Hello friends!
This 40th newsletter is a special edition of my life update series The View From Here for all the beautiful people who’ve signed up for The FLARE. Over 70 people (‼️) have subscribed since the launch of Substack Notes a few weeks ago and I’m so grateful you’re all here.
The FLARE is a multi-genre collection of non-fiction essays, short fiction, and poetry. I’m Chevanne, your host through the array of works which includes a podcast called The Listening Room where I narrate my fiction. The first season and the subject of my most recent newsletter, “A Puzzle to Solve”1 has been world-building based on the short fiction story “Ithaka”2 about a detective who unexpectedly sparks an interplanetary conflict during a murder investigation. The planet Minos, where the story takes place, is a socially advanced society. You can catch up on episodes in the podcast tab.
And now, here’s what’s happening in my world…
What I’m eyeing
Goth aesthetic
I mean, look!
This past winter, I was cloaked in all black everything and felt like a maven of the dark. One of my dreams is to have half an all black wardrobe and the other half with very vibrant colors. I’d wear a single punchy article so that it shines against a black background. Picture it: High waisted butter yellow pants with a slouchy black turtleneck, suede ankle boots and structured overcoat. I’m in the process of purging old wardrobe drabsicles and leveling up with more high quality pieces, some from one of my favorite designers, Natalie Harris of The Tiny Closet. We’ll see how this project shapes up but I’m confident I’ll be ready to bewitch anyone in my path.
What I’ve been reading
Audiobooks are making me look real good right now. It’s a bit easier for me to listen than sit with a book. My mind wanders and I’m soon asleep on the couch. If you’ve had trouble keeping up with text, I’d give it a try.
I finished Feral Creatures, Kira Jane Buxton’s sequel to her first novel Hollow Kingdom3 about two months ago, and I am still reeling. Both are fantastic books told from the perspective of a shit-talking crow raised by an uncouth human, Big Jim. Sure, there are other books from an animal’s perspective but which has the same vulgar finesse when tossing insults at squirrels or begins at the dawn of a zombie apocalypse? Pretty sure none.
I never know how much time I should spend reminiscing before starting something new. Kira took me on such an expansive journey but I wanted a shorter read for the next and chose How We Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar. It’s about two operatives stealthily sabotaging each other’s temporal missions. Red would be out on a barren planet and suddenly, a crisp note would appear from the ether from her frenemy Blue. It was a very interesting read and a tangled romance.
Next up was Road of Bones by Christopher Golden, about a tv show developer and his friend who take a trip to one of the coldest places on Earth in Siberia, where they hope to capture material to pitch a show idea. They travel down the famed Kolyma Highway, getting much more than they bargained for.
The latest read was The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton. Historical horror supernatural thriller? Yes, please! I’m stuck after this one, though. I liked Turton’s previous book and wanted something else like it. When this happens, though, I usually try a washout period with podcasts and pivot in a new direction. Any suggestions on books like The Devil and the Dark Water?
What I’m looking forward to
Prepping the garden
I’m a plant mama, borne from the pandemic. Nowhere except the grocery story and garden center were open and six months in, I’d already trashed my cholesterol so why not get a new cactus? I keep some babies year round in the house that are more tropical, but the real fun is when I get to move outside.
I buy Goodwin Creek lavender yearly, as well as basil, mint, and a hearty flower or grass for decor. I can spend hours shopping, repotting, watering, and looking at care instructions for new babies. I find plant care helps build good habits. There’s something about the round robin of checking soil and examining leaves that makes me pay attention to my surroundings, but also pushes me to start a task. A lot of times, we imagine the enormity of tasks and psyche ourselves out of getting them done. Just getting up and doing has helped me combat that.
This is also the time of year I put lavender in every damn thing possible. Stewed peaches with lavender, lavender pork, lavender honey latte, lavender simple syrup, a lavender tattoo… it’s a calming and centering scent as well as color which always feels like it’s renewing a part of me.
How I’m feeling
Jealous
Ugh. You ever feel like someone else is living your dream with effortless chic? I look at other writers and feel that way, but we are in different places and have come to the lives we have in practically separate universes. I recognize that jealousy highlights a place where we feel inadequate so I have to remind myself that I am fulfilling a small piece of my dream writing life typing on my phone (seriously, I write all my newsletters on an iPhone). I was never a journalist or employed by a magazine. I was a science major then went into pathology. Who I am is where I stand now. I can pine over what someone else has or face my work and do something with the talent I have.
Present
This will actually be the subject of a future newsletter. 🤐
Full of love
I’ve been meeting with friends on the weekends, chatting more of them up over text, and making plans for future meetups. I don’t often realize how much I’m valued by people until they’re sitting across from me. They pour out their day’s stresses or frustrations, victories, large and small. They ask about me and listen intently and give me words of encouragement. Makes me think of a word I read about from Untranslatable, run by fellow Substacker
, which described the joy from meeting up with a friend: aspaldiko [Basque].Something that surprised me
The first few Friday the 13th movies take place in New Jersey! Shout out to my home state!
This scene is from near the beginning of the movie where one of the camp counselors heads to Crystal Lake after hitchhiking part of the way there.
That’s the news for now. This is the first newsletter to go out not just to paid subscribers, but the folks who sign up and stick with me each month, and those who are just coming on the journey with me. Thank you so much for your likes and comments, your support. Until next time…
See ya.
This newsletter outlines some bedrock societal principle to give context to the story.
There’s an intro to The Listening Room but you can jump right into the first episode.
I wrote a book review of Buxton’s debut in a previous newsletter.
I agree with you about audiobooks. I get thought them much faster. Viva audiobooks!!!
The goth aesthetic is SO good! High-waisted butter yellow pants popping against the rest of an all-black outfit sounds amaziiiiing.
Also, I love the book recommendations! I am so excited to start Hollow Kingdom!