Just finished Peter Orner 's The Gossip Columnist's Daughter at the register of @prairielights.com and enjoyed it...very unusual, deconstructed novel, like a story within a story. Looking forward to meeting Peter tonight at his reading and asking him about his newest book!

My newest Substack post is up: backdesk.substack.com/p/bestseller... (Free to subscribe 🎉📚)

I wrote in this week's Substack post about some recent writing milestones and keeping the momentum: backdesk.substack.com/p/moving-for...

My latest Substack post is up--I think this monthly one might be my favorite to write: backdesk.substack.com/p/bestseller...

I often forget to post about my Substack, backdesk.substack.com (still figuring out Blue Sky), but it's growing slowly and is a lot of fun to make. If you want to know what it's like to be a bookseller at @prairielights.com or how I'm working to become a "real" (i.e., paid) writer, take a look!

What I'm reading tonight at the upstairs info desk of @prairielights.com : Eat the Buddha by Barbara Demick--a rare blend of thorough research & exquisite storytelling. A careful explanation of what China did to Tibet & why.

Excited for her next, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove--coming May 20th!

I just finished my seventh Substack post & am enjoying this no-expectations creating more than I thought I would.
backdesk.substack.com

Happy Sunday! Yesterday I posted a Substack entry on waiting for a "Big Deal Lit Mag" (not naming them yet) to follow up with me on a forthcoming essay publication.

If you've been in this boat before, you know the agony.

backdesk.substack.com

What I'm reading today at the upstairs info desk of @prairielights.com : American Bulk by Emily Mester, an Iowa NWP alum. (I'll be introducing Emily at Prairie Lights for the reading on February 17th, too.)

Forty pages in & so far impressed by the honesty and insightfulness. Plenty to think about.

My fifth Substack post is online, and I managed to keep it from being a mere rant about AI in my word processor (though I'm still greatly concerned about it).

I've never been this offended by Microsoft. What makes them think we want AI in our word processor? It also took more time than it should have to figure out how to disable Copilot, but I'm relieved I did. Couldn't write a word this morning until that sh*t was gone.

Shakespeare's ready for a new day ☀️

My fourth Substack post is up, and this one merges a bit of physics with creative nonfiction. ✨
backdesk.substack.com

Third Substack post, and this one features my inscribed paperback copy of Martyr! and what it helped me realize as an emerging writer:
backdesk.substack.com

I started a Substack as a still learning-everything emerging writer (for other writers figuring it all out, too). Forgot to mention my first post, but here's the second!
backdesk.substack.com

My cat Shakespeare is giving chill vibes this morning

What I'm reading at an info desk tonight at @prairielights.com: an ARC of Care and Feeding, a memoir by the late Anthony Bourdain's assistant @lauriewoolever.bsky.social.

Sharp, insightful, and shies from nothing. Halfway through & devouring like a good meal! Look for it on March 11th, 2025.