Not long ago, I got tunnel vision on admin for my creative work and wasn’t allowing myself time for joy.
I’m not sure how it is for neurotypicals, but for autistic people (and neurodivergent humans more broadly), our interests are a very powerful tool for regulation. Times when I made didn’t make time for autistic joy were dangerous for my mental health and I went to a very dark place.
Allowing myself to do things that are “just” for pure joy has been very hard to do in my adult life. Mainstream culture is always pressing us to be productive, to monetize our interests, and to start side hustles.
Creative work often comes with a large helping of screen based admin that is more draining than life giving. I try to keep things in balance, but it has been a LOT of computer time during book launch.
So WoT Con could not have come at a better time.
Leaving behind my responsibilities to be a hard core fan freak for a week is so life giving. I hung out with my WoT friends, we sang together, we ate together, we paraded around in costumes, and we stayed up talking til 2 or 3 in the morning.*
(I’m seriously questioning at this point if I am even introverted, or just drained by normies. I am seriously hyped!!)
While I was at WoT Con, I also had the chance to show the How it Feels to Me proof to nearly 100 people, many of whom read it cover to cover. There’s nothing like placing your art in someone’s hands and seeing their face light up.
It was low key the best launch party an author could ask for. 😭
I’m more excited than ever to get these books out to you and to schedule some book tour events. (I’m taking launch VERY slowly due to my chronic illnesses, but it is proving very difficult to pace myself when I am so excited.)
Meanwhile Gracie has been hard at work formatting each edition (we have FIVE!) and we will start fulfilling orders next week. We have fewer than 10 signed bookplates left so if you want one of those be sure to order a hardcover ASAP.
Heads up that my shop link changed. It now lives at shop.kindlecuriosity.com **
If you preordered and have not confirmed your address now is the time to do so. I need you to use the official form so I have everything in one place, but if you can’t find the form please let me know.
There was a time I thought that being “professional” meant niching myself down and cutting away all the weird parts of me.
But it turns out those are my best bits.
Allowing myself to be louder about my interests has helped me make deeper friendships and be more authentic in my life.
Whatever you love, it deserves to take up space.
If you’re reading this by email hit reply and let me know what gives you neurodivergent joy. 💫
Cheers,
P.S. I’ve hidden a great serpent ring somewhere on my website as part of my cabinet of curiosities. It is a photograph of a silver ring and it is on one of my main website pages – not a blog post. If you find it send me an email and I’ll send you a surprise via snail mail. Once I finish book launch maybe I’ll finish hiding the rest of the curiosities.
FOOTNOTES
* Yes, we are still going strong even after the show was cancelled. This fandom has been around since before the show and it will continue long after. I’ve written about Wheel of Time fandom before. If you want to hear more about it you can read my posts tagged #wheeloftime.
** Which is a measure against self publishing bias.