ass”
“sat on a power drill”
“I ran out of cocaine so I did meth instead”
“wanted to see (specific nurse)”
“constipation”***
“it’s Easter”
“CPR performed on conscious patient”****
The guy with the much more serious, immediate, potentially life-threatening problem who was very frustrated that we “didn’t even care about (his) anal fissure”
The guy who came in with his dog, both of them wearing masks, asking for COVID tests for both of them
The guy who stuck his fingers down his throat to make himself vomit in front of registration, hoping it would get him seen faster
The guy who showed registration his poop-covered hands, yelling “I TOLD YOU I HAD DIARRHEA”, also hoping it would get him seen faster
*man covered in his own pee
**ran out of their ADHD meds
***started 10 years ago
****I have seen this more than once
Until next time!
Jessica