Halloween Costumes + a Bookish Q&A

Oct 7, 2022

Hi, everyone! Happy October :)

As I write this month’s newsletter, I’m bundled up on the couch wearing several layers, because in New Jersey, the transition from summer to fall was basically non existent. One day I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and the next I was frantically trying to find the hoodies and sweaters I stored away earlier this year. That being said, I do love fall because this is the time of year that I feel most productive and focused. Maybe it’s because the excitement from summer has died down, or September still reminds me of the first few weeks of school. Like new beginnings. A chance to buckle down. I’m about 60,000 words into the first draft of my second adult romance novel. If all goes according to plan, I should finish by early November. Fingers crossed I can actually achieve that goal!

Early last week, I received ARCs for THE NEIGHBOR FAVOR. I’m planning to do a couple giveaways, mostly on my Instagram, but I will definitely be doing a giveaway for newsletter subscribers so keep an eye out!

There’s a giveaway currently running on Goodreads until November 2nd. 10 ARCs are up for grabs and you can enter here. TNF is also currently available for preorder. I’m in the middle of planning a pre-order campaign, and signed copies will be available via my local indie Inkwood Books. Just make sure to write in the order comments that you’d like the book signed and/or personalized.

It would be remiss of me to write a newsletter in October and not acknowledge Halloween, which is one of my favorite holidays. I’m a punk, so I don’t love Halloween because of the scary movies lol. I do love Halloween for the candy and costumes. Costumes have always been the main reason I’ve loved Halloween. For some reason, dressing up as an adult is even more fun than it was when I was a kid. In honor of this favorite holiday, I present to you My Halloween Costumes: The Greatest Hits.

Dwight Schrute from The Office, Halloween 2018

To date, I think this is my best costume lol. Aside from the fact it brought me immense joy, the best thing about it was that I didn’t have to spend a cent! I already had the glasses, and I took everything else (brown suit, yellow button up, striped tie) right out of my boyfriend’s closet lol.

Eleven from Stranger Things, Halloween 2019

I loved the fashion in season 3 of Stranger Things, particularly the outfits worn by Eleven and Max. (season 3 is probably my favorite season overall) I got the shirt, suspenders and yellow scrunchie on Amazon and I already owned the mom jeans lol.

Lavender from Matilda, Halloween 2020

So, I don’t know if this is one of my *best* costumes, but I’m including it here because it was last minute but came out nicely! I don’t think I own this dress anymore lol, but I remember seeing it in my closet and also looking at my lavender cotton socks and thinking, “That right there is a Halloween costume.” I bought the barrettes at the beauty supply store down the street from my old apartment. Overall very easy and very cute!

Dani from Midsommar, Halloween 2021

Okay, so Midsommar is like one of the few horror movies I’ll watch. It’s deeply disturbing, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt lol. I was blown away by Florence Pugh’s performance as Dani and even more so a couple months later when I saw her in a completely different role as Amy in Little Women. #TeamAmyForeva. Anyway, I loved being a May Queen.

Wednesday Addams, Halloween ???

While Dwight might be my best costume, my favorite costume was Wednesday Addams, and that’s because I have always related to Wednesday lol. I can’t remember what year this was, maybe 2015?? Wednesday is a quick, easy costume choice if, like me, you already own a ton of black clothes lol. Everything I’m wearing here was already in my closet. I haven’t seen those black knee high socks in years, though…wonder where they are.

There’s another year when I went as Aaliyah, but I can’t find any pictures! They must be in my old phone. I’m still not entirely sure what I’m going to go as this year, but I have a few ideas, and I’ll be posting my costume on my Instagram, per usual.

Okay, now onto bookish stuff. A couple weeks ago I posted a Q&A on my Instagram, saying that I’d answer any submitted questions in this month’s newsletter. Thank you for your questions! (Especially my author friend Maritza Moulite, who sent a couple. Thanks, Maritza!) The Q&A is below!

How has it been writing YA romance and now adult romance?

As with any new creative pursuit, there was a learning curve! But the transition wasn’t as difficult as I thought it might be, and I think that’s because the plot and characters of TNF had been floating around in my head for a few years, and probably because for the last several years, 90% of what I read has been adult romance, so it felt like I’d spent a long time studying the genre before I tried to write in it. It’s been cathartic to write about characters my own age, but I still do love writing about teens! And I feel very lucky that I get to write for both categories. The stakes in YA are different from those in adult romance, so those stories exist in two separate parts of my brain, which helps.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Yes lol. I’m actually working on this newsletter instead of writing the next chapter in my draft lolol. I find that I experience writer’s block when I’ve written myself into a corner or if something in the story doesn’t feel as though it’s working. I do a free write in my journal to work through whatever is bothering me and I usually find a solution that way. Or I have writer’s block because I’m burned out and need to take a day to refill the creative well (like today, as I write this newsletter while watching Derry Girls in the background).

How did you know you were ready to be an author full time?

The short answer is I knew I was ready once I had a decent amount of money saved and a set plan for future writing income. I got my first book deal in 2017 and didn’t leave my full time job until this past July. During the last five years, I only used my book money to fund pre-order campaigns and any book related travel (okay, okay, I also used some of it to go to Italy in 2019 lol, but otherwise just book stuff!). And I now have income from both YA and adult romance, which definitely helps me feel more solid. I also left New York last summer (no more expensive rent) and moved back home to NJ. I will eventually move on my own again, but I’m in no rush, as my main priority right now is continuing to save and fulfilling my book contracts. I’ve also been realistic with myself that writing full time might not always be feasible due to the ever-changing nature of publishing, so if I have to go back to corporate America again, I will! I also want to finally put my master’s degree to use at some point and hopefully find a creative writing professor position at a university, so we’ll see!

Zyla & Kai would be a great series. If it were to happen, what platform would you want it on?

First, thank you and I agree lol. I would gladly see Z&K adapted on any platform that wanted it lol. Cross your fingers for me!

What has been your fave smoothie?

I love this question lol. For those of you who don’t know, I drink smoothies all the time and post videos on my Instagram stories. My fave smoothie combo often changes, but right now, my favorite recipe is as follows:

1 banana

Half an avocado

Frozen blueberries

Frozen strawberries

Frozen pineapple bits

Spinach

Cashew nut milk yogurt

Oat milk

Sprinkle of ginger

Sprinkle of turmeric (add a sprinkle of pepper too in case turmeric makes you bloated)

And voila! Enjoy

That’s it for this month! Hopefully, next time you hear from me, I’ll have a first draft of book 5 under my belt. Until then, Happy Halloween!