Summer 2023 Newsletter
- Kelsey Otten
- Jul 26, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 17, 2024
Some writing, some life, a lot of book recs.
Book Updates
There aren't a lot of updates on this front. April & May & June were full of life things, which I can't complain about. In April, I celebrated turning thirty-one, hosted my best friend and her husband for their first visit to Arizona and got to show them some of my fave spots, took a road trip to check out the wildflowers and snag some good eats, repainted my bookshelf, and spent time with my people. May was equally full, including a work trip to Baltimore to present at a conference and Marlowe's preschool graduation. June had me out of the Arizona heat for half of the month, splitting time between NKY/Cincinnati and a trip down to Florida with my mom's side of the family. In between life things, I was able to do some research on publishing next steps, made a list of comparative (comp) titles (which are added into a query letter), made a list of independent publishers and agents who I want to pitch my book to, and read through many, many "do's and do not's of publishing" articles. The internet is both a glorious and overwhelming tool with lots of advice to weed through. I also found a step-by-step guide on how to self-publish, which starts to look more appealing with each passing day, if I'm honest. As an aside, for anyone curious on the different publishing methods and how to determine which is best for you, I've found this chart by Jane Friedman particularly helpful. All of this to say, no publishing dates yet, but maybe by the end of summer fall I'll have some legitimate news to put in this section. *Crosses Fingers, Sign of the Cross, and Seeks Good Vibes*
Current Projects
For other writing projects, I'm working on the first draft of "Reconciling," which is a bit different from my completed novel. This one is a novella, which you'd think would be easier to finish, since it should be shorter than a novel. Typically, a novella word count runs between 17,000 to 40,000 words. My draft is currently sitting at ~20,000 words, and I anticipate it will be on the longer end, closer to that 40,000 mark. So far, this has been a different experience than drafting my first novel. Not in a bad way... there are just different things that are easier and some that are more challenging. For example, the novella follows many of the main characters from "Recovering," which is kind of nice because I don't need to create new characters out of thin air. The biggest difference, though, is that this story will have multiple POV (point-of-views). This is forcing me to get into each character's head and gain a deeper understanding of who they are on a more intrinsic level. What is their history, their trauma? What is their motivation? What do they like and dislike? How would they feel about a situation, and is that different than how they'd react externally? It's a fun but complicated process, pivoting back and forth between characters as I move from chapter to chapter. It's similar to wearing around a jean jacket for a while before shedding it to slip on a leather jacket for a few hours. And then subsequently trading that for a doctor's white coat, and then eventually ditching the coat altogether and walking around in a t-shirt. Each has a very different vibe. And getting into each persona takes a little time, but I don't have enough time to settle fully into that character before needing to change personalities. Seeing as it's the end of July now, I'll go ahead and set a fall writing goal. In a perfect world (that doesn't exist), I'd write a little each day. Knowing the impracticality of that goal, but also having a great desire to close up this project because I still have a pending full-length novel that is waiting for me to work on it... I'd love to have a completed draft of this novella by the end of September. If you want to read (a little bit) more about "Reconciling," click here. Pssst: there's also a sneak peak about Novel #2 ("Discovering") here 😏
Things Bringing Me Joy
Listening:
I'm obsessive with music... once I latch onto something, I end up listening to it on repeat for... a while. Here's what has been in my regular rotation the past few months:
Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Yoke Lore (two new songs out - Winona & Shake)
Noah Kahan (new extended Stick Season album was released with several new songs and I'm OBSESSED)
and a lovely little mix of 90's/00's pop/punk rock
For audiobooks, I finished up Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe, which I highly recommend, as well as Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy. I'm currently listening to The Prince by Machiavelli and Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton.
Reading:
Here are some of my faves from the last few months:
Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Him & Us by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen
People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry
King of Scars & Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
The Cruel Prince trilogy by Holly Black
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
For the Wolf & For the Throne by Hannah Whitten
Ashes of the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent
Reckless by Elsie Silver
Dark Shores by Danielle Jensen
Everything is F*cked by Mark Manson
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
I'll Show Myself Out by Jessi Klein
Watching I finished Season Two of Shadow and Bone on Netflix, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also binged Queen Charlotte and UGH, I loved it. I don't watch much TV these days because I'm reading a lot, but there are currently several shows on my list that I want to give a try. I think the next up is Season Two of Carnival Row (though a re-watch of Season One is definitely in order because it's been like three years since I saw it). Recs? If you have any recommendations for music, audiobooks, other books, podcasts, or shows - hook a girl up! Email me at hello@kelseyotten.com (or just Reply to this newsletter)
