Writing Update: May 2025
A quiet month on the publication front so we'll talk good reads and archives instead.
May brought a surprisingly rare spring to New England this year which lent itself to running, writing, gardening (new to me and surprisingly enjoyable), and loads of reading, including a surreal and quirky collection of stories by Leonora Carrington. On the novel, I spent more time than I should have tweaking my query letter (we’re on version eight, folks) and so far, have two agents are reading the full manuscript (GAH!).
Yes, I am freaking out. And no, I am not being patient about it. So, without further ado and perhaps more to distract myself than anything else, let’s jump into the newsletter, starting with a lookback.
A look back in the archives:
May of 2023 was a prolific publishing month for me with seven pieces debuting at the time. I’ve chosen three highlights from that year as well as one from 2022.
One Day, My Chest Will Be Sag Harbor - Pithead Chapel
Read time: <7 minutes (1,000 words)
Genre: Memoir
Bill’s Boogie - Dirigible Balloon
Read time: <5 minutes (500 words)
Genre: Children’s poem (shout-out to children’s author, illustrator, and musician, Jonty Howley, for the lovely illustration he did for this, pictured below).
It’s Terrible, The Things We Do To Each Other - Third Wednesday
Read time: <7 minutes (1,000 words)
Genre: Contemporary/Litfict
In the red - A-minor Magazine
Read tine: <5 minutes (500 words)
Genre: Dark re-imagined fairytale
My favorite reads of May:
May brought not one but three nonfiction books that I thoroughly enjoyed. All are, in some way, related to government and politics, and I couldn’t bear to leave a single one out. I will say, on the fiction front that although it didn’t meet my four-star rating requirement to be highlighted here, Brooklyn by Colm Toibin has definitely stuck with me in the weeks since I read it and I’m still trying to sort out why.
Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis does it again, this time with a collection of short stories about obscure public servants who work in the United States government and those likely most at risk from the DOGE cuts made by the current government. It’s a reminder of all the people who steadily work, with little credit, to keep the country running seamlessly behind the scenes. They are the members of government who target cybercriminals, explore space, run veteran memorial services, maintain the national archive, bust up monopolies, and so much more. It gave me a new appreciation for public service and for the wide plethora of careers and influence that people can exert in their day-to-day jobs.
The Ride: The Jeff Curley Murder and Its Aftermath by Brian MacQuarrie
This is one of those tales that will break your heart with the scale of its tragedy. It’s a portrait of anger, revenge, human resiliency, and the capacity for people to change their views when given the space to do so. I live down the street from where it’s set; I’ve been to the coffeeshop - 1369 - and the bars mentioned in the book countless times, and it was strange to learn about a horrific murder and superimpose it on a place where I’ve found such joy and light. The account shows how a neighborhood event reaches the statehouse, becomes embroiled in politics, and influences broader public approval of capital punishment in MA, a history I was unaware of until I read the work. A warning: it’s a tough read as it includes sexual assault and murder of a child.
There Will Be Fire: Margaret Thatcher, The IRA, and Two Minutes that Changed History by Rory Carroll
Done in the style of Erik Larson, Carroll’s account follows the build up to the assassination attempt of Margaret Thatcher by the IRA at the Grand Hotel in Brighton (which I’ll be visiting this December). It’s an amazingly detailed recounting of the mechanisms and methodologies utilized by the IRA’s “English Department,” agents who terrorized London and surrounding towns during Thatcher’s reign. While not required, I’d recommend reading Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe first as it sets the broader historical context of the IRA and the main players involved in the hunger strikes that occurred during Thatcher’s time in office.
A look ahead:
I’ve got a novella that needs editing and a few short stories in need of finishing so hoping that by the time we next check in, one or both of those would have seen some progress. I’ll be pitching a few more agents on my WIP next weekend so send all the good luck vibes my way in the hopes that it resonates with one of them. Until next time!