Mum, geek, writer. Software discombobulator. Insect rescuer. Cat box /child den constructor. Experimental desserts a specialty.
Hey there. This is UNUSUAL FICTIONS, a newsletter from Jess Nickelsen. |
Greetings from nearly-December! Here in NZ we're getting tantalisingly close to summer. It's amazing how a bit more light in the mornings, and the odd sunny day, does so much to lift the spirits. That said, we’re currently in the middle of a polar blast coming up from the south, which means despite the sunshine it’s still woolly sweaters and socks in bed territory round here. We all got our flu jabs this year, but that didn't stop everyone from getting Covid (ha ha). Weirdly my daughter caught it back in July, and didn't pass it on. Then I caught it in early August. While it was a much easier "go" of it this time around it still felt like it took a little while to get back to a normal pace. I'm back at karate but I haven't quite got back to running. We’re building up to grading in early December, and with some sweat and effort Leila and I will be sporting green belts soon! new cool things
readingI’ve been reading a lot this year! A lot of gothic romance (VE Schwab, Sharon Shinn, Juliet Marillier and Patricia McKillip) but also a few odd-bod literary novels, such as Isaac Fellman’s Dead Collections (which I loved the start of but felt as though it lost steam a bit towards the end), Hawthorne + Child by Keith Ridgway (bewildering but cool), and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa (nostalgic and wonderful). Right now I’m reading Holly Black’s Book of Night which so far is pretty good. Truth be told I have bounced off Holly Black in the past (I’m not really into books about fae, and urban fantasy isn't a favourite either) and while this one isn’t really me I’m still finding it a good read. As well as all of the above, I’ve picked up some interesting books on writing:
(Like a lot of people I have a fairly large collection of books about writing; not all make the best-of-the-best list but I think writers live in hope that one day we'll find that perfect guide by someone who can take us by the hand and lead the way. Or maybe that's just me!) And in the next-up list I’ve got:
linksThings I’ve enjoyed online lately:
the blogPostings since the last newsletter:
the booksAs always, if you’re interested in further supporting my writing you can find my wee books either in my ko-fi store or via my Amazon Author page. Anyhoo, thanks again for subscribing! I’d love to hear from you about anything. Just hit reply, or email hello@jessicanickelsen.com. Until next time, Jess |
113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205 |
Mum, geek, writer. Software discombobulator. Insect rescuer. Cat box /child den constructor. Experimental desserts a specialty.
Issue #11 Unusual Fictions Hey there. This is UNUSUAL FICTIONS, a sporadic newsletter from Jess Nickelsen. Happy March, everyone! It actually sort of sucks, going into autumn right now. It really doesn't feel like the summer was long enough. I wonder if I say that every year, or if this year summer was particularly...meh? We had a few hot days back around new year / early Jan, but February was pretty underwhelming, weather-wise. That said, the cicadas are out right now, which is one of my...
Issue #10 Hey there. This is UNUSUAL FICTIONS, a sporadic newsletter from Jess Nickelsen. Happy January! We are in the middle of summer now (at last!) which means lots of pool time, gardening, eating with friends, feral children (it’s still school holidays), and wandering around in pyjamas at all hours of the day. Despite all of this I have managed to hit a few big milestones that I’m happy about. I’m still figuring out what I want to focus on in the year ahead, but generally speaking they...
Issue #8 Hey there friends. Long time no email! Life has been...ah, you know the story. I've been writing, but the newsletter unfortunately fell by the wayside a little. So here we all are in 2023. Already it's shaping up to be better than the last couple of years, which I suspect everyone is quite happy to leave behind. I'm trying to get back on track with everything after the summer holidays here in NZ; work is ramping up, term one is, well, done, and we're heading into autumn now. new cool...