A catnip mouse on your pillow

Dear Patient Reader/ Listener,

Above, you see Mochi and Taro, on their catio in the summertime. Recently, they carried one of my slippers out there. In order to do this, they transported it all the way from upstairs and then out through the cat door, into the screened back porch. Getting it through the cat door had to have been a feat of engineering. Alas, they evaded detection by the motion-sensor camera.

They're not all evil-genius, though. I've been working a lot lately, and they've been trying to help by leaving their toys on my bed like mints at a fancy hotel. Every day that I'm home, I find a different catnip mouse or stuffed fish thoughtfully deposited on my pillow or tucked just under the edge of the sheet.

What's New in Books?

Rish finished the audio version of "Adagio," which has been a long-time coming. This story has been a fan-favorite of the Patreon for years. It's one of my better romance short stories, IMO, though it's tied to one of my most obscure series (The Prophet of Panaindorah). You don't actually need to read Prophet to enjoy "Adagio," although it helps.

The collection also includes a number of other short stories related to Prophet. In honor of its release, I am making the original trilogy 1/2 off in both ebook and audiobook. FYI, I narrated this audiobook myself during anesthesia school, about 14 years ago. Wow, that seems like another life.

As with all the audio and ebooks I sell myself, these titles are delivered by Bookfunnel. They have a mobile app that works just like Audible's. They also have a desktop app if you prefer to listen that way. Finally, they now have an option to stream audiobooks from a browser window if you don't want to download anything. You do have to create an account, but that's all.

Bookfunnel has stellar tech support. If you're struggling with a tech issue on my audiobooks, please reach out to help@bookfunnel.com. I pay them for this service, so use it. If you're still not getting resolution, please let me know. We will get it resolved.

My other new audiobook, The Cormorant, is still running on the Patreon and will finish in August, after which it will be exclusively available in my store. Cormorant is the 5th and final book in the Pirates of Wefrivain saga.

What else is happening?

  • Legacy (Hunters Universe 5) is out to beta readers and will soon be entering the final stages of edits and production.

  • I'm working a lot in the operating room, kind of stalled on writing projects. I'll get back to it eventually, though, as the chatter of character voices in my head becomes unbearable.

Yours, An Author whose cats are engineers,
Abbie

Published Under A. H. Lee
The Incubus Series
The Knight and the Necromancer


Published Under Abigail Hilton
Hunters Unlucky
Pirates of Wefrivain
The Prophet of Panamindorah
The Eve and Malachi Series

My cats have thumbs

Dear Reader of very long books,

I am delighted to announce that The Cormorant audiobook, narrated by Rish Outfield, is finished! The is the 5th and final book in the Pirates of Wefrivain saga, so if you only listen to finished things, you can finally begin. I am making the audio of Book 1 (The Guild of the Cowry Catchers) free this week-only, for people who are just jumping on board. These books are epic fantasy, queer characters, fairly dark themes, some graphic content, mature readers only.

The Cormorant audiobook is 22 hours long and brings satisfying character growth and conclusions to the whole cast. There are a few big surprises, and ultimately happy endings. (What? You think I can't give some of those characters happy endings, based on what happened to them in previous books? *rolls up her sleeves*) Rish did an amazing job performing some very emotional scenes and keeping all the character voices consistent.

I have no intention of putting this audiobook on retailers anytime soon, so if you want it, there are only two ways to get it: my store or (for the next two or three months) as podcast episodes on Patreon. Those are dropping twice weekly and we're getting near the halfway point of the novel.

Why am I not willing to put this book on Audible? Folks, in order to make back its costs of production, this book would have to sell around 1,200 copies at the pittance Audible pays me. Other retailers (Apple, Kobo, Googleplay) are a little better, but not much. In order to make back its costs on my own website, the book only needs to sell about 200 copies. Even that will probably take a year, because these books have a small audience compared to my A. H. Lee books. However, I really couldn't afford to produce books like this at all if my only option were retailers like Audible. Once the book makes back its costs, I will consider putting it on retailers.

State of the Cattery

At the top of the email, you see Mochi, sitting on my lap after I came home from my most recent assignment. He has been extremely displeased with my leaving lately. Last time I packed, he stole a pair of socks that had been turned inside out to make a bundle. He pulled them apart, which seems difficult without thumbs, and then proceeded to scattered them as far apart as possible. I found one on the stairs. I could not find the other. Two weeks later, I finally found it on a shelf in my closet. What a rascal!

He and his brother also unscrewed the bathroom sink stopper this morning. I have no idea how, but they left it neatly beside the sink. I must say, it did need to be cleaned. I feel like they have thumbs when I'm not looking.

What else is happening?

  • If you are a fan of the video game Persona 5 and also Hunters Unlucky...you've gotta see this fan art. Really, you should see it anyway. Although it's got to be the nichest of all fan art.

  • Rish is going to pause in his recording of extraordinarily long books to record the short story "Adagio" for the Prophet of Panamindorah short story collection. Those of you who love that story, rejoice!

  • Next up in all formats will be Legacy (Hunters Universe 5), finished in draft and waiting to be edited.

  • I'm writing the Sleipner books.

Yours, An Author whose cats have thumbs,
Abbie

Published Under A. H. Lee

The Incubus Series

The Knight and the Necromancer


Published Under Abigail Hilton

Hunters Unlucky

Pirates of Wefrivain

The Prophet of Panamindorah

The Eve and Malachi Series

Speculative Biology Ahoy

Dear reader who might enjoy speculative biology,

Above you see a truly wonderful piece of Hunters Universe fan art by Iben Krutt (who also painted the covers for Book 2 onward). Curbs are thylacine-like animals. An extinct relative of the thylacine did have a semi-opposable thumb. You can see a higher resolution version of this image and read a little more about these critters here. To get a huge sample of book 1 in both text and audio, go here.

Iben is working on a new cover for the hardback of Book 1 that will match the other new covers, as well as a cover for Book 5 (currently complete and sitting on my Patreon).

State of the Abbie

If you feel like you haven't heard from me in a few weeks, you're right. I got sick and then I got wiped out by my new work assignment and it took me a while to claw my way to the surface. Taro and Mochi are well. The last weekend I was home, Taro left a catnip mouse beside my pillow. Mochi brought me a worm from the herb bed. He left it on the floor instead of my pillow, thank goodness.

What's the News in Books?

  • I have begun posting The Cormorant (Pirates of Wefrivain Book 5) audiobook on the Patreon! Episodes drop on Tuesdays and Fridays. There are currently six episodes available and you can listen to the first one for free. This is the conclusion of a long-running series. You can get the first book here. Rish and I are a little over halfway finished with the total recording for this novel (it's long). When it's done, it'll be available in my store, but right now the Patreon is the only place to listen. All the books are, of course, available in ebook and paper as well.

  • I've updated my Rewards Summary on Patreon. I've been on that site for over 5 years, so there are a lot of interesting items in the feed. This is not a exhaustive list, but it shows you the highlights with quick links.

  • I'm writing the Sleipner books. Nothing new to report there just yet.

Yours, An Author editing audio,
Abbie

Back in Seattle after 3 Years Away

Dear reader who possibly uses healthcare services,

Above you see Mochi in my bathroom sink, offering assistance and critique regarding my makeup. He and his brother are currently being cared for by my mother and their army of robots while I'm at work in Seattle.

I don't talk about my day job much in this newsletter, but in my other life, I'm a CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist), sometimes called a "nurse anesthesiologist" (not to be confused with a "physician anesthesiologist"), sometimes just "anesthetist." We provide most of the anesthesia in rural America and quite a lot of it in urban America as well. We can work under a physician anesthesiologist or solo under the surgeon.

I've been in practice for 13 years, working as a contractor (AKA locum tenens) for all but my first year. I cover temporary and semi-temporary needs for hospitals in all kinds of anesthesia staffing crunches. I've worked solo more often than not, including assignments in Navajo Nation, assignments on the US/Mexico border, critical access hospitals all over Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, and a few other states. I've covered everything from surgery centers and single-operating room hospitals to big teaching hospitals in cities like Seattle and Portland.

I chose this profession and this style of practice specifically because it pairs well with writing books. I was in veterinary school when I made the abrupt (and painful) decision to switch career paths. It was a hard call, but I'm glad I did it, because I have a great deal of free time, complete control over my schedule, and the ability to dial my income up and down, depending on how much I want to work vs write.

Of course, when I made the decision to switch to human anesthesia, I didn't know that I was going to live through a respiratory pandemic. Anesthesia is the intubuating specialty. We're the airway experts. Maximum droplet exposure. So...I just worked through a respiratory pandemic as an airway specialist. Strange times.

I was working in Seattle from early 2018 until Feb of 2020. This week was my first time back in town in 3 years. It's good to be back.

If you would like to hear me talk about this stuff in more detail, I post my rambling thoughts to my Patreon podcast ($3 level) about once a week and have been doing so since 2015. That audio blog goes back a long way. Recently someone emailed me to say they'd just listened straight through and I said, "You probably know things about me that I don't know!" Because I never relisten to those posts.

In addition to my audio blog, my professional audiobooks also get released for a limited time at that level. I will sometimes post more personal audio updates at the $5 level and more general updates at the $1 level, or even free. You can "follow" me at the free level without subscribing. Just click the blue "follow" button underneath the support tiers. But the main podcast blog is at the $3 level.

What do my kitties do when I travel? Well, I've tried all the things. Sometimes they get boarded. Sometimes my parents are available to cat-sit/ house-sit. If all else fails, I will pay someone to look in on them a couple times a day at home, but that's a last resort, because they get too lonely (and destructive in their boredom). I've got cameras in key locations inside and outside the house, so I can keep a close eye on how they are doing.

And, of course, sometimes the cats come with me. Nim and Nix had both seen lots of hotel rooms, hospital lodgings, and small apartments. Taro and Mochi have not yet visited a hotel. I'm a little afraid of what they might open, break, or steal, but I'm sure I'll find out at some point, because I can't imagine that they won't eventually be getting on a train or plane with me. Their early experiences were limited by Nim's needs and the peculiarities of the pandemic. Nim had reached the age where he could not be boarded or travel with me, and so I made a lot of adjustments in my schedule just for him. Taro and Mochi are young, flexible, healthy, and super-curious about the world.

I've talked a lot about traveling with cats on the podcast over the years, so if this is interesting to you, for $3 there's 8 year's worth of me chatting about my adventures.

What's the News in Books?

  • I was going to start posting Cormorant audio to the Patreon this week and then I realized that I don't have the opening credits. That's something I need to record myself, and I'm not home. I'll be back home and near my microphone next weekend, so I'll do it then.

  • I've finished all the pieces of what will be the 5th Hunters Universe book, Legacy. You can read them in draft form at the $5 level on Patreon, or you can wait a few months for me to clean them up and publish them.

  • I've started writing on the Sleipner books again. New chapters of the draft will start posting at the $1 level this week.

Yours, An Author who can also intubate you (how many authors can say that??),
Abbie

Taro vs the Robot Mop

Dear reader who may have a robot army,

Above you see Taro in the act of cornering the robot mop, using his body and the welcome mat to trap it. He and his brother have enjoyed interacting with my new fleet of automated assistants. The mop is, of course, called The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and the upstairs roomba is (naturally) Skynet. I named the downstairs roomba The Army of Oz. Bonus points if you get that reference. (Wheeeelerrrsss?)

Anyway, I now get entertaining messages from Roomba's app, such as "Skynet is stuck and needs your help" or "The Army of Oz has completed a task!" The cats seem particularly concerned that The Sorcerer's Apprentice is wetting on the floor. Taro managed to trap it in a corner the other day (see above), while Mochi watched in admiration. ("My brother can do anything!")

I did notice a peculiar thing when Skynet mapped the upstairs for the first time. It showed a communicating passage that does not exist between my two guest rooms. Dear reader, I was immediately inundated with the story ideas...

What's the News in Books?

  • I've finished all the pieces of what will be the 5th Hunters Universe book, "Legacy." You can read them in draft form at the $5 level on Patreon, or you can wait a few months for me to clean them up and publish them (yes, there will be an audio version, but later in the year, after Rish gets done with Cormorant). Final order will probably be "Den Mates," "The Truth," "Relevant," and the titular title, Legacy. "Den Mates" is backstory that happens between the final chapter of Hunters Unlucky and the epilogue (so I could technically put it anywhere). The others occur in chronological order after Arcove's Bright Side. The Truth happens a few months later, Relevant is about 1.5 years after Bright Side, and Legacy occurs 2.5 years after Bright Side.

    I was proud of the variety of relationships and storytelling I managed to work into this collection. In "Den Mates" the primary relationship is FF, set amidst some mild adventure and character study. In "The Truth," the primary relationship is MM, set amidst a classic murder mystery. In "Relevant," the primary relationship is platonic familial, with slice-of-life style adventure and teaser set-up for the book that comes after this one. The title novel, Legacy, is an intense action/adventure that touches all of Halvery's major connections with other characters, which come in every flavor.  

  • Rish is hard at work recording the audio for "Cormorant" (Pirates of Wefrivain Book 5). I will start posting it at the $3 level sometime this week. It's a big book, and I doubt we'll be finished until May or June. At that point, it'll be in my store.

  • I will start working on the Sleipner books again this week! I ended up doing a little cross-over with Sleipner verse in "Relevant."

Yours, An Author who also owns a "feeder robot"...which sounds so ominous,
Abbie

Published Under A. H. Lee

The Incubus Series

The Knight and the Necromancer


Published Under Abigail Hilton

Hunters Unlucky

Pirates of Wefrivain

The Prophet of Panamindorah

The Eve and Malachi Series

This One is Funny

Dear reader who is ready for some fun,

Above, you see Mochi at his heart-stopping poser best. He and his brother have had an exciting week. I got a litter robot. When you open the instructions, the first thing you see are suggestions on how to gently acclimate your cats to this potentially-frightening device. Meanwhile, my boys are crowding into the thing going, "Is this for us?! Is it a litter box! OMG, we love litter boxes!! Why is it making that noise! Hey, get out of the way; I want to see!"

They were ready to climb into it while it was doing its first cycle. Then they ran out of the room to go drink more water, so they could pee in it again.

Below is a picture of them stuffing themselves inside together (because they have always believed firmly that bathroom time is family time). There are more pictures of them inspecting it on Instagram.

I also posted a recent video of them grooming each other, which is a guaranteed serotonin boost.

What's the News in Books?

I've got 4 books free on the Zon from now until Wed. They are:

  • The Knight and the Necromancer Book 1

  • Enthralled (the related winter novella about Merek)

  • Incubus Caged (first Incubus book)

  • Incubus Bonded (the second Incubus book)

If you were planning to check out one of those series and hadn't gotten around to it, now's your chance. I frequently give away the first book in a series, but I rarely give away the second. Incubus Bonded (Book 2) is where the MM goodness really heats up in those books.

Also, I rarely give away Enthralled, which also works as a stand alone, even if you have never read any other books in that world. It's a wintery ghost story wrapped around a second-chance gay romance, all set in a necromancer's tower on the longest night of the year.

Second item of business about those books - all my A. H. Lee stuff is back in Kindle Unlimited again. Reason: There are thousands of people who want to read those books on that platform vs dozens who want to read them anywhere else.

However...if you are wanting to get my A. H. Lee ebooks outside of Amazon, just hit reply and talk to me. We will work something out. If you are a KU subscriber, rejoice. This only applies to ebooks, so audio and paper can still be found in my store. Also, all my Abigail Hilton titles remain available everywhere.

What else is going on?

  • I just posted the third and final interview with narrator Rish Outfield regarding Arcove's Bright Side and writing in general. This is the spoilerific interview. We tried to stay away from spoilers in the first two. They are all public posts on my Patreon. You don't have to be a subscriber to listen. You might have to trawl around in the feed to find them, though.

  • Additionally, I am finishing up "Relevant," the final short story that I need to completely the Legacy collection (the 5th Hunters book). It's about Teek and Storm, who go to investigate an artifact from another world while on a hunting trip. It happens about a year after Bright Side. I'm drafting it at the $5 Patreon level.

  • Rish is hard at work recording the audio for "Cormorant" (Pirates of Wefrivain Book 5). It's a big book, but he's zipping along. We'll have it out by summer for sure. Lauren, unfortunately, cannot contribute to this one, so it will be a solo narration.

  • In addition to my little promo videos, I've been posting my reactions/comments to fan art on TikTok. Those vids are about 3 minutes long. They also post to Instagram.

Yours, An Author with a Litterbox Robot (named Alfred if you must know),
Abbie

Nim

Dear Reader...this is a sad one,

Above, you see Nim around 2010. He was about 7 years old here, before life put any scars on his nose. I had just graduated from anesthesia school. It was a busy time, and he was right in the middle of it...as he has been for nearly my entire adult life.

Nim passed away on January 26. He was 19.5 years old. He lived a long, interesting, and (until the very end) healthy life. He died in my lap at home with the help of a hospice vet. He was purring. It was still very hard. If you would like to hear me talk about Nim at some length, you can listen to this episode of my podcast, which I have made public.

I've also created a slideshow in Google drive. You just click on the first image and hit next, next, next... There are a lot of pictures, as well as a few videos at the very end (mostly with Mochi).

I wrote his poem. Here it is:

Nim
(2003 – 2023)

I keep trying to write your poem, but it’s like picking up handfuls of broken glass,
each one a memory that cuts.
Your limp body the last time I ever held you.
Your paws around my arm twenty years earlier, "Please pick me, please."
Your trill every time I came home.
Your caterwaul, demanding my attention.
You in apartments, in hotel rooms, with family and friends, in boarding, in the house I bought for you.

Time feels plastic.
I am now and you are then,
separated by a few paper-thin days, like a pane of glass.
If I could just rewind the tape, only a few days, we would be in the same place.
It seems like it ought to be easy.
Somewhere, you are standing in the kitchen with me,
watching me cook,
with your posture so very proper, like a cat in a painting.
Somewhere, you are sleeping with Mochi or Taro on my bathroom floor.
Somewhere, I am brushing you in your favorite chair,
watching TV with you, waking up with you licking my nose.
Somewhere I am now and you are now,
if I could just rewind.

I have a picture of you in my head: bounding through snow like a puma; you were young, then. We were in Portland the first time.
Or, later, in Florida, when you fled home with a bobcat on your tail, and then spun around, suddenly brave with me at your back.
Time is slipping…like a dislocating hip, like a seizure, like a fractured mirror, spilling shards of broken glass.
I was twenty-six when I brought you home.
I had no money…then even less money…then we struggled up, up…until we were doing ok and paid off my student loans.
Then I bought you a house.

I was twenty-six when you wrapped your paws around my arm in the Humane Society and said, "Get me out of here."
I had three and a half novels drafted, none of them publishable. I had the first Eve and Malachi book. I was four years away from writing Cowry Catchers. I was so young.
You’ve been here when I wrote every book I ever published.
Your voice is in the outtakes from my early audiobooks.
You were there for nursing school, for anesthesia school, for every hospital job, for my entire professional career.

Your history is my history is your history.
You outlived three dear companions.
You outlived my grandmother and the queen of England (Nonie would have been proud).
I got my bobtail boys to keep you company in your old age.
If my life were a novel, you would be a through-line, a constant, a stitch that united the whole.
And now it’s all in jagged pieces.

Time is elastic.
You are then, and I am now, and I can almost reach back and touch your fur.
Almost.
I would say, "I will write you into a book," but I’ve already written you into all of them,
in bits and pieces. Jagged fragments.
You moved with me across the country three times and stayed in so many different apartments and hotels.
If I was there, you were happy. If I was there, you were home.
And if I wasn’t there, you waited, knowing I would always come back for you.
I told you the last time, "I’ll never leave you again, buddy." And I didn’t.
You left, instead.
Did you die, or was that me?

Your history is my history is your history.
I am now, and you are then, and we are no longer in the same place.
This makes no sense to me.
Rewind.

You never greeted me ecstatically when I came home after a long absence.
Instead, you would tuck your head under my hand and slowly, softly begin to purr, as though you were coming back to life.
I’m sure I could come back to life if you would just come back to me.

You were not convenient in your old age.
Your food was expensive and hard to find.
The company stopped making it during the pandemic, and I thought that would be the end of you.
I found cases on a dusty back shelf of a Petsmart at the bottom of the country,
and I filled my suitcase.
I was so happy. I counted them, counting the weeks I could keep you alive.
Keep us both in the now.

And we lived happily ever after.
For another year or two or three.
That’s how happily-ever-after works.
We had so many of them. More than we deserved. More than others get.

I know these memories will fit together eventually.
I will run my fingers over the jagged edges and bleed,
until I wear them down, sand them smooth.
I will shuffled and reorder them until they make a whole,
until I can look into the glass and see myself,
and you.
You will be here always, love.
Somewhere we are reading.
Somewhere we are falling asleep.

Yours,
An Author Missing her Friend

I finished my first novella for 2023

Hello, Dear reader who is jumping into 2023 with both feet,

Above, you see the fullspread hardcover of Arcove's Bright Side. These books turned out very pretty. I've seen and approved a physical copy, and the stock order should reach me in about a week. It's still a "pre-order" in my store, because I don't have the books in hands yet, but I should have them quite soon. Apart from that, nearly everything is back in stock in my signed paper store, so if you were waiting, have at it.

Regarding paper books: just a reminder that they are all on the Zon, and that's the simplest way to get them. The ones that come from me are signed and necessarily involve double shipping (to me, then you).

What Have I Been Doing So Far in 2023?

I spent the first two weeks of the year doing anesthesia in rural Arizona, where I proceeded to get incredibly sick (I had RSV over the holidays, but thought I was well). There's nothing quite like needing a "translator" to pre-op a 95 year old patient who simply cannot hear your croaking whisper. Thank goodness for urgent care (turns out, I had no viral infection left, just pneumonia). I'm better now. If you want to listen to me natter on about such adventures, I post audio updates at the $3 level on my Patreon.

In spite of that little speedbump, I've been writing every day. I finished the Dazzle story (called The Truth). It's a 30,000 word novella, and it's currently at the $5 level of the Patreon, along with all the other pieces of what will be published as "Legacy" (Hunters Book 5). I've got one more piece to write - a short story about Storm and Teek post-Bright Side.

More good news for Abigail Hilton fans - We've begun work on Cormorant audio (Pirates of Wefrivain Book 5)! Sadly, Lauren is not going to be able to do this one. She has had a bunch of life events, and after some agonizing, she bowed out of the project. So Rish is going to record the whole book. Some of you will like that, and some of you won't, but it is what it is. Honestly, a single narrator is easier for me as producer. Coordinating two narrators, so that voices and accents are consistent, is more work than most people realize. I probably will not set myself up for the double narrator situation again.

However, if you love Lauren's narration, take heart. I expect to add a book or two to the Incubus series this year, and I've got a Christmas Werewolf story with female POV that she would be perfect for. She read the first few chapters and was excited, so you will hear from her again.

I've also been working hard to get my head around video socials, and it's starting to pay off. I had my first viral Tiktok vid (not hugely viral, but it met the criteria). As I type this, it's getting close to 10K views. Go here if you want to see it.

That video is actually for Hunters! This surprised me. No surprise that The Knight and the Necromancer is my second most popular video subject.

When I first got on that platform, I was experiencing some analysis paralysis. There were too many things I could do, and I also don't like talking into a camera. I finally settled on little 8-15 second videos of the books themselves with funny or catchy tag lines over top. This seems to work and doesn't eat up my whole day, so that's what I've been doing. I will sometimes reply to questions with face videos, so if you want me to talk directly to you, that might do it. I've also been considering fan art reaction videos, but haven't actually made any yet.

If you follow me on insta, you have probably noticed these little promo vids rolling across. That's because I use a service that automatically cross-posts them. They also auto-post to youtube, so if you prefer that platform, you can see what I'm doing over there.

I hope your year is off to a good start. If you missed my New Year's post, you can still view it here, along with Christmas pics of Taro and Mochi.

Yours, An Author who has already finished one novella in 2023,
Abbie

Welcome 2023 (and Taro in a 🦌 costume)

Hello, dear reader who is ready for a new year,

Above, you see Mochi rolling ecstatically in wrapping paper. My family did Christmas at my house this year, and the boys loved every minute of it. So many crinkling things! So much ribbon! My 7-yield-old niece brought a stuffy that Mochi repeatedly tried to abscond with. Taro received a reindeer custom, which he endeared for photographs. Then his brother stole it and avenged his honor by playing with the costume as though it were a luckless mouse. They drank all the pine-flavored water they could manage. They had a most excellent Christmas.

The Year Behind Us

Last year was a mixed bag. Both in my anesthesia career and in my author career, I kept trying to go in specific directions, and I feel like I was repeatedly cut off and sent on strange detours. Part of this is on me for wanting comforting and familiar things, and part of it is systemic issues directly related to the pandemic.

I’m not going to dwell on that. I’ve got ambitious plans for 2023. Let’s look at what I did accomplish in 2022.

Writing

  • I wrote 173,675 words this year, which is decent for me, but not a record-breaker.

  • I wrote on 107 days, which is on the lower end.

  • On days that I wrote anything at all, I averaged 1,623 words, which is on the higher end for me. That number has been creeping up since 2020, which is encouraging.

  • I finished writing Arcove’s Bright Side and my lion essays

  • I wrote Legacy, a 70K novel that comes after Bright Side (happens about 2.5 years later).

  • I knew when I finished that the novel that it would be published as part of a collection. It needed a few additional short stories to add context and clarity. I finished the first of those stories, “Den Mates,” near the end of the year, and I’m well into the second one (which doesn’t have a name yet).

  • I also wrote a fair bit on The Sleipner Drive books, but I didn’t finish any of them.

Publishing/ Production

  • I published The Knight and the Necromancer Complete Trilogy paperback with new artwork near the beginning of the year (artist goes by Asmodeus, design by Jeff McDowall) and followed it up with a hardback edition (my first hardback with KDP Print). This book looked great, so I proceeded with more hardback experiments.

  • I published Lullaby (Hunters Universe #2) in ebook, audio, paperback and hardback. (This was written the year before, but the editing wasn’t complete until the very end of the previous year.)

  • I published Distraction (Hunters Universe #3) in ebook, audio, paperback, and hardback. (Same situation as Lullaby.)

  • I published Arcove’s Bright Side (Hunters Universe #4) in ebook, audio, paperback, and hardback.

  • I published the original Hunters Unlucky novel (Book #1) in hardback. All of these hardbacks were done near the end of the year, and I was pleased with how they turned out (except that I haven’t seen the last one yet, on account of how extraordinarily long it takes Amazon to print and ship hardbacks).

  • I commissioned additional silhouette art from Jeff McDowall for the interiors of the Hunters Hardbacks. It’s also worth noting that Iben Krut’s covers for the follow-on books look amazing in hardback. Sarah Cloutier’s original cover for book 1 is also lovely in that format.

  • The audio deserves an extra bullet point. Rish Outfield did all of it, and it’s exceptional. That was a lot of audio this year.

  • I received the final artwork for the Adagio collection (a republication of Crossroads, with the addition of the title story). These short stories are all related to The Prophet of Panamindorah. The title story is one my best MM short stories IMO, but it’s kind of inside baseball (related to a rather obscure trilogy). The Patreon loved that story, and I’m so happy to finally have it out with a luxuriously gorgeous cover. Artwork for this one is Graham Schmidt and Sarah Clouter, design is Jeff McDowall.

Advertising/ Promotion

  • I did very little conventional advertising this year. I let one tried and true FB ad run on autopilot. That’s about it. But I was busy on other aspects of promotion.

  • I doubled down on direct sales via Payhip. I got all my ebooks, audiobooks, and paper books listed. I considered switching to Shopify, but in the end decided to remain with Payhip for now.

  • I made adjustments to the way I run my newsletter and use my website.

  • I mostly stopped linking to retailers.

  • At the same time, I went wide with audio and ebooks, listing them on retail sites large and small.

  • TikTok is the place where most authors are having the most promotional success this year. I took a course and learned the ropes, only to back away quickly. My gut feeling is that I do not enjoy using the platform, therefore I’m not sure I can stand to spend the amount of time necessary to have success there. But I might give it another shot at some point this year.

  • Tumblr continues to be a repository of a lot of new fan art, mostly related to Hunters Unlucky, but also Panamindorah. I try to be interactive over there, because it’s super inspiring when someone spends that much time thinking about my characters. I’m sure it has caused new readers to take an interest in those books.

Personal Achievements

Starting in July, I lost nearly 30 pounds and got myself back down to what I weighed in my twenties. This is also considered a healthy BMI. I lowered my risk for cancer, reduced my back and hip pain, eliminated my heartburn, and enjoyed shopping for cuter clothes. I’ve never lost that much weight on purpose before, and it was inspiring to do something that I didn’t know I could do. I will not bore you with the details of how I did it, but, in brief: aggressive calorie counting, intermittent fasting, and keto. Also, being a scientist and doing experiments on myself, because that is way more fun than dieting.

One of my goals last year was to travel more for pleasure and see more of my friends. I did that. In January, I took a trip to Hawaii with my mom that we had originally planned for 2020. I saw breaching whales for the first time, which was magical. I took a trip to Tucson with family/friends in April. I took a trip to visit friends on the east coast in Nov. I also hosted friends from FL in May, August, and Nov. This really felt like coming out of the dark after the isolation of the previous two years and the sputtering stop/start previous attempts to reconnect.

Author Goals for 2023

  • Finish the short stories that go with Legacy and get it published.

  • Work with voice actors to get Cormorant audio finished.

  • Write and publish the Sleipner Series.

  • Write every day.

  • If I do that last thing, I’ll write a lot more than the books I just mentioned, but, like losing 30 pounds, it’s something I’ve never done before.

  • Figure out how long it takes me to write a novel. It’s embarrassing that I don’t know this, but I find it extremely intrusive to time my writing sessions. As a result, I have no idea how many hours of labor each of my books represents. Without that critical detail, it’s hard to approach writing like a business. I’ve taken some steps to make it easier to keep a timer running, and I hope to have a better understanding of my own creative speed over the next few months. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as time = words. The longer my writing sessions go, the faster I typically write. I know this already. So why do I not write for 10 hours a day? Length of session has to be balanced against back pain, wrist pain, and getting anything else done. I think that 3 hours per day is a good number if I want to average 2,000 words (with at least one break in the middle) but I don’t actually know this for certain.

  • Improve my transition strategies between projects. I’m quite good at zipping along when I’m in the middle of something, but I have a terrible time letting go of one set of characters and latching onto another. I flail around between projects, sometimes for months, and this is where I lose momentum. I’ve got to learn to stop that.

  • Behave like I want to win.

Finally, I give you Taro in his reindeer costume. There are more Christmas photos of them on Insta, including another costume.

Yours, An Author Plotting a New Year

I wrote you a present

Hello, dear reader who is hopefully staying warm,

Above you see Mochi in the act of selecting an ornament from the tree, which he will then treat like a soccer ball, only to finally lose under the couch. I swear, he picks each victim like a lion cutting a gazelle out of the herd.

In housekeeping: thank you to those of you who voted regarding priority vs media mail. You voted overwhelmingly in favor of keeping priority as the default setting for my signed bookstore, so that will remain the case going into next year. I expect Payhip will allow me to offer multiple shipping options at some point, and then I will include media mail.

Finally...I wrote you a Christmas present! (Hanukkah gift? Solstice offering?) This is another Hunters universe story, but you don't have to be current with the series to read it. If you read the first novel, you've got all the background required. If you didn't read the first novel...gee, I have no idea what you'll think of this, but we're welcome to give it a try. It is certainly spoilerific for the first book.

The story takes place between the last chapter of the novel-proper and the epilogue (which occurs 2 years later). It's about Lyndi and reveals the details of her introduction to the creasia council and to Roup's den, as well as some of the fall-out from the rebellion which we never see in the novel. It's a 13,000-word novelette, which I've posted in 4 parts. Most of it is totally SWF, but there is a little ff love'in at the end. The story will be free through New Year's, and then I'll move it to the five dollar level. That's where "Legacy" is currently residing, and this story will be included with that novel when I publish it.

Next week - a few more surprises, plus my Year in Review.

I leave you with an image of my boys...stalking each other around the Christmas tree.

Yours, an author writing cat stories,
Abbie

Taro ate Christmas Ribbon

Hello, dear reader who is hopefully done shopping,

Above, you see the fullspread paperback for "Adagio." I've now laid hands on a proof of the physical book and pronounced it beautiful. It is on Amazon, where you might even be able to get it in time for Christmas. I've also put a pre-order in my signed paperback store. I've ordered stock, but it won't reach me until January, so that's an after-Christmas thing.

I keep debating about whether to offer media mail rates (instead of Priority) in my signed paper book store. If you'd like to vote, you can do so here, where I explain the plusses and minuses of each. Please only vote if this issue affects you. That means you're in the US and you've either ordered signed paper books from me in the past or plan to do so in the future.

State of the Cattery

Taro ate a Christmas ribbon last week. He chewed it off a package moments after I lovingly wrapped it and placed it under the tree. How is he so smart and also so foolish?

The first intimation I had of this disaster was him arfing chewed up ribbon all over the library, where I was wrapping gifts. Fortunately, he chewed it into inch-long pieces, which is slightly less dangerous than swallowing a long string. There was about 48 hours of distress and vet calls, in which the verdict was "wait and see."

I've never been more happy to find bedraggled Christmas ribbon peaking out of the...er...contents of the litter box (TMI, sorry). At this point, all the ribbon seems to have come out one end of the cat or the other. Taro remained playful and unconcerned throughout his culinary adventure, chasing his brother and pulling ornaments off the tree. I hope he's learned his lesson, but I doubt it.

What else is happening?

  • I'm writing a Christmas present for the Patreon. Shhh, don't tell them!

  • I have seen the final hardback of Distraction and it is gorgeous. I've ordered stock. If you want to order it off Amazon, it's got my stamp of approval. The Bright Side hardback is up, but I haven't seen the final book yet, so I'd advise waiting.

Yours, an author writing presents,
Abbie

It's now or never if you're ordering signed Christmas books

Hello, dear reader who likes sweet stories around Christmas time,

Above, you see artwork by Graham Schmidt and Sarah Cloutier for the new "Adagio" cover. This collection has been off sale for a year and the title story has never been for sale anywhere, although it was a Patreon exclusive and newsletter perk for a long time.

"Adagio and Other Short Stories from Panamindorah" is related to The Prophet of Panamindorah novels, but you can enjoy all the stories (and particularly the title story) without having read those books. These two characters are bitter enemies in the novels, but it will not surprise you (if you've read any of my books ever) to learn that they didn't stay that way. Here's the story description:

Chance and Sham have been writing music together all winter, sending pages back and forth between Danda-lay and Sardor-de-lor. At last, Sham comes to Danda-lay for business at the wolfling embassy. He and Chance meet to talk about their composition and a lot more besides. This gay romance short story can be enjoyed even if you have not read the related novels.

"Adagio" was a fan favorite on Patreon and I'm delighted to put such beautiful artwork on the cover. Graham and Rah really outdid themselves with this one. If you would like something heartwarming to read by the fire and/or the Christmas tree, this should fit the bill.

Jeff and I are almost done with the paperbook, but there is no way I will be able to get test-copies through the mail, order stock, and get those books shipped to you by Christmas. So that will be an after-Christmas treat.

If you're looking for other bite-sized nuggets of Holiday romance and cheer, I've got 3 other Christmas/Yule/wintery stories from year's past. They are: Incubus Yule (related to the Incubus Series), Enthralled (related to The Knight and the Necromancer), and "Awake" (yes, I consider this a Christmas story! related to Hunters). "Awake" is part of the Lullaby collection. You can find those in all formats on my website.

Regarding Signed Paper Books for Christmas Presents

I am running out of some titles, and I've only got a single copy of others, so if you want signed books as Christmas gifts, order now! Shipping gets slow around Christmas, and even with priority mail rates. I need to get those books in the mail pronto if they're supposed to reach you before the holiday.

My store has a lot of items at this point. If you're struggling with navigation, let me point out the search option in the upper right. Click on the little magnifying glass and away you go. In addition, the navigation links will help you see whether there are books in a particularly world or series that you might have missed.

What else is happening?

  • I'm considering allowing media mail options for my signed books after the holiday. There are some issues with this, and I'm not going to try it until after Christmas, but if you're considering ordering books for yourself (and not gifts), I might be able to offer you cheaper shipping soon.

  • I'm still working on those last 2 Hunters hardbacks. There is no way I'll have them in time for Christmas, but the first two are in stock on my shelf and would make great gifts.

  • Caraca got some fan art recently. I don't believe anyone has painted her before. :)

Yours, an author in holiday mode,
Abbie

Beautiful Hardbacks

Hello, dear reader who is probably dreaming of sugar plums,

I went on vacation and returned to Thanks Giving, so I've been a bit uncommunicative. Nevertheless, I've been busy. My designer and I are just about finished with the Hunters series hardbacks, and they are gorgeous. I actually did not expect them to be so pretty. They are fairly expensive books, but superb gifts if you're looking for a premium product. All four hardbacks are listed in my store at this point, but note: books 3 and 4 (Distraction and Bright Side) are pre-orders. We're still finalizing the books with Amazon. I have copies of Books 1 and 2 in my office right now, but not yet books 3 and 4. If you select a mixture of regular and pre-order paper books in the same order, I will wait until I have your whole order to ship it.

The first book (Hunters Unlucky) had quite a lot of silhouette art for "parts" and section breaks. I hadn't done that for softcovers going forward, but for the hardbacks, I commissioned some additional silhouette art for books 2-4 to add a little extra class. Above, you see one of the images in Lullaby. If you've read or listened to the book, you know that's Charder and Arcove...and it's a bit of an understated kick in the chest.

The audio for Arcove's Bright Side (book 4) continues to run in my Patreon feed, and I've been getting emails from people who finished the book (because they bought it) and want to tell me how much they enjoyed it. Here's an excerpt from a recent listener about Bright Side:

"This book gave me everything I want in a good fantasy. It has the suspense, the action, the spice and all the emotions my heart could possibly handle. I laughed, I cried and everything in between."

*blush* As I've said before, these books are close to my heart. They encompass a lot of themes, including violent vs peaceful behavior, generational change, loss, aging, love, the inherent queerness of the natural world, and the ways in which relationships change over time. Also, weird biology, politics, a lot of chase scenes, and everything you never needed to know about lions.

Reading order is:

Hunters Unlucky
Lullaby
Distraction
Arcove's Bright Side
Legacy (currently only on Patreon)

The first four books are available in ebook, audiobook, paperback, and hardback(!) directly from me. The first two books are also available in all formats on most retailers. The paperbacks and hardbacks are also on the zon, and if you don't want them signed, definitely get them there. Legacy is finished, but still in draft, and it will not be the last book.

State of the Cattery

I know some of you want to ask about Nim, and the answer is: he is doing great! He seems to have made a full recovery from his seizure. He received his special dispensation of Thanks Giving turkey and is engaging in his usual round of eating, sleeping, demanding pets, and graciously accepting adoration from Mochi. Taro licks him on the head sometimes, too.

It is Taro and Mochi's favorite time of year - when I bring a live tree into the house. They have no idea why I don't do this year-round, but they're grateful that I come to my senses once annually. They are currently enjoying pine-flavored water and a tree dressed to the nines in potential toys.

What else is happening?

I've gotten the artwork that I commissioned for "Adagio" (an mm story related to the Prophet of Panamindorah, but can be read on its own). This cover has been a long time coming, but it's finally here and I cannot wait to share it with you! My designer is currently putting on the final touches. The story has never been available outside Patreon, and I'm including it with a collection that has been off sale for over a year, so some of you have never heard of it.

Yours, an author making a list and checking it more than twice,
Abbie

Published Under A. H. Lee

The Incubus Series
The Knight and the Necromancer

Published Under Abigail Hilton

Hunters Unlucky
Pirates of Wefrivain
The Prophet of Panamindorah
The Eve and Malachi Series

Nim had a near miss

Hello,

Above you see Nim, my 19 year old cat. Those of you who have followed me for years know him pretty well. His caterwaul occasionally interrupted early podcasts when I was working on The Prophet of Panamindorah. He had outtakes in The Guild of the Cowry Catchers (hilarious out-takes you can still download here). He makes a regular (vocal) appearance on my Patreon update podcast. He has outlived all his companions of similar age, but I got the bobtails during the pandemic, and they love him to pieces. Mochi, particularly, will groom his head and try to wrestle with him. I got Nim when I was 26 and I'm now 45, so I've had him for nearly 80% of my adult life.

A week ago, Nim had a major seizure in the middle of the night. He became extremely confused and uncoordinated. He growled at me and the boys. He didn't seem to know who anyone was. For the first time in his entire life, he did not purr when I petted him or seem to derive any comfort from my presence. This was very hard. I had him at the vet as soon as they opened, but there wasn't a lot they could do. For two days, he was a shell of himself, devoid of personality, a robot cat who remembered how to eat and drink and use the litter box (thank goodness), but nothing else.

Then...slowly...he came back. He remembered who I was. He remembered who Mochi and Taro are. He started purring again, interacting, and showing his personality. He is 95 in human years, and I don't know how many more lives he's got, but he's not done yet. I spoke about this at some length while it was happening on the podcast. I've made those posts public for now, so you can listen if you like. There are 3 of them, and I tagged them.

What else is happening?

Yours, an author who still has a 19 year old cat,
Abbie

p.s. This is my newsletter. If you’d like to get it in your email, go here.

New Audiobook for You

Hello, Reader who enjoys (or at least tolerates) cats.

Above, you see Mochi, giving his brother Taroko a kiss on the cheek. They used to sit up here together as kittens. Now, they have to prove that they still fit. This sweetness was immediately followed by wrestling that tested the integrity of the cat tree. Fortunately, they are not creasia.

But...here's someone who is :)

I won't burry the lead here; Rish finished the audio for Arcove's Bright Side. His voices for the characters are amazing. You can listen to us ramble about it exuberantly here. We tried to avoid spoilers in that interview. We'll do another one with spoilers for after people have listened. You can also enjoy the first 3 chapters of the story over there if you'd like to test-drive it, or you can subscribe and get the whole thing as a podcast.

The complete 17 hour audiobook of Arcove's Bright Side is here and comes with the ebook. If you previously purchased the ebook, you should have gotten a discount code. Let me know if you think something went wrong.

Additionally, the paperback is on the Zon and available signed from me. Digital versions of the book (ebook and audio) are only available from me.

Once again, reading order for the Hunters Universe Saga is:

Hunters Unlucky
Lullaby
Distraction
Arcove's Bright Side
Legacy

These books have a high degree of natural realism. The behavior of the creasia is based upon actual lions and I have 3 long essays about it on my Patreon:

"Population Genetics and Inbreeding Depression in Creasia" - https://www.patreon.com/posts/64404539
"A Bisexual Lion is Just a Lion" - https://www.patreon.com/posts/64453967
"More Lions (sorry)" - https://www.patreon.com/posts/64686850

Just because books are about animals does not mean they are for kids. The first two are appropriate for all ages, but after that, use your judgement. I did not write them with children in mind, although they were certainly written with science and biology in mind.

If you would like to start at the beginning of the series, here's a long sample of the first book.

What else is happening?

  • I have recently moved my entire signed paperback store from Squarespace to Payhip. This means that all of my books and extras (ebooks, audiobooks, paperbacks, a few hardbacks, plus extras like interviews and outtakes) are now in one place: https://shop.abigailhilton.com/ In order to celebrate this, I'm offering 15% off on all items through the end of the month. The code is: ONELRG7UWZ

  • I recently previewed hardcovers of the Hunters books. They are even prettier than I expected.

  • If you're an Audible fan, Lullaby just went live there. I am not planning to post the audiobooks of the rest of the series on that site, but if you'd like Lullaby from Audible, you can get it now (and also on most other audio retailers).

  • In case you missed the previous announcement, I updated my rewards summary page on Patreon. The quick links make things easier to find.

Yours, an author busy with an audio release,
Abbie

The Gift of Mice - Newsletter

Hello, Marvelous readers,

Above, you see Nim (19 years old) lying on a favorite rug. The old man is doing pretty well. I told him that he outlived the queen of England, and he asked if that meant he gets extra treats. (Of course it does!)

I'm once again working on my Sleipner Drive books (mm romance, epic fantasy, entirely new setting). I reworked the first four chapters a bit and reposted them. New chapter tomorrow. If you're the kind of person who likes reading things in draft, you can read the story as I write it here.

In case you missed last week's email, my latest Hunters Universe story is complete and available on Patreon, where it will remain for as long as it takes me to write the Sleipner books. If you're current through Bright Side, you can read Legacy here.

I also updated the rewards summary page on Patreon. I moved some previously paid things to free tier. Even if you have no plans to become a Patron, you should check it out.

What else is happening?

  • Arcove's Bright Side paperback is uploaded and proceeding through the review process, along with hardcovers for the previous books in that series.

  • Rish is nearing the halfway point in recording the Bright Side audiobook.

  • Taro left a toy mouse in my bed. It was startling, but you know, it could have been worse. It could have been a real mouse.

Yours, an author with untold numbers of migratory stuffed mice,
Abbie

Published Under A. H. Lee

The Incubus Series
The Knight and the Necromancer


Published Under Abigail Hilton
Hunters Unlucky
Pirates of Wefrivain
The Prophet of Panamindorah
The Eve and Malachi Series

Finish a book, start a book - Newsletter

Hello, Patient readers,

Above, you see Mochi in one of his favorite sleeping locations (the shower) in one of his favorite sleeping positions (double helix?). He truly is sound asleep here. What a goofus.

If you're thinking you haven't heard from me in a while, you're not imagining things. I took about a month away from email. I got a real vacation in there when some friends came to visit, but mostly I was writing. I finished the newest Hunters Universe story, which now has a name (Legacy). It turned out to be a respectable 67K novel. This one is going to live on my Patreon for a while before a clean it up and officially publish it. How long? If I had to guess, I'd say a year, but I'm really not sure.

For those of you who are fans of this series, that's actually good news. The reason I'm not going to publish it for a while is that I want to write a couple of short stories that come first chronologically. And, also, this story is leading into a larger novel. So I'll come back to it when I'm ready to write those, but at the moment, I really do want to write at least the first 3 books in the Sleipner series.

In the meantime, Legacy stands in its own right as a complete novel. This is a high-stakes, high-drama edition to the Hunters saga. If you're current through Arcove's Bright Side, and you don't mind reading semi-final (typo-rich) drafts, feel free to read it on Patreon. It's all tagged and includes my author's notes. Here's my working description:

Two and a half years after the events in Arcove’s Bright Side, Halvery loses a challenge fight to a nomadic troublemaker and his coalition. The victors manage to keep news of the fight from spreading for two days. By the time Arcove and his officers learn of the events, Halvery has been missing for an ominous length of time and his mates and cubs are being held hostage. Wisteria’s new den council is put to an extreme test in dealing with this dangerous situation.

Meanwhile, Halvery’s friends search frantically for him. His survival seems unlikely, and the future of all aging members of the creasia council is called into question. Leadership has always meant strength in Leeshwood. If an alpha cannot win fights, is there any place left for him? Read the whole thing here.

Also check out the gorgeous fan art Iben Krutt did for the story.

And if you do come aboard the Patreon now, you'll also catch Arcove's Bright Side audio, which will be starting this month. Rish makes this one an absolute delight to listen to.

Finally, I updated the rewards summary page on Patreon, which was 8 months old and badly in need of revision. I've been on Patreon since 2015, so it can be hard to find all the cool stuff I've posted over the years without links.

My stealth-favorites of the new stuff are the essays I wrote on lion biology while I was doing research for the latest Hunters books: "Population Genetics and Inbreeding Depression in Creasia" - https://www.patreon.com/posts/64404539
"A Bisexual Lion is Just a Lion" - https://www.patreon.com/posts/64453967
"More Lions (sorry)" - https://www.patreon.com/posts/64686850

If you are wanting to get into the Hunters universe for the first time, the best place to start is still this enormous sample.

What else is happening?

  • I'm working on the Arcove's Bright Side paperback. Also experimenting with hardcovers of these books.

  • There's an entire blog devoted to collecting Hunters fan art. I do not know who is running this, but they have collected the pretties.

  • I'm returning to writing about human beings now. For realzies. I was 12K words into Julian and Tobias's story when I got derailed, so it's not even a standing start.

  • Shoutout to my fellow storyteller, Elli Jaybird, who has drawn much Hunters fan art and just finished her first big animation project, called Egg. It is heart-warming and sweet, and you should take 5 minutes and watch it. Then you should check out more of her beautiful and fascinating art.

Yours, an author finishing one thing and starting something else,
Abbie

Squirrel!

Hello, Readers and Cat-enthusiasts,

Above, you see Mochi and Taro sitting in the herb box that I put together for the back porch. The herbs are looking a little smashed, but the box is wildly popular with the local residents. They like sitting in it and sleeping in it and watching birds in it. I don't have the heart to kick them out. I did plant catnip there, so it's partially my fault. Although they seem to like nibbling on the parsley almost as much. (And before you ask: no, they do not use it as a litter box. They would not desecrate their wonderful bed of dirt.) Conclusion: I need a second herb box...for herbs.

How are projects going?

  • If you missed it last week, the Pirates of Wefrivain books are finally correct on Audible. If you purchased The Scarlet Albatross or Jager Thunder on Audible in the past, delete and redownload for the updated versions. Albatross should be 17.5 hours and Jager should be 20.5 hours. You can also get these audiobooks directly from me.

  • I'm 44,000 words into this new Hunters story (Legacy), so it is officially a novel. And it's got at least another 10K to go. Arg. I've got a slow week ahead of me, covering for a rural hospital with only 2 cases currently on the surgical schedule, so I am hoping to put my head down and finish this book.

  • Rish has begun recording Arcove's Bright Side. When we're far enough ahead in the audio, I'll start posting it on Patreon.

  • I'm working on the Bright Side paperback. I waited until Rish read it, because he always finds a few more typos and it's a pain to correct them in the paper version if it's already finished.

  • I'm working on some Hunters universe hardbacks for this small, but very engaged audience. My designer is doing some new silhouette art for the scene breaks from Lullaby on, in order to match what we did for the original novel.

  • Speaking of art, Tumblr continues to be the home of my most artistic readers, who post jaw-dropping art almost faster than I can keep up with it. Under the Hunters Unlucky tag, there's new art by elliejaybird, karvolf, ikrutt, and other pieces going back and back. Ellie has an image of the main feline players from Hunters original novel. See if you can guess who's who before looking at the tags. There's also a blog devoted entirely to collecting Hunters fan art. (Wow... *blush*) I'm not sure who's behind this, but thank you.

  • Corvi the Art deserves their own bullet point for all the new Panamindorah art they've been posting. There are several of Silveo, including a humorous meme (heehee). Also, art of Basil, Glossy, Belvedere, Silas, others. Seriously, go look. Corvi also posted the first fan art I've seen of Sairis from The Knight and the Necromancer in a...um...darkly humorous scene (well, it made me lol).

I'll close with an image of the boys spotting a squirrel in tandem.

Yours, an author trying to finish a book,
Abbie

My Grandmother's Poem

Hello, Patient Readers,

Above, you see Mochi in his morning zen state. Last week, I was in Tennessee for my grandmother's memorial service. My family sat around swapping stories and crying and eating casseroles. As is traditional. I wrote a poem, which I read at the memorial. I will share it with you here.

A thousand things will remind me of you forever: frozen snickers and lemon chess pie, hydrangeas, paper dolls, mailboxes, chunky historical novels, quiet libraries with genealogy sections, stuffed animals with life-like features, scarves, porch gardens, birds.

But these things weren’t you. They’re short-cuts—ideas that trigger memories. Let me try again:

I remember the time we brought home a dead baby opossum.

Its mother had been struck by a car, her sad cargo scattered all over the road,

but this one looked perfect. Like it was sleeping.

You must have known it was dead.

You must have.

But you let me bring it back to your house and keep it in a quiet place,

tending its scrapes, hoping it would wake up.

Maybe hope is more important than a swift lesson about death when you are ten.

Maybe being the kind of person who tries to rescue baby opossums is more important.

You loved my cats even though you were allergic to them.

I sent you pictures of my new kittens all through the pandemic.

During our very last phone call, I was pulling weeds in my garden

and telling you a funny story about Mochi climbing the screen.

I remember how you laughed.

You were going to be the same age as Nim next year.

You and Nim and the Queen of England.

But even stories are too simplistic the capture a person. Like everyone’s life, yours requires context:

Your story spanned 95 years of blistering technological change,

from horses in the streets to a man on the moon.

You were often frustrated by the pace at which you were expected to adapt

and adapt and adapt again.

The car, the dishwasher, the VCR, the computer, the printer, the internet, the iphone—

devices that brought you along and left you behind,

that created a world so convenient that it become a different world,

finally a world that you could not understand.

You loved to read, but you never quite made sense of the eReader.

You told me once about your secret childhood reading nook,

how you climbed atop of a stack of quilts,

high on your own grandmother’s wardrobe in Mississippi,

cozy near the ceiling, escaping between the pages of books.

You read voraciously, right up until the end.

You didn’t quite make it through those books I gave you for Christmas,

but you came close.

You were a very private person, not always an easy person.

I am certain you kept secrets.

Secrets now sealed into the unknowable past, transformed into mysteries,

into photographs, into cryptic notes.

You have not been a daily presence in my life for years.

I cannot see that you are gone, and so a part of me will keep insisting that

you are still in that little room, reading, waiting for a call, a text, a visit.

There is a persistent notion that I could just dial your number

and your voice would answer,

that I could send a picture of a cat or a flower and you would see it.

You will live there forever, maybe, in some liminal space in my consciousness,

a sharpness in my chest when I remember

again and again

that you are gone.

I think you would want to be thought of.

I think you would want to be missed.

So I will miss you, Nonie. In all the little details of a well-assembled wardrobe,

in the name of a bird or a plant, in the cinnamon-cream warmth of chai tea,

in a moment of comfort with a good book, in the faces of my pets.

I will miss you when I see silk flowers and scarves and cats.

I hope that I am able to bear life’s blows with as much grace and style as you did.

I love you, Nonie.

And I will miss you.

What else is going on?

  • The Pirates of Wefrivain books are finally correct on Audible. If you purchased The Scarlet Albatross or Jager Thunder on Audible in the past, delete and redownload for the updated versions. Albatross should be 17.5 hours and Jager should be 20.5 hours. You can also get these audiobooks directly from me.

  • Rish is about to begin recording Arcove's Bright Side. I'm also working on the paperback.

  • I've taken a break from writing during my trip for my grandmother's memorial, but I'm about to jump back into my Halvery story again. It's currently 36K words long and I think it has another 10K words or so.

Yours, an author about to do some summer writing,
Abbie

p.s. Beneath, you will find Taro, wallowing on the porch rug now that it's toasty outside.

Published Under A. H. Lee

The Incubus Series
The Knight and the Necromancer

Published Under Abigail Hilton

Hunters Unlucky Pirates of Wefrivain The Prophet of Panamindorah
The Eve and Malachi Series