A belated annual review: 2018 to 2019
For many years I've posted an annual review at the end of each year in which I wrap up the previous year and give a preview of what's coming up. I didn't do that at the end of 2018, but as the weeks of 2019 roll by (slowly, filled with way too much news) I realized that I don't want to skip my annual review. So, even though this is a little late, here we go!
THINGS PUBLISHED IN 2018
I had several short stories published last year, and it's not too late to read them!
"New Year" (published in Feb. 2018 in the anthology All Out) is about a Chinese American girl in 1950s San Francisco who discovers that there's a lesbian community right next door to her Chinatown home. If you're a regular reader of my blog or a follower on social media, you'll know that "New Year" is turning into a full-length novel (I'm working on it right now), so you can get a sneak peek at it in the story!
"Meet Cute" (published in Aug. 2018 in the anthology Fresh Ink) is a happy (I swear) romantic comedy about two girls who meet at a fan convention while they're cosplaying a race-bent Dana Scully and a gender-flipped Sulu.
"We Could Be Heroes" (published in Oct. 2018 at Autostraddle) is about what happens when two married lesbians attend the inauguration of a Trump-like president on the day that aliens arrive on Earth.
I also wrote an essay called "Keep Doing What You're Doing" in the anthology How I Resist (published in May 2018 to benefit the ACLU). If the current state of the world is getting you down, this is really a pep talk. Actually, I should reread it myself sometime.
Last but not least, my novel A Line in the Dark came out in paperback. I’m pleased to share the news that it has also just been selected for the 2019 Rainbow Book List from the American Library Association.
THINGS THAT WILL BE PUBLISHED IN 2019
I already started this year off with a new short story, "Red," which was published at Foreshadow on Jan. 1. This is a retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood" set during the Cultural Revolution in China, and it's a little bit ... different, shall we say?
I think it's appropriate that I kicked off 2019 with a fairy tale retelling, because this year also marks ten years since the debut of my first novel, Ash. I'm thrilled (and honored and flabbergasted!) that it will be released in a new tenth-anniversary edition on May 14, 2019, complete with an introduction by Holly Black, a letter to readers from me, and a Q&A between me and Ash's editor, Kate Sullivan.
If you want to preorder the tenth anniversary edition of Ash, make sure you order the correct ISBN, which is 9780316531313. To make it a little easier, here are preorder links for this specific edition:
As always, I anticipate that other things will happen in 2019 but I'm not sure what they are yet! Stay tuned.
WHAT I WILL BE DOING IN 2019
I recently returned from delivering the commencement address to the graduating class at Hamline University's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was chilly! But I really enjoyed meeting this year's lucky seven MFA grads and speaking to them about the writing life.
I already have several other events lined up for this year, starting Feb. 15-17 when I'll be attending Boskone, the Boston-based science fiction and fantasy convention. I'll be on a couple of panels, and I'll also be giving a reading of my short story "Red." My schedule is here.
Then from March 21-24 I'll be on the faculty at the Writing Novels for Young People Retreat at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. I'm looking forward to visiting the campus and meeting new writers!
From July 10-14 I'll be at the Golden Crown Literary Society Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, where I'll be delivering the keynote address. I'm excited to attend since I've never been before and have heard about it for years since it's the biggest (I believe) conference for lesbian fiction in the country. Find out more about it here.
So that's my annual review of 2018 and a look ahead into this year, which is already a month old. If the first month is a harbinger of what's to come, this is going to be a jam-packed and wonderful year for me. I hope yours will be too.