Hi Everyone!
I’ve been a little quiet on the Newsletter side of things because there hasn’t been too much happening. My 9-5 job has had me a little overwhelmed because May - July is my busy season for things going on in the office, and it left me a little burnt out. Which meant that I struggled to do almost anything outside of work.
I did make it to St. Louis Pagan Picnic in June, where it was a good thing that my books are in plastic boxes because we got a pretty good downpour on Saturday, and then a ton of sun and heat on Sunday. I also found a strange little friend on my table as I was cleaning up Saturday night to head to the hotel for sleep. (I made sure they made it safely to a tree with lots of grass and a small hide a hole to inch into before I left.)
Storms
We’ve had some pretty intense storms recently, including a tornado warning and sighting one night.
A photographer, Barry Butler, captured this shot during the storms. Seriously, check out his website and socials for other just as amazing shots. This one is stunning though, with the lightning strike, times three at the same time, hitting the Hancock, Trump Chicago and Sears Tower in Chicago on Monday, July 15th in the early morning.
Next Live Sighting
The next time you’ll find me out and about in the wild is for Pan Pagan, held Aug 9-11, 2024 in Bloomington-Normal, IL. It’s a Pagan Conference, filled with workshops, vendors, tarot readers, and a wonderful community.
I’m excited to be doing another in-person event, though I’m also running harder for this one because I’m helping to run it. If it sounds like your kind of event, you should check out the website and consider coming. Yes there is a conference registration to attend, but worth it if I do say so myself.
What Am I Reading?
Despite the burnout I’ve been going through, I have been reading. So I’m up to 40 books for the year. A good highlight of my reads since the last Newsletter are above in the photo.
The Dresden Files are a guilty pleasure mom and I listen to any time we go on longer car rides. Between the St. Louis show and a personal vacation trip up to Minnesota to visit with a friend, we did a lot of driving, which meant two books down! They make the long drives so nice because you don’t have to constantly hunt for new radio stations as you drive out of area of the last one, and it gives the brain something to chew on in the long stretches of road.
For the Minnesota trip, I also created a small Octipi army during the car ride there and home. The two larger Octipi were made after I got home, but I mean, look at them all. I can’t tell you why, but they make me so happy. And yes, they will be for sale at my table in August, and later in November at WindyCon.
Featured Book
Bloody Hell: An Anthology of UK Indie Horror
The United Kingdom is known for its breath-taking beauty, but even the most idyllic of places can harbour dark secrets. Experience twenty-seven brand new horror stories from British indie authors, each set in a unique location throughout the British Isles. Grab a cup of tea, a scone, and remember… they’re only stories.
This anthology will include 27 stories and releases on August 1st!
If you like collecting special editions of books, they also are doing a limited print run of a special Hardback edition.
Long Hot Summer
Hayley and Indie Visible Events is hosting The Indie Author Long Hot Summer Event, which features and introduces you to 14 Indie Authors, at the end of the event, July 28 & 29th, there will be a sale so you can grab books from all the amazing authors that were featured. Make sure to check out and follow Hayley’s Instagram for the Author Highlights and for that notice when the sale starts!
What did you read for this first half of the year? What Indie Reads do you have on your TBR list for the second half of the year? Leave me a comment and let me know!