Hello there!
Happy Spring, y’all! If you know me, you’ll know that spring is my favorite time of year. After a long, gray, (and particularly wet?!) winter here in Arkansas, I’m relishing more sunshine, birdsong in the mornings, and trees beginning to bloom. Springtime also feels like the perfect time for fresh starts, which brings us to this newsletter.
A few days ago, I hit a big milestone: I turned 30! It’s a new decade for me and, accordingly, I’m trying new things. In the past, I pressured myself to write a monthly newsletter, and… that soon proved to be extremely impractical given the many spinning plates in my life. SO, from now on, I’ll be sending my newsletters through substack on a seasonal basis. Look for the next edition in the (Northern Hemisphere’s) summer, unless I have breaking news to share (if I do, you’ll be the first to know!)
As for what’s been happening in my corner of the world, life has continued to move a mile a minute. On a personal note, my spouse and I moved into our new home a month ago. It took almost two years to build and there was a lot of headache involved (I never want to hear the words ‘champagne bronze’ ever again), but we are settling in and so, so happy to be homeowners. Another fun fact: this is the first time I’ve ever had my very own office! I’m still decorating, but it means the world to now have a place specifically designated for my work and my books! Pictures below! (Also featuring my bathtub, which has quickly become one of my favorite places!)
Professionally, I am staying just as busy! In February, I had the chance to visit San Antonio, TX and attend Librarypalooza, an incredible library-sponsored book festival that may now be a new fave. I also did some filming for Books Across America, a documentary about authors all over the United States created by filmmaker Mason Engel.
This month, I am focused on revising Beasts of Prey #3, the last installment in the Beasts of Prey series. It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to these characters, but so fulfilling to reach the end of such a big, epic adventure. We now have a cover and a title, and I can’t WAIT to share both soon! In the meantime, how about an exclusive excerpt??** This scene is from a mystery character you haven’t met yet!
I’ve spent seventeen years—my whole life—alongside this river, learning its rhythms and patterns like a dialect. Tonight, it carves through the land like a serpent, snatching tiny white refractions of the moon that remind me of glittering scales. I can’t help but think that this might be the last time I get to see it, and I swallow hard as the water laps at both my toes and that sober reality. My gaze wanders along its muddy banks. In a few hours, I know the city’s fishermen will arrive, wiry brown-skinned men loaded down with their rope nets and buckets, but for now this place is quiet, empty but for the occasional longboat moored among the reeds. A sudden movement to my right startles me, and seconds later I hear a soft laugh.
Well, these banks are almost empty.
**disclaimer: text is subject to change between now and publication
This year is unique in that, for the first time in three years, I’m not publishing a new book! While it feels a little weird not to be in full promo mode, the break is appreciated (especially since nothing else in my life is slowing down!) Along with BOP3, I am also working on some **secret stuff**, but I’m a bit superstitious when it comes to talking about projects while they’re in their earliest stages of development, so mum’s the word for now, but hopefully I can talk about them more soon. (*Spoiler: whatever comes after the BOP books, know that it will likely involve monsters.)
Writing Advice:
On the subject of Social Media
I’m going to save this section of the newsletter for writing advice, and for answering some of the popular writing-related questions I see floating around. This season, I want to talk about social media. In this current age, I know that there is a lot of pressure on all creatives—actors, visual artists, writers, singers, culinarists, etc.—to not just be on social media, but to constantly perform for it. There’s pressure to remove healthy boundaries in the name of being “authentic,” to show everyone everything and sound-off on every issue that arises all the time. In the writing world (and thanks to rise of #BookTok**), there are more and more questions about whether or not being on social media (let’s be real, TikTok) is key to having a successful writing career.
My take is this:
There’s no doubt that having large social media platforms can be advantageous if you have a natural knack for marketing yourself and/or your art. I won’t pretend otherwise, and if that’s your thing, go for it! I’m moderately okay*** at it, and have several friends who are amazing at it. That said, if you aren’t naturally extroverted or savvy in front of a camera, or if the idea of making regular “content” makes you want to yeet yourself into the sun, that’s also completely okay. If you want to be an author—(that is to say, if you want to make writing stories your job)—what is most important is writing good books, and writing them consistently. If you can do those two things, your readers will find you, and your books will endure long after this particular era is over and done. (For context, I discovered none of my auto-buy authors on social media, and frankly I could care less about their followings. I just want to read their books.)
Remember too that, social media is a highly-curated space; you are rarely—if ever—seeing the full picture. I promise the most “together” person you follow has bad days just like you, so don’t compare yourself to what is ultimately an illusion anyway.
**My other “hot take” about BookTok? In my opinion, it’s not even really a place for authors anyway. BookTok began as a place for enthused readers to scream (metaphorically and sometimes literally) about the books they had visceral reactions to. Many of the authors who have enjoyed success with it aren’t even on TikTok. (Don’t believe me? Look for the author of one of booktok’s most explosive books, Song of Achilles. Madeline Miller doesn’t even have an account on TikTok at present!) Truly, you only need to be on social media in the capacity that makes you happy, even if that means not being on at all!
[***Yes, yes, I know I have a big TikTok following. That was sort of an accident. I have a passion for talking about Black history, and it turns out lots of people connected with me because of it. In the end, I’ve always had the best results on social media by, you guessed it, being myself. Go figure!
Anywho, here’s hoping your spring is a fresh start if you need it, or a season of continued joy if you’ve had it lately. Either way, I’m cheering for you—Dolly is too.
xo,
Ayana