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Hey there, Operator Reader!

Sorry I was gone for a couple months, I was busy wallowing in despair. In all seriousness, the world has just felt too heavy to be creative lately, and I know this isn't a unique problem. It can be difficult to see a reason to keep writing or making art when everything outside our homes is scary and uncertain. I'm sure plenty of you are going through the same feelings right now. So, let's talk about it.

How to Be Creative in The Despair

Lately, I've been thinking about something my late aunt Kim said just a few months before she passed away last year. "It must be a Byron thing, to yearn for suffering." Of course, she wasn't referencing my creative process or anything related to making art. She was talking about her husband, my uncle, mowing the lawn on a hot, sunny day instead of waiting just a few hours for cloud cover. But she had a point. Since the early days of spreading saucy gossip and hot air over Scotland, my family has always had a tendency to be melodramatic, doing our best work under duress, driven by spite, or with the promise of being allowed to bitch about it later.

But what do we do when the despair is more than a stubbed toe or a hot, sunny day? What do we do when it's heavy, oppressive, and far beyond our control? It's times like this, when the warnings in history books become daily news headlines, that even us melodramatic assholes have to get off our fainting couches and make art for the sake of community and expression. We have to keep making it, because art made by human hands is one of the few real things we have left: pure, raw, belonging to all of us, spreading a sliver of passion when only cooling embers are left. Make your art. To create is not a luxury, it is a human need. So make your art.

This time, I promise I won't bitch when it's done.

Okay I'll Actually Talk About Book Stuff...

A Lonely Broadcast: Book Three is in the works right now, with plans for a late 2026 release! Now that I have your attention, here's a few other things I want to work on this year:

• Hardcovers! I know folks have been asking for hardcover books for a while now, and it's been something on my mind for ages. However, if I'm going to release hardcovers, they're going to be beautiful. I'm talking illustrations, gilded edges, engravings, the whole deal. Luckily, I've been talking with my publishing rep and she's willing to help me do all sorts of book witchcraft.
• Events??? I'm currently on the lookout for events in the midwest, but I'm not even sure where to start. So in case you thought I was a really put-together author who knows exactly what I'm doing all the time, here's my rebuttal. Still, it's on the top of my list for things I want to do.
• Audiobook Two is coming!!! Yes, I know, we've been talking about it vaguely for a while. That's because everyone is swamped all the time. But stay tuned in mid-February for the official trailer launch and information on how to support the project. We will be launching a Kickstarter with a small, modest goal to cover payment for the actors, and offering some really cool digital and physical limited-edition rewards. <3

The Baby Zone

The Next Broadcast...

The next newsletter will be the official trailer and announcements for the audiobook kickstarter! I know you've all been so patient for it, and new info is going to be here soon. There's just a lot of busy people and moving parts involved, lol. But I promise, it's going to be AWESOME and I can't wait to share the full trailer drop. Talk again soon!

Ok love you bye